We did a trip to Normandy last June. Had a 15 year old with us. I'll link the thread below so you can get some ideas of what we did.

We were there 5 nights and I feel like we didn't even scratch the surface, but what we did do was amazing.

Happy to provide more info if you see something in my posts that interests you.

https://texags.com/forums/54/topics/3536867

Be sure that he gets a pint with his dad in a pub to celebrate.

Spend some time n Bayeaux and see the Tapestry. In fact, when in London go see the Tower of London so when you get to Bayeuax you can learn the story of it all. The museum was pretty empty when we were there for the last hour of the day. The church there is also beautiful (I like to walk into random churches when in Europe).

For Normandy, we hired Dale Booth to take us to the American sites. He was great. I highly recommend him. I've done a lot of cool things in my life and his tour is up there as one of the best.

Other than that, I agree with oilman. That's a lot of driving for a short trip. I see two drives of 6 hours. Not sure how long London-Caen is. But I get it. It's an adventure. It'll be awesome. Please report back.

BSD said:

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Spend some time n Bayeaux and see the Tapestry.

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The Bayeux Tapestry is currently closed and not viewable until Oct '27

We are doing this same thing as well! Awesome idea.

I have a couple of years until mine get there, but my oldest first choice is basically this exact same trip! It's been that way since he was 5 or 6. His great-grandfather (my Grandfather) was in the 101st - 506 PIR - F - Company. I did it with him and now it's my turn to share it with my son. The only difference is we would likely go to Eindhoven and do Germany another time. The museum in Bastogne is incredible!

I would suggest more time in London to set the WWII stage and get comfortable with Europe. It is perhaps the greatest capital city of Western Civilization, so it's worth a good look, particularly since you've never been to Europe. It is very relatable for a 16-year old. Use Rick Steves books to make the most of it.

Take in the Churchill War Rooms and any other WWII sights whilst you get over jetlag. Hopefully the 16-year old is very into the war history, as it's a very specialized tour.

You need to add the American and German cemeteries in Luxembourg.

Bastogne is great. You can easily spend 2 days there going through the various museums.

Also, don't miss the foxholes where you can see the town of Foy.
The original Easy Company foxholes are still there. It's crazy how close the town is versus how long they waited to attack it.

And remember that they're Euros so they don't have the long operating hours that Americans are used to.

Thanks! Several of the ideas we are already planning...

Tower of London
Churchill War Rooms
We wanted to go to the Tank Museum, but don't have time.
In Portsmouth, we are going to the British Navy Museum.
We are not driving to Caen, but taking a Ferry and it is 6 hours, but we wanted the water-travel feel.
We are actually staying in Bayeaux
We do not have a guide fro Normandy, but I will look into it.

We are cool with the 6-hour road trips because it is new countryside. For example, the trip to Nuremburg was already planned as an all day trip. Therefore, we have added several stops at castles and some other countryside viewing areas. We will stop in the city of Trier. It is the oldest city in Germany.

Our last day, we were planning to go to Eagle's Nest, but it is closed in April. We are still driving over to the area to see some cool mountain scenery.

We are fire-hosing the trip with many things crammed into a short period. The idea is to soak in as many things as possible and make a second trip another day to spend more time in the area we enjoyed most.

Try to add Berchtesgaden/Eagle's Nest at the end. Not a bad drive from Munich.

ETA: You beat me to it in your above post.

Kreg17 said:

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BSD said:

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Spend some time n Bayeaux and see the Tapestry.

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The Bayeux Tapestry is currently closed and not viewable until Oct '27

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it will be viewable at the British Museum in London from September 2026 - June 2027

caleblyn said:

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Thanks! Several of the ideas we are already planning...

Tower of London
Churchill War Rooms
We wanted to go to the Tank Museum, but don't have time.
In Portsmouth, we are going to the British Navy Museum.
We are not driving to Caen, but taking a Ferry and it is 6 hours, but we wanted the water-travel feel.
We are actually staying in Bayeaux
We do not have a guide fro Normandy, but I will look into it.

