Taking a Family City Break in Europe
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We have now taken lots of European city breaks with kids. Living in the UK, we are lucky that it is relatively easy to hop on a plane or train and be in a new destination, often within a couple of hours.
In life pre-kids we took plenty of weekend city breaks to many of the obvious European cities including Barcelona, Paris and Amsterdam.
In more recent years we have rediscovered some of these cities with our children and also explored new places. We discovered that you can enjoy city break with kids just as much as you can as a couple. In particular we have really enjoyed Porto, Valletta and Venice.
A city break with kids involves exploring at a slower pace and factoring in their needs (naps, food and playgrounds mostly!) as well as the parents. We’ve outlined below all our top tips as well as our top picks for European city breaks with kids.
How to plan your family city break
1. Don’t rush!
You won’t be able to cram the same number of tourist attractions into each day as you did pre-kids. If you do you will have tired and cranky kids by the end of the day!
Depending on how much time you have for your family city break, plan out before you go which top attractions you really want to see. Take into account things that the children will like too- this will obviously vary with the ages of your children.
Most city breaks we have taken tend to be over a weekend, sometimes slightly longer. For some of the larger cities this usually means prioritising the sights we see. You can rarely pack everything into two or three days with kids.
2. Plan in child-friendly activities
We try to have at least one activity that we know the children will love each day. This could be just a trip to a local park (a great way to see the way the locals live), a child-friendly museum, the local beach or a castle.
If you intersperse these activities/ sights with the more adult-orientated ones you keep everyone happy.
3. Think about meal locations
You don’t have to give up on the leisurely meals/ drinks but plan carefully where you have these. A beach with a restaurant/ cafe works brilliantly. The kids get to play in the sand while you enjoy a relaxing drink or meal.
We have also found that city squares work really well for evening drinks or meals. Often the kids can play in the square where you can keep an eye on them. Much easier than them getting bored sat at the table.
4. Make the most of nap time
If you have a toddler or baby that will sleep on the move, maximise the quiet of nap time. Try to time visits to museums/ sights that they wouldn’t be interested in while they are sleeping.
They don’t miss out and you get to relax a bit more. You can enjoy the visit without rushing around trying to coral a bored toddler.
5. Enjoy the city from a different perspective
Enjoy seeing the city through someone else’s eyes! This is my favourite part of a family city break. I love seeing new places through the eyes of my children- it gives a totally different perspective.
It also often really helps to interact with locals more easily. Some cultures are crazy about kids and you get to experience many cultural differences you might not otherwise have.
I think Istanbul is where we experienced the most fascination with our then blonde baby Chloe. We had young waiters in restaurants cooing over her constantly.
They often offered to push her around the restaurant in her stroller while we ate. This was a bit disconcerting at first but we soon became used to it!
What are the best European city breaks for families?
Choose your destination carefully. Some cities are well set up for families and others less so. It is worth doing a little research to choose carefully based on the age(s) of your children. Here are some of our favourite family city breaks.
1. Barcelona
I had been to Barcelona a couple of times pre-children and loved it so already knew it would be a great destination for children.
This city has it all- beaches, museums, cool architecture (that even children find interesting) and great food. It even has a castle and a cable car!
As a family our favourite Barcelona attraction was the Sagrada Familia, Gaudi’s masterpiece. A church isn’t what you would expect to be top of the list with kids in Barcelona, but it is so different to any other church that ours absolutely loved it.
As a family we all also love the spanish food- seafood and tapas are a huge hit with our kids.
Where we stayed in Barcelona: Be Barcelona apartment, near Plaza Catalunya
2. Copenhagen
We had a toddler when we visited Copenhagen– the age I still think is the most difficult for travel! Copenhagen was a brilliant family city break for us. I mean all children love theme parks, and Copenhagen has Tivoli gardens which is the oldest in the world!
It’s not just all about Tivoli gardens though there are also loads of other family-friendly attractions too.
Scandinavia can be on the pricey side but we managed to have an affordable break there by making the most of self catered accommodation. We also discovered some of the free attractions such as the Christiansborg Palace tower.
Our child-friendly apartment in Copenhagen: Airbnb apartment
4. Porto
This is a city which I felt I didn’t know much about and totally exceeded my expectations. In fact it’s probably one of my favourite cities that I’ve been to now.
Like Barcelona there is a beach (a short metro ride away) as well as plentiful child-friendly museums and parks. Our kids loved the peacocks in the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal and the world of discoveries museum.
For the adults there are lots of Port tasting opportunities.
