The world was closed since 2019 December due to COVID-19, many countries kept their borders closed due to the infectious spread of the virus and along with many variants of the virus. Many countries have just opened their borders as late as August, after getting the population fully vaccinated and establishing proper SOPs for the people travelling from all over the world, now the world is all prepared to again welcome the tourists, individuals, families, people travelling for business and work purposes.
Now the individuals have started to plan their visits which has been pending for over a period of more than one and a half years. Keeping this in perspective we have prepared a list of countries individuals can visit with their families including children and have some amazing time. Since now the COVID restrictions have little been eased.
Slovenia is a tiny but vivid country, especially for family travel. Rent a vehicle and head north from the capital to Maribor, a condensed city that’s just a stone’s throw means on very little distance from active entertainment suitable for all ages. The activities there include canoeing on the river Drava in summer and skiing in the nearby resort of Pohorje in winter. In spring, the tourist can try the resort’s single-track toboggan that hurtles down the ski slopes at up to 30mph.
Where to stay in Maribor
• Best place for staying near nature: Chateau Ramšak – Vineyard Glamping Resort
• Best apartment-style: Hotel Maribor, City Apartments
Costa Rica is a yet to be explored completely travel gem. It’s a world leader in eco and adventure tourism, with the Monteverde area a prime example. About half of the sheltered area is conserved as the Bosque Eternal de los Niños (“Children’s Eternal Forest”), a huge stretch of lush cloud-forest, rainforest and montane evergreen forest threaded with trails and full of wildlife-spotting prospects. As one can expect, there are plenty of outdoor activities available for all kinds of adventure appetite: hiking, camping, zip lines, canopy excursions and horse riding. Nearby Monteverde Cloud-forest Biological Reserve offers yet more primeval forests and adventure activities, while Reserva Santa Elena even has pushchair-friendly trajectories.
Where to stay
• Best B&B to stay in Costa Rica: Camino Verde B&B Monteverde Costa Rica
• Best place for staying near nature: Chira Glamping Monteverde
Things you can do
• Best for nature and animal experience: Sustainable farm tour
• Best for foodies: Bread making in the forest
Tailor-made trips
Families travelling can opt for tailor-made trips, for instance, see sloths, toucans, monkeys and more on a visit to Costa Rica with any native, expert service providers. Take a look at sample travel plans like Beaches and Volcanoes and Tropical Costa Rica and use them for your own, personalized schedule.
A country located in South-East Asia has all the ingredients of the tropical beach vacation for travelling alone, friends travelling in group and families with children. Bali’s entrancing Hindu culture and jaw-dropping tropical sceneries are enough to have any family mesmerized. But there’s no short supply of activities to keep the children from having fun, starting from Ubud’s monkey forest and shadow puppet shows to waterfall swimming at Gitgit and dolphin-watching off on the Bali’s north shore. When it’s time for serenity, the serene Gili islands are a short boat ride away. With white sands and still waters, Gili Air is the picture-perfect place to enjoy the tantalizingly slow pace of island life, but Gili Meno’s turtle hatchery is unquestionably worth a day trip.
Where to stay
• The Best family place in Ubud: Mehrudani Boutique Hotel
• Best family hotel on Gili Air: Vyaana Resort Gili Air
What to do
• Suggested activities for the active family: Beginner’s surf lessons for the whole family in Kuta
• Best to explore the island paradise: Snorkel Gili Nanggu, Sudak & Kedis islands
Tailor-made trips
We recommend that before travelling contact a travel guide or an expert on the area for the ultimate Bali family holiday. Take any travel plan and tailor it according to your fondness, like the Rest and Relaxation in Bali and Lombok itinerary, or start your request from scratch.
At Havana apart from experiencing the fading magnificence of the exciting city, Havana has a mass of places to go with children. An excursion through the planetarium walks you through four floors of rooms, projecting a journey through the outer space, from the Big Bang (represented by a light and sound display) onwards. The Parque Almendares, as well as being a welcome stretch of greenery, is an impeccable picnic spot and offers rowing on the river and crazy golf.
The place to stay in Cuba
• The best place particularly for families: Home Jaime y Cuki
• The best boutique hotel: Malecón 663 Boutique Hotel
What to do in Havana
• Best for exploring the Old Town: Walking tour and Cocotaxi Ride
• Best for exploring the new parts of Havana: 2h convertible Classic Car ride
Tailor-made trips
We believe that you should plan and book your family trip to Havana with made trips so that you can enjoy the most while you are staying in Havana. Have a look at some example itineraries, like this active family adventure or this e-bike tour across the island. You can one or the other modify an existing travel plan or start from the beginning and just take in the comments of your local expert will then create and quote your personalized trip.
