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Original poster

Summer city break recommendations for mom and 14 year old girl next summer

42 replies

Ilovelurchers · 29/08/2025 19:55

My daughter and I enjoyed a fantastic four night break in Amsterdam this summer, and have agreed we would like to do similar for our main summer holiday next year. I'd love to get it organised soon to keep costs down. However, we are struggling to know where to pick, and I wondered if you kind people could help. We have pretty standard interests - we enjoy an old church, art gallery or site of historical interest as much as the next woman, but with no special burning areas or periods of interest. We are both quite foodie, and enjoy sampling either the main local cuisine or one popular in the area (we had great Indonesian food in Holland for example). Mostly what we loved was wandering around, browsing the shops, just soaking up the atmosphere of somewhere sholiggtlt different.

Currently on my short list are:
Berlin
Paris
Florence
Bologna
Barcelona
Lisbon
Dublin
Tiblisi (bit of a wild card, but I had a great holiday there a few years back).

Off the table are places she has been/is going with dad, so:
Amsterdam
Rome
Venice
Brussels
Anywhere in England, Scotland or Wales (we have travelled in all of these extensively).

Bonus points if:
Flights are cheap (or can be reached without flying)
Flights are short
Cost of living is cheap
It's safe and straightforward for tourists (I once was a bold traveller, but age and menopausal anxiety have taken their toll)
It's in a country she hasn't been to before (she has been to Italy, Spain, Belgium, Holland, France)

If anyone has any suggestions, recommendations, thoughts or words of advice, I would be hugely grateful.

OP posts:
Ddakji · 29/08/2025 19:57

Your list sounds great, for me temperature would be the decider. I hate cities in the boiling heat.

What about Copenhagen or Bruges?

CountryQueen · 29/08/2025 19:58

I’d say Lisbon of those. Cost of living isn’t very cheap in any of your shortlist really but all have supermarkets 🤷🏽‍♀️

Prefer Italy but she’s going with her dad

mindutopia · 29/08/2025 19:59

Of the places on your short list, I’d go to Barcelona, Lisbon or Berlin. Other places I’ve been with my dc and really enjoyed: Valencia and Malaga. Do consider temperatures though - Spain and Portugal get very hot in the summer, and I prefer them in October/November, which is totally doable for a weekend. Copenhagen is also a good shout.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Holidays Menopause Women's health
viques · 29/08/2025 20:01

Bruges is a lovely place to stay, and easy to get to , Eurostar to Brussels and short local train. Lots of other interesting places to get to if you find it a bit small.

Dont make the mistake I did and ignore waffles……..

tennissquare · 29/08/2025 20:02

Florence is hot in the summer and always busy.

Have you thought of Budapest? It doesn't use the euro and is good value for money plus a great city. Check the price of flights from your local airport.

itsgettingweird · 29/08/2025 20:02

I was going to suggest Barcelona or Malaga.

viques · 29/08/2025 20:04

Also Grenada. If you go there track down the biscuit making nuns!

Forgottenmyphone · 29/08/2025 20:04

From experience, accommodation is pretty expensive in Paris and Barcelona, and I honestly don’t think Florence is the best choice for a 14yo.
We had a brilliant time in Malaga a couple of years ago. We watched flamenco, tried tapas, went to the Picasso museum, did a day trip to the Alhambra and another day trip to Ronda, spent a morning shopping and an afternoon on the beach.

viques · 29/08/2025 20:07

Seville is another possibility. Beautiful city, lots of history, wonderful parks and gardens, not too hot on shops though.

WhereAreWeNow · 29/08/2025 20:08

By Eurostar Paris and Lille are both perfect for a few days away. I've been to both with my DD and loved it. I guess it depends on where you are in the UK but if you're near London, the Eurostar is such a great option compared to flying.
I've also been to Berlin with DD and loved it.
How about Copenhagen if you're looking for a new country to explore?

Hiptothisjive · 29/08/2025 20:08

Great list. I have been to all of those and would say Paris or Barcelona. I still think of the Sagrada Familia.

Brugges is overrated and a bit boring. You can do it in a day. Same with Lille.
Copenhagen is very cool.
Iceland is amazing
Madrid is a great city
Lisbon is nice (wow that hill!) but not my first choice

Original poster
Ilovelurchers · 29/08/2025 20:16

Some brilliant ideas on here already - thank you so much.

I hadn't really thought about the heat, stupid as that sounds. Neither of us are sun-worshippers, so that's definitely something I should factor in.

The suggestion of Copenhagen is a great one - neither of us has been - so that's certainly worth looking into.

Thanks all, there is great food for thought here. And would welcome more ideas if anyone else has them! Will spend some time going through all of this in detail - as you might be able to tell from my OP, I love making lists!