Portugal generally is very reasonably priced meaning we ate out more than on some other mini breaks. We also enjoyed lots of pastel de Nata (Portuguese custard tarts).
Our Porto apartment: Vila Nova de Gaia
5. Ghent
Ghent, in Belgium often gets overlooked for the more popular Brugges when it comes to city breaks. For a city break with a family though we actually preferred Ghent.
It’s much less busy than Brugges but still has plenty to offer, including canals and Belgian frites.
As with all Belgian cities it’s very easy to arrive here by train- we got the Eurostar from London to Brussels and then it was just a quick 30 minute hop to arrive in Ghent.
In particular we loved the self-guided tour through Ghent castle- one of the most entertaining audio guides I have ever listened to!
Our recommended accomodation in Ghent: Anna Place
6. Venice
I visited Venice as a student on a summer inter-rail trip, and loved how different it was to all the other European cities we visited. It’s this difference that makes it so appealing to children too.
Make sure you venture to Murano and Burano islands as well as exploring the main central ones to see the famous St Marks square and basilica.
Venice can be heaving with tourists particularly in summer. Staying for a weekend or a few days allows time to explore in the evenings when day trippers have left. There are also nearby beaches if the kids want a break from canals.
Our spacious apartment with canal views: Ciliota Deluxe
7. Palma de Mallorca
For decades Mallorca, one of the balearic islands in the Mediterranean sea has been popular with British holiday makers for the beautiful sun-drenched beaches.
The beaches are definitely worth visiting but the capital of Mallorca, Palma is a worthwhile destination in its own right!
This could be done in a daytrip as part of a longer holiday in another part of the island or a shorter family city break (there are beaches here to enjoy too). We went as a day trip while on holiday in northern Mallorca, but I am definitely keen to go back for longer!
Our favourite family-friendly sight was the aquarium, which was great fun with loads of play areas for the kids.
Our accommodation pick: Hotel Saratoga
8. Dubrovnik
I have never watched it but for many people Dubrovnik is now synonymous with game of thrones!
Even if like me you have never seen an episode, Dubrovnik is a jewel of a city. The polished limestone streets look like they are made of marble.
There is plenty to keep you and your family entertained for a short break or you can combine a stay with visiting other parts of Croatia.
I recommend staying close to the old town in order to explore here easier in the evening when all the cruisers and day trippers have left.
Our apartment in Dubrovnik old town: Nono’s House 1
9. Paris
The city of romance is probably not necessarily the first place you think of as somewhere for a family city break.
But there are lots of iconic sights that all the family can enjoy and of course if you have the time there is Disneyland Paris right on the doorstep.
We actually went to Disneyland Paris on a totally separate trip but it would be easy to combine the two depending on how much time you have.
In Paris itself we particularly enjoyed the Luxembourg gardens and of course the Eiffel Tower.
Our aparthotel in Paris: Aparthotel Adagio Paris Centre Tour Eiffel
10. Amsterdam
We recently had a short break in Amsterdam as a family. All the children loved this Dutch city and Martha declared that she wants to live there.
From the UK it is very easy to reach and we loved travelling there by overnight ferry from Hull. Amsterdam has plenty to offer for families with kids of all ages. Our favourites were the Anne Frank museum and designing our own chocolate bars in the Tonys Chocolonely superstore.
Our budget hotel in Amsterdam: Meininger Hotel Amsterdam City West
11. Vienna
The Austrian capital is full of stunning grand architecture, palaces and museums.
We visited during the summer travelling there by overnight train and then moving on to Slovakia by boat down the Danube.
It was my first time in Vienna and I was well and truly wowed! There are plenty of child-friendly museums and attractions to keep the kids amused too.
Our children particularly enjoyed the Haus Der Musik- we would definitely recommend checking this out if you go. Full details are in our Vienna with kids post.
Our Vienna Hotel overlooking the Danube: Hilton Vienna Waterfront
12. Valletta
We visited Valletta on a family holiday in Malta and fell in love with this beautiful city. It wouldn’t be an obvious choice for a city break but we would highly recommend it.
If you’re in Valletta with kids there are lots of resort hotels and beaches around which we always find is a great way to break up visits to the main tourist sights.
We loved the Upper Barrakka Gardens and the stunning cathedral.
Our Hotel in Valletta: Hilton Malta (this is Martha’s favourite hotel that we have ever stayed in!)
13. Bratislava
We really enjoyed our short break in Bratislava. The capital of Slovakia is quite small but full of charm.
