Fun for Teens in Europe: 2003
Summer is for hometown parties and hanging out with friends - payback for a year of hard study in school. But Mom and Dad want to go to Europe! How can a teen stuck in Europe with his family have fun? Try screaming on the "white knuckle rides" of Blackpool, England; mountain biking in the Alps, playing pool and darts in Irish pubs where minors are welcome to be part of the scene, etc. Share your favorite teen activities and sights in Europe.
A few things to do
in the UK! written by a teen for a teen
Being an English teen, I know that there is loads to do in the UK. There's
plenty available like bowling, cinemas, got some really good shopping
malls such as Bluewater (SE of London, www.bluewater.co.uk) with over
330 stores and 40 caf?s, bars and restaurants plus a 13-screen cinema.
[The mall even has a Land Rover ride where a driver takes you around an
off-road track.]
There are great flea markets, too, for example Blackbushe which is west of London (www.blackbushe-market.co.uk). It's very good and you can find many good things at discount prices.
There are great theme parks; our main ones are Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chesington (the last one is best if you're under 11).
I hope this has been some help
to you. Good luck and have fun!...it's really quite a good country, lots
of things to do so try and look forward to it!
Sarah
London, UK Mon 12/29/2003
Interact with the locals
I traveled to Europe this summer without my family but with a group of 7th
and 8th grade students. The best part for a teen would probably be interacting
with the locals. I made so many new friends and they all love to learn about
our culture. If you are ever in Ireland, go to one of the local greens and
play a little "football."
Mindy
Mt. Zion, Il USA Sat 11/08/2003
London and Amsterdam for Teens
My 12 (going on 13) year old son and I spent 10 days in Europe this summer;
6 in London and 4 in Amsterdam. He was very involved in the planning. Once
we were there, he did most of the navigating. We tried to vary our activities
each day and had a wonderful time exploring in both cities. He loves mass
transportation, especially trains and subways, so we rode the Tube throughout
London, going to the end of several lines. We explored many neighborhoods,
because of those jaunts. (The family fare cards are a real bargain!)
He particularly enjoyed the time spent on the South Bank of the Thames, riding the London Eye, taking a Thames cruise, and visiting the Tate Modern. And I highly recommend the London Transport Museum, which I never would have visited except for his interest in transportation. He started out refusing to take tours, but after taking several of the excellent short ones at Hampton Court, he was hooked. We're looking forward to doing some of the recommended London walking tours next time.
I have to answer the person who said to skip Amsterdam. Please don't do that, especially if you're travelling with a teen. We absolutely loved Amsterdam! After the hustle and crowds in London, it was a refreshing change to be in such a laid back city. The food was wonderful, the city is lovely, especially for walking, and everyone was very friendly. As well as walking, we used the terrific, inexpensive trams to go all over the place. We stayed near the Museumplein, and were able to walk to the art museums. Also enjoyed the lovely park nearby where we watched several pick-up soccer games and played with the friendly dogs that rambled through. It is a very accessible city with much to interest teens. My son really enjoys modern art, and there is a wonderful museum there that's well worth a stop. We, of course, went to Anne Frank's house, which I think is particularly poignant for a teen to see.
Another highlight of our trip was the Troppenmuseum,
one of the best museums we've ever been too. It focuses on the culture
of much of the world that was colonized by the Netherlands. It's very
honest, well-designed, and a wonderful way to do a quick "world tour".
And, after you've seen the exhibits, you can enjoy a meal in the excellent
cafetaria that serves food from the various cultures. One of the things
we liked best about Amsterdam was the diversity of the people who live
and visit there. It was a fascinating city, that we're looking forward
to visiting again. Next time we hope to get out of the city and see more
of the Netherlands as well.
Susan Roberts
Mansfield, OH USA Sun 08/31/2003
Cyber Fun
My son loved the internet cafes in Europe, and especially going to our hostel
or hotel's lobby to send e-mails. It's nice to wind down at the end of the
day with the good old computer (since the three channels on television are
in foreign languages). It was so fun for my teenager to walk across the
little street at the Aberdeen Hotel, in Rome, to get a gelato and have a
little time away from the family. Hostels where families can stay together
(not hard to find) can be fun...In our case the hostels were much more comfortable
for our family than a 2 star hotel. The night before we saw Stonehenge we
stayed at the very comfortable YHA Hostel in Salisbury, and my teen son
swapped e-mail addresses with several teens traveling with a school group.
