European weekend away with kids

[unpcplod]

Kids are 5 and 7 and getting to an age where I think they’d enjoy a city break type weekend with a bit of sightseeing. Does anyone have any good recommendations for cities they’ve visited with kids this age? Rome came to mind as husband has never been and everything’s pretty central but any other suggestions would be great thank you

Valencia. In spring or autumn for the weather. There is a tram to the beach. The city is compact. The aquarium and other Calvatrano modernist buildings eg science museum are ace and sited in an amazing long park that goes all the way to the sea with playgrounds dotted round. I would save Rome for when they have more tolerance for crowds. Only downside with Valencia is late start times for restaurants but you can get provisions at the amazing market in the old town.

Ghent or Seville.

We have been to Valencia, Venice, Gibraltar, Porto and Brussels with our son between the ages of 6-8.

Valencia - near the beach, big children’s park called Gullivers, open top bus

Venice - vaporettos, beach at Lido, no cars!

Porto - compact, basically just toured the city using all the different modes of transport. Boat, cable car, funicular, tram

Gibraltar- very compact, monkeys were fun, beaches

Brussels - not much there but we wanted the novelty and adventure of the Eurostar. Train trip to Bruges, kids love the boy weeing statue.

Also Copenhagen. Walkable or get a cargo bike. Lovely pastries. Family friendly. Museums are also child centred such as the Enigma (the old post and tele museum) and the National Museum where kids can dress up. Tivoli amusement park. Reffed food market.

Berlin: chocolate museum, Spy Museum, Zoo, take a train to Potsdam and hire bikes for the day to cycle around all the palaces and parks. Stop for bratwurst and ice cream breaks. It’s an amazing place with young to teenage DC. Or go in spring when Berlin gets fake beaches installed.

Budapest - one of my favourite places. Great food, architecture, open top bus tours.railway where you can drive the train outside the city, spa water park on Margaret Island.

I did Rome last year and found the noise & pollution overwhelming, however I had come straight from Venice. There is a great kids interactive museum in Rome however we managed to do that, the Vatican City, the park and walk all the main sites (didn’t go in) within 1 day. I was ready to go however we had another night in a hotel and were booked on the sleeper train back to Venice

Venice in beautiful, although we go in April when it’s quieter. I buy the hopper boat multi day tickets, get lost down the canals & we did 2 workshops - mask decorating and a murano glass one where you can make a bracelet or keyring (only 15 euro each). It’s been one of my favourite trips

Agree Budapest is amazing with kids, good playgrounds, cheap, tram is easy etc. but also wanted to add Nuremberg to your list. Can get the tram from the airport into the city- which is beautiful, lots of v old bits all based around river, good parks and play areas AND playmobil land is v nearby and is INCREDIBLE. Best day out for those ages and couldn’t be more different to a British theme park- no queuing, v reasonable and a whole day of playmobil fun!

Rome isn't great for young kids, and its so busy. We are going for the first time soon but my dc are 16 and 11. If you do go, make sure its off season. April to September sounds crazy there.

Def recommend Copenhagen. Tivoli Gardens and the Zoo would go down well with them. Although it's an expensive city. There is a city pass that includes transport and pretty much all the attractions and kids are free on it. Its a lovely city, very clean and child friendly.

We are doing Venice in April with ds7 this year - he’s sturdy and doesn’t whinge so I hope the walking won’t annoy him. I wouldn’t with a 5yo. Very, very expensive and I want him to remember at least an impression of it when he grows up!

I can also recommend in highsummer: Ghent was lovely, you just need a couple of nights to see it all. Very compact and walkable. Waffles and chocolates, a river, history, a great castle. Also when we went dc liked the free scavenger hunt organised by the Tourist Office which got us rambling around the city. I don’t think it would be as much fun in the rain/cold.

Rotterdam was one of my favourite random places to visit one summer. There is plenty to do - historic tram, boat ride round the massive industrial dock and city skyline, fabulous food hall, and a great maritime museum (very hands on as your kids worksheet takes you round all the boats learning things plus a nice play area inside). We also saw the cube houses but didn’t go in to the museum. The absolute highlight was a sunny day at Plaswijkpark which is still the best value + fun park I have been to for this age group in Europe (and I’ve been to a lot). We hopped on a bus to get there. You need swimwear for the kids in the splash area.

Berlin - I’d save it for when the kids are a bit older. I’ve spent lots of time in Berlin and in my opinion 5 yo isn’t the best age to go there. It’s a superb place to visit but you get the most from it if you can absorb the history a bit and enjoy the amazing museums.

Rome - again too much for the little ones I think. I’d be so sad at missing all the big sights or dragging them round at high speed.

Brussels is dull. Paris might work …day trip to Disney?!

I second Valencia and Copenhagen, great ideas.

I also wanted to throw in a shout out for Edinburgh and York in fine weather. Great with kids!