The old town sits right by the banks of the Danube and is overlooked by a majestic castle.
Our children loved exploring the castle in the early evening, when many of the day trippers had left. Being small it would be relatively easy to see all the main sights in a daytrip- this is particularly popular from nearby Vienna.
Our Central Apartment in Bratislava: Palace Apartments
14. Brugges
Having said we preferred Ghent, you still can’t discount Brugges as one of the best city breaks with kids. If we hadn’t been to Ghent too our kids would have raved about it I’m sure.
It can be very busy with tourists, but this is with good reason since it is packed with fun things to do and beautiful things to see. Our family all particularly enjoyed the moules frites and ice creams too!
It’s also really easy to hire bikes for a day or afternoon. Go for a ride along the canals to see the Belgian countryside and look out for windmills.
Our hotel in Brugges: Golden Tree Hotel (great family room for five).
15. Gdansk
Gdansk in Northern Poland, isn’t a place I would have considered for a city break until recently. We mostly chose it as a destination based on being able to get cheap flights there.
We were so pleased that we did go and this was probably the city that I was most pleasantly surprised by.
As a city break with kids there are loads of child-friendly attractions and the beaches of nearby Sopot are only a 20 minute train-ride away to break up the sight-seeing.
Our Gdansk Hotel: Hilton Gdansk
16. Edinburgh
The capital of Scotland needs no introduction and is a brilliant city for a weekend or short break. Scotland may not have the benefit of warmer temperatures like many others in this list but the warmth of the Scottish people makes up for it!
We were lucky to have incredible weather for our latest visit meaning we enjoyed a walk up Arthurs seat. The extinct volcano of Arthurs seat lies right next to Edinburgh city centre. This gives a unique opportunity to explore what feels like open countryside right next to the city.
Obviously there are loads of other things for kids to enjoy, including the world of illusions and of course the famous castle.
Our central hotel in Edinburgh: Hilton Edinburgh Carlton
17. Budapest
My first visit to Budapest had been on an interail trip as a student.
Revisiting as a family nearly thirty years later meant seeing the city very differently and we all loved it.
Budapest has tonnes of sights to offer on a family city break.
Being in central Europe there are lots of options for flights and trains to Budapest, depending on where in the world you are coming from. We arrived by train from Bratislava.
I think our families favourite part of Budapest was exploring Margaret island in the centre of the Danube. The children in particular loved the Palatinus Strand swimming pools- we could easily have spent a whole day there!
Our budget hotel in Budapest: Meininger Budapest Great Market Hall
18. Ljubljana
The capital of Slovenia is another reasonably small city but definitely worth visiting. We enjoyed wandering around the city spotting its’ numerous dragons!
Ljubljana can easily be enjoyed for a short break or as a stop off for a visit to other parts of Slovenia too. This is one of my favourite countries that I have ever been to, so would highly recommend this.
Even for a short break, it is relatively easy to do day trips out to some of the other highlights of the country. This could be a trip to the stunning Lake Bled or to see the impressive caves at Postojna.
Our Apartment in Ljubljana: Beer Cellar Fabrka City Centre
19. Krakow
Krakow in Poland is a fantastic place for a city break. We were there in the summer so as well as exploring all the city centre attractions we spent some time relaxing and swimming at the fabulous Zakzrowek.
The other highlight for our children was visiting the bunny cafe!
There are also plenty of day trip options from Krakow. The salt mines are very popular and if your children are older you may want to visit Aushwitz.
I visited Auschwitz when I first travelled to Krakow in the late 90s. I remember being very pleased that I had been there to see the concentration camps and it was a very emotional day. On our recent visit I felt our children were a bit young for this so we didn’t return.
Our Krakow apartment: Kazimierz Apartment
20. London
I couldn’t compile a list of European city breaks and not include London! Adam and I lived in London pre-kids and with lots of friends there still it’s a city we will always keep revisiting.
London is packed with activities for kids of all ages and with so much to do you will definitely need to prioritise the sights you take in for a weekend.
What I love most about London is that there is so much to see and do for free. Most of the museums are free- our children have particularly loved the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum.
Now a teen, Chloe, really enjoyed shopping in Camden market on our most recent trip.
Our pick for London: Premier Inn County Hall
21. Istanbul
Istanbul is another city that I first visited on my student interrail trip. It was one of my favourite stops, mostly because of how different it felt to all the other European cities that we visited.
It really is where East meets West and so is a fascinating place to discover. We loved visiting the mosques and palaces. One of my favourite places is the bazaar.
