A guide to the best attractions for kids and families in 9 fantastic European destinations.
London with kids
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Highlights:
- Natural History Museum: A stunning collection of kid-friendly exhibits, with dinosaurs among the favorites.
- Science Museum: Hands-on fun for all ages at one of London’s best museums.
- Tower of London and Tower Bridge: History and sightseeing; torture chambers and a medieval castle.
- London Eye: Great views of the city from the world’s tallest observation wheel.
- The British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, and the Victoria and Albert Museum all have kid friendly tours and programs.
Further Reading:
- The Best Hotels in London for Kids
- 72 Hours in London with Kids
- London on the Cheap with Kids
- Tips for Visiting the British Museum
- Tips for Visiting Stonehenge
- Things to Do With Kids in London
- A Guide to the Vintage Markets of London
Cornwall & Devon Counties with kids
Highlights:
- The fantastic beaches of Southwest England: Kid friendly beaches can be found up and down the coasts’ of both counties.
- St Michael’s Mount, Marazion: Walk during low tide (or ferry during high tide) to Cornwall’s most important historical landmark.
- National Maritime Museum Cornwall, Falmouth: The huge maritime collection of boats and artifacts is perfect for slightly older kids.
- Rent a cottage: Stay in a self-contained cabin — on a farm, near the sea, or in a small Cornish village.
- Dartmoor National Park: Camp, hike, and explore this beautiful park.
- The Eden Project: An amazing all-weather destination focused on nature, the environment, the arts, and having fun.
Further Reading:
- Official Guide to Southwest England
- Information on the resorts and towns of South Devon
- Cornwall with Kids: (Footprint – Travel Guides)
- Devon with Kids: (Footprint – Travel Guides)
- Lonely Planet Devon, Cornwall & Southwest England
Edinburgh with kids
Highlights:
- Edinburgh Bus Tours: It’s a hilly city with lots of up and down (on cobblestoned streets that don’t lend themselves to strollers). This hop-on hop-off bus has 24 stops sprinkled around the city center.
- Edinburgh Castle: Just about everyone’s favorite attraction in Edinburgh. A must.
- Museum of Childhood: 4 floors of games, toys, and action figures. Lots of hands on fun for kids of all ages.
- Dynamic Earth: Fun, educational, and engaging. An interactive museum with films and presentations.
- National Museum of Scotland: Hands on fun for kids. Loads of Scottish history for the adults.
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival: If you’re in Edinburgh in August — and can find accommodation — be sure to take in the festival’s children’s theatre, puppetry, kids comedy, and dance and music workshops. If your visit is in May then the Imaginate Children’s Theatre Festival is a can’t miss event. And for April there’s the wonderful Edinburgh International Science Festival.
Further Reading:
- Edinburgh.org: Information on hotels, festivals, and planning your visit.
- Glasgow.com: Glasgow is only 55 minutes away by train and makes a perfect daytrip if you’re short on time.
- Frommer’s Scotland with your Family
- Lonely Planet Scotland
Dublin with kids
Highlights:
- Dublin Zoo: One of Europe’s best zoos. Easy access with the hop-on hop-off bus.
- Kilmainham Gaol Historical Museum: A great introduction to Ireland’s history. Located out of town but on the hop-on, hop-off bus route.
- The National Museum — Archeology: Features items pulled from the bogs (including mummified bodies) and a viking exhibit that are very popular with kids.
- The Natural History Museum (a.k.a. the Dead Zoo): An amazing collection of animals that kids love.
- Viking Splash: Tour Dublin and get a (small) spattering of history aboard an amphibious WW II vehicle.
- Take the DART train to Howth (north) or Bray (south): Get to the coast, go for a walk, play on the beach, and take a break from the city.
Further Reading:
- A list of kids’ activities in Dublin
- Lonely Planet Dublin City Guide
- Top 10 Dublin (Eyewitness Travel Guides)
Amsterdam with kids
Highlights:
- Boat tour: Hop on board a canal tour or rent your own pedal boat (from the same shop) to see Amsterdam’s famous canals. There are 3 lines for the canal tours and 14 stops. Day passes are available and most of Amsterdam’s major sites are easily accessible from the
- Bike tour: Amsterdam is famous for it’s bike friendly culture and visitors will feel quite comfortable getting around it’s compact center on 2 wheels. Numerous shops rent bikes and little ones can hop into a bakfiets — the local version of a bike trailer.
- Science Center NEMO: Lots of hands-on fun at the Netherlands largest science museum for children aged 6 to 16.
- Visit one of Amserdam’s beautiful parks: Both Amsterdamse Bos (cheese farms, watersports, and horse riding) and Vondelpark (walking, biking, an open air theatre, playground, and near to Rijksmuseum, Stedelijk Museum and Van Gogh Museum) are great parks that could keep the kids busy for hours.