Maureen Crawford
San Diego, CA USA Wed 07/16/2003
Teens in Europe
We just got back from 20 days in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, & Italy.
We have two boys 16 & 13 years and they really enjoyed themselves. We found
that bowling in Switzerland was great fun for them and allowing them to
explore and interact with the locals themselves allowed for them to have
more fun and stretch themsevles a little bit. I think they will be ready
for new adventures in the future.
Bryan
Puyallup, WA USA Fri 07/11/2003
teens and fun in Europe
I just got back from 2 1/2 weeks in England and Scotland with my 14 (soon
to be 15) year old son. We had a great time. Evening walking tours were
a big hit with him as it seems with other teens on this page, we did Jack
the Ripper in London, A Ghost Walk in Edinburough, Bizarre Bath (in Bath,
of course) and the Haunted Walk in York. All winners. He loved the Tower
of London. Yes, we did eat in Pizza Hut twice (oh well) and yes, watch
out for the porno channels on cable in England (and this was at the Methodist
International Centre!)
My son was a wonderful navigator, I let him sleep in occasionally and call or e-mail his friends after we had been on the road nearly two weeks. He did miss relating to other kids his own age, I kept hoping we would run into some at a B and B or on a tour, but it didn't really work out...by the end of the trip, I let him venture out on his own a couple times. In York on a rainy night, he convinced me to let him walk to the movie theater where he saw the new Jim Carey movie, he wanted to do it on his own. I am guessing, it will be something he remembers..don't forget that it isn't all about history, art and castles, traveling is also about confidence and stretching your limits.
We had fun and he was a real trouper, never complained.
Some of the best times we had "togetherness" wise was just kicking back
in our room after a busy day, reading...he got the new Harry Potter the
day after it came out in the biggest bookstore in London..now that's a
keepsake! Also, go to the musicals in London, we saw three and could have
gone back for more. Kids are free on trains until they are 15 in the U.K.
and he got discounts everywhere we went. It was a great age to take him
for many, many reasons. I will treasure this adventure with him forever.
Chere Weiss
Kelso, WA USA Sat 07/05/2003
Travel with Teens with Limits
Just got back with our 13 yr old son and 15 yr old daughter. While they
slept in the morning my husband and I went out for a morning walk and brought
them back breakfast. They loved Paris -don't try to see too many sights
- just enjoy the culture! They liked Amsterdam but I would not recommend
to any one to take their children of any age to Amsterdam. It has become
totally seedy and completely inappropriate. I am not old fashioned or right
wing but I swear you'll regret it. We took a day trip to Brugge from Paris
which was great and wish we would have spent a little more time there and
left out Amsterdam. They loved Rome and did lots of sightseeing but best
of all they loved the Hilton Sorrento Palace. Made of lots of English speaking
friends and chilled out- while my husband and I had romantic dinners and
wonderful day excursions. Must go to ristorante Zi'ntonio mare in Sorrento
and if you're interested in a great cooking class Mama Camilla's.
d
Boca Raton, Fl USA Mon 06/30/2003
ideas for teens
I have sons 19, 15, who always have enjoyed traveling, including seeing
things like European museums and monuments. This year, I learned that my
15-year-old especially responds to walking tours -- particularly when he's
the one with the camera. He just finished an art history class and to my
surprise especially enjoyed tours focusing on architecture. To my surprise,
too, he at first groaned at the prospect of a walking tour. In general,
he's up for anything in terms of travel, so his initial reluctance was a
surprise. However, once on the tour, he had a great time. We have done 3
more since. He's groaned beforehand each time, then has enjoyed them. This
was true even when he was the only teen on the tour. We are in Paris, and
have greatly enjoyed the Paris walking tours done by the company Rick mentions
in his books.
