Where to go in Europe with an 8 & 10 year old who love history?

[Ladyofthemanor11]

A sort of city break type holiday. I'd like it to be very child friendly & interactive. Thanks in advance!

Just to add they enjoy museums & galleries. DH is originally from Glasgow so Kelvingrove is our no 1 spot whenever we're in the city.

Pompeii and Herculaneum. Lots to see, utterly fascinating. (Some very naughty wall paintings however, particularly in the former, though they are quite amusing - the bloke weighing his willie on some scales stuck in the mind). You can also take a trip to the top of Vesuvius and peek into the crater. Nearby there's a town called Pozzuoli, with an amazingly well-preserved amphitheatre. A boat trip from Naples to Capri, where you can see the ruins of the Emperor Tiberius's villa was good too. I'd love to go back there for another visit. The gelato and pizzas were amazing too.

Hope you have a fantastic time, wherever you decide to go. x

You threw a curveball there! Both dc love the Vikings. Getting so excited reading the replies! Embracing this middle stage of parenting!

Thesoloniki easy to get to, lots of cheap flights an incredible city. Amazing history, everywhere. So much to see. Absolute hidden gem of Europe for me

We took dd aged about 10 or 11 to Ypres and did a private tour of the battlefields. It was fascinating, if very sobering. There are lots of sites to visit and the museum in town is wonderful. Some of the exhibits were a bit gruesome, but "covered" with appropriate warning signs. You could combine it with Bruges.

If you do go, book tickets. Queue can be huuuge.

I’d say it’s ok for a mature 10 year old.

Naples and visit Pompeii and Herculaneum. INCREDIBLE!

I'd definitely add in York and Bath for a quick UK break.

One other place that hasn't been mentioned is Bruges. Not conventionally child-friendly but a child who loves history and museums will get a real kick out of just wandering around: it's like a Playmobil medieval market brought to life.

Berlin (20th century history) or Rome

Venice! Or Rome. But Venice has an amazing waterpark just across the bay, “Caribe Bay”. If you’re going in summer then stay near the beaches of Jesolo, do the waterpark, get a boat across to Venice (get the private boat run by Marco Polo or similar, not the government-run vaparetto which costs nearly the same but has a 2 hr queue, and be aware the tourist information people won’t tell you about thenprivate boats 🙄), stay a couple of nights in Venice then ho back and do the water park again. 👌

If not summer season then Rome or Athens for sure.

Oh Thessaloniki is amazing! All the museums with King Philip's gold.

Totally stunning and also right by the beaches.

Istanbul. 100%

It's very easy to avoid the red light district in Amsterdam- it's a great place to go with children, incredibly family-friendly and easy to get around.

My only thought is that they may get more out of Anne Frank's house when slightly older- if you don't think about what happened there and what it meant it's just some rooms, but I can imagine that with an 8yo you might not want to push them too much to think about it- does that make any sense? Anyway, you know your kids. If you do go, you need to book ahead- sells out very quickly. You can also book a talk before the visit to the house and that is well worth doing.

With those ages I'd probably go to Rome, especially now it's cooler.

Malta and Gozo. Plenty of history dating back to the Ġgantija temples which are older than the pyramids, right through the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Normans, French, British etc.
You can easliy fo on a day trip to Sicily as well.

Thanks everyone. Thinking of going either February or November... Ideally would love somewhere with a good traditional Christmas Market if we went in Nov /early Dec

For Christmas Market holiday can I suggest Munich?

Very likely to be snowy. Lots of museums and palaces very central/easy on public transport. Amazing Christmas markets. And if you are v keen you could get the train into the Alps.

Prague is beautiful especially the old town square area, lots of history there from the gothic architecture through to the astronomical clock. Plus Prague castle is absolutely fantastic for history buffs having been the seat of power for the whole Bohemian empire. The two basillicas are amazing.

Dh has just suggested Budapest... So many places 😩 love the sound of Munich & snow!

My issue with Prague is that it’s filled with stag parties.

It has to be Rome.

I’m craving a city break now, OP 😂

My dc are now 11 and 14. We've had done great city breaks in
Copenhagen
Paris
Nice/Monaco
Belfast
Newcastle/Northumberland
York
London (I grew up in Central London but the dc are north country bumpkins)

Came on to say Rome. Second for me would be Berlin.

We're doing the Xmas market in Arras this year after a recommendation on here. Lots of WW1 and 2 history too.

Malta has quite a historic feel to it