planning european trip for march with a teen

debbie, Travel in March would probably be better in terms of the weather, but of course never any guarantees with that. With two weeks, it should be reasonably easy to fit in Paris, Rome and perhaps Barcelona. Of course, using open-jaw flights would be the best idea. Are there any other cities in France, Italy or Spain that your daughter might be interested in? I notice that London is absent from the list - no desire to stop there? There are MANY possibilities!

Actually, yes. I have never been to London either and would love to go! I'm just not sure which city would be good to fly into for the beginning of the trip, and what the best order would be for ease. (if you could get that trying to see several countries!) I am also interested in Amsterdam. If we could visit 2-3 countries it would be nice. And where can we do night trains vs flying?
I appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!

This is beginning to have a shotgun approach. With two weeks you only have a good 12 days - 3 days per city means reasonably about 4 locations. Where you change locations you will lose a min of a half day plus travel time With the widely scattered cities - London, Rome, Venice, you could easily lose three to four days of time. The best for time in my opinion would be late September and October. March can be very cool and rainy especially in northern Europe. It is either March or Nov then I would suggest sticking to southern Spain and Italy. At this stage you need to focus by getting a map and putting some pins so you have a feel for the distances involved. Get the guidebooks and DVDs for those areas from you local library and see what appeals to you. You need to keep two thoughts in your mind cannot see everything the first time and you need to save something for the next trip. I would focus on an area to hold down transportation costs. Personally, I think night trains are over rated. They work but few sleep well and they are expensive. Having said that there are some folks who like drive by trips. They do not care to see much of anything in detail - all cathedrals look alike, all castles are just a big pike of stones rearranged in different ways so they could do trip like you are suggesting and be happy. With knowing you interest it is hard to make go recommendations.

Thank you, and I agree with what you've said. Due to school, it's either Nov or March. March sounds better weather-wise.

I would stick to Italy in March. Venice, Florence, Sienna, Tuscan hill towns, Rome, Naples/Pompeii - mix & match would easily fill two weeks without ever getting bored. If you must see more than one country, then perhaps fly open jaw Paris/Rome and take a night train between Paris and Venice. She would enjoy the night train. Something along these lines would be doable (nights in parenthesis); fly in (1), Paris (3), train (1), Venice (2), Florence (2), Rome (4 or 5, with a day trip to Naples/Pompeii) The night train gives you a bit more time in Paris and Venice than otherwise. And this addresses the general rule that one-night stays should be avoided when possible. But, of course there are lots of possibilities. I would not stop in Spain unless there is a specific need to, as you would then need to fly again to Italy - doable, but awkward. I would set the general parameters of what you are willing to endure as the parent, then bring the daughter in and get her involved in the planning (but with a tutorial first on the realities involved with changing location too frequently). Have a great time and good for you for taking the daughter along. What a great experience!

I like your scheduling! This sounds like a good plan! Do you get a decent nights sleep on a train?
Any ideas out there on a good area to stay in Paris? I haven't been there is 15 years. I like to use apartments if possible.

We have had both good experiences and bad experiences trying to sleep in a couchette on a train. The bad experiences were mostly due to heat, which won't be a problem when you are traveling. I wouldn't count on getting a full night's sleep, but it might still be worth it as an interesting travel experience + a great time saver. It's like camping - don't expect to sleep well, but it's an experience. An apartment in Paris is a great idea, but they generally prefer longer stays. You might wind up paying a premium for just 3-4 nights. Unless you are determined to cook, it is unlikely to save you money on a short visit. A small, quaint hotel would be easiest. The RS Paris guide has many suggestions.

Just asked my daughter (15 years old) who has been travelling to Europe with me since she was little. Her two favorites: London and Amsterdam