We are cool with the 6-hour road trips because it is new countryside. For example, the trip to Nuremburg was already planned as an all day trip. Therefore, we have added several stops at castles and some other countryside viewing areas. We will stop in the city of Trier. It is the oldest city in Germany.

Our last day, we were planning to go to Eagle's Nest, but it is closed in April. We are still driving over to the area to see some cool mountain scenery.

We are fire-hosing the trip with many things crammed into a short period. The idea is to soak in as many things as possible and make a second trip another day to spend more time in the area we enjoyed most.

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suggest you might consider the Imperial War Museum since it fits with your theme.

aeroag14 said:

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caleblyn said:

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Thanks! Several of the ideas we are already planning...

Tower of London
Churchill War Rooms
We wanted to go to the Tank Museum, but don't have time.
In Portsmouth, we are going to the British Navy Museum.
We are not driving to Caen, but taking a Ferry and it is 6 hours, but we wanted the water-travel feel.
We are actually staying in Bayeaux
We do not have a guide fro Normandy, but I will look into it.

We are cool with the 6-hour road trips because it is new countryside. For example, the trip to Nuremburg was already planned as an all day trip. Therefore, we have added several stops at castles and some other countryside viewing areas. We will stop in the city of Trier. It is the oldest city in Germany.

Our last day, we were planning to go to Eagle's Nest, but it is closed in April. We are still driving over to the area to see some cool mountain scenery.

We are fire-hosing the trip with many things crammed into a short period. The idea is to soak in as many things as possible and make a second trip another day to spend more time in the area we enjoyed most.

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Berchtesgarden is still really cool even if you can not make it up to the Eagles Nest. Really, all of the Bavarian alps are great. You should still be able to drive up to the Obersalsburg, even if the Eagles Nest is closed. You can drive the loop where the Berghoff and other officials had houses. If you like history, I would HIGHLY recommend.

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Agreed.

I tried to go in May 2025 about the first week or two that it opened and unfortunately, I didn't get out of bed early enough to make it up there in time to catch the last tour bus to get to the Eagle's Nest.

Funny thing is, it was 10 degrees C and raining there. Three days later, I was in Saudi Arabia where it was 47 degrees C and not raining.

Since I missed the Eagle's Nest, I walked around town and bought some souvenirs. In particular, I got a real Bavarian hat to wear to the Galveston Oktoberfest and to the Texas Renaissance Festival German theme weekend. A little more money than I was hoping to spend but totally worth it.

That's a lot of words to say red light district.

Out of curiosity what did the first two kids trips look like?

Peter Klaven said:

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Out of curiosity what did the first two kids trips look like?

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No problem. Thanks for asking.

First, I do the trips with a close friend who has children that are the same age and they are all close friends. So it is a 4-person trip.

The first, my daughter, had the unfortunate, but somewhat fortune, of traveling during COVID. We did a Universal trip to Orlando for 5 days. We had an absolute blast, even though the Nazi Face Mask patrol aggravated us constantly. The crowds were very small. Her trip was minimal and she has been saying that she got the, "shaft," in comparison to her brothers. Therefore, she and I are taking another trip to NYC this summer. She is a huge Broadway fan, as am I, and we are going to hit the city. We will be there for July 4 (250th celebration). I have a Fireworks Dinner Cruise planned where we will get to watch the fireworks from the river.

The second, my other son and I took a trip to Dubai, India, and Nepal. Most of the trip was ministry work, but it was super fun. We went up the Burj, saw Mt. Everest and the Himalayas, and did a lot of cool things in India. It was two weeks.

Very cool, thanks for sharing!

I spent a week in Normandy then went on to Champagne and Alsace back in 2022.

You say that you are going to see the naval museum in Portsmouth, but you aren't spending the night there, and you are spending six hours on the ferry. Is that the overnight ferry? Otherwise, I don't see how you have time to see anything in Portsmouth.

I looked into doing something like this, and, if I recall correctly, the ferry lands at Ouisterham, then, if you want to rent a car, you have to get to the Caen (railway station, most likely), and the logistics of that aren't as efficient as they might be.

