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

[Ilovelurchers]

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.

Vienna?

Can I throw Ypres into the mix? It’s a beautiful city and lots of history. It’s just over an hour from Calais so you could get the ferry and drive.

Prague is also a beautiful city and full of history.

Gdansk as an alternative to Warsaw/Krakow.

Croatia/ Montenegro but they are very hot and busy if you go in summer holiday months.

Nice is nice (!) as base to explore Cannes, Antibes, Monaco for a very different holiday

Cologne is lovely if you like a church! Good art galleries too. She might be a bit young for the beer.

i went to Nice with my dd for a long weekend. We explored the area & it was easy & inexpensive to catch a train to Monaco.

OP, to answer your question about Florence, when I went a few years ago, it didn’t seem to have the same sense of youth-driven energy that might draw a teen to other cities. The art is very much renaissance and religious, with a little bit of baroque and neo-classical. My teens prefer more pop, abstract and surrealist art and also some interesting street art.
Florence has high end fashion, but it’s not known for teen-oriented shopping like Milan or London. If your 14yo is looking for brands and stores that are more popular among their age, she’ll be disappointed as Florence seemed more about boutiques geared toward older adults or luxury shoppers.

Thanks so much, even more great ideas and contribution here - I wish I had time to respond to you all in detail, but please rest assured, every contribution is helping. I am adding Stockholm, Prage and Krakow to the list - didn't get a chance to piece up flights today as real life took over - I think i may have to make a spreadsheet!

It's making me wish we could afford to do more than one! But there will be other years.

Anyone else who has any thoughts or suggestions, please keep them coming - I am finding it helpful and the thread may help others with a similar dilemma too!

And thank you for replying - this really does make sense, and does make me think I will move Florence way down the list. One of the main things DD enjoyed in Amsterdam was shopping! (And I enjoy it too so it was a win win). So somewhere with shops and. a general vibe that would appeal to teenagers is really important......

I went to Rome with my ds at that age and he absolutely loved it..it was a brilliant experience. But he is not into shopping!

Her dad is taking her to Rome in October of this year (I am very jealous!). Otherwise it's an excellent suggestion - I went as a teenager and found it fascinating.

Have been looking into flights (we live near to Birmingham International so prefer to fly from there if possible) and cost of accommodation today.

Due to that and a few other considerations, have narrowed it down to tie between Krakow and Berlin. (Paris and Barcelona are my third and fourth choices, but slightly concerned about heat, and also she has been to France and Spain before - not a deal breaker but have a slight preference for a country she hasn't been to).

Waiting for her to give her preference, but she may not - she is naturally indecisive and actually gets stressed out if compelled to make a decision, and in this instance I won't push it - this is meant to be fun!

So, has anyone got experience of Krakow and/or Berlin with a teenager - anything that would make you say a definite yes or no to either?

(And thanks again for everyone who has contributed - we don't have loads of money for travel so it feels like a big, important decision (and, like DD, I am not great with choices) - getting your opinions has been SO useful and interesting...... MN at its best! 😊)

That's cool you are now considering Krakow! I am in Poland right now and we spent several nights in Krakow with DDs aged 14 and 17. It's A LOT cheaper than Berlin for eating out, other food (eg we bought stuff for lunch from the many small mini markets on several occasions), public transport, attractions and accomodation so you would likely have a much cheaper holiday than if you went to Berlin.

We stayed here which was very good value, very quiet, excellent location as it's between the old town and the Jewish quarter, and right next to the castle/cathedral. You'll see that it's run by a monastery but you definitely don't have to be religious or Christian (we certainly aren't). Rooms were basic but clean and comfortable.

They do breakfast for an extra charge if you want but also has a kitchen so you could self-cater or partly self-cater if you want. Or go out to one of the numerous cafes nearby, which we did once I think. We bought milk and cereal from a mini market for a couple of breakfasts, and also brought back bread, cheese, tomatoes, fruit and biscuits for a cheap lunch one or two times. Eating out is much cheaper than England, although obviously you can also get expensive meals if you want too.

I can post more (or send you a DM) about what we did if helpful!

OP, fellow mum of a 14 year old DD who also went to Amsterdam for a four night break this summer during which she particularly enjoyed the shopping! I am finding all the suggestions on the thread for future destinations very helpful so thank you for starting it and for the PPs who have given ideas. Berlin sounds a good option. If it assists, we’ve been to Paris twice in the past two years as it ticks all the boxes: culture, shopping, food etc. but as a PP has said, it helps being in London to take the Eurostar. We’ve been to Vienna and Lisbon but before she became a teen.

I’m thinking of Prague as a potential destination based on a holiday I had there years ago so may be one for the future? I’ve also added Stockholm to my list as the people who know us and have been there all say that we would enjoy it.

Thank you both - more helpful ideas!

I haven't fully ruled out Paris as I do think she would love it (and flights are really cheap) - it is just that she has been to France many times with both men and her dad - though admittedly to the South so it is very different. And she is likely to choose French for GCSE...

And thank you for the recommendations for Poland - really helpful! The low cost of living does appeal.as it would enable us to do more while we were there - and also the fact that it would be a brand new country for us both....

Berlin is lovely though, and ideal for teenagers I think!

Spoilt for choice really.....

If anyone is still reading, DD strongly liked the option of Berlin (I think she had been googling the shopping opportunities/markets - I remember an amazing market at an abandoned air field I went to there many years ago?). This works well for me too, as there is so much interes5inf historical stuff we can see, and from what I remember it's incredibly easy to get around with a fantastic underground.....

So, booking for late July, the flights have cost around £260 for both of us all in, which seems pretty good to me! And will leave us a decent amount for accommodation and spending money..... Will update with the costs once I have booked accommodation, in case anybody finds it helpful to get a general idea.

Thank you so much to everyone who gave their advice and suggestions - I found it really helpful!

Great choice. DD and I loved our trip to Berlin.

We went to Strasbourg last week and it’s a fantastic place. Lots of things to see and do, and you can get there direct by train.