Keep children close to you here as it’s busy and easy for little ones to wander off. I like to pride myself on having a pretty good sense of direction but I struggled to get my bearings in this sprawling market!
Our Istanbul hotel: Hotel Uyan
22. Brussels
Brugges may be the more glamourous city in Belgium but Brussels is definitely also worth a visit. It’s brilliantly connected by train to London (via Eurostar) and mainland Europe so very easy to get to.
Brussels also has the most impressive central square I have ever been to. The kids mostly loved the numerous chocolate shops and seeing how many free samples they could get!
Brussels isn’t just chocolate though and there are lots of attractions to keep you busy for a couple of days.
Our apartment in Brussels: Central 3 bedroom apartment
23. Tirana
Albania isn’t the first place you think of when choosing a city break! We actually visited Tirana as part of a longer holiday in Albania (a country we absolutely LOVED).
We have very low expectations for the city of Tirana but were pleasantly surprised by many of the attractions there. We really enjoyed wandering around the huge Skanderberg square.
We also found the Bunk ‘Art 2 museum really interesting – it’s a whole museum inside an underground bunker!
We also fell in love with Albanian food. It’s very Italian influenced so there is lots of great pasta and pizza for the kids as well as other traditional Albanian options.
Our Tirana hotel: Hotel Oresti Center – great central location and family rooms.
What else to consider when choosing your family city break
1. How to get there
Depending on where you are based some cities will be much easier to get to than others. If you only have a long weekend or a few days you probably want to limit the amount of travel time.
With children in tow you probably aren’t going to want multiple flights or long transfers for a few days. I usually use skyscanner in the first instance to look at the flight options from my local airports to see if it looks like it would be doable.
It is worth keeping options open if you can in terms of airports and days to travel as this may have an impact on the cost and availability of flights.
Within Europe, train travel is also a great option for getting between cities. Within mainland Europe we have really enjoyed holidays with multiple destinations.
The benefit of train travel is that the railway stations are generally much closer to the city centre than airports making it much quicker and easier to get to your city break accommodation.
We have often allowed availability and price of flights to dictate the destination of a city break. In skyscanner you can search all destinations and work out which cities are affordable for when you want to travel.
2. When to take your family city break
For some cities this won’t make too much difference although it may change your experience of the city. This means it depends if you have a preconceived idea of how you want to spend your time there.
Do you want to be eating your meals sat outside as much as possible? Would you like to try and do lots of outdoor activities? Do you want to experience the snow and warming cafes/ restaurants or Christmas markets?
You are going to need to check the temperature and weather for the time of year that is going to best match what you want.
If you are open to any kind of city experience you can be dictated by when you have the free time. Or find a time of year when the travel costs are low, usually in low season for that particular destination.
Travelling in low-season can have other advantages. It may be less crowded and easier to get around. However a disadvantage of low season travel is that some tourist attractions may close during quieter times or have shorter opening hours.
3. How affordable is the city?
For some this may not be an issue but in reality for many of us it can be a big deciding factor. It’s important to take into account all the possible costs of the trip including transport, accommodation, food and drink as well as entry fees for any attractions you may want to visit.
4. Can you also enjoy major events in that city?
This could be major international sporting events such as the Olympics- a really magical time to experience a city. Or experiencing a music concert or festival of a family favourite band or singer.
Having a purpose to a trip other than just seeing the tourist sites can add another layer of excitement to a trip. We had an amazing time in London for the olympics when Chloe was just a baby. As a couple we have also had a few international trips running marathons which I have really loved.
Alternatively if you aren’t interested in a major event in your city of choice you may want to avoid these. Major events usually lead to places being much busier and hotels often increase their prices according to demand.
5. Does your child have special interest that you can incorporate into your family city break
Do you have a child with a favourite sports team that would love to go watch a game or even just visit the sporting stadium? Do you have a child that is fascinated by world war 2 and is desperate to go the Anne Frank museum after learning about it at school?
Especially as children start to get a bit older it is good to take into consideration any preferences they might have. If they don’t have anything specific that they are in to you can at least include them in the discussion of what kind of things they would like to do on the trip, even if it is just go to the park!
Children are likely to get much more excited about a trip if they have had input in to planning it. We try to encourage our children to have a say in any trips that we take.
The above are just our top tips for a family city break but there are soooo many cities waiting to be explored around Europe and further afield so get planning! We would love to hear from you with any other recommendations for where we should go next. Also, don’t forget to check out our travel resources page to help with your trip planning.
