Lifeinourvan Kids | Top 5 Cities for Kids
Europe is littered with some amazing cities to explore and we’ve been lucky to see over 50+ of them on our European Roadtrip. But which ones are Europe’s finest cities for kids? So why not read on and hear our first hand experiences from Dubrovnik, Porto, Valencia, Edinburgh & Vienna.
Cities are great places for kids like us to fill up on knowledge. Each city is different, no one is the same. Bustling, lively places where you can discover new sites and smells around every corner! Although every city is unique almost all are full of culture. So whilst some people will go searching for a vibrant nightlife or a quiet weekend away. When I go to a city I enjoy the hustle and bustle. I also enjoy the peaceful parks and the stunning gardens. But as I love ‘Grand Design’s’, I especially love being surrounded by beautiful architecture. So here’s my alternative 5 Top Cities for Kids in Europe, I hope you enjoy reading it!
the city that never sleeps
After a belly filling paella on the seafront, it is nice to walk in the calm and quiet Turia Gardens (a kind of sunken garden) which was created after a river that flooded was diverted and the river bed turned into a recreational area. You can walk to the beach or definitely try Valencia’s Bio Parc which is an amazing open space for you to understand how animals live in the wild. For us the Fallas (Easter) museum was worth seeing. Full of paper mâché creations to celebrate at their fiesta. Or we also loved seeing the America Cup yachts in the beautiful marina/harbour
1. Valencia
Valencia is an amazing city full of life. It has a bustling indoor market full of locals doing their weekly shop and tourists taking in the sites and smells whilst stall holders make their traditional paella. Valencia is the home of paella, there are three types of paella, the traditional rabbit paella, seafood paella and a chicken paella.
the city of a million memories
Dubrovnik has it all for kids like me. There’s water sports in the calm Adriatic, there’s Star Wars/Game off Thrones themed excursions. City Walls to explore and plenty of cool streets to enjoy getting out of the hot summer sun. But for me, the biggest surprise was the colours of the roofs. All a different shades of red, the reason for this is that during the Yugoslavian War lots of the houses where bombed so on some of the roofs have been restored, whilst others remain shells or old red tiled roofs. So interesting!
2. dubrovnik
Dubrovnik is an incredible city, full of old and new architecture. From the stunning white stones that shine in the sun to the cobbled stone roads that lead to the gorgeous harbour. Perhaps the best way to see the city is from the outside. Preferably by kayak across the crystal clear water that laps against the ancient city walls. When you walk onto the city walls, you can see all the way to Lokrum Island but don’t miss the escape room or the amazing city walls or 3 island boat tour.
the city that founded the age of discovery
My favourite place was the ‘Look at Porto‘ 5D cinema! So cool! Moving seats and sensations like water spray, wind and aromas, we couldn’t wait to get out and explore Porto after watching this epic 5D experience. But for the best place to learn, I’d recommend the ‘Age of Discovery’ museum. It’s not really a museum, more a place to experience what it must have been like in the real ‘Age of Discovery’ over 400 years ago.
3. Porto
Porto one of the oldest cities in Europe, founded by the Romans and Portugal’s name comes from it’s Latin name (which I think is pretty cool!) Porto is famous for it’s bridges, architecture and port wine production. It is a city full of culture so what better way to find out more about Porto than to fly over it ( We went to link here to look at Porto.) Did you know that the famous explorer Henry the Navigator was born in Porto? He was the third son of John of Portugal & Philippa of Lancashire. We went to world of discovery’s (link here) which was an incredible experience one I will never forget.
probably the most interesting city in the UK
The Camera Obscura was awesome. With lots of mesmeric puzzles, eye tricking impressions and innovative approaches. It’s one of the best places we’ve visited in Europe! Plus Edinburgh has the amazing series of winding cobbled streets of the Old Town and the inspiring National Museum of Scotland. But it’s also easy to get around and you don’t need to travel far from one place of interest to the next. That’s a good thing for us!
4.Edinburgh
Edinburgh is an amazing city. it’s Scotland’s capital city when we went the rain was pouring but that didn’t stop us! I loved the HMS Britannia because you can see how the royal family used it. After that we headed up to the castle only to find it was closed because of the weather but because of that we found Camera Obscura which was amazing! It was so cool to trick our minds with optical illusion. I hope next time we get to go to the castle.
simply jaw dropping in every way possible!
Inspired by stories of Empress Sissi’s travels across Europe, Vienna is a mixture of new and old. But the highlight was the Zoo and the ‘Haus Der Musik’. But as we had a Vienna Card we also saw Madame Tussaurds, enjoyed the giant Ferris wheel and even finished the day eating strudels at the top of the Danube Tower overlooking Vienna. We loved Vienna!
5. Vienna
Our parents had told us before we arrived, that Vienna is famed as both a ‘City of Dream’s & a ‘ City of Music’. But nothing had prepared us for just how beautiful Vienna really is and just how interactive the museums and palaces would be. We laid a table for dinner in a royal palace, conducted the Viennese State Orchestra and even travelled back in time to have a waltz with an Emperor! Not bad for just 24hrs in one city!
You’ll always find plenty of opportunities in other well known cities like Rome, Amsterdam or Paris. But which others deserve a mention? Cities with attractions suitable for us (the children). Cities where your parents only need a minute or two to tweak their plans to ensure the whole family is satisfied.
As for me, I think cities are amazing and I love the fact that they are all unique. Personally I think the best way to understand a city is to speak to it’s locals because they all have different stories to tell! but I hope this blog has helped you see how fun these 5 cities can be for your children.
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