10 year old DD and I have a week alone

[Beetroot]

all the boys are away, dh is working

What can we do or where can we go in early July?

am not loving the Newcastle idea
I enjoyed the couple of months I spent up there but I think most of that was clubbing

Vaporetto it is (water buses).

Pray continue...

am not loving?

Venice or Verona are going to be hot hot hot in July, so avoid if you suffer in the heat.

I second Amsterdam. Or berlin.

we love the heat

I do like Newcastle but I am not sure I would like to spend a week there with DD

Oh excellent then. How about 5 terre then? You can fly into pisa or genova and take the train. Mind you, I'm not sure if that's cheap, cheap.

Venice will be hot, but not necessarily packed. I mean it'll be, but only in very touristic areas, you can turn a corner and find yourself in an empty calle!

I have bad memories of Venice in July. Very hot, very busy and pretty smelly!

I did Berlin with a 14 year old a couple of years ago, (not sure how air fares are now, there are cheap hostels) Really interesting seeing remnents of the wall, Checkpoint Charlie and above all Nefertiti which I have waited 40 years to see (thanks to the Ladybird book of Cleopatra and Ancient Egypt). Didn't have the time to visit the Jewish museum and may be too much to bear. It is a fascinating and buzzing city and didnot seem overly ordered, clean or all the other stereotypes I was fearing, never having been to a Northern European country! Also the zoo is lovely, Knut was on his tea break but was great watching penguins standing in an artificial snow storm. Otherwise if you can get a cheap flight would reccomend Salzburg (especially if interested in the Sound of music) bus to Hellbrun and train trip to the salt mines at Hallstatt (my DH used to go to conferences constantly so we had lots of budget European trips)we went in June and had amazing thunderstorms over the city in the evenings rolling in from the alps.

How about Munich? If you get a train one hour south to a town called Bad Toelz, you are in the Alps and there is a place called Alpamare, which is a terrific family spa and swimming complex type place I loved at that age. It has a hotel attached called the Hotel Jodquellenhof, or you can rent an apartment. You can spend the days in the complex or pop into Bad Toelz for ice cream or to visit the market, or if you are feeling more adventurous you can visit Munich very cheaply and easily for all the usual sightseeing and shopping things. Just an idea, anyway.

Take her to Budapest! There are the most amazing hot (38C) spa swimming pools, masses of museums and lovely Parisian style architecture. Also there must be a zoo somewhere there.

Pound might go further in Budapest.

Boffin Mum- Don't believe it- the forint has gone tits up and although they take Euros everywhere, the Euro and pound are virtually at parity. Also if you do go to Budapest, avoid the touristy centre if you want to get the best deals. Go about half a mile away from the centre and prices are about half what they are in the centre. We ate the most astonishingly good 3 course meal (worthy of the best restaurants in the UK) opposite the music conservatoire for £15 per head including drinks.

Good to know all this stuff.
I am so sad the pound has withered. We had loads of well priced holidays in Germany for years. We were onto a really good thing!

This might be a handy place to start.

Oh all my suggestions have been made!!! We stayed here last year and going back this year which was fab campsite - would suit you dd if she is active. Short walk into town. Just thinking you could stay near here if you wanted if you didn't fancy camping. caorle (biggish town nearby) is gorgeous and not far from venice so you can pick n choose the bits of Venice you want to do. there's loads to do int he area.

Alternatively I second berlin!!! fantastic place!

if you like the heat what about Greece? Go mamma mia and hit Skiathos/Skopelos if it's not fully booked.

Or.... go to Glasgow!!!! Luv it!!!

How about you make a short-ish list, then spen a few hours with dd l;ookung at them on the internet an then let her decide?

wow

thanks forall these

I will do as you say Geordie -

I love Saltzburg as well and we had a fab time there as a family a few years back.

I just think it would be nice for her to take some responsibility for her trip, make her feel like a grown up?

Make a day of going to a book shop and looking at guide books, travel brochures, will be lovely!

georgie - I agree
we have chatted about Verona
He main concern is no driving as she hates cars and get car sick!!

But she loves te idea of Rand j and Verona - I will get a map out