While Argentina isn’t exactly well known as a family destination, it has a lot to offer for us to recommend it to you as a family destination for a vacation. The food is wonderful (kids will particularly appreciate the traditional heladerías or ice cream parlours); there’s a spectacular variety of landscapes and open-air activities, and the wildlife-spotting is second to none. Rosario makes a good base if you want to venture away from Buenos Aires; not only does it offers child-focused attractions like the Jardin de los Niños and the Museo de los Niños, but one can head out on river tours or rent a car and work your way north, ending up at the awe-inspiring Iguazú Falls.
Best Place to stay
• Best to stay in the city centre: Holiday Inn Rosario
• Best value: Roberta Rosa de Fontana Suites
What to do in Argentina
• Best for first-time visitors: Walking tour through the historic centre
• Best for views: Riverboat tour on the Paraná river
Tailor-made trips
For a trip family trip to Argentina that the whole family will definitely enjoy, get in touch. You can always pair up with a local expert to plan and book every aspect of your holiday. Have a look at many sample travel plans, like Magical Patagonia, and get encouraged for your own trip.
New Zealand’s North Island might not have snowcapped mountains, but it doesn’t hold back when it comes to affected scenery. Kids will be captivated by the sulphur stink at Rotorua, the little living lights in the glowworm caves of Waitomo and the bubbling pools at Hot Water Beach on the Coromandel Peninsula. If you hire a motorhome you can explore at your own pace. We all are fascinated with the lords of the rings trilogy, these days it’s impossible to separate New Zealand from it, and young enthusiasts will love the hobbit holes at Hobbiton, as well as Wellington’s Weta Workshop, the centre of New Zealand’s film industry, where kids can absorb all about prop building and prosthetics.
Where to stay to North Island
• Best in Rotorua: Prince’s Gate Hotel
• Best in Waitomo: Waitomo Caves Guest Lodge
Things to do in North Island
Best for family museums: 3D Trick Art Gallery
Best evening experience: Glowworm caves boat tour
Tailor-made trips
For family holidays in New Zealand, try the Rough Guides Tailor-Made Trip service: itineraries like the self-drive North Island can be used as a starting point for your own, personalized adventure. Find sample travel plans and travel with an amazing programme for your family.
San Ignacio, Belize is one of the safest and stress-free Central American countries to explore with children. Apart from its colourful marine life and beautiful beaches, its (malaria-free) rainforest interior provides tropical excitement. At Caves Branch Jungle Lodge near San Ignacio, you can float downriver in an inner tube through luxuriant forests full of cheeky spider monkeys and squawking toucans, then wake up to a dawn chorus of chirping cicadas.
Places to stay
• Best for nature immersion: Hidden Valley Inn & Reserve
• Best for staying close to town: San Ignacio Resort Hotel
What to do
• Best for history & fun: Caracol Maya Ruins & Waterfall tour
• Best for outdoor adventure: Half-day canoeing tour
Tailor-made trips
If you’re looking for family holidays to Belize, contact the local experts as soon as you decide on the destination. They would be happy to create, quote and book itineraries tailored to your preferences and wishes and desired places.
You won’t find finer views and cleaner air than in Colorado, USA. If you’re looking for a family trip that embraces the great outdoors, this state solicits to be explored. Start in the compact, mile-high city of Denver, from there it’s a short drive to the sparkling alpine lakes and magnificent peaks of the Rockies. Hidden further east is Colorado’s answer to the Grand Canyon, the dramatic Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, one of America’s most discounted national parks. Older kids with an interest in history will also be fascinated by the Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings at Mesa Verde in the state’s southwest corner.
Where to stay
• Best for boutique luxury: Kimpton Hotel Monaco Denver
• Best for families: Hyatt House Denver/Downtown
What to do
• Best for a first impression: Half-day tour from Denver to the Rocky Mountains
• Best for evening entertainment: Haunted Walking Ghost Tour – suitable for the whole family
On the exterior, this extensive city doesn’t seem like one of the most sensible places to go with kids. But Nairobi has access to some delightful child-friendly attractions. Nairobi National Park, where lions, leopards, giraffes and zebra roam free within sight of the city, is the perfect day trip for wildlife watching. For a more hands-on experience, try the Giraffe Center where you can feed these sophisticated, long-necked beasts from a raised gallery, or the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where bereaved elephants are transformed and prepared for life in the wild.