OP posts:
EdenGlen · 29/08/2025 20:30

Absolutely Copenhagen. We went last year with our teenagers and all loved it. You can get a Copenhagen card which includes most of the main attractions and means you can just pop in and out of places. We loved all the royal palaces but also the museum of optical illusions, the zoo and the botanic gardens. There is also the Tivoli theme park which we saved for the last day and mine loved.

As a city it has a really lovely feel and we felt so safe all the time (much safer than London).

Eating wise we loved the food markets and food court at Tivoli.

Original poster
Ilovelurchers · 29/08/2025 20:53

Forgottenmyphone · 29/08/2025 20:04

From experience, accommodation is pretty expensive in Paris and Barcelona, and I honestly don’t think Florence is the best choice for a 14yo.
We had a brilliant time in Malaga a couple of years ago. We watched flamenco, tried tapas, went to the Picasso museum, did a day trip to the Alhambra and another day trip to Ronda, spent a morning shopping and an afternoon on the beach.

Out of interest, can I ask why you wouldn't think Florence was great for a 14 year old? As that was one of my stronger contenders (she went to Venice with her dad and loved it - and Florence is another place I have never been).

OP posts:
HerbertVonDoodlebug · 29/08/2025 20:53

I went to Copenhagen and Stockholm this summer with teenage DC and we both much preferred Stockholm. Copenhagen felt very touristy and busy - people shoulder to shoulder at Nyhavn, long queues at Tivoli, and cars everywhere. Stockholm more relaxed, spread out, and just an amazing vibe - I’m planning to go back asap! and you can go to IKEA for cheap meatballs 🤣

Original poster
Ilovelurchers · 29/08/2025 20:53

EdenGlen · 29/08/2025 20:30

Absolutely Copenhagen. We went last year with our teenagers and all loved it. You can get a Copenhagen card which includes most of the main attractions and means you can just pop in and out of places. We loved all the royal palaces but also the museum of optical illusions, the zoo and the botanic gardens. There is also the Tivoli theme park which we saved for the last day and mine loved.

As a city it has a really lovely feel and we felt so safe all the time (much safer than London).

Eating wise we loved the food markets and food court at Tivoli.

Thank you, the more I read about this, the more Copenhagen appeals. I think I will price it up tomorrow.....

OP posts:
Original poster
Ilovelurchers · 29/08/2025 20:54

Thanks also to everyone who has replied - and if anyone else has thoughts on anywhere mentioned here, or anywhere else, I'd love to hear them.

OP posts:
awakeandasleep · 29/08/2025 20:56

Bordeaux it is a beautiful city. The flights are super cheap and it is only 1hr 15 -30mins.

SamarkandUzbekistan · 29/08/2025 21:44

viques · 29/08/2025 20:07

Seville is another possibility. Beautiful city, lots of history, wonderful parks and gardens, not too hot on shops though.

Seville is a great place to visit, but I would recommend going at a different time of year, as it will be really hot in summer.

Wigeon · 29/08/2025 22:01

What about Krakow? Just been there. Loads of history, lots to see, felt really safe, not boiling hot, cheap flights, much cheaper accommodation and food than the western European countries on this thread and a lot cheaper than Sweden (went last year, was London prices for food even outside Stockholm).

LoudSnoringDog · 29/08/2025 23:06

Consider some of the Polish cities. We did a couple last year ( krakow and Wroclaw ) and they were fantastic breaks with plenty to do and great local food.
Budapest is also great with tons to do

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 29/08/2025 23:14

Berlin - likely to be warm but not boiling. Loads to see. You can get out to the lakes for swimming. It’s a fabulous city.

Romeiswheretheheartis · 29/08/2025 23:27

Wigeon · 29/08/2025 22:01

What about Krakow? Just been there. Loads of history, lots to see, felt really safe, not boiling hot, cheap flights, much cheaper accommodation and food than the western European countries on this thread and a lot cheaper than Sweden (went last year, was London prices for food even outside Stockholm).

I was also going to suggest Krakow.
Or Ljubljana in Slovenia.

Lksjoan · 29/08/2025 23:32

Barcelona is massive fun and there is a wide variety of things that you can choose to do. It also has the advantage of being a beach side city so you can enjoy a bit of beach life too.

mynameiscalypso · 29/08/2025 23:34

Oslo! I went with my DS in July and adored it. I know everyone says it’s super expensive but I didn’t find it that bad, especially if you’re not drinking alcohol. It’s a super easy city to get around, everyone speaks impeccable English, there are lots of interesting museums but it also doesn’t take long at all to get out into the countryside or take a boat to some of the islands in the fjord.