Bruges or Trier?????

Has she studied either French or German? If she knows some German, you could give her the chance to practice it.

Both towns are charming and historic, but Bruges has canals, which are quite romantic, and some of the best chocolate you have ever tasted. I'd give the nod to Bruges.

Hard to say. Bruges is definately prettier, although Trier isn't exactly an eyesore either. Because Trier hosts a large university, she may enjoy seeing the younger crowd there.

It really depends on her interests. Bruges was the NYC of its day, everybody came there to buy and sell in the 1500's, so the architecture reflects that as well as the wealth the town had during those times. Eventually, their harbor silted up and the action moved to Antwerp. Trier on the other hand has lots of Roman ruins and also has a nice medieval look, but different than Bruges.

Have your daughter look at some websites for both places and pick one, then you know you have made the right decision.

The only thing I do not like about Bruges are the huge masses of tourists in the summer. If you can go there another time, it is nicer. Trier I do not believe, gets the huge number of tour buses. So, this might also be a factor in your decision as well as the travel times.

Bruges is by far the best choice!

I would probably go to Bruges too but wanted to give you some idea of the alternative.

Trier has extensive Roman ruins (I think the most ruins outside of Italy). It's also a very nice town in it's own right and not so touristy that you lose the sense of traditional Germany. From Trier, it would be easy to take a local train up the Mosel for a tour of Burg Eltz.

The two options are completely different but both are good. Maybe show her both and let her choose.

As someone mentioned before, Bruges has excellent chocolate. I'd go to Belgium any day of the week just for the food, beer, and chocolate.

I visited Bruges two years ago and also agree that it is a beautiful place to visit.

Ive been to both and definately suggest Bruge.

My daughter and I travelled to both cities. For us, Bruges was a town worthy of a several day visit. Lots to do, see and experience. It's charming and easy to get around. We really enjoyed the quaintness of the town. Whereas, in Trier, we stopped for a day of siteseeing. We saw a Roman column and went through the Karl-Marx-Haus Museum which my daughter could relate to because she had just studied him in high school. I'm sure there is more to see in Trier, however, we wanted to get to a destination along the Mosel River. I would go to Bruges. Check out RS book on Bruges for all the things to see and do. Have fun making life-long memories!

Been to both--Bruges, hands down. Lots that would be interesting to a 16 year old.
Have fun.

Just returned from London, Brugge, Paris, and Amsterdam with my 19 y/o daughter. She really enjoyed Brugge and so did I. For accommodations we used Rick's suggestions and for sightseeing as well. I let her sleep in and went to two museums which I was interested in but not a 19 y/o. We enjoyed the churches and a boat trip together. Some shops were geared to her age which she enjoyed. She would like to go back with friends maybe next year. I booked Thalys train tickets from Paris to Brussels online then bought tickets when arriving in Brussels to Brugge. It seemed to be cheaper than Paris to Brugge as there are lots of trains on the Paris-Brussels route daily.

I've not been to Trier, but Brugges is one of my all-time-favorite towns. I finally made it back again last summer and loved it even more. Great walking town, fun bike ride out to a little village, love it. Stay at the Royal Stewart, easy walking distance of everything, with two adorable Yorkies and get the scoop on a wonderful chocolate shop with great prices. You'll love it!

I haven't been to Bruges but it is on my must see list. I wasn't all that excited about Trier. One afternoon was enough.

I've been to both with my teenagers- they loved Bruges and talk about it all of the time. The chocolate, beer tour (couldn't sample though), cruising the canals and bike riding made the days go very quickly. The bell tower is a nice climb. The waffles are great as is the chocolate! There are even windmills to see. Trier was interesting, the kids didn't consider it "fun".

Definitely Bruges. Trier is worth a couple hours in my opinion, nothing more.