Further Reading:
- Top 10 things to do in Amsterdam with kids
- The practical travel guide to Amsterdam
- Lonely Planet Amsterdam City Guide
- Rick Steves’ Amsterdam, Bruges & Brussels
Paris with kids
Highlights:
- The Eiffel Tower (of course): Great views are often dismissed by kids as boring, but not from the Tour Eiffel. The city looks small far below but never feels distant. If your kids are old enough walk the stairs instead of wait in line for the elevator.
- The Catacombs: Run this by your kids first — you’ll descend 20 metres below street level where you’ll be able to explore 1.7km of corridors walled with the remains of long dead Parisians. They’ll either be thrilled or terrified and you can make your plans from there.
- Musée de Louvre: It’s a huge intimidating museum that can make for a long visit for kids or an enthralling cultural journey depending on how you approach it. Read and discuss some of the paintings and sculptures before you arrive. Buy postcards of famous paintings and hunt for them during your visit. (There’s also a Workshop for Children available for kids 4 to 13.)
- Musée d’Histoire Naturelle de Paris: France’s best science museum could fill a whole day. The highlight for kids is usually the Galerie de l’Evolution.
- Notre Dame Cathedral: Climb the 422 steps to the cathedral’s towers and you’ll be face to face with some fierce Gargoyles and an incredible view of Paris. Kids will recognize the scenes from The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Further Reading:
- The Best Hotels in Paris for Families
- Paris with Kids — The 10 Best Things To Do with Children
- Paris – The 5 Best Attractions for Kids Under Five
- Tips for Visiting the Louvre
- What You Pay for Everyday Things in Paris
- 13 Paintings Children Should Know
- Fodor’s Around Paris with Kids
- A scavenger hunt in the Louvre
Provence and the Cote d’Azur with kids
Highlights:
- The cities of Arles, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence — Three cultural giants that are beautiful, walkable, and packed with cool attractions. Each is overflowing with art and architecture and all are within an hour’s drive of each other.
- Beaches: The southern coast of France is known for it’s fantastic beaches with the best found between St Tropez and St Raphael.
- Monaco: A small city state whose narrow winding streets are fun to explore. Highlights for the kids will undoubtedly be the fantastic Oceanographic Museum, the Prince’s collection of antique cars, and the parks and gardens that fill the city.
- Le Pont du Gard: This Unesco World Heritage Site is a wonder of Roman planning and architecture. The kids program for 5-12 year olds is enriching, well designed, and describes in detail how the aqueduct was built and used.
- Carcassonne: A remarkably well preserved medieval city. Le Cite can be painfully busy during July and August but as it’s one of Europe’s largest city fortifications it’s probably worth enduring the crowds.
Further Reading:
- Kid-friendly things to do in Saint-Tropez
- Best of Provence, activities for families
- Frommer’s Provence and Cote d’Azur With Your Family
- Top 10 Provence & Cote D’Azur
Barcelona with kids
Highlights:
- Parc Güell: A fun and wacky collection of Gaudi’s creations. Kids will love the colors, crazy sculptures, and playful nature of the park.
- Ride one of the cities 2 cable cars: 1 goes to the beach the other up to an old castle. Both are great for adventurous kids.
- L’Aquarium Barcelona or the Barcelona Zoo are easy to get to and make a great morning or afternoon visit.
- The great city beaches and the city’s famous and colorful boulevard Las Ramblas are fun ways to enjoy some unstructured family free time.
Further Reading:
- The Best Hotels in Barcelona for Kids
- Barcelona with kids – the cities best 10 attractions
- Kids in Barcelona – a resource website
- Frommer’s Mediterranean Spain with Your Family
- Rick Steves’ Spain 2011 with map
Rome with Kids
Highlights:
- Colosseum and Roman Forum: the highlight of a trip to Rome (likely for the whole family). Visit early to avoid the heat and crowds.
- Villa Borghese Gardens: rent row boats and bikes, have a picnic, hop on the #3 tram for a tour of Rome, and visit the Cinema dei Piccoli for afternoon and evening children’s movies. This large park can easily form the basis of an entire days activities.
- Explora: Rome’s top notch kids museum has lots of hands on fun, a outdoor play area, and ice cream shop. Visits are limited to 90 minutes.
- Tivoli’s temples and gardens make a great day trip out of the city. The nearby Aquapiper water park make it all worthwhile for the kids. (Hydromania is another water park option closer to Rome.)
- Visiting the Vatican and the Vatican Museum probably won’t be a the tope of you children’s to do list. If you decide to go anyways a private tour will allow you to skip the long entrance lines and will pick out the highlights of the museums extensive works.
Further Reading:
- 8 Practical Tips for Family Travel in Italy
- Where to Stay in Rome: family-friendly neighborhoods and hotels.
- Rome with Kids: An Insider’s Guide: the definitive travel guide to visiting Rome with children.
- This is Rome by Miroslav Sasek: the classic children’s book on Rome’s many marvels
- The Best of Rome for kids – the 10 best things to do with kids in Rome, as picked by a Italian tour guide.
