How to do city breaks with kids

While most of my friends with children travel to the beaches of Mallorca or the small villages of France for their holidays, in my family, it’s all about the city break

People tend to react with surprise when I tell them that my husband and I prefer to take our boys, aged five and two, to the likes of Paris, Marseille, Genoa and Amsterdam. Common questions include: “isn’t it really stressful with kids? Isn’t it exhausting? Don’t you worry they’re going to get lost?”

First of all, yes, I live in a permanent state of worry that my kids will get lost, but I think that would be just as likely at a Mediterranean beach resort as it would a Sicilian antiques market. The thing is, we already live in a city: London, one of the largest and most populous cities in the world. So we’re well-versed in tackling the inconveniences of city life, as well as knowing how to make the most of the upsides. We love to travel to cities for the same reasons we love to live in them – there’s loads to do, the food options are incredible, and there’s amazing art, architecture and culture to explore. (And as for relaxing, with two kids under six, I never get the chance to sit down anyway)

I’ve found that the most important thing about approaching a city break with children is to adjust your expectations. If you’re anticipating long nights spent in cosy wine bars, and hours wandering around art galleries and museums, then yes, you’re going to be disappointed. But exploring cities with your kids actually allows you to see these destinations in a whole new light

For one thing, I find that seeking out local playgrounds will often expose you to the more authentic parts of a city – where the families who live there hang out. Drinking a takeaway coffee and eating a pastry whilst your children play hits differently when you’re overlooking the red rooftops of Marseille, or the canals of Amsterdam, and locals often get chatting and offer up great tips. And nothing thrills me quite like being mistaken for a fellow Parisian

Tons of ways to keep kids entertained

Speaking of Paris, it’s somewhere I’d visited countless times with friends, with my husband, and on work trips during my years as a beauty editor, before we visited with our then-14-month-old in 2021. Whilst we’d normally have spent our time lazily eating, drinking and revisiting our favourite shops and galleries in the central arrondissements of the city, travelling with a toddler led us to parks like the dramatic Parc des Buttes-Chaumont and pretty Bois de Boulogne, which I’d never have made time for otherwise. (French playgrounds are also far superior to any others, in my opinion.) We also found out that the Centre Pompidou has a children’s gallery, which – when we visited – took the form of an impossibly chic soft play space. And I’m yet to meet a toddler who wouldn’t jump at the chance to try out a different pain au chocolat every morning

Genoa, too, was great with kids. In fact, I’m not sure if we’d have had as good a time there on our own as we did with our boys. My eldest son Willem’s love of public transport was rewarded by trams, buses and historic funiculars, which transported us to all sorts of neighbourhoods we’d never otherwise have visited, and incredible views of the city from the various hills we’d travelled up purely for the ride. Plus, the look on his face when he got to sit in the “driver’s seat” at the front of the funicular was utterly priceless. We had gelato at least once a day and stuck to our usual promise of “just one gallery”, which satisfies our need for culture and is as much as the kids will feasibly stand for. Plus, you don’t need to seek out culture when it’s all around you – in the buildings, the statues, the landmarks and even the graffiti

Of course, there can be downsides. Many European cities are cobbled, which can make pushing a buggy hard work, while public transport isn’t always buggy-friendly either. And there can be a lot of walking, which can be tough on little ones. We found the buggy board a dream when Willem was younger – you can take it on flights for free as a pram attachment. We also bring his scooter with us if we’re travelling by Eurostar (in fact, we’re going to Brussels in April and doing just that)

Cafes and restaurants can actually be busier than in a sleepy beach resort, and I do sometimes look longingly at a chic wine bar while we hurry off to find a supermarket to buy snacks. But for us, it’s all worth it for the upsides. If it rains, there’s always a natural history museum somewhere in the city to pass the afternoon or an aquarium, and so many galleries have amazing kids’ areas

Where to stay 

So far, we’ve almost always stayed in Airbnbs, which have the huge benefit of their own kitchen, a separate bedroom for the children, and a tv for the inevitable Bluey reruns at 7am. I’ll be honest, if you’re visiting cities in France, Italy or the Netherlands, you can almost guarantee that the apartment will be up multiple flights of narrow and uneven stairs with no lift, but it’s worth it for space, convenience and – often – amazing value for money. Heaving the buggy up and down the steps in Syracuse, Sicily, was very much worth to for the enormous kitchen, terrazzo floors and frescoed ceilings at the top, whilst our Marseille Airbnb overlooked a bustling square that meant a wine on the balcony post-bedtime felt like we were part of the action

Because yes, on most of our city breaks we eat out at lunchtime rather than in the evening. My younger son, Joel, is still too wriggly to sit down at a table for long, plus the days tend to be busy and tiring, so we put the kids to bed at a fairly normal time, and get the evening to ourselves instead of desperately trying to make family dinner a relaxing affair. We pick up local wine, cheeses and charcuterie in markets and delis during the day, and eat them on the balcony at night if it’s a sunny city, or cosied up indoors if it isn’t. It’s actually one of my favourite parts of going on holiday now, and a great way to try some of the best food from the area

In Genoa, the birthplace of pesto, we had delicious fresh pasta most nights, with excellent wine that came in at about ten euros per bottle. When we have been out in the evenings, especially in Italy, where they’re obsessed with babies, Joel has usually found himself surrounded by adoring nonnas, tickling his feet while we scarf down our food

Choose your city wisely

One key thing to note is that’s definitely about choosing the right city for your family – maybe don’t take a fractious newborn to Bangkok, or a toddler who’s scared of loud noises to Manhattan – but getting it right is the most rewarding experience, and so much fun.

We’ve done – and would recommend – Paris, Marseille, Amsterdam, Genoa, Syracuse and many more, but there are plenty of cities still on the list. Barcelona would be perfect, and I have friends who’ve had successful city breaks with kids in Seoul, Cape Town, Rotterdam, Valencia and Mexico City. Having visited Rio de Janeiro in my twenties, I’d love to take the kids there at some point. Beach, sunshine, culture, incredible sights, and so many juice bars (what more could a preschooler ask for) – it has it all!