Last Updated: September 4, 2023
We’ve been lucky to see quite a lot of Europe in our travelling career and love what it has to offer. And in particular we love the wealth and variance of city breaks that Europe supplies for families.
Being UK residents we’ve really tried to squeeze everything out of our home country and feel really lucky that a number of the best cities in Europe (in our opinion) are right at home!
But on the continent there is also many more and each country and city seem to have such a variance of culture and content.
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We’ve come up with our favourite cities in Europe, specifically for visiting with kids.
With a balance of price, logistical ease, sites, atmosphere and attractions all taken into account.
So, in no particular order…
Barcelona, Spain
The architecture in Barcelona is like nothing we’ve seen anywhere else. You feel like you fell down the rabbit hole in Barcelona as the buildings look like something from Alice in Wonderland!
With the Casa Batlló, Casa Milà, Park Güell and the staggering Sagrada Família being the most famous of the Catalan Modernism buildings shaped by Antoni Gaudí.
You can stand and admire them all day and even kids will look in wonder at these unique constructions.
Aside from the stunning architecture, there’s also some great things to do for kids.
Ours really enjoyed the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc.
With lights and water jets all choreographed in sync to music. Shows are usually on Thursdays to Saturdays starting at around 9pm and Wednesdays to Sundays in the summer form around 8pm.
You can head down and watch this spectacle for free. Just find a spot to sit and wait for the magic to begin.
Word of warning, there are smaller fountains dotted around the viewing area that only come on once the show starts. Some people don’t realise this and ignore the stewards and signs asking them not to sit there, then abruptly have to jump up once the show starts getting soaked in the process! Highly amusing to watch, so don’t be one of those people!
For football enthusiasts you can also take a tour of Barcelona’s stadium Camp Nou. Or if you’re lucky enough and it’s in the season try to get tickets for a game!
If you want to just simply have a beach day, then Barcelona has quite a few to offer. With Barceloneta, Mar Bella, Nova Icaria, Bogatell, Ocata, Castelldefels, Sant Pol de Mar and Platja Gran all reachable from the city.
A lot of things are within walking distance of each other, with a wonder down La Rambla meaning you’ll pass some of the main attractions. And when you do need to go further afield this is made easy with a great metro system.
Copenhagen, Denmark
You can’t really have a top cities list for kids and not include a city with a theme park smack bang in the centre of it!
Tivoli Gardens is an old traditional style theme park and a great day out on a summers day. There’s lot’s of wide green open spaces and rides for all ages.
In the evening it is beautifully lit up and there is often live music and fireworks as well.
Away from Tivoli, Copenhagen has even more to offer. With numerous museums plus a “Ripleys Beleieve It Or Not” and “Guinnes World Records” to witness some bizarre and amusing exhibits.
For a more leisurely activity, take a hop-on-hop-off canal boat and see Copenhagen from the water. And ensure you see Copenhagen’s main landmark, ‘The Little Mermaid’.
It’s certainly one of the more expensive cities we’ve visited. But you can still do it on a budget if you’re careful. We managed to get fights from the UK for £1! That’s not a typo, ONE POUND! Even by our thrifty standards we were quite impressed with that bargain.
If you want to know more you can read our Copenhagen on a Budget post to get some tips on cost cutting in Copenhagen.
Getting about Copenhagen is best done by bike.
Denmark is very bike friendly. The cycle lanes all have there own systems with separate lanes, traffic lights, crossings etc. and so is very safe in comparison to other busy European cities.
There’s lots of bike hire available and many will be able to provide the carriages to tow your kids!
Liverpool, England
Ok, we are slightly biased here, as Liverpool is our ‘home’ whenever we’re not travelling.
But, although we have spent a large proportion of our lives here, the novelty has far from worn off and we still absolutely love Liverpool!
We feel so lucky being able to come back to Liverpool whenever we’re not exploring the world and, even after travelling and seeing so many places, we still don’t think there is anywhere else we would rather live!