Best places to stay
• Best location to the CBD: Swiss Lenana Mount Hotel
• Best for a luxurious break: Villa Rosa Kempinski
What to do
• Closest National Park: Nairobi National Park, an easy drive from Nairobi for a half-day safari experience
• Best for up-close animal encounters: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust & Giraffe Center
Tailor-made trips
Thinking about going on safari? Check our Family Safari in Kenya trip. For a memorable trip to Kenya, we can connect you with a local travel expert to plan and book the perfect holiday.
Puglia, in the heel of Italy’s boot, is a great choice for a family holiday in the sun. With no end of pristine beaches, the Salento peninsula is a highlight; the seaside town of Otranto with its hulking castle makes an appealing family-friendly base. The countryside has its charms too, not least the fairytale trulli – kids will love spotting these pint-sized limestone dwellings with conical roofs, which are dotted throughout the region. Head to UNESCO-protected Alberobello for a town full of trulli you can even spend a night in one for added fun.
Places to stay
• Best in Otranto: Vittoria Hotel Resort & Spa
• Best in Alberobello: Tipico Resort
What to do
• Best for foodies: Street food walking tour in Lecce
• Best in Alberobello: 2-hour guided walking tour to learn more about its unique history
Tailor-made trips
Plan your family holiday in Italy with local Italian trip planners and trip advisers. Our local experts create customized travel plans according to your preferences and wishes, with straightforward pricing and easy booking options.
In Bran, Romania for older children, Romania is a feast of freaky folklore. With its grim disguise, bartizans and ramparts, and dangerous position, teetering atop a rocky no-nonsense against a mountain backdrop the Bran Castle is the exemplary vampire count’s lair. To spend more time exploring and less time waiting in line, make sure to get your entrance ticket well before time. The historical symbol behind Romania’s Dracula legend (Vlad Țepeş) is as terrifying as Bram Stoker’s fiction: he wasn’t known as “the Impaler” for nothing. There are countless other atmospheric sites linked to the legend, not least Poenari Castle, where Vlad once lived, and the country’s “cult of the dead” is never far from the surface.
Where to stay
• Best for families: Pensiunea Casa Doina
• Best for a little luxury: Casa Din Bran – Inn Nature
The Scottish capital is tiny enough to promenade round and hosts a number of fun and educational attractions for the whole family. But what makes Edinburgh stand out is its festivals: there are twelve major festivals throughout the year, including the famous Fringe, from a storytelling celebration to a science fest. If you don’t go during festival season, the Camera Obscura makes for some preposterous family photos, and of course, there’s the Museum of Childhood where you can get sentimental and wistful and the kids can get hands-on.
Where to stay
• Best for a little luxury: Radisson Blu Hotel Edinburgh
• Best on a budget: Novotel Edinburgh Centre
What to do
• Best for Harry Potter fans: Harry Potter magical walking tour
• Best for a rainy day: Camera Obscura and World of Illusions
Tailor-made trips
Book your family holiday in Scotland with Rough Guides Tailor-Made Trips. Family adventures from Harry Potter to Loch Ness await or book your own personalized trip with the help of local experts and tourist guides.
Brittany, France is a European bucket-and-spade holiday, it’s hard to beat Brittany. France’s roughly beautiful northwest offers everything from charming seaside resorts and family-friendly campsites to remote coves and rocky peninsulas. For a first visit, base yourself in St-Malo, where a strip of stunning beaches stretches east from the winding streets of the old walled town. Older children can try windsurfing or catamaran sailing at the St-Malo surf school, while grown-ups will bargain fresh oysters to feast on and local ciders to sample. And on rainy days, consider a trip to the Aquarium.
Where to stay
• Best for ocean views: Kyriad Saint-Malo Plage
• Best on a budget: Hotel Eden Saint-Malo
Toronto is a-buzz and amazing with kid-friendly activities, from cheap thrills marveling at the slick skyline and interweaving town aboard a streetcar to splashing out on a ticket to go up the famous CN Tower and sighting dinosaur bones and Native Canadian headdresses at the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum). To make the most of your time in Toronto, book your entrance ticket well before time and receive chosen access to the ROM. Chinatown and nearby Kensington Market are great browsings and wandering territory, and the Toronto Islands are only a ferry ride away, but a world apart from the city’s hustle and bustle. If you have time on your hands, you can venture south to spectacular Niagara Falls or north to the rocky islets of Georgian Bay. For children over 7 years of age, check out the adrenaline-fuelled zipline experience from Niagara Falls.
