Easy holidays with DC - UK and abroad

[whereismysleep]

Thinking about next year, I'd like to go somewhere where we can potter around where we are, and there's a fair amount to see or do on the doorstep, with no need for driving.

It could be somewhere very near a beach, perhaps in a small town or a village that's good to explore. Or somewhere else where there's lots to do on the doorstep.

I'm thinking of a lovely holiday I had as a teen in St Ives, for example - we spent the whole week there getting to know the place and it was wonderful - 3 beaches to exxplore and lots to see in the town. The pace was very relaxed.

Somewhere in Europe would be nice too - but where?! Very happy to do self catering.

The DC will be 11 and 15.

Have you been anywhere that fits the bill? Thanks :)

Hopeful morning bump!

Pescheira del Garda was easy. We took the train from the airport, and once there we hired bikes from the campsite we stayed at or used the ferries to get about. The dc loved Gardaland and the eldest did some windsurfing lessons.

Thanet and surrounding area is a great place to explore - lots to do, beaches are great, lots of walks, bike riding, there's a Roman history centre, a Viking boat, Deal has a good enough leisure pool which is great for kids, spitfire museum, a few nature reserves. Nice little towns of Deal, Broadstairs, Margate etc

Pembrokshire

Maybe Chichester? You have good beaches nearby (although you do need to drive a bit), plus quite a few nice things to do - Goodwood, the theatre, Fishbourne, NT places, Arundel
Castle, Portsmouth Docks aren’t too far.
It’s not an”no driving”’holiday but it’s a nice area.

Somewhere on the Tyne and Wear metro eg Tynemouth or Seaburn. Or base yourselves in Newcastle

Isles of Scilly

What about South Brittany, Concarneau, Benedet, Quimper
gorgeous beaches and food, a car is an advantage but you don’t have to do loads of driving. There are old walled towns.

There's lots to do in Dorset; Swanage, Lyme Regis, Weymouth etc.

Lots of suggestions, thanks so much! I'll have a look.

I really do want somewhere that we don't have to do driving much, if at all. I want to be able to leave the door and potter around / explore at a slow pace.

Somewhere right on a beach would be great. Or in a pretty or historical part of a small town. Or on a lake, or in a forest.

Not in a city.

St Ives as lovely as we literally didn't use the car for anything other than going to the supermarket, we explored the town, visited the different beaches, had lovely meals, hung out together. It was easy and relaxing. We would have visited the gallery had it existed then, and I'm up for museums etc.

Pescheira del Garda looks stunning! 😍

I really don't know Thanet at all, so a great place to explore!

Which of the towns (or villages) do you think would be best as a base to explore on foot, on holiday?

I think lake Garda is a great shout.

I know it's mentioned a lot on here but Barcelona has a lot of stuff to do - the Gaudi stuff is really interesting and there's also a beach.

I also really liked Munich and there are some fab day trips from Munich to various castles that you can do by public transport or tour

I haven't been but lake Bled looks amazing

Why not take the kids to St Ives?

Cefalu in sicily
fly to Palermo, take a train (1 hour). It’s a historic town with beautiful old town, restaurants, cafes and sandy beach. Everything in walking distance. There is a cathedral to visit, rock to climb with amazing view and you can book boat trips or take trajn rides to nearby towns.

Also love Peschiera and you can easily visit places like Lazise and Sirmione or go to Gardaland or Caneva (waterpark) with the kids. Verona and Venice are easy to visit by train too.

Salcombe for me. We loved staying and pottering in the town, and theres 2-3 different small boats that take you across the water to other beaches. A perfect routine of pottering, grabbing stuff for lunch from delis/bakeries and then popping on a boat to another place. Just loved it