What to do with teenagers this summer
Teenagers will openly admit that they are a species in their own right. One day they are kids who play happily in a park, the next they are bored and moody young adults bursting with hormonal energy and glued to their mobiles.
If you’re wondering what to do with your teenager (or your teenager is wondering if there is anything to do around here), we’ve listed some ideas to get them out of the house and off their phones.
Outdoor gyms & skateparks
Body shape becomes of major importance as we hit our teens, and an ideal way of building muscle strength and replacing trips to play parks is the outdoor gym.
There are several located across Luxembourg and all of them are free. The vdl.lu website lists those in the city including the one near Kockelsheuer P&R if you want to combine it with some indoor ice-skating.
The playground might be old news, but Luxembourg has numerous skateparks for teens on wheels. In particular the one in Petrusse has become a popular place for social gatherings and is considered one of the biggest skateparks in Europe. Here's a list of all the skateparks and what they offer.
Bowling, carting, laser quest and trampolines
Bowling may seem sedate, but there’s quite an art to it and it’s something the whole family can still enjoy together as the kids grow up. There are bowling alleys in Kockelscheuer, Foetz, Petange (Fun City also has an indoor play area for kids) and Heiderscheid. Also across the border in Arlon, Amneville and Trier.
Carting is another way to use up energy, with courses in Mondercange and indoor carting at Metz.
The trampolines are open at Jumpbox and Ozone for some bouncing fun. You can book a slot online at both.
Tensions rising at home? Then blast each other with lasers at Laser Game (Howald and Ettelbruck), Laser Five (Thionville), Laserground (Saabrucken) or indoor paintball at Châtillon (which also has indoor and outdoor laser game quests that you must book in advance).
Music
Would-be Ed Sheerans can play guitar at Spirit of Music in Bereldange, or try the Rock University in Kirchberg. The Skilz DJ Academy in Bonnevoie runs DJ courses for beginners and those who've already mastered the turntables.
Luxembourg is home to numerous festivals, and one of the best for young adults is e-lake in Echternach, an outdoor festival with camping provided on site. Echternach Live will also take place outside the abbey.
Den Atelier will again be putting on the Siren's Call festival in late June at Neimënster Abbey. A playlist is available here if your teens want to check out the bands and performers.
Kulturfabrik in Esch also has a host of performances as part of the Esch2022 programme, which you can check here.
Create music, videos, games, drones and crafts
Base 1 Makerspace at the Forum Geesseknäppchen invites children, teens and young adults to build their own drone or robot, make a movie or video for a YouTube channel, programme their own game, or create their own music. Coaches are on hand to help out, with an emphasis on different areas each weekday. Teens can drop-in (there is no need to register) and get to know the makers and coaches, and there are sewing machines, 3D printers and laser cutting tools available. It's open 12.30 to 18.30 on weekdays (you can check the website calendar for the individual days of closure).
Science and volcanoes
The 70 hands-on stations at the Science Centre at Differdange are a good way to entertain teens and younger children. Teens can play table football against a robot, attend a science kitchen cookery show, or find out how steel is brought to its melting point.
The Volcano Park Eifel consists of six museums and discovery centres in the Eifel region including the Lava Dome in Merzig.
Voelklinger Huette is a World Cultural Heritage Site at a former ironworks. Teens can take a journey through time via a multi-media site, take a tour on a coal track across 7000m of sign posted walkways, visit the Ferrodrom interactive science centre and outdoor science park, or take in an art exhibition.
Climbing and treetop activities
There are plenty of challenging indoor climbing walls in Luxembourg, and Group Alpine Luxembourg also organises outdoor climbing days around the Grand Duchy.
There are also activity centres where teens can complete treetop assault courses, with the aid of a harness. In most places, older children don’t need to be accompanied around the course by an adult, in case your palms were getting clammy at the thought of sailing down a long zip wire.
Water fun
Teenagers still enjoy a splash about, even if they feel self-conscious in a swimsuit. Not all pools are perfect for teens, but you can scan this list to see which ones have the best slides and wave machines. Most outdoor pools are also open this summer, and many offer a nice venue for teens to meet up and hang out.
The Remerschen lakes have an inflatable water playground and you can rent stand-up paddle boards from the Youth Hostel in Lultzhausen for a foray down the River Sûre. You can find out more about the lakes and rivers for swimming and water sports here. Your teen can also learn to scuba dive or water ski.
If your teen wants to travel downriver, you can canoe from Dillingen to Echternach, and kayak 11km downriver from Camping du Rivage at Wallendorf. If you have your own equipment, check out the canoe and kayak courses available in Luxembourg.
World War buffs
If your teen is studying European history, they’re in the right place. Bastogne has a great WW2 museum, with an audio guide in English is included in the price of the ticket.
The Military History Museum in Diekirch features life-sized dioramas, as well as photographs and memorabilia. You can visit between 10.00 and 18.00.
If you fancy a day out then the Museum of the Ardennes Counter-Offensive in Clervaux Castle is open. You can also visit the Family of Man photography exhibition and the Museum of Model Castles at the same time.
Cinema, theatre, art
Art-inspired teens should head to the Pompidou Centre in Metz for an introduction to modern art, or they can see plenty of paintings and sculptures in Luxembourg's numerous galleries.
If you've got a creative teen you might want to sign them up for theatre or art lessons. Art Space Studio has special courses for adults and teens including one on acrylics basics and you can take a look at theatre workshops and youth groups in our article on Drama Classes.
4D cinema is on offer at Kirchberg Kinepolis (for "Top Gun: Maverick") and you can find a full list of cinema's here.
Kino um Glacis usually hosts an open-air cinema in summer, with pedestrian seating on sofas as well as spaces for cars.
Thrill rides
Not in Luxembourg, but you can never go wrong with an amusement park. The best ones for teen thrill rides include Phantasia Land, Europa-Park, Toverland, and the Walt Disney Studios. Check websites as some amusement theme parks still require you to pre-book your tickets in advance.
Escape rooms
216k Escape Room has a number of outdoor quests including The Last Secret of Albert Einstein. Enigmo in Dudelange (not far from Parc L'eh) invites you to take a trip back to 19th century Japan, 20th century Egypt or a South American prison, to reconstruct codes, unlock padlocks and find your way out.
You can pick from the wild west or a zombie nightmare at Crocus Quest Games, which also has virtual reality games.
For more teen adventures, take a look at our Family Fun series, covering things to do in neighbouring Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France, including an upside down house in an illusions park and a giant catapult that can throw your teen 17m into the air (and of course, land them safely).
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