I agree that Copenhagen would suit. It's easy to get around, the underground is great, and there's river "buses" and road buses and lots of places to hire bikes. There were lots of little parks dotted around too and a beach down at Amager Strandpark and you could do a day trip to Malmo in Sweeden. Some things are expensive but if you got an apartment we found self catering wasn't too pricey. Fast food and lunch type eating out was ok, it was evening meals and alcohol it restaurants that really punchy.

I was thinking about Paris but I think they’d be disappointed not to go to Disney whilst there and that’s not the cards this time, as we took them last year.

I did a weekend in Copenhagen with a girlfriend and liked it so that definitely appeals. I can understand what people are saying about Rome perhaps being a bit too much at this age. I want somewhere with stuff to see but not too much if that makes sense 😂

I’d love to take them to Berlin but agree perhaps better when they’re older and can appreciate the history

If they're dinosaur fans then the Brussels Insitute of Natural Sciences is fantastic. The whole city is really lovely and interesting (especially if coming by Eurostar) but it was the museums that really left an impression.

Not really dinosaur fans. My daughter loves art and history, plus a bit of shopping 🙈 son is into anything really. He’d love going on a boat tour and things like that. I wonder if it’s too ambitious to try to find somewhere for a few days at the end of half term!

What about Florence? I’ve never been but it’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. Maybe they’re a little young though?

Porto or Lisbon.

Lisbon is my favourite European city, and I have been to most of the ones mentioned here. We have been 3 times now, last time with our then 5.5 year old. He still talks about it now as it has trams, trains, ferries cable cars (old and new) as well as buses but also very walkable with beaches, the oceanariam and "historic" castles etc too. Easy to get to the airport too on public transport.

I'd agree with the comments about Rome and Berlin in particular and agree that Brussels is dull, although a good base for Ghent, Bruges etc.

Absolutely not Florence! I hesitated before taking mine last year and they’re 11 and 14… It’s wall to wall art galleries which I love but the DC needed some persuading to get into.

I was going to suggest Copenhagen but everyone got there before me and you’ve been already so I will suggest Stockholm which has a similar appeal. We went with young children and loved it.

What about one of the smaller cities in the Netherlands? Amsterdam would probably be a bit overwhelming and can be a bit adult, but other cities are beautiful. I've been to Leiden recently which is asbolutely gorgeous, and enjoyed Delft and the Hague (for museums).

I took DD to Paris when she was about 6, and she adored seeing the Eiffel Tower - there's something about seeing something that's iconic even at a young age.

Rome is wonderful, but there's a lot to pack in for little people! But they may recognise the Colisseum and if they've learnt about the Romans at school, it can be a nice way of bringing it all together. There's a sweet cat sanctuary within some ruins too which they might enjoy?

Venice might be a good shout? Bologna is a nice city.

Or Spanish cities - Malaga, Palma, Seville, Barcelona are all lovely.

I think from the sounds of things, it might be best to wait until they’re a bit older for Rome and Florence but I would love to take them to Paris. I know the city very well so that would make it easier and I think you can do as little or as much as you like. Agree that seeing the Eiffel Tower is something pretty special.

More suggestions on this thread.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/holidays/5481663-where-can-i-go-to-a-mini-city-break-with-young-children?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=app_share

Munich is wonderful with kids that age. We have been twice. It has a fabulous zoo, lots of free parks, great public transport, lakes, rivers, pools, and Therme Erding. Such a great buzz about the place, and often good weather.

Venice is also pretty special. They would love it.

Barcelona is fun, with the beach, markets, gothic area, art galleries and Gaudi parks and buildings. Don't miss the old cathedral. Madrid is an easy city to visit too, with the metro going to the airport, lots of parks, squares, cafes, cheap shopping. I also love Santander. Great beaches and surrounding area with the Picos and the caves.

Salzburg is lovely. Picturesque. Great museum. Mountains and Eisreisenwelt.

Malaga also brilliant. Lovely town centre, beaches, Picasso museum, views over the water. My kids loved it.

I went to Rome with a 2 and a 4 year old, and have no regrets taking them at that age. It's a fabulous city with loads to see, it was winter though but Christmas time so plenty of tourists still. I think Rome is a good option, because a lot of the sites are outside ... Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, Colosseum, Palatine hill and you aren't confining then to being indoors in museums all day. Obviously the Vatican museum is an exception to that. Valencia as others have mentioned is a great option. Lisbon is also really lovely. I think museum heavy places like Florence are easier when they are a bit older.

Barcelona was my DC's favourite city at that age. Some great parks including a central one with fun sculptures and a boating lake. Also the beach and the musical fountains at night. Ale Hop shops and the ramblers. Spotting the cruise ships. I haven't tried them but there is also a cable car and aquarium too, and the city is reasonably compact.