Aziza
Fla., USA Sat 06/21/2003
Breakfasts & guides
It is difficult getting a teen out of bed in the morning when the European
breakfasts are ‘terrible and you don t have a plan on what you
re going to do that would require them to be out before 10:00am. So mom
and dad brought back a hearty breakfast from McDonald s one day in London
and it got them up and into the breakfast room. Guided tours seemed to capture
their attention too. The guide at the Catacombs of Rome, the Walks of Rome
talk outside the Colloseum, any of the Original Walks of London (they chose
the Jack the Ripper one and the Shakespeare one). These don t need reservations,
you just show up. The tours like Tower of London did not capture their attention
because there were about 100 people all at once and it was hard to hear.
(Note: my teens are 14 & 16)
bj
Denver, CO USA Fri 06/20/2003
Paris science museum
In Paris, there's a science museum called the Palais de la D?couverte (Palace
of Discovery). It has some impressive live experiments such as the very
popular electrostatic one. Go to www.palais-decouverte.fr/image.htm?img=images/
electr3g.gif; the picture shows a visitor safely sending lightning bolts
from his fingers!
marmotte
Paris, France Thu 04/17/2003
Two Weeks with a 15-Year-Old
We spent two weeks in England and France with a fifteen year old, who showed
minimal interest in planning. We openly discussed ALL of the options, no
matter how much he groaned (so we could later remind him he was included).
First stop was the town in England's Lake District where his grandfather grew up; our son fell in love with it! Yes, the pub scene was a hit. We then alternated city visits with country locations, and we picked hotels in safe but fun neighborhoods so he could go out by himself and walk around, which he did almost daily. We let him sleep in when he wanted, but attempted to rouse him early every couple of days. We rented bikes in the Lake District and again in Normandy.
We just laughed when he spent $50 of his money on calling cards to check in with his girlfriend the last four days, but now have a favorite photo of him in that phone booth in Paris! We alternated picking restaurants, so he ate escargots in France, Thai food in London. This formerly picky eater even chose an African restaurant once. By the time we reached Paris, our last stop, he refused Notre Dame (too many "old churches" by then!) but found a highlight of his trip was the flea market along the Seine while we toured the cathedral. His art favorites are Picasso and Monet, so we focused on those museums. Our son had been convinced he wouldn't try to speak French (which he never studied at school) but he was greeting and ordering in French after two days (I got him his own pocket translator book).
In spite of much trepidation on our part (having raised another one to adulthood and believing that fifteen is a general low-point for teenagers) we were pleasantly surprised that, for the whole two weeks, our son was generally a joy to hang with. We did get an extra bedroom in Normandy and a separate single for him in Paris between the triples.
Biggest surprise- he thanked us on the plane ride
home for making him go! But we thanked him, too. We might not have biked
the 30 km to Omaha Beach (and found that wonderful bakery en route), or
spent an extra hour cruising the Thursday morning market in Ulverston
in the drizzle, or loaded our carry-on at the Rue Cler shops before our
return home.
Donna and John
Pennington, NJ USA Wed 02/05/2003
Teen travel made easy.
I am a teen myself so I know how teenagers feel.
Let your kid be an integral part of the planning process. Do not plan too much for one day. As Rick says when he travels with his kids, do one major site a day. Plan breaks and don't try to do too much. If you push too much, your teens will be crabby. Teens need time to themselves and to be on their own. Get them their own room or a suite so they will feel they have their own personal space. And yes, let them sleep in; you can go out and come back when they are well rested.
Let your teens run off their extra energy. They will then be able to sleep during the car ride rather than ask are we there yet? Also bring snacks and picnic items for the car ride. Let them have a map and plan the route. Switch off who sits in the front seat. Rent a van for more room rather than a small car. Don't forget a Walkman or Gameboy for long car or train trips.
Let them eat at McDonalds halfway through the trip as a treat for being great travel partners. Reward them with an allowance to buy souvenirs or snacks.
Listen to them if they say they are thisty or tired. When they need to sit down and rest or have a drink, you probably do, too. If you try to do too much when it's hot, it can be dangerous.
Let them tour museums at their own pace with an audioguide or take a guided tour in English. Maybe one day you can rent bikes. Go to a resort destination and splurge. At a beach town, you can relax and be assured there are no important sights you "must see."
Listen to Rick's advice as well as your own common
sense. Travel is meant to be fun and enriching. Good luck.
Daniel Onn
Saratoga, CA USA Mon 01/13/2003