European holidays with small children

[cheesychips15]

Pre-kids when we went on holiday we'd pick a city we liked look of, book some flights and book an apartment separately. Had a great time, was usually fairy cheap.

Since having kids we haven't really had a proper holiday abroad. We've done quite a few UK self catering holidays and we have done a cruise from Southampton (not in a rush to do that again!)

Next summer my son will be 4, and my husband and I have started thinking we might be ready to attempt a fight with him and his little sister before we lose the option to go out of school holidays. The problem is, we just don't really know what sort of holiday we want.

Neither of us are interested in an all inclusive/stay at the hotel round the pool type holiday, we want to be able to easily get into towns and cities to explore a bit. However I think it would be useful to have some sort of "holiday park" facilities like a kids pool or a play area or something like that for days we aren't going out exploring.

We need an apartment/house/lodge etc with ideally 3 bedrooms, although we might be able to cope with 2. We also need to be able to fly there from Leeds or Manchester airport. And finally, we'd really like to be able to get from the airport to where we're staying (and getting around while we're there) via public transport so we don't need to worry about car seats etc for car hire/taxis.

Do such places exist? I've had a look at Eurocamp and a handful of those seem to fit, but most have a caravan for the accommodation, we'd prefer something a bit nicer.

Siblu La Carabasse or Club Farret in Vias - lots of onsite facilities and beach, Luna Park, Minigolf, shops and restaurants all within 10 mins walk. Quick transfrer from Beziers Airport - but Perpignan /Montpellier could also work with a short train ride. We've done it without a car. Duinrell in NL with a ferry from Newcastle. Also look at the big parks on Venetian Riviera - places like Union Lido do apartments and lodges as well as mobile homes and doable with a transfer from Venice or Treviso airport. Easy to get to Venice for a dayout - mind you we spent a week at UL without leaving when dd was small as there was so much to do.

@Crikeyalmighty Copenhagen sounds ace - I'm definitely going to look into this for next year!

@cheesychips15Sounds like your family is similar to ours. We all loved last year’s holiday to Vienna. So much to do and see! We rented an apartment with a pool so we could swim in the evenings before dinner :)

Hi OP i fully agree with the posters who say you can still holiday the way you used to, just with a few child friendly tweaks!
We have two young dc and tend to pick somewhere with lots for everyone nearby- so not big city breaks but the edge of a town near museums, theme parks, farms, parks, swimming pools, nice cafes and proximity to city centres etc etc.
We've found the best way to do it is by going self catering (doesnt need to be fancy) and hiring a car so we can get out and explore. If we go to France or Belgium we take our own car in the tunnel.
We did Italy when ds was 3 and stayed in a vineyard that had SC accommodation and a lovely child friendly pool and playground, near the beach. Short drive to town for evening strolls etc, and occasionally drove further afield for something more exciting.
I know all dc and families are different but we've found that ours love a varied European holiday with plenty to do that everyone enjoys. Its about mixing the kid stuff with what you like - for example this year we are doing 2 weeks SC in a seaside town in France. Loads for the kids to do nearby, but also lots of lovely food and wine and pottering about in markets and museums for me and DH.
I can't bear the thought of being in a cramped AI resort and tbh I think my kids would be bored and/or overstimulated pretty quickly.
Yes you need to centre tye kids, but holidays are for you too!

Yes, you can do city breaks, you just have to limit yourselves a bit. You won’t get a day at the museums, but you should be able to manage an hour or two. You need to plan days so there are changes of scene, even if it’s just making sure you are turning corners a lot, and stopping for cakes. A beach or a park will keep them amused for longer. Zoos are great, as are aquaria. Views are good, but not for long.

A hotel with a pool really helps too, and it gives the kids an easier target to make the day seem manageable if e.g. four o’clock is back-to-the-hotel-for-swimming time.

Finally, when you’re moving round pedestrianised spaces really help, but hills can be a killer especially when it’s hot.

Taking all the above into account, I’d say Berlin is probably the absolute sweet spot.

@BarnacleBeasley the one down side is I can’t guarantee you 30 degrees and constant sun etc !! We had a lot of sun in the summer , but also days like today . There are hotels with indoor pools etc and some great public pools if you have an Airbnb - you can also swim in the sea ( although a bit chilly) as they have manned lidos right next to the sea , lots of canooing too if your kids like outdoorsy things and are old enough - if younger kids like them there is a zoo ( in a very lovely area) outdoor beer gardens, and a huge indoor interactive place up at Hellerup plus the Viking longboat museum at Roskilde . The big bonus is you can get easily to all on public transport. Tons of great indoor shopping too if you get a wet day, a huge Westfield plus 3 other similar centres. I like Berlin a lot too but think it has far less ‘to do ‘with ‘young kids ‘in my opinion’ - as they aren’t at the age to be that into history or ‘coolness ‘ etc - if you need any tips and decide to go , post here again and I can give you some of my best ideas.

@TheBirdintheCave we went to Vienna for new year- really enjoyed it

@Crikeyalmighty we live in Scotland, so we are fine with cooler, greyer weather and swimming in cold water! (That is, my children are small and wimpy, but they've got wetsuits). The older one (who is 4) does like museums etc but the little one mainly likes rampaging so you're probably right that we should save Berlin till everyone can enjoy it a bit more.

