Try our newest merchandise
Touring with children throughout Europe doesn’t imply giving up nice meals, artwork, or rest. The perfect household locations supply magnificence and steadiness, the place children can discover freely and oldsters can decelerate, soak in tradition, and nonetheless really feel like they’re on trip. From fairytale castles to sunny seashores, from bike rides to bakeries, these cities show that household journey could be as subtle as it’s joyful.
Listed below are 14 European cities that allure each era, locations the place kids’s laughter echoes by means of previous streets and oldsters fall in love over again, each with journey and with the marvel of seeing the world by means of their children’ eyes.
Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is the definition of family-friendly, clear, secure, imaginative, and effortlessly cool. Children are a part of the rhythm right here: cafés have excessive chairs, buses make room for strollers, and playgrounds seem on each nook. Start your journey at Tivoli Gardens, the world’s second-oldest amusement park and nonetheless probably the most enchanting. There are mild rides for little ones, curler coasters for older children, and rose-filled gardens for folks who simply desire a second of calm.
Then lease bikes or a cargo tricycle, the long-lasting bakfiets, and discover like a neighborhood. Experience alongside the harbor, cease for pastries at a café, or go to the Blue Planet Aquarium, the place glowing tanks reveal sharks, rays, and coral reefs. Experimentarium, an enormous science museum, lets children experiment with sound, water, and lightweight whereas dad and mom get pleasure from Danish design at its finest. Finish your day alongside Nyhavn’s colourful waterfront with ice cream and sundown views.
Copenhagen’s reward to households is its steadiness. There’s tradition, there’s enjoyable, there’s magnificence, however above all, there’s ease. It’s a metropolis the place everybody can breathe.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Amsterdam seems like a metropolis constructed for pleasure. With canals as a substitute of highways and bikes as a substitute of automobiles, even the only outing seems like an journey. Households glide alongside the water in pedal boats, feed geese from bridges, and cease for pancakes at cafés that look straight out of a portray.
Begin at Vondelpark, Amsterdam’s inexperienced playground, the place you may lease bikes or simply watch road performers below the bushes. Then head to NEMO Science Museum, a futuristic wonderland of hands-on experiments and rooftop views. When it’s time to relaxation, hop on a canal cruise, children love recognizing bridges and boats, and oldsters love sitting down for as soon as.
Spend your second day exploring Artis Royal Zoo or the quirky Micropia Museum, the place science seems like play. Mother and father can browse boutiques or sip espresso within the Jordaan district whereas children snack on stroopwafels. Amsterdam’s allure lies in its smallness: in two days, you may actually dwell like locals, curious, cheerful, and free.
Munich, Germany
Munich blends the construction dad and mom admire with the area children have to play. The English Backyard, considered one of Europe’s largest metropolis parks, is your loved ones’s playground: paddleboats, rivers to wade in, and shaded beer gardens the place adults can calm down whereas kids chase butterflies. The town feels beneficiant, vast streets, mild tempo, clear air.
Go to the Deutsches Museum, an unlimited interactive science middle the place children can fly mannequin planes, function water pumps, or discover a recreated mine. Then head to the Hellabrunn Zoo, designed like a wild park with habitats that educate and encourage. For a royal twist, stroll the Nymphenburg Palace Gardens, the place fountains sparkle and youngsters faux to be princes or explorers.
Mother and father will love Munich’s easy mixture of class and livability. Order pretzels and apple strudel at a café close to Marienplatz, watch the Glockenspiel carry out its chiming dance, and savor the sensation that touring with children could be each organized and magical.
Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh appears and seems like a fantasy come true, and youngsters sense that immediately. The Edinburgh Fort rises from volcanic rock like one thing out of a dragon story, stuffed with secret chambers, cannons, and jewels. Stroll down the Royal Mile, the place each alley hides one thing curious, from toy museums to storytellers spinning Scottish legends.
