Having 3 week family trip (teenage kids) to Europe Jan 09 arriving Frankfurt. What countries should we visit?

Question

Having 3 week family trip (teenage kids) to Europe Jan 09 arriving Frankfurt. What countries should we visit?

Answer 1

As  u arrive in the middle of the winter,you can go enjoy a real winter in the Alps(either swiss or France or Italie)wich I m sure everybody would enjoy .and then you could go down south of france and italie.....Italie is just so nice and so many nice place to go:Venice ,Florence....and well so many places....Then in France you got Paris of course ,but the South West is a lovely place and you ll find great food and wine,you can go to the ocean at biarritx as well to the pyrennees mountains and then you ll be in spain,Barcelona really worth it...

Answer 2

Those who say "as many as you can" are, frankly, daft. It is possible to whizz around Europe in three weeks but that would be about as interesting as trying to see the USA in three weeks.

In fact, it would be a complete waste of your time and money because there is a much greater diversity of culture and style around Europe than the USA. Also, with three teenagers in tow, your holiday would be a nightmare of packing and travelling.

Start in Frankfurt itself for a day or two. Just enough to get over your jet lag, you won't want to stay longer. It's a very modern city and is the home of the European Central Bank. Here they "manage" the Euro and the EU interest rates.

As you're in Germany, go and visit Hamel (near Hannover). This used to be called Hamelin and is the town of Pied Piper fame. It was not seriously damaged during the war so the old German mediaeval structures are still there.

Next go to Berlin. If you're using trains this will be easy.  This city is well worth at least 3 days. Make sure to visit the Checkpoint Charlie Museum (most Americans seem to congregate there), the Reichstag (the security queue is about an hour but it's worth it, allow two hours total visit), the Fernsehturm (for panoramic views), the Egyptian and Natural History Museums, a river trip and you MUST visit the Treptower Park (the Soviet War Memorial is a very powerful reminder of "what might have been". Your teenagers probably don't remember the Cold War but Berlin was the Front Line).

When you've had enough of Berlin get a train to Amsterdam for a five or four day visit. Most visitors (especially Americans) go to the VanGough museum. (Because it is a man's name it should be pronounced correctly: "van-Gocccgh", like a short gargle; it Never should be "VanGo"). Personally, I wouldn't bother because 99.9% of his best works are not there so it's a waste of time and money. Drink Heineken lager and walk around the red light district instead

If you want to hire a car then do stay longer. Don't stay in the city, Holland is not a big country but is increadibly interesting. You should take a drive around the Ijssellmeer to the northern coast and cross the Aflsuitdijk (road A7). Visit the cheese towns of Marken, Vollendam and Edam and the Philips technical Museum in Eindhoven.

From Amsterdam you could catch a fast train to Antwerp in Belgium. This is probably the most interesting of the Belgium towns after Bruges. There is a rather decent cafe/bar/restaurant called De groote Witte Arend (Great white eagle) that does excellent food and drink. Nearby is a bar with about 200 flavours of gin. The teenagers will love that.

Paris speaks for itself. Note that the famous cathedral is pronounced  "Not're Damm"; again, as it is a name it is curteous to get it right. Never ask for "note-err dayme"; that will sound like an insular Yank who has no respect for other cultures of languages. Beware of rip-off cafes around the catherdral, they'll make it very easy to spend your money. Go a few hundred metres away and your coffee and cakes will be much cheaper.

Paris is worth about 4 days, remember to allow for things to come back to.

Go to the United Kingdom.

Beware of any cafe or restaurant that serves breadcrumbed fish and "fries". This is NOT real fish and chips. Proper fish and chips is deep fried battered fish (usually cod, plaice or haddock) and golden fingers of deep fried chips which are an average of 9 millimetres thick. They're never called "fries". Don't buy them at your hotel, you'll be disappointed. The spindly little "fries" that places like McDonald's sell definately do not qualify.

London is where most tourists start in England. Don't stay there long. It's the least typical of all English cities and probably is the most expensive in Europe.  Spend about 4 days and see the main sights then get out to Leeds (especially if you like scenery, market shopping and industrial heritage).

Keep going north to Edinburgh (pronounced "Edin-burruh", not "edinburrg").

Here you will be in the capital city of Scotland (they are a semi-independent nation within the United Kingdom, you should check up on the political arrangements before you go so that you don't offend them).

Eat a deep fried Mars Bar and "haggis & neeps", and NEVER mix anything with single Malt Whisky except water or you'll be wasting the flavour (if you want to add any 'mixers' then do it to a blend whisky only). There are hundreds of different whiskys to try so have fun!

When in Scotland try and visit a distillery, the teenagers will like that.

When you leave Britain go to Rome, stay about 2 days and see the Vatican Apartments, where there is the famous Cistine Chapel ceiling. Allow three hours for the tour and be prepared for crowds. On your way out call into the visitors' restaurant for the BEST and best value, pizza in Rome. My family call them the Pope's Pizzas because only the best will do for His Holiness.

The Pope used to give a public audience in St Peter's Square early on Wednesday mornings. Check if he still does this, it may be your only chance to see him in person.

That's it for now. I'm exhausted. Take phrase books. Do not assume that American is understood everywhere (especially in the UK) because it is not the same as English. Always offer Euros where you can, to avoid credit card rip-off charges.

Answer 3

as many as you can

Answer 4

countries close to Germany are Austria and switzerland..u could probably go to Munich, salzburg, zell am see, vienna, Geneve

Answer 5

Depends on ages of teenagers really, but:

Czech Republic is good for history, but can be quite dangerous if you end up in the wrong places. Prague isn't the nicest, but I can recommend Ceske Budowich, Ceske Krumlov and Pisek (spelling may not be right)

In Germany - Stuttgart is nice, especially if you like cars - they have a huge Mercedes Benz museum

Anywhere in Spain is nice - Barcelona especially, if a bit touristy

Holland is a bit boring except for Amsterdam

France is ok, especially the south. But in January a visit to a ski resort would be good

Not sure where else, that's pretty much the only places I've been

Answer 6

as many as u can

Answer 7

london..theirs so many fun things teenager could do there.

paris..can be really fun also

germany

theirs also

spain

italy

these are fun also but they are more for history and 2 c monuments,,,