Ten ways to make a city break with kids less stressful

Before deciding on a city break, you need to consider your children’s age. For toddlers and babies, compact, walkable cities that don’t get too hot, such as Copenhagen and Amsterdam, are great options. Older children might prefer somewhere like New York for the shopping and nightlife, while Barcelona is great for the beach and Rome for its history.

When travelling with youngsters, chances are that you don’t want to be walking any more than you need to, so either stay near the sights you plan to visit or near a good transport link. Make sure your accommodation is family friendly. Avoid a self-catering apartment with cream sofas and expensive ornaments or a hotel that doesn’t offer adjoining or family rooms. 

One of the most exciting things about a city for kids is getting around on a different mode of transport. Whether it’s a train, tram, underground, bus, bike or monorail, it becomes adventure in itself. Many cities also offer bus or boat tourist tours of the main attractions and, while they can be pricey, they’re an easy way to explore a city without worrying about tired little legs.

Many of the most popular tourist attractions in cities such as Paris, London, Venice and Florence provide the option of buying tickets online beforehand to avoid queues. This is always a good idea, as younger children aren’t known for their patience. What they are known for, though, is waking up early, and you should take advantage of this by getting to attractions before they get too busy or too hot.

A city break is a great opportunity to give pre-teens and teenagers some responsibility – after all, it won’t be long before they’re setting off on their own adventures. Perhaps they could research where to have lunch, be in charge of taking photos or be responsible for the budget that day.