Climb Arthur’s Seat for sweeping views of town and sea, an actual hike that’s nonetheless doable for teenagers. Then head to the Digicam Obscura & World of Illusions, the place science, mirrors, and laughter mix into unforgettable enjoyable. The Nationwide Museum of Scotland retains little palms busy with interactive historical past displays, whereas dad and mom can benefit from the metropolis’s haunting magnificence.
By night, collect in Princes Avenue Gardens for a picnic as bagpipes echo within the distance. Edinburgh lets households dwell inside a narrative, one written in stone, fog, and creativeness.
Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona is pure vitality, a feast for the senses that delights each children and grown-ups. Start with Park Güell, Antoni Gaudí’s colourful wonderland the place mosaics, lizards, and twisting columns really feel straight out of a dream. Then head right down to the Barceloneta Seaside, the place children can construct sandcastles and oldsters can dip their toes within the Mediterranean.
The CosmoCaixa Science Museum is considered one of Europe’s finest, stuffed with hands-on displays, a rainforest below glass, and a planetarium that turns science into spectacle. For artwork that children truly get pleasure from, go to Casa Batlló, the place fairy-tale structure and vivid colours captivate even the youngest guests.
Mother and father can unwind with tapas whereas children pattern churros and chocolate. Barcelona pulses with life, palm bushes, road music, laughter echoing by means of Gothic alleys. Two days right here really feel like summer season condensed into pleasure.
Vienna, Austria
Vienna is elegant but welcoming, regal but playful. It’s the form of metropolis the place children can chase pigeons in imperial courtyards whereas dad and mom sip espresso below chandeliers. Begin your go to at Schönbrunn Palace, as soon as house to emperors, its huge gardens conceal mazes, fountains, and the world’s oldest zoo.
The Haus der Musik invitations households to compose their very own symphonies, whereas the Pure Historical past Museum dazzles with large dinosaur skeletons and glittering gems. For one thing outdoorsy, take the tram to the Prater Amusement Park, the place the well-known Ferris wheel provides panoramic views of town.
Evenings are for dessert, particularly, Sachertorte, town’s chocolate masterpiece. Vienna’s rhythm is slower, its magnificence easy. Households depart feeling cultured, full, and quietly enchanted.
Rome, Italy
Rome is sort of a residing historical past ebook the place children can run between the chapters. They’ll gasp on the Colosseum, toss cash into the Trevi Fountain, and race by means of the ruins of the Roman Discussion board pretending to be gladiators. Each piazza hides a narrative, each café a gelato break.
Households love how town rewards curiosity: climb St. Peter’s Basilica for a panoramic view, discover the Borghese Gardens by bike, or take a pizza-making class collectively. The Vatican Museums may even be enjoyable for those who deal with the highlights, the maps, the mummies, and, in fact, the Sistine Chapel ceiling.
For fogeys, Rome is a sensory delight: espresso, laughter, fountains splashing at sundown. And for teenagers, it’s pure magic, historical past they’ll contact and meals they’ll always remember.
Paris, France
Paris may sound grown-up, however it’s a wonderland for households. Begin with the Luxembourg Gardens, the place kids sail toy boats on the pond whereas dad and mom calm down beneath chestnut bushes. The Jardin d’Acclimatation amusement park affords mild rides, animals, and playgrounds with a Parisian twist.
Climb the Eiffel Tower early to keep away from traces, then picnic on the Champ de Mars. Take a Seine river cruise for a lazy sightseeing tour that children love. Wet day? The Cité des Enfants within the Science Museum affords hours of artistic play.
Mother and father can sneak in artwork on the Musée d’Orsay, the place shorter traces and vivid Impressionist work preserve everybody glad. Finish your journey with crepes in Montmartre as road artists draw portraits. Paris with children isn’t about perfection, it’s about savoring magnificence collectively, one croissant at a time.
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon is sunshine on tiles, vivid, hilly, musical. It’s sufficiently small to stroll however filled with surprises round each bend. Hop aboard the historic Tram 28, winding by means of Alfama’s slender streets the place laundry flutters above and fado songs drift from open home windows.
