European family city break for Easter

[BikeRunSki]

We'd like to go away for 3 or 4 days the week after Easter. The dc are 5 and 8. They loved Paris last year; also London and Newcastle upon Tyne. But these are all cities I know well and was confident about taking them, what to see etc, and I speak French.

Amsterdam seems the obvious choice (40 min flight from local airport), but I went there for work last year (and I lived in The Haguebfirvavwgile as a child), and would like to go somewhere I haven't been.

Shortlist is:
Copenhagen
Stockholm
Brugges
Berlin (but I really want to go there and would be really in the Cold War stuff and would be frustrated that the dc aren't)

Has any one got any thoughts on these?

Can I add Gothenburg to your list. We managed to get flights there from London for £9. It's a pretty city in itself but with your tram pass you can also use the ferry to visit many islands in the archipelago so can incorporate some pretty island walks with your city break.

Ooh. Nice wildcard there!

How about The Hague as a, much nicer in my opinion, alternative to Amsterdam

Rome is great for families.

And Belfast. Took the kids to Belfast in the summer and we all loved it!

I second Belfast! Fantastic city. I'd also suggest Ghent rather than Brugge - more to do, bit more lively but just as beautiful. Antwerp is great too. And there are nicer cities in the Netherlands than Amsterdam - Utrecht, for eg. Heidelberg in Germany is gorgeous. Out of your original list, I'd got for Copenhagen.

We'll go to Belfast for sure some time (I have been to NI in the past), but right now we want different money and a different language.

Brugge would be a tie in with a bike race.

Holland is looking more popular though. We could ferry that from Hull (an hour down the road).

We all love getting the overnight ferry to Holland. Great start to the holiday. We live 45 minutes from Harwich

What about Lisbon? We found it easy to get around. Anyone that didn't speak English seemed to speak French. The weather should be nice then too.

We're off to Lisbon at Easter as it looks beautiful and beach easily accessible. Staying in airbnb apartment.

another suggestion though, Munich: a friend has been with her little one and there's an amazing science museum nearby apparently. Dh and I went pre kids and liked it too.

Amsterdam is great too and nemo science museum is brilliant.

Or stay at duinrell in holland? We've booked that for our summer holiday. I like holidays...!

Are you planning to go over Easter itself? Then check about local regulations. Germany for example has very strict Good Friday rules, lots is closed.

Spain and Italy can be a nightmare, they take the holy days very seriously so it gets very busy.

I am still - alfter 17 years in this country - amazed how normal the Bank Holidays are compared to lots of mainland European countries.

Rome
Verona
Marseilles/Montpellier/Avignon

Good Friday isn't a bank holiday in Italy (bizarrely).

Barcelona, Rome, Dublin, Cardiff? endless choice really. just depends if you want decent weather or not.