The people are some of the friendliest and funniest in the world!
The main things associated with Liverpool are The Beatles and Football. And whilst these are great reasons to visit, it also has so much more.
The Albert Dock is a gorgeous water front with the towering buildings gazing over it such as the Liver Building.
There’s great activities for kids.
You can head to one of Liverpool’s many museums. The Liverpool World Museum being very kid friendly with an aquarium, dinosaurs, and bug exhibits (our favourite is watching the leaf cutter ants at work!) and best of all it’s free!
It’s super easy to see things in Liverpool as the majority of attraction are centrally located. And with the centre being pretty compact you should be able to walk easily to most attractions.
Take a look at our Self-Guided Family Walking Tour if you want a template for seeing a number of the sites on foot.
Paris, France
Paris is home to something nearly all kids will love, Europe’s only Disneyland! It’s certainly not a cheap trip to head to Disneyland Paris, but with the magic it brings it can be worth the cost.
With great rides, loveable characters and amazing parades, Disneyland is probably something every child and adult should experience once if possible.
Outside of Disneyland, Paris itself also has an abundance on offer. With top sites such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Notre-Dame Cathedral to admire.
And no trip to Paris would be complete without going up the Eiffel Tower. We would recommend taking the stairs rather than the lift as it saves queuing and is actually more fun for the kids and gives a good workout!
It is a lot of steps, but if you take your time it’s all good. There are lots of boards with various info along the way so you can take regular breaks and learn things as you go!
And the Louvre is a also a must see in Paris.
It might not be all kids cup of tea, but you can make it fun. We usually give our kids a sketch book to do some drawings of their own as we go, and or eldest also enjoyed mimicking the sculptures we came across.
The various sites are quite spread out and Paris is pretty huge, but the metro is vast and efficient so by far the best way to get about.
As with all metro systems (including the others on this list) travelling with a buggy/stroller on busy metros can sometimes be a challenge.
So we would advise baby-carriers or a compact stroller/buggy if you can.
We used the GB Pockit on many of our trips around Europe. Although not our cheapest purchase, we felt it was worth the money due to how much travelling we do and it worked really well for us.
Split, Croatia
It was a bit of a toss up between Dubrovnik, Zagreb and Split for our Croatian entry, but Split just edged it. Although they’re all amazing cities, which you can read more about on our Croatia Travel Guide.
Split has such a Adriatic charm, and the sea food there is some of the best we’ve tasted in the world.
It’s more of a relaxing city then the others listed here. And, although we didn’t do many activities in Split itself, it was enough for us just to wander around the centre and the coastline soaking up the sun and exploring the winding beautiful streets.
You can also take a day excursion to the incredible Krka National Park. A huge national park with dream-worthy water falls and a huge lake you can swim in after walking through the park.
London, England
There is a ridiculous amount of things to do in London.
We’ve visited London dozens of times with the kids and still find something new to do each time we go.
As well as seeing the must see sights; Big Ben, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge… There are also many other activities that kids will love.
It has some of the best museums in the world for kids.
The Science Museum and Natural History Museum are just two of the many, both with many interactive exhibits that kids will love.
Harry Potter fans will be spoilt for choice with things to see. As a lot of the film was based and filmed in London you can spot some of the magic as you wonder around the city.
Be sure to head to Kings Cross Station and seek out Platform 9 and 3/4. Or you can venture a bit north to Watford and head to the Warner Bros Studios itself for a day out.
Seeing a show should also be top of your list of tings to do. There are so many amazing shows for all ages and many great for kids. Wicked is a particularly good one, a spin off about the witches from Wizard of Oz with adventure and effects throughout.
As if that isn’t enough there are also some great green spaces for the kids. Richmond Park has some amazing deer you could sit and watch all day.
Whilst some attractions in London can be quite pricey, there are also lots of cheap options for families. Read our post on Best Free things to do in London with Kids for more ideas.
