We are traveling to Paris, Sarlat/Dordogne, Barcelona, Madrid and Rome. I have been to France, Spain and Italy on Rick Steves tours, so no guide for us this time. Plus my daughter said she wants no part of getting on a tour bus at 8:00 a.m. My concern is she also told me , Mom, no museums, no old churches. Any ideas out there for what to do with a teenager in Europe? Besides shopping and eating? We have a tight budget and plan on taking overnight trains to save money and public transport throughout.
Posted by
Texan in CA
4415 posts
Was your daughter on those tours, hence the 'no museums/churches'? As far as what would she like to do - have you asked her? If she's old enough to dictate 'no xxx' she's old enough to do her own research ;-)
Posted by
OP
Nevada
39 posts
No, I went on the tours by myself when she was a little younger. I think she is old enough now to enjoy a Europe trip. She said she wants to see famous sites like the Eiffel tower, Pantheon, etc. She loves castles and palaces so we will see as many of those as we can. I wish I had enough money to take her to England too, beautiful castles there.
Posted by
Cape Ann, Massachusetts
3336 posts
I took my daughter to Europe for the first time at age 15 as well. She essentially said the same as your daughter. I accepted that it was her trip. We did a lot of walking, looking at historical sites, soaking in the history, culture, and people watching. And we just enjoyed the differences. I let her plan our days and I relaxed knowing it was more important to enjoy the vacation than worry about what I wanted to see, because I would be back. My vacation was the enjoyment of being with my 15 year old with no interruptions. Also accept that you will start out later every morning because you are with a teenager!
Posted by
Reston, Virginia
403 posts
If she loves castle and palaces, why not the Loire rather than the Dordogne? And really, unless you are traveling for many weeks, this is a very ambitious itinerary. I would advise dropping either Italy or Spain, and perhaps both depending on how long you have. And I don't understand why you can't do England. Do you already have the tickets? If you are just planning, why can't you plan for England? Think about interrupting the great cities with some beach time...the Riviera or, to the west, the Basque country around San Sebastian/St Jean de Luz. I suppose what I am saying is that with additional detail from you about your plans, we can give better and more focused advice.