Family city break ideas

[snapdragongirl]

I'm looking for idea for city breaks for me, DH and our 3 DCs (15, 13 and 9). I'd love Paris but DH isn't keen as goes there a lot for work. I wondered about Barcelona but was hoping you would all have some good suggestions based on trips you have done. We usually do cottage/villa type holidays but looking for a few days during the Easter holidays to do something a bit different to our usual....

Nuremberg was a surprise hit. Athens also good.

Top choice Rome , stacks to do ( definitely more than 2 days worth) great food , pizza , pasta , ice cream galore . Good weather at Easter but avoid Easter weekend due to Mass .

our boys also loved Berlin , huge buildings , great food again, lots of history. Do not miss the DDR museum . Granada is a good choice but make sure to get Alhambra tickets well in advance .

they also had a great long weekend with dh in Bruges .

So many great options, Rome is full of must see sites and if you've not been you should definitely go. Krakow is another good option, more budget friendly and you have Auschwitz and Wielickza salt mine for day trips nearby. Personally I loved both Lisbon and Porto.

Barcelona is one of my favourite cities and a great place to go with teens. There is amazing Modernista architecture including the Sagrada Familia, Casa Mila with its chimney pots and Parc Guell; the Joan Miro Foundation at the top of Montjuïc is fun and you could get the Teleféric up there. There are magic fountains on Montjuic but may be closed. There is the historic old town and cathedral protected by geese and obviously Las Ramblas for a quick look. The market off Las Ramblas is amazing. I've not been but there is also a funfair up Mount Tibidabo. There is also a beach.

We took our DC to Rome as teens and had an amazing time. There are ancient sights like the Coliseum, Pantheon and Roman Forum, St Peter's and the Vatican. You can climb into the dome of St Peter's (a bit of a slog). Fountains everywhere including the amazing Trevi fountain. And pizza and ice cream which is always a winner. If you're there a bit longer there are day trips to Ostia Antica on the coast and gardens at Villa D'Este. We stayed in an apartment in Trastevere which is a bit quieter.

Berlin would also be ideal. Sooo much to do. Depending on what your DC are doing in history there is WW2 and nazi history, the Berlin Wall / Iron Curtain history which we all found totally mind blowing. There are parks and loads of possible day trips.

So many brilliant ideas and suggestions - thank you all!! I'm quite taken by the idea of Rome...DH and I have been but not with kids. Eldest is excited to fly somewhere! I visited Budapest many years ago and loved it, also Vienna. Going to suggest some of these to everyone later and see what they think.

We've enjoyed Edinburgh, London, Chester and Manchester.

Liverpool and Lisbon are on our list.

Very surprised nobody has mentioned Stockholm (unless I missed it in which case apologies!) - I loved it and it’s definitely on my list to take the kids. Plenty to fill 2-3 days, including boat rides in the archipelago.

I've just booked Belfast. Looks interesting.

Barcelona is great. Lots of things to do for a family that aren't just historic buildings e.g. Harbour, city beach, various cable cars from near centre, Olympic stadium, modern art museums.

Madrid. Fab city, easy to get around and lots for families with teens to do.

We did Amsterdam with DD when she was 12 and Prage when she was 15. We are going to Berlin this year, she will be 17.

It really depends what you want to do. We are history nerds so good museums or historical sites are our main focus.

We are looking at Krakow for next year.

I loved Stockholm but didn't go with a teen so didn't mention it.

Barcelona, Krakow, Salzburg, Berlin, Munich, Dubrovnik and Belfast are all cities we have visited and enjoyed.