Please help suggest places to go abroad that aren't beach holidays

[ProperLavs]

I'm going alone with 3 dc, 11,12, 14. In previous years we have been to Turkey but are fed up with the sameness of it all. We never go to the beaches as they have been dirty and crowded so tended to stay by the pool or go on day trips.
We have also found the beach culture holidays not really our cup of tea, but I haven't got much money and have never driven abroad so my options have been limited.
Do holidays exist that are away from beaches but don't need a car? Or am I forever doomed?
If you have any idea please share, please!

City breaks. An Airbnb apartment would be a cheap option for a family. Even better if you save money from eating out every evening by self-catering at the apartment. Barcelona, Vienna, Berlin and Copenhagen are all good options for tweens and teens.

Or Eurocamp. There's a section on their website for 'car free' holidays, where they either offer a shuttle from the airport or the public transport is good. Some of the Eurocamp parks do organised excursions and have loads that would keep the kids happy. Each of the parks on this page organise trips to local attractions, cities and sites of interest. www.eurocamp.co.uk/holiday-types/eurocamps-best/excursions
This is a relatively modest sized Eurocamp www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/italianlakes/il025-weekend/ataglance.html with trips to Venice, Milan and Verona. Boat trips to markets. Reception has discount tickets for many attractions.

Iceland, Marrakesh, or a holiday where you go to 2 or more places like Venice and Rome. Egypt. French Pyrenees mountains and lakes

Italy has very good trains, we flew into Rome stayed there then on by train to Florence and Pisa. Ryanair do cheap flights.

Duinrell in Holland.

The kids will have a blast living in the middle of a theme park with a huge indoor water park on site. You'll have a break as they will be off on their own at that age. Close to Amsterdam and other places.
Overnight ferry to the Hook of Holland. Easy to get to duinrell with public transport from there.

Berlin!
Get an airbnb.
It is a great city, full of history. Your kids are of an age where they'll be interested in The Wall, East vs. West, Communism's rise and fall, the Stasi, and then of course, the history of Prussia, the Weimar Republic and the Third Reich. There is so much to see and do there. You don't have to be a history buff to enjoy the place, but it's rich, long, dark, ever-changing history is something I find very fascinating about Berlin. It's an alive, vibrant, eclectic city. You can fly and rely entirely on public transport (S-Bahn, U-Bahn, buses) once you arrive at Tegel airport, which is well connected to the city centre.
And the majority of the population speak English well.

www.withlocals.com/locations/germany/berlin/things-to-do-with-teenagers/

Slovenia. I've been there a few times and I don't have a car. Beautiful with great amenities.

I wouldn’t advise Iceland if you don’t want to drive ( even though it’s very beautiful ). And it’s very expensive .

Denmark is easy to do without a car, also expensive but I agree air bnb is the way to go.

Málaga. Roman and Moorish ruins, art galleries, day trips to the mountains and other towns, boat trips and the beach if you want them, shopping.

Depends a bit on what you like doing. Mountains, lakes, walking, history, architecture, art, shopping, theme parks, food... if you have particular preferences (for or against), that will vary the options.

Thank you everyone. I have had sleepless nights about it all.

I am in a difficult position. Gone are the days when i could schlepp kids to the beach and they'd be happy.
The 14 year old wants a city. the 10 year old will put up with anything but I know he can find cities overwhelming.
The 12 year old won't mind.
Airbnb is a good idea. I have heard some horror stories though about people being screwed over, but hotels are ridiculously expensive.

I'd rather stay at home tbh, but I did that last year.

I would kill to go back to Marrakech, but I fear my busty 14 year old will be a magnet for attention. She'd hate it. They'll leave me alone ( old simmer)

We had a lovely holiday in Annecy in France. Flew to Geneva.

The lake is so clean and clear. We did paddle boarding and swam. We had a great airbnb and visited CERN one day too.

Also did a really cheap trip to lake como including a day at a milan water park. We didn't go into milan but it would be a good day trip if yours are into shopping. We did have a hire car that time though.

I've done loads of airbnb with my teen and never had a problem.

Barcelona has beach and city

When I was 14 I loved making friends on camping trips, so I’d say a eurocamp trip (where the tent is already set up) could be good fun.

Not everyone's cup of tea and the cost may be prohibitive but have you looked at a cruise?