@Crikeyalmighty we have actually thought about Copenhagen, so good to see it recommended. Is there a particular area that's best to look at? Maybe near a great playground or something?

For staying-? I would look ‘ideally’ in Frederiksberg - that’s a great area- 10 minutes into centre, super nice and lots of playgrounds amongst even ordinary housing streets. The amazing flat we had was in islands Brygge- which is a very modern upmarket dock lands type area but easy into centre on either boat or metro - Amager area is good for metro into centre and the airport and beaches- christianshavn is gorgeous and convenient for absolutely everything - you will find lots of playgrounds dotted around everywhere. If younger kids go onto Facebook theres a fabulous lady who lives there with great insights - it’s called Delije days .

We never did AI/fly and flop beach holidays with our DC. We just slowed the pace and made sure they had some time at a play area or pool each day. The rest of the time could be bike rides /museums /castles/wildlife watching etc. DS1s first holiday abroad at 2 was spent visiting Loire Chateau. When we went to Paris we stayed at a Eurocamp in the outskirts close and got through train into the centre each day. Gave them a bit space to let off steam.

Here’s a few parks OP- it’s a very child friendly city

https://g.co/kgs/H19EMk3
Nørrebroparken - Playground

The Traffic Playground
The Tower Playground

Ryanair fly Manchester to Brussels, if you are giving the Eurocamp option serious thought. When our kids were smaller I liked coastal city breaks, so we could combine beach time and sightseeing, such as Valencia, Porto and Lisbon.

Love lake Garda for families. We stayed on a nice holiday park and travelled to Verona, Milan, Venice and all around the lake x x

Going to stick my neck out but we were like you pre kids and actually some of our best holidays have been AI.

You don't have to fly and flop... If you choose a small 4 or 5 star hotel that is well located you can spend the morning sight seeing/museum/ shopping, back for a late lunch then kids can play in the pool for a few hours before dinner. We always hire a car and go to local beaches/towns. Kids love the facilities of these places and it means we're not all on top of each other in an apartment.

He family hotels from Valamar in Croatia are amazing and you can do different board options. We did HB so went out for lunch but kids had an amazing time with the pools and games. Saw heaps of the Dalmatian coast but still able to relax.

We've just come back from a week SC in France and although nice I wish I didn't spend 40% of the week in Carrefour and 30% washing up.

I’ve just come back from Oslo with my 5 year old and we had a brilliant time - it’s a great city for kids, easy to get around, nice museums, urban beaches where you can swim in the fjord, great playgrounds. We stayed in a hotel with a pool too. It’s easy to get boats to some of the smaller islands to explore as well.

I feel like ‘well located’ would be the issue here for us. I’ve yet to find a nice AI hotel that isn’t quite far out of the town/city and we don’t rent cars on holiday. I’d be more willing to try one if I could walk/take a quick, frequent bus or tram into a city from the location.

@TheBirdintheCave It does in MN world! Not much ambition for holidays with DC! We liked staying a few miles out of cities and historic towns in France. We liked Brittany. Beaches with play areas, medieval towns, markets, local shops, good restaurants, historic sites and lovely countryside. Dc always had a good time. We had a mix of Eurocamp and appartments. Not too hot either!

Eurocamp all the way for us! Ideal for kids, you can do day trips wherever you like, do stuff on site, the pools are always brilliant. The last one we stayed at had so much stuff, horse riding, pedalo, treetop adventure course, water sports, bicycle hire, giant pool complex, shows in the evening, restaurants and takeaways on site, barbecue at our chalet, etc. We drive from Scotland and take tunnel or ferry. If you want to do Holland, you can get overnight ferry from Newcastle or Hull if you’re further north too.

Problem I have with AI is not about being stuck in the same place as that’s of your own making, we’ve done AI as adults and hired a car etc., but it’s a) the accommodation options often aren’t as good for families as they are basically just hotel rooms, they can lack space, some of them you have to sleep in the living room or tiptoe about so you don’t wake kids up b) having to always eat out for every meal is a lot for young kids I think, we prefer flexibility of being able to do breakfasts and the odd picky tea at accommodation and c) you often don’t have any usable outside space for kids to play safely without schlepping to the play park, whereas Eurocamp style places often have large patios or little garden bits for kids to play.

I’ve not seen many Eurocamps with caravans, we get a 3-bed chalet and they are a good size.

I called them caravans but I guess they are lodges or cabins! Not tents!

@doodleschnoodle i must admit i totally agree with you - if im not at the big comfortable quality apartment level or a good villa , then Eurocamp or similar every time. I know some people have an aversion to the big camps and mobile homes and chalets ( or tents) but my favourite holidays when I was a child were Eurocamp ( or whatever it was called then) and 2 of my faves with my now very adult child involved them too - the facilities and space and ability to make international friends was hard to beat - it was cheapish too. my H though hates mobile homes or chalets and centre a complete no - so I took him on my own - !! Thoroughly enjoyed it