Where to stay
• Best for a little luxury: Fairmont Royal York Hotel
• Best for great views of the city: Radisson Admiral Toronto Harbourfront
Senegal has a lot to offer families, from wide-open beautiful beaches on its wild Atlantic coast to some seriously curious natural wonders. There’s the pink-hued Lake Retba, which, at its liveliest, is a startling sight. There are undulating sand dunes ripe for you and your 4X4 to explore, and don’t miss Ile de Fadiouth – a small island in the south made entirely from shells.
Best places to stay
• Best for being on the coast: The Rhino Resort Hotel & Spa
• Best on a budget: Hotel Mermoz
What to do
• Best for wildlife: Fathala Wildlife Reserve
• Best for a relaxed tour: From Dakar or Saly to the Pink Lake
Antalya, in southern Turkey, is packed with activities to keep the whole family entertained. Behind Konyaaltı beach lies the Antalya Aquarium (complete with 4-D cinema), the Wildpark (devoted to insects and reptiles) and – for when the kids really can’t bear the heat an indoor snow park. Next door is Antalya Minicity, which has a 1:25 scale re-creations of some of Turkey’s most iconic landmarks. The Toy Museum at Antalya’s harbour also provides a fun distraction from the beach.
Best places to stay
• Best for family fun: Titanic Beach Lara
• Best on a budget: Sealife Family Resort Hotel
What to do
• Best for families with teenagers (14 years) and older: Quad Safari
• Best for younger children: The Land of Legends Theme Park
There are loads of kid-friendly destinations in Japan, but when it comes to places with activities all the family will enjoy as with everything you’re spoiled for choice in Tokyo. The Ghibli Museum and Odaiba highlight, and the city have plenty of huge parks and interactive museums to explore together. Tokyo Disneyland is also nearby, while Yokohama (for Chinatown and yet another Ferris wheel), Kamakura and Nikkō (more nature and history, less neon) are all visitable on a day trip.
Best places to stay
• Best on a budget: Hotel Gracery Shinjuku
• Best for a little luxury: Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba
What to do
• Best for a full day of fun: Tour to Disneyland or DisneySea including transport and preferred access
• Best of both worlds for younger & older children: Tokyo Legoland and Madame Tussauds entrance tickets
Queensland’s Cape Tribulation is great fun for courageous children, and adults too. With both lush forests and palm tree-lined beaches, there are plenty of activities that Australia has to offer. From here, you can also take a boat trip out to the barrier reef or trek through Daintree Rainforest on the lookout for primordial cassowaries, avoiding crocodiles, spiders and snakes along the way. The brave might want to try a night-time rainforest walk or a thrilling treetop jungle zip wire.
Where to stay
• Best for being close to the rainforest: Heritage Lodge In the Daintree
• Best on a budget: Cape Trib Beach House
What to do
• Best for outdoor lovers: 2-hour beach and rainforest horseback ride
• Best for underwater fans: Ocean Safari Tour including snorkelling
The Maldives in the Indian Ocean might seem like a honeymoon-only destination, but don’t be turned off. Most resorts are child-friendly it’s best to check first, though, to avoid being surrounded by just-married couples. Rent a hut on the beach and children will spend hours playing in the white sand, jumping in waves or snorkelling in the shallow waters.
Many islands have swimming pools and offer beach games, kayak hire, and dolphin-spotting trips too, with diving courses for older children.
Where to stay
• Best for on a budget: Meeru Island Resort & Spa
• Best for a little luxury: Velassaru Maldives
Tailor-made trips
Not sure where to stay and what to do? Consider taking a combination trip Sri Lanka and the Maldives together, and contact the local tour advisers today for your own, personalized offer.
Ko Samui or Ko Lanta are great possibilities for family holidays, with plenty of facilities and lots of distractions for kids. If the thought of resorts makes you shudder, Thailand’s well-developed traveller arrangement makes it fairly easy to head to a more isolated island or part of the mainland. Thailand is especially great for kids in January National Children’s Day (the second Saturday of the month) means free activities and public transport for children all over the country.