And getting about London is made so easy with the tube. So you can really squeeze as much out of each day as you can, which is essential due the vast amount to do!
Budapest, Hungary
Budapest is absolutely stunning.
It feels as if you’ve gone back in time with all the historic buildings towering over you as you walk down the narrow streets, with the numerous old fashioned trams passing you by.
It’s got some great attractions for kids as well.
The City Park towards the north-east of the city is such a great place to take kids. It has huge main playground, one of the best we’ve come across in Europe.
Plus it has many more smaller ones dotted about and a special musical playground where kids can run, slide, jump and hit the various static objects to create sound and music, all for free!
Budapest is also famous for it’s thermal baths, the most famous being Szechenyi Baths.
Baths aren’t always recommended for kids particularly younger ones. They are mainly aimed at adults and they’re not to be confused with waterparks, where running round, screaming and shouting is the norm!
Baths are generally much calmer environments, no water slides here (although there is a pretty fast lazy river at Szechenyi!).
However if you’ve got kids that are ok in a relaxed environment the baths can still be a nice addition to the trip. Our kids went and really enjoyed it and weren’t a problem at the venue. So if it sounds good for you go for it!
Another cool activity for kids in Budapest is the ‘Flipper Museum’ which is essentially an arcade of classic pinball machines and some classic arcade games. You pay for entry then everything inside is free, so no need to take a bag of change!
Getting around is particularly easy. There is a decent metro and bus service and the tram service mentioned above is one of the best in the world with a far reach.
Alternatively, Budapest is very walkable in the central area and you can squeeze a lot into a day when on two feet.
Rome, Italy
Another city with incredible architecture is Rome. Every turn seems to unveil huge detailed statues or breath-taking fountains, the biggest and most famous being Trevi Fountain.
And even though you will have seen the Colosseum many times in pictures, it really does overwhelm you when you see it in person.
On the side of the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, this is a good one for the kids as it is nice and open with lots of Roman ruins to explore.
As a bonus city on the list, you can also head to the Vatican City, which is home to St Peter’s Basilica.
Technically Vatican City is a separate city and indeed a separate country! So you get a sneaky extra country to your list.
If you are going to visit here, best to do it early as it get’s very busy with long ques at times.
We headed there well before 9am and it was very peaceful and quiet with no ques, but when we exited the ques were humongous!
Also don’t be afraid to take the stairs rather than the lift if heading up the top, they’re cheaper and less of a que, and they’re not that bad if you take your time.
To get about Rome the best way is to walk. There is a metro, but it only has a few lines and doesn’t have the best reach, so it’s supported by the trams and buses. But most things are within walking distance if you have good footwear.
This mean you get to explore the winding streets and see all the architecture of the beautiful city. And if you really get tired (or the kids do) you can take one of the many rickshaws dotted about for a novel way to travel that the kids will enjoy.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is such a wonderful country for kids. And Belfast is a favourite city of ours. With many activities for kids to enjoy.
We’ve been to a lot of science museums around the world, but Belfast’s W5 is definitely one of the best we’ve experienced. With so many interactive exhibits for kids of all ages, you can easily spend a whole day here.
As you wold expect with Northern Ireland you are also spoilt for choice with green spaces.
You can take the relatively mild walk up Cavehill. So called because of the numerous caves dotted along the walk. With the top having amazing views overlooking Belfast. And you’ll also spy ‘Napoleon’s Nose’, a cliff edge that resembles… well you guessed it.
Or, if you want to go further afield, Giant’s Causeway is an hours drive.
Although not in Belfast itself, it’s easy to do as a day excursion either driving (if you have a car), as part of a tour or you can easily get the train & bus.
And it is well worth a visit for both adults and kids.
Walking around the unique rock formations is great fun. And if you get an audio guide from the visitors centre you can listen to the tales of how the giant created these amazing formations and look out for his boot, pet camel and his granny!