Different port every day, plenty to do on the ship and the opportunity to meet other children. Do a couple of excursions or depending on the itinerary you could just get off and explore on your own.

sadly 14 year old dd is saying no to Euro camping- it will be crowded with families and that is the problem my anti social kids found with beach holidays abroad.

If I could drive abroad it would be much easier to get a small villa out of town and drive to see things. I wish you could get lessons for that kind of thing.

donald I would love Barcelona but not in the middle of the summer hols- nightmare! Also we don't want beaches- lakes would be good though. I would quite like some heat after this bastarding winter.

I second Germany. Public transport is great. You could fly to a city then use public transport to go to smaller towns.
We used public transport to visit cities and to go hiking in the countryside. Sweden is also good in this way but more expensive for eating out etc.
For self catering there are other options than air bnb that may offer more guarantees. We have used homeaway with success.

Swizerland is great for public transport. Swiss alps or a lake in switzerland. Have a look at lenk or zweisimmen, schönried as an example. Get there from Geneva or Zurich by train. Buses everywhere you need to go. Both have outdoor pools. Hiking in the mountains. Stay overnight in a mountain hut (can recommend geltenhütte from lauenensee - beautiful walk).
Lenzerheide would be another idea.
Lago magiore in south Switzerland. Campo felice in tenero is on the lake with chalets etc to rent. Kids will be well entertained and it is super clean. Swimming, canoeing, stand up paddle, also nice hikes from there. I guess you can fly to Lugano. Train to tenero and a short busride to the campsite.

Www.Sbb.Ch has all transport links in Switzerland.

Budapest is a good city to explore and has spas and a zoo. You can walk around it or take public transport and is pretty cheap!

Duinrell in Holland - like another poster up thread.

We went twice. First time with a three year old and it was great.

Second time with a 12 year old and two 17 year olds. There is something for everyone - accommodation is on site which means independent access to the amusement park. Great pool with water slides there as well. It’s walkable to the local town which gives access to buses to other places as well as allowing city day visits to Den Haugue or Amsterdam. You could always book an overnight air b nd b accommodation in Amsterdam for a mini city break in the middle of the holiday.

Couldn’t recommend it enough for your mix of age groups.

Look also at TCS campgrounds in Switzerland -they tend to be small and quiet in good locations. They have pods to sleep in. We stayed at the one in Geneva. It is small so not overwhelmed with people and other families.

kick how did you get to Ancey from Geneva airport?

What sort of thing do you like doing?
Walking and hiking?
Museums and historical sightseeing?

We really liked Lanzarote, and it is very easy to ‘do’ with tne well organised excursion buses (FirstMinute).

Tour of the volcanoes (including camel ride)
Water park
Hire bikes through the Papagayos nature reserve and beaches
Visit the weird James Bond villain style underground houses designed by Cesar Manrique
Underground cave walk at Cuevos del Verde (?)
Stay in Playa Blanca, brilliant pizza place overlooking the pedestrian prom seafront.
We didn’t find it expensive.

inkspell my 14 year old dd has suspected asd and would not be comfortable. It limits us, but thank you for the recommendation though.

Money is an issue so I have to be really careful.
I really do appreciate all you suggestions. I feel slightly less panicked.

It's hard doing this on your own with no other adult to help. I feel a huge weight of responsibility.
I did German as my degree and was in Berlin as the Wall was coming down- even had my own piece of it, my German is sadly very rusty though. I remember liking the city, although I was based near Dussledorf.

Some good suggestions here. We went to the Black Forest area of Germany last summer and are going back there this year. All visitors to the Black Forest can get a free travel pass for the duration of their stay for the entire region, to be used on trains and buses. We were really impressed with that! There is a great theme park there called Europa, which consistently gets higher ratings and reviews than Disneyland Paris (and is a lot cheaper and less busy).

Can also recommend French Alps for a summer holiday. Lake Geneva area is fantastic. The lake is huge and has beaches and water activities. For visiting, you have Evian and Thonon on the French side, both of which have excellent outdoor pools. On the Swiss side, you have Lausanne and Montreux, both good for a visit. And you can head up into ski resorts where you can hire mountain bikes, and where many of the chairlifts are still open. There is a bobsleigh/luge type thing somewhere around there, as well as a huge zip line.

Hope you find something that suits!