You definitely want to either get a guide (best), or do some kind of guided tour if you have limited time. If you had a week, you could putter around on your own a lot, but on a short fuse, you need someone who knows the lay of the land. With three nights, you've basically got two full days, and what most people would do in that case is one day on the American sector and one on the British, but if you want to concentrate on the 101st, you can certainly do that.

I haven't been to Bastogne or Nuremburg, but we did go from Normandy (Honfleur) to Reims, and then on to Alsace (Colmar), and the drive you are proposing is a bit of a haul and not particularly scenic for the most part. I really think you'd be better of to slice off the end of your trip, and apply those days to London and Normandy. There is just so much to see in both and you aren't even scratching the surface.

Just found my post from 2017 asking about recommendations for Bastogne.
I had asked the questions on the History Forum

https://texags.com/forums/49/topics/2864454

Best WW2 Museum you will ever see insofar as the volume and variety of objects. Right down to spools of comms wire and toolkits for tank repair. You can see the big hardware lots of places. This place has that and tons and tons of all the things need for a war.

National Museum of Military History (MNHM) Asbl - War museum
10 Bamertal
9209 Diekirch
Luxembourg

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Also, read this book if you haven't already. Rudder is known for Pont du Hoc...but he did arguably much more damage to the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge along the lower shoulder of the bulge. It was never publicized, really.

Amazon.com: Rudder: From Leader to Legend (Volume 115) (Centennial Series of the Association of Former Students, Texas A&M University): 9781623492441: Hatfield, Thomas M.: Books

James Earl Rudder (19101970), the famous Texas A&M graduate and U.S. Army officer best known for leading the 2nd Ranger Battalion's assault up the cliffs at Pointe du Hoc on D-Day.

en.wikipedia.org
During the Battle of the Bulge (December 1944January 1945), Lt. Col. James Earl Rudder commanded the 109th Infantry Regiment, 28th Infantry Division ("Keystone Division"). He had taken command just days before the German offensive began (on 8 December 1944). His regiment was positioned on the southern shoulder of the Bulge in northern Luxembourg, right along the LuxembourgGermany border.

en.wikisource.org
Specific locations and actions

• Initial defensive line (1620 December 1944): Along the Our River and Sauer (Sre) River. Two battalions held the frontline between Stolzembourg (Luxembourg) and Wallendorf (Germany). This sector faced the German 352nd Volksgrenadier Division.
  
  uswarmemorials.org
• Regimental headquarters: Ettelbruck, Luxembourg (at the Ste. Anne Girls' School).
  
  patton.lu
• Key towns and positions fought in: Wallendorf, Stolzembourg, Fouhren (Fhren), Walsdorf, Brandenburg, Bastendorf, Vianden, Diekirch, EttelbruckMertzigGrosbous high ground, and Gilsdorf. They conducted delaying actions, ambushes, bridge demolitions, and counterattacks (notably at Grosbous).
  
  facebook.com
• Later phase: After initial fighting, the regiment held positions on the south bank of the Sauer River, then participated in counteroffensives. Rudder later led "Task Force Rudder," which helped clear remaining pockets (including around Gilsdorf).
  
  uswarmemorials.org

Rudder's regiment was understrength and overextended after heavy losses in the Hrtgen Forest, but their stubborn defense disrupted the German timetable and helped prevent the enemy from linking up or reaching key objectives farther west (contributing indirectly to the successful defense of Bastogne). Official U.S. Army histories devote an entire section to "The 109th Infantry Defense on the Sauer and Our Rivers: 1620 December."

ibiblio.org
There are several memorials related to this:

• A plaque at the former HQ site in Ettelbruck.
• Monuments for the 109th Infantry Regiment and "Task Force Rudder" in the area.
• A bust of Rudder in Ettelbruck.

In short, Earl Rudder fought (and led) in northern Luxembourg along the Our and Sauer Rivers border sector, centered on the EttelbruckWallendorfStolzembourg area during the opening and most intense phase of the Battle of the Bulge. This matches every reliable account of his service.

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Site of "Malmedy Massacre" (actually in Baugnez)
5024'9.33"N 6 3'57.54"E




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Look for a WiFi signal in the town square in Bastogne. You'll find one that is named "NUTS".