Take the youngsters to the Oceanário de Lisboa, considered one of Europe’s finest aquariums, with sea otters and large manta rays. The LX Manufacturing unit affords family-friendly cafés, bookshops, and artwork areas good for lazy afternoons. Throughout the river, Belém dazzles with monuments, gardens, and the unique pastéis de nata bakery.
Mother and father love Lisbon’s relaxed rhythm, reasonably priced pleasures, and coastal allure. Children love its colours, trams, and hills. Collectively, it seems like pleasure below a golden solar.
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Dubrovnik appears like a film set, and for households, it seems like one too. The town’s stone partitions and towers ignite the creativeness; children can play knights, explorers, or dragonslayers as they stroll alongside the ramparts. Early mornings are peaceable, with the Adriatic shimmering under.
Take a cable automobile to Mount Srđ for a view that leaves everybody speechless. In summer season, swim at Banje Seaside or take a ship to Lokrum Island, the place peacocks wander freely and saltwater lakes sparkle.
Mother and father adore the seafood, the views, and the gradual evenings spent watching the sundown over purple rooftops. Dubrovnik’s magic is that it thrills children whereas soothing adults, historical past and vacation in a single good package deal.
Reykjavik, Iceland
Reykjavik could also be small, however it’s bursting with journey. The town’s colourful homes, geothermal swimming pools, and Viking legends captivate all ages. Start with a dip within the Laugardalslaug thermal baths, the place locals collect year-round, then go to the Whales of Iceland Museum, the place life-sized replicas awe even essentially the most jaded teen.
Take day journeys to waterfalls, geysers, or the Blue Lagoon, all simply reachable. Children can spot puffins, climb volcanic rocks, or watch the Northern Lights flicker throughout the sky. Mother and father love the design outlets, espresso tradition, and clear, secure streets.
In Reykjavik, nature feels shut sufficient to the touch, and day-after-day is an journey instructed in steam, stone, and lightweight.
Salzburg, Austria
Salzburg is music and mountains, castles and calm. Youngsters hum “Do-Re-Mi” as they discover the Mirabell Gardens, then run as much as the Hohensalzburg Fortress to look out over a sea of purple rooftops. The town’s storybook allure makes each stroll really feel like a treasure hunt.
The Haus der Natur science museum lets little ones construct, climb, and experiment, whereas dad and mom can get pleasure from elegant cafés and alpine views. Day two can deliver a brief practice trip to Hellbrunn Palace, well-known for its trick fountains and sprawling playgrounds.
Salzburg’s tempo is mild, its air recent, its magnificence timeless. Two days right here really feel like stepping right into a lullaby.
Ljubljana, Slovenia
Ljubljana is small, inexperienced, and quietly magical, good for households who need calm with out boredom. The Ljubljanica River winds by means of town like a ribbon, lined with cafés and willow bushes. Children can trip the city practice by means of the previous city or take a ship cruise to see dragons carved into bridges.
Go to Ljubljana Fort for historical past and panoramic views, then spend the afternoon in Tivoli Park, filled with fountains, gardens, and playgrounds. Mother and father will love the eco-friendly vibe, bike paths, and comfortable eating places serving native meals.
Ljubljana feels private, a metropolis that greets you by identify even when it doesn’t understand it but.
Stockholm, Sweden
Stockholm is a metropolis constructed on islands and creativeness. Households hop between neighborhoods by ferry, discovering parks, museums, and open-air cafés at each cease. Start at Skansen, the world’s oldest out of doors museum, the place children can meet Nordic animals and see conventional Swedish properties.
The Vasa Museum, house to a wonderfully preserved Seventeenth-century ship, thrills children with tales of journey and shipwrecks. In Gamla Stan, the Outdated City, slender alleys result in sweet outlets, toy shops, and squares stuffed with road performers. Mother and father can get pleasure from smooth design boutiques and a few of Europe’s finest seafood.
Stockholm seems like the long run wrapped in historical past, clear, artistic, and welcoming. Two days listed here are sufficient to fall in love with the Scandinavian lifestyle: easy, sustainable, and filled with marvel.
