For families, Europe offers an incredibly diverse range of cultures, tastes, architecture and activities to indulge in. You can stay in apartments, castles, chateaux, villas, pousadas, townhouses or hotels to vary the options. Travel by foot, car, rail, cruise or plane and go for big cities, quaint villages or natural areas.
- Fly fishing, Scotland If you’re kids love to fish this is the idea location where you can fish for salmon or trout. There are any number of scenic lochs where you can enjoy a bit of sport and the hiking involved or wildlife that comes along. Osprey, otter, row and deer and are just some of the game you’ll see.
- Cappadoccia, Turkey Kids will love this region of underground cities where they can explore the subterranean levels and the labyrinth of tunnels. There are plenty of volcanic valleys that are also very interesting to explore on foot and colorful local culture and friendly people. Try your hand at weaving a local rug and make sure you book the family into one of the many hotel caves built into the rock side of this region.
- Skiing vacation, Switzerland Skiing is the perfect family vacation. Book a Swiss chalet where you can prepare your own meals or consider a resort style locale where you can be treated and pampered. There’ll be full on days here for the kids as they try out cross-country skiing, downhill or snow boarding. You can either join them on the slopes or kick back with a glass of wine with a good book and a blazing fire.
- Dog sledding, Finland Wrap the kids up warm and take them on an adventure they’ll never forget in the polar wilderness during winter. The kids can sit on the sleds when they get tired and can even have a go at driving. It’s a great way to experience all the fascinating lifestyle and adventure of this amazing part of the world. For something even more different try it with a team of reindeer.
- Multi sport in the Black Forest, Germany The spruce and fir-covered mountains of the Black Forest are a perfect location for mountain biking trails. There’s also plenty of walking tracks in gentle valleys and spectacular gorges carved by the River Rhine. Or when you need a break take the kids to the hot spas of Baden Baden or out for some Black Forest Cake. You might be able to sneak away at some point to enjoy some of the fine local wines.
- Agriturismo, Italy Agriturismi are farms with rooms or apartments to let in the countryside. They are usually inexpensive and sometimes meals are provided. If you time the trip with a harvest the kids can watch or even take part in picking grapes or olives and the procedures involved to process them. Many agriturismi have mountain bikes, trails to hike or offer any other manner of fun, outdoor activities.
- Sailing the Dalmatian Coast, Croatia Rent a yacht or charter with a crew to cruise the 3100 mile Adriatic coastline. Kids will love skipping from bay to bay, exploring offshore islands or wandering onto the mainland for quaint villages and food refills.
- Soca River Valley, Slovenia Escape Europe’s mainstream tourism and delight in the culture, people and traditions of the Julian Alps and Soca River Valley. This is a wonderful base for a varied family activity vacation. You can do white water rafting on the Soca River, cave in the spectacular Skocjanska Caves or go horse riding or hiking in the many beautiful areas. Or you could take the car train through the mountains to Lake Bohinj and then take a boat trip.
- Snow mobiling, Greenland The dog sled’s modern successor in Greenland is a winter opportunity second to none. Rent a sled independently, or with a guide, and travel out to a hut in the middle of the magnificent scenery to stay overnight. Or if you and your kids are up to it, there’s plenty of travel challenges; from Kangerlussuaq you can drive 125 miles across the ice sheet to a former American radar station, DYE-2.
- Disneyland, Paris If you’re not into hiking or skiing the French Alps, want to keep the kids entertained, are happy to do the rides or wait in the hotel for them and they’ve been bugging you about this place for ever – then the time has come to just do it.
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