Where to stay
• Best for a little luxury: Pimalai Resort and Spa
• Best for amazing views: Unique Sea View Apartments
What to do
• Best for beach lovers: 4 Islands and Emerald Cove Snorkelling Trip
• Best for local immersion: Tung Yee Peng Village Eco-Tour
Tailor-made trips
Thinking about taking the family for a vacation to Thailand? Don’t worry about the logistics but let the professional local experts take care of the quoting and booking process for you if you are not a frequent traveller and need help with planning and execution. Modify existing itineraries like the way you desire Family Time in Thailand trip or start from scratch starting from asking the quote online.
The outside activities are never far away in Cape Town, which makes the city a on the whole great destination for children. It’s tough to beat the city’s marvellous beaches, the highpoint of which for most kids is Boulders, home to an inhabitant of the penguin-breeding colony. The beach at Fish Hoek, a little further north, boasts a playground alongside its beautiful beach and gentle waves. There’s also a richness of parks and open spaces, the spots are perfect for picnicking in fine weather, while for rainy days there’s a handful of good, hands-on museums.
Best place to stay
• Best for views of Green Point: Cape Royale Luxury Hotel
• Best for a little luxury: The Table Bay Hotel
Best things to do
• Best for exploring underwater species: Skip-the-line tickets to the Two Oceans Aquarium
• Best for coast views: Sailing Trip across the bay
Tailor-made trips
Explore Cape Town on this 8-day long sample trip or stay active as a family and cycle the Garden Route – the locals and experts would be happy to plan these trips for you or create your own unique family adventure.
The daring wildlife of the Galápagos Islands makes adults feel like kids and make kids feel like they just can’t believe their luck. They’ll tread softly in between giant tortoises, have birds land inches from their nose, splash around in the shallows with playful baby sea lions, and snorkel near hammerheads and enormous turtles. When they get tired of the wildlife one-on-ones, amuse them with stories and accounts of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century pirates who hid out on the islands. The landscape is still (almost) exactly as those old sea dogs would have known it, and there’s still even some old pirate graffiti to boot.
Best place to stay
• Best for a little luxury: Galapagos Casa Playa Mann
• Best on a budget: Galapagos Verde Azul
Tailor-made trips
You can explore Ecuador’s cultural cities before heading to an island paradise or create your own itinerary from scratch with the professional help of our local experts.
Perhaps the Caribbean’s most laidback place to take the kids, tiny Tobago provides dozens of activities and wildlife experiences, from beachside horse-riding to hummingbird spotting. Instead of high-rise hotels, you’ll find small-scale guesthouses accustomed to catering to families. Steel bands and street eats, fresh juices and safe swimming beaches – one you’ve been “Tobagoed” you’ll want to return.
Where to stay
• Best on a budget: Lillibets
• Best for being by the ocean: SeaScape on Heavenly Bay
One thing to remember is safety and security comes first, be it financial or health. You need to insured that you are covered and protected. The world has evolved in the past one and a half year and the things, such as additional documentation like vaccination certificates has become as important as your passport. The countries which didn’t require travel insurance, have now explicitly mentioned the presence of corona care in your travel insurance policy.
So it is recommended and suggested that before applying and executing any plans it is imperative to get the travel insurance and travel secure and carefree without any hassle and stress.
OK so you’ve read all the way through the article and you’re now equipped with a list of places to go with kids in tow. But what about getting there? We’ve all been on an aeroplane with a crying baby or unruly toddler and felt the parent’s pain. And we’re not going to lie: long-haul travel with the whole clan can be challenging, but there are some ways to make family travel go more smoothly.
Firstly, if your children are old enough, get them involved in trip planning – talk to them about where you’re going and ask them to think about a special day out or activity that they’d like to do while you’re there. If your kids are crafty, think about a scrapbook that they can start to work on before you leave, and add to while you’re away. Let your kids pack their own mini suitcases or backpacks with games and favourite toys. And don’t feel guilty about letting your kids watch movies on the flight!
Travelling with a baby or toddler? First of all, give yourself a break. Many of your fellow travellers will have been in your position and understand the stresses and strains. Get to the airport early so you don’t have the additional stress of being late for your flight. Different airlines have different rules about free seats or discounts for children, so do your research and you could save yourselves money.
Be realistic about what you can see or achieve in a day and enjoy the downtime as much as you’re exploring time. Young children will take a while to adapt to new time zones, temperatures and cuisines, so be patient with them (and your partner!).
This post was last modified on November 14, 2021 1:37 pm
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