The words ‘city break’ conjure up images of a young couple, footloose and fancy free, swanning around the many attractions, however, if you’ve got kids the reality can be very different. Read on to find out which city breaks will keep you and your kids happy…
Dublin
Ireland is great place to take your kids and Dublin is very child friendly with plenty of visitor attractions, activities and events to keep them entertained.
Start your day at Dublin Zoo which will take your little ones from the African Plains to a city farm in under 3 hours. Your kids will love the hop-on hop-off bus that makes seeing the sights of the city a synch without tiring little legs. Don’t forget to visit Butlers Chocolate Experience for the ultimate sweet treats tour.
For your second day depending on the weather you could try something adventurous – windsurfing, kitesurfing or even a sea safari tour or take the Viking Splash tour in a reconditioned World War II vintage amphibious military vehicle. Ireland is an easy destination to reach so you can take advantage of low cost European flight deals for your next stop.
Berlin
Berlin has recently become the trendy city break but you might be surprised to know it’s an absolutely great place to take kids too. First stop should be the Kollwitz Platz in Prenzlauer Berg with its oversized wooden toys shaped like vegetables, ping pong tables and a park to run around in. There are also lots of child friendly cafes and ice-cream shops nearby to re-charge your batteries in.
If it starts to rain, not to worry Berlin has all the bases covered, just head straight for the indoor Legoland theme park for a day of brightly coloured building brick fun.
Liverpool
If you’re looking for a child friendly city break inside the UK then Liverpool could be just what you’re looking for. Start off with a wander down to the Albert Dock one of the city’s best free tourist attractions.
There are plenty of great interactive museums here including the Beatles Story, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the international Slavery Museum. And your kids are sure to love a tour on the Yellow Duckmarine – another of those amphibious landing crafts – a great way to tour the city.
Check out the Walker Art Gallery and visit their Big Art for Little Artists gallery. The kids can enjoy story time, play with puppets and create their own art. There are monthly listings of all their family friendly activities and a quarterly Family Guide. And especially great if your kids are aged 5-9 and have never been to a gallery before is the ‘something wild…at the Walker Art Gallery’ book that takes your kids on an adventure through the gallery. So turn your kids on to art and take them to Liverpool, there’s plenty here to keep parents and kids happy – what more could you ask for?
What’s your top child friendly holiday destination?Â
It’s always good to read recommendations about places to visit with children. Often I pick a place because there is something in particular we want to see or do but then find there is little else to occupy them. Dublin is somewhere on our list of places to go and it’s now moved up the list! I would recommend Edinburgh and York as other cities that children would love.
Mandy Allen