Best European city break with kids & why (dc 11, 10 & 8)

[Myname23]

Hoping for a city break this year with the kids, anywhere in Europe but very child friendly & plenty of things to do with the dc.. Where's your favourite family city break?

Barcelona - by the sea, culture, food, outdoor spaces, architecture a bit more accessible for kids than fine art hanging in a gallery.

Lisbon or Amsterdam also good i think

Copenhagen! Great zoo, Tivoli, fun science museum, plenty of other things for kids as well. Very easy to get around by hiring bikes.

I’m waiting for my youngest to be a bit older and more civilised before we save up for Stockholm. Museums, parks, theme park in the centre, easy to get around, boat trips round the archipelago….

Great tips & will start looking up now.. We've only ever done uk city breaks, London when dc were very small so we'll need to revisit but excited to hit Europe!

We just got back from Stockholm with 5 and 7 year olds and had a wonderful time. I'd also recommend that but on balance I think Copenhagen is just ahead.

Lubeck. Just returned from a week there. It's a medieval town and UNESCO world heritage site in north Germany. Everything is within walkable distance and it also has good bus system and electronic scouters you can hire with an app. Town is surrounded by a waterway and you can take boat trips or hire a boat or paddle boards. Loads of museums and interesting shops and cafes. Swimming lake with two bathing areas and pontoons. We loved it! Fly into Hamburg and take the train.
We loved it so much we're going back at Christmas for the Christmas markets.

ps my kids are 10 and 12 and both had a ball.

Sounds stunning!

I would say Copenhagen too having lived there for19 months. White sand , Beaches, great metro, 2 fabulous funfairs - Tivoli is central and Bakken is set in woods but on the train. Canoeing, kayaking, superb shopping centres. It's pricey but there are some fabulous hostels and apart hotels too and portions are big enough to share - big advantage is airport is close to centre - about 3 miles.

Verona and Trento are fab if you're interested in smaller rather than larger cities. Lots to do (eg, great castle and fantastic natural history museum in Trento, and Juliet's balcony and the Arena in Verona) plus both have amazing food, gorgeous buildings, are really walkable, and are also close to lots of other places with great train connections for excursions if you are there for more than a few days (eg trip to Venice or lake Garda from Verona, or to various gorgeous Dolomite locations from Trento). Would highly recommend both.

Those recommending Copenhagen - when is good weather wise? I’m looking for somewhere for Oct half term or maybe even Christmas hols but will it just be rainy and cold?

OP we took ours to Rome recently, a good option if any of yours like history! And the food is very child friendly of course.

I suppose it's luck of the draw, with better chances in summer just like elsewhere in Northern Europe.

We went over Easter a few years ago and it was gorgeous sunshine and warm enough for t-shirts during the day. But I bet it's not always like that at Easter!

San Sebastián - great if you are foody and the kids are little, can combine with Bilbao if they are a bit older x

Oooh, yes to these suggestions - but I would put Bilbao in first place. Amazing place to walk around.

Rome . Lots of very accessible history Colosseum, forum , pantheon . Vatican City with the Swiss Guards . Lots of squares with fountains and ice cream and statues . Easy to get around, there’s always something to look at. Tivoli Gardens , you hire a pedal buggy and cycle around . River boat trips .

foid is very easy , pizza, pasta , ice cream . Everywhere is child friendly .

So many but the ones we've been to with a small to medium sized to older son have been:
Hamburg (and Lueneburg)
Dubrovnik (before GoT though so not nearly as busy as it is now)
Vienna, can combine with Bratislava, two countries in one.
Cologne for multiple trips
Berlin (he was about 14)
Verona/Lake Garda (definitely worth consideration as loads to do in the area and you don't have to be in the city all the time)
Rome (he was about 11 by then)
Copenhagen as someone mentioned above - we went in October half term - weather was mixed but you can combine it with a trip to Lund in Sweden which is lovely. Also went in early June this year when it was (pleasantly) hot!
Edinburgh for various trips including Christmas markets

If they like cycling, I'd imagine touring the smaller cities in the Netherlands would be fun. Also the coastal tram in Belgium, ferry to Dunkirk, short bus or cycle ride to De Panne, get tram and from there you can go by train to other places. I have done neither of those things though.

Luebeck is lovely but don't just fly into Hamburg and move on - Hamburg is stunning too. Actually you could also combine Hamburg with Copenhagen and or Stockholm via train.

Venice (not in Summer, but outside high season with less crowds). It’s just so different to any other Citi, fun to take boats everywhere, walk around the canals after dark, boat trips to the little islands outside.

@minipie Weather is mixed- I've had it 27 degrees and sunny in September and minus 7 in January and frozen sea!!! In all fairness I always felt there was less rain than uk . Winter often gloomy and overcast and snow flurries. Lots to do though even if weather isn't the best -

Thanks for Copenhagen weather responses! Sounds like one for May or maybe October half terms rather than mid winter

@minipie Yes we've been there with a fair bit of snow in winter for a week or so at a time - but also when it's 7 degrees and pissing it down!!! It's not like Canada etc

It sounds obvious but Paris is fab. Recognisable land marks, easy to get to and some lovely galleries. I loved the hop on hop off boat tour!

Agree with Verona. You can take a train to Gardaland, which is a huge theme park with rides to suit all ages, plus a big Aquarium.

Combine Amsterdam for a few days, then going on to a stay at Duinrell. You stay literally in the middle of a theme park, with a huge water complex with amazing rides and it’s near a gorgeous beach. You can cycle to many interesting places nearby. You can stay direct with them in their duingalows, or you can stay in caravans via eurocamp type companies. You can also camp if you want to.

We also had a great city break in Berlin with older teens, Bruges was also a big hit .