Help me pick a weekend in Europe

[trebleclef101]

DH, DD(4) and I are looking for somewhere to go for a long weekend at the beginning of March, but we don't know where to go! We were considering Billund for Legoland, but they don't open until April Cheap flight options include Catania, Rome, Brussels, Perugia, Paphos, Maastricht, Bologna.

Any suggestions for keeping a 4 year old entertained in any of these places?

Of this lot, we’ve been to Catania, Brussels, Rome and Bologna all with an under 10. Quite honestly, none of them have big theme parks but you’ll know that already I’m sure. I’d cross Catania off - it’s ok but there are nicer nearbyish towns and cities and you’ve only got a long weekend. Bologna is really nice and pretty compact - we took our youngest DD when she was 2. Nothing obviously child orientated from memory but a great city to wander and eat in. Rome she’ll be too young to fully appreciate but that’s fine - the Borghese Gardens are nice with kids and there’s child friendly food and ice cream. Rather than do Brussels, I’d do the quick train journey to Bruges. We took DD when she was 6 - it’s compact & flat & she really liked the carriage rides, canal boat Trip, chocolate museum, chip museum & rather weird Historium! If you’re South East based, the Eurostar over is probably a nicer way to travel & I know DD loved the whole ‘travelling under the sea’ bit!

Hope at least some of that is helpful! We’ve taken our DDs on many city breaks and while we try to make some elements about them, we’ve never completely organised it around them and what they may be bored by! It’s your break too and DC do learn to fit in.

Why this list of places OP? I've been to all of them apart from Maastricht and tbh I don't any of them are great destinations with a 4-year-old in early March, which is a chilly time of year. Paphos will be a bit warmer, but it's a long way to go for a weekend.

TBH, I'd go to Paris. Paris has loads of playgrounds for children, the Jardin d'Acclimatation, the Cite de Sciences, a great Natural History museum, boat trips on the Seine (either bateaux mouches or the Batobus, which is hop on, hop off), Disneyland is accessible from central Paris via the RER train line, and it's surprisingly child-friendly as a destination. We've taken our DC there every couple of years since they were little and we all love it, because there is so much to see and do. We're going back in May for the fourth time.

I’d go to Valencia, you could visit Ciutat de les Arts where there are museums and aquarium.

We’ve been to Brussels a couple of times as a day trip when camping near Antwerp. I think it’s a great city for kids. Our too liked Mini Europe and the Atomium which are next to each other and you can get a joint ticket. There was a nice kids play park near a restaurant complex close by. They loved the comic book museum as well. The little boy of Brussels amused them though smaller than expected. Lots of frites, waffles and chocolate shops to drool over.

We live abroad so not starting from the UK. These are the cheap options for the dates we have off work. Not too worried about cold weather, we get enough hot weather where we live so don't need to travel to it!

Thanks for all the suggestions