Germany/Austria/Switzerland with teens

I love the area where you will be staying... sunrise on the lake is amazing. I also like just wandering around the towns that surround the lake. As far as things to do... when I was there with my daughter a number of years ago we ended up at a small village in southern Germany where they were having a local festival (complete with parade and beer tent and lots of sausage) We also spent a day at a local horse show in another small town... Bad Groenenbach. It was really fun to be out of the tourist area and see 'ordinary life'. These are always my best memories. They would probably like the castles (obviously) as well as Munich (especially the 16 year old) My daughter loved the street bands and young feeling of Munich.

You're close to Flumserberg in Switzerland. There's a pretty good Sommerrodelbahn there. Let the 16 year old spend some time alone in Frieburg. He will appreciate it.

The Vogtsbauernhof open air museum near Hausach in the Black Forest: http://www.black-forest-travel.com/places-of-interest/vogtsbauernhof.html Burg Hohenzollern: http://www.burg-hohenzollern.com/startpage.html

We took a ferry from Lindau to Austria several years ago and saw a raptor show- one of the first we'd seen and so it was interesting. If you've seen one raptor show already, not sure it would be worth it to your teens.

Tracy,
We enjoyed the Zeppelin Museum (see: http://www.zeppelin-museum.de/home_en.0.html) in nearby Friedrichshafen.

You can bike to Meersburg, even around the lake if you like. It's great!

Something that I highly recommend for Salzburg is to go out to the airport and vist Red Bull's Hangar 7. It is free (unless you want to eat at the tres expensive tres chic restaurant there). The place is an amazing glass building filled with all of Red Bull's racing cars, motorcycles, planes, etc., plus art exhibits. Be sure to visit the restroom while you are there, too; the poshest bathrooms I've ever seen! We went 3 years ago, and are making a point to go back again on our trip in April (we will have our kids this time). Google "hangar 7 salzburg" for more info. We will be visiting many of the same places as you. We are looking forward to Europa Park, so it's good to hear that you are making a return visit there. This will be my husband and my 3rd trip, but 1st trip taking the kids along. We had fun browsing through an army surplus store before; I'm not sure how you'd Google that, though. My sis lives in Basel, so we went to one there that her husband found. I'm sure your boys would enjoy a trip up to the top of the Alps in Switzerland. Lots of paragliders to watch, too, and the hills dotted with chalets and cows with bells as you ride a gondola up the mountain is SO Swiss. You can ride a gondola up and walk back down, like you'll see LOTS of Europeans doing.

We did a ten-day home exchange in this area on our seven-week trip two years ago and loved it. Our kids were the same ages as yours are now, but two girls. The regional train, bus and ferry network is so dense you can get anywhere fast and cheap. All the above suggestions are great, here are a few more: Schloss Salem - a former monastery and castle, now a winery and collection of traditional workshops - a forge, a goldsmith, a shoemaker, a glass blower, etc. if you're there the weekend of August 10, the annual winefest is a must-do. German food booths, wine tasting, craft displays, building tours...we spent the whole day there and all of us loved it, including the teenagers. Birnau pilgrimage church, of course. High Rococo - not one surface left undecorated. You can't miss it, the pink plaster exterior stands out for miles. Mainau and Unteruhldingen - the flower island and a fun beach town with a (recreated) prehistoric village on stilts Schaffhausen, Switzerland - headwaters of the Rhein, tallest waterfall in Europe. Easy day trip by train. Very different feel from Germany. Ferries - we meant to do the all-day three-country ferry tour, with stops and excursions in all 3 countries, but it was sheeting rain that day. We took the ferry another day just from Lindau to Friedrichshafen, and that was enough. It's a bit boring after a while. The Zeppelin museum in Friedrichshafen was lots of fun, the boys will love it. Uhldingen was another nice town - very intact medieval walls and a Swiss restaurant that we thought was the best meal of our trip (order the rösti) We didn't see Konstanz except passing through on the train. Bigger city, might be fun.

Have you thought about a white water rafting trip? Lots of fun and excitement for the whole family. Check out some "Fun Forests" too. Plenty of zip lines and again, a fun experience for the entire family. They are everywhere!

What a great experience. That area is absolutely beautiful and centrally located to do day trips from. I'd suggest dropping over the mountain into Western Austria, and driving back toward Innsbruck. Just make sure the car has an Austrian tax sticker on it. if you get on their autobahns. Switzerland is also very close, and they too require a road tax sticker on any car used there.

teenagers - imst,austria - longest steel coaster in the world. put the three together and you will have a memory for life for the entire family. (definitely do not let the kids have all the fun.) Did it two years ago and hoping to go back again this fall. btw, we just turned 60 and we can't wait - as long as some of the slower young people don't get in front of us and hold us back.

Thank you everyone for the great ideas! We will definitely be looking into them all! I will keep checking here in case anyone thinks of more great tips or locations! Thank you!

Really good advice here. Will put in another shout-out for the Zeppelin museum in Freidrischafen. Was the highlight of the trip for my FIL and I'm sure it would be for your boys as well. Also consider that Audi is based out of Ingoldstadt, not too far away. Konstanz has a lovely old center and is well worth a visit.

Nice location. I've been twice. Have a Childhood pen friend in Bregenz. That was my first trip to Europe as a high school student. Enjoy!