- Rick Steves’ Italy 2011 (with map)
Traveling In Europe – More Reading
- The Best Hostels in Europe (and more here) – some hostels are very family friendly
- Europe 3 Star Travel Index (compare 40 cities by price)
- 10 Must See Destinations in Europe
- Highlights of a Trip Through Europe
- 25 of the Best Christmas Markets in Europe
- Do Eurail Passes Actually Save You Money?
- 10 Train Travel Tips for Europe
- Europe’s 10 Most Fascinating Train Stations
- How to Ship Your Car to Europe
- Europe by Camper
- 10 of the Most Beautiful Countries in Eastern Europe
- Istanbul – Crossing Between Europe and Asia
Questions and Comments
Hotel Tips
Many readers ask about the best websites for booking hotels. These are my favorites.HotelsCombined.com – The absolute best for finding deals and discounts.
Booking.com – Specializes in Europe.
Agoda.com – Specializes in Asia.
Great list and links, thanks. Taught in Spain near Barcelona for a while and several years, a marriage and 2 kids later am planning to return with family – looking forward to exploring the city from a child’s perspective
We’ll be flying from Chicago to Europe in the fall and are wondering what you’d recommend for a family trip itinerary. We’ll have almost 2 weeks (probably 12 or 13 nights) and are open to anything. We’re a family of 4 with an 8 year old and 13 year old. My wife went on a school trip to France in high school but other than that this will be our first trip to Europe. Thanks for your time.
Hi Jim. That sounds awesome. Europe is a fantastic destination for kids – especially slightly older ones that will enjoy the history, castles, hikes, and urban attractions. There are so many places to visit it’s hard to pick one perfect itinerary. You’ll always be left feeling like you didn’t see enough.
My first recommendation would be to fly into one city and out of another. This saves time, effort, and money. Though “open-jaw” tickets, as they’re called, usually cost a bit more it’s more than made up by the savings in a return train ticket, one night in a hotel, and the wasted time spent retracing your steps.
So with that in mind, I’d look for flights into London and a return flight from either Barcelona, Madrid, or Rome. Spend 4 nights in London, then take the train under the Channel to Paris. 3 or 4 days there – perhaps with a day trip to Versailles – should keep you busy and happy.
Both Paris and London have some wonderful museums for kids and the subway systems in both are an easy and exciting way to get around the city.
I’d spend the end of the trip in either Rome, Madrid, or Barcelona – probably favoring Barcelona if you wanted some beach time, Rome and Madrid if the kids were really enjoying the historical sites. Train connections from Paris to all 3 of these cities are great – though you should book in advance, especially if you plan to get a family sleeper.
If you had a few more days or shortened your time in some of the cities, then a few days at the beaches of Provence and the Cote d’Azur would be a great option.
Also, IcelandAir has some great prices on trips to Europe with free stopovers in Reykjavik. It breaks up the trip and allows for a day or 2 to explore the city and maybe visit the Blue Lagoon.
Good luck.
Great. Thanks David!
Hi David,
We’re planning a trip to Paris and Rome in June with the kids. Right now, I see a fare for non-stop legs LAX-Paris-Rome-LAX for about $1450 on Air France and Alitalia. In your experience, is that fare in a reasonable range given that it’s June or should I wait a few more months hoping that price will drop?
Thanks,
Rachel
Hi Rachel. It does sound reasonable and if you’re certain you’ll take the trip then I’d book it. Could there be cheaper fares? Yes. But, at best, probably not less than $1300 or so. Whereas it could move in the upwards direction several hundred dollars. My only suggestion for getting a cheaper ticket would be to leave the Paris to Rome leg off your ticket and do this by train or a cheap budget airline. It likely wouldn’t save you a lot of money but you would gain some flexibility (maybe stopping in South France, Milan, or Florence on your way to Rome) and the kids would get to do an overnight train ride which they’d love. Good luck.
Hi David,
Love the blog! My family of 5 (kids 15, 13 & 11) are planning a 3-4 week trip with another family of same age kids. We originally were going to do a London/Europe trip as you suggested with flying into London and out of Barcelona, however now the other family is leaning toward trip to Bali. You’ve been to both- your thoughts would be so appreciated!
Hi Jackie. Both are great, but very different. Since you’re planning to travel with another family then I think Bali wins out as it’s much more easy going and chill-out friendly. Big cities are great for kids, but I think trying to negotiate all the challenges, planning, arranging that Western Europe requires would be too much for 2 families and probably result in some unneeded headaches. Go simple, go Bali.
GO TO DEVON IT IS AWESOME!
(I may be slightly biased since I live here but when I first moved here I was amazed at how beautiful it was – now I kind of take it for granted.)
THANK YOU for such a great site. I just came back from two months in Europe with my two boys (6 and 11). My husband only joined us for two weeks because of work. I wish I had seen your site earlier. Now that I am planning a return trip for 2013 (9 weeks this time), I will be relying heavily on your site. I love your section on Greece. Thank you again for such great ideas.