Mini Travel Guides

The snow has been falling, and people are already making their way to the mountain resorts of France for skiing holidays. Marcus has already written a post with tips for those on a budget but still wanting to go skiing in Chamonix, here I provide some tips for skiing with children in France. Far too many are under the impression that skii slopes and children do not mix. The French Ministry of Tourism now supports a scheme that recognises the efforts some skii resorts make to cater for families with children.

Photo by Fergus O’Reilly

The Famille Plus label now replaces the P’tits montagnards (young mountaineers) charter, and is awarded to those resorts that go out of their way to welcome and provide an extensive range of activities for family skiing in France.

To be awarded the new label a resort might provide a crèche to take care of tiny tots aged 6 months and over and have several flexible packages available for parents, or a ski school for three-year-olds and upwards.

The six commitments are:
1. A friendly, personalised welcome for families
2. Entertainment with visitors of all ages in mind
3. Holiday packages with prices tailored for children and adults
4. Both individual and family-based activities for youngsters and adults
5. Nearby medical facilities in the event of minor illness or injury
6. Supervision and tuition of children by professionally qualified staff

Photo by Andrew Cullen.

Anyone thinking about or planning a trip to France for some skiing this winter, the website France Montagnes is the perfect resource, with information in 14 languages. And search for ‘famille plus’ for those resorts that make an extra effort for their younger guests.

Taking the Children Skiing in France

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

The postcard-perfect town of Kotor in Montenegro is an ideal place to visit. While you are there and wandering the lovely cobblestone streets, you will be certain to notice the ruins of the St. John castle walls that stretch far above the old town. For a small fee, you can climb these walls and enjoy the dizzying, gorgeous views of the Boka kotorska (the Bay of Kotor) and the town far, far below.

Photo courtesy of Photomontenegro.me

Even from the intermediate stops, the view is worth it. You can see the town and the port from panoramic points at the beginning of your hike up the walls.

But if you have a good pair of shoes on and enough energy to see you through, you should continue the journey up the 1,350 steps (yes, you read that right) to get to the very top, where you are certain to catch your breath at the beauty laid out before you.

We were up on top, enjoying the views down to the bay at sunset. While it was wonderfully dramatic, the drama – unfortunately – continued on the hike down. The 15^th century fortifications are crumbling in places and attempting the walk down under spotty  lighting at night with two young children was hardly our finest parenting moment.

We breathed a collective sigh of relief once we were safely back on Kotor’s main square. Here’s a view of the impossibly high castle walls we miraculously descended without injury.

So, by all means, pack a good pair of walking shoes so you can visit this Kotor attraction and get a fantastic workout climbing these spectacular castle walls. Just be sure to bring along extra bottles of water and attempt this hike during the day… that’s what I’ll be doing next time.

Montenegro is a wonderful holiday destination. For more itinerary ideas for this tiny, but interesting, country, see previous posts about Montenegro’s stunning coastlines , its rugged interior, the seaside town of Perast and ideas for a day trip to neighbouring Kosovo .

Enjoy climbing Montenegro’s Kotor castle – during daylight hours!

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

Gustave Flaubert famously described the fortified port of St-Malo, on Brittany’s northern coast, as a “stone crown over the waves”. Indeed, the view of St-Malo from the sea is incredibly impressive. It is an extremely pretty and elegant European destination, with its imposing, grey granite walls and charming streets and it is a wonderful place to enjoy a stroll or a few days of exploration.

The first settlement here dates back to the 6th century. Apparently, even these early settlers constructed an impressive defensive wall. But St-Malo’s most famous residents were the corsairs who, for centuries, transformed St-Malo into a famous pirates’ den. The corsairs became rich controlling the Channel and they constructed beautiful homes within the walled city.

Enjoy wandering this former pirate city, its winding streets, pretty churches and picturesque squares. The Saint Vincent Cathedral, begun in the 12^th century, is the oldest surviving church. Walking along the city walls is a must and a beautiful way to enjoy the panorama. Visitors will also want to walk along the beach and along the rocky prominitory to the fortress.

The thing that really strikes a visitor is knowing that this entire city is reconstructed, for St-Malo was virtually destroyed by bombing in World War II. Practically the entire city was slowly and painstakingly reconstructed so that this architectural gem would not be lost forever.

Needless to say, seafood is the speciality in this Breton town. Saint-Malo is close to Cancale, said to have France’s best oysters. It’s a great place to sample some Fruits de Mer.

Since we were traveling with children, we set aside time to visit the small, but excellent Saint-Malo Aquarium , just outside of town. This was an enjoyable way to wrap up our day after visiting beautiful St-Malo.

Photo courtesy of the Saint-Malo Aquarium website

My travel tip is to spend some time in Brittany, exploring inland destinations as well as the pretty coastal towns, such as lovely Saint-Malo.

The Saint-Malo Aquarium is open daily 10:00 – 19:00.  Throughout much of July and August, the aquarium has extended hours and is open until 22:00. Tickets are 15.50 euro for adults/9.50 euro for children (children under 4 are free). Tickets can be purchased online.

If you’re planning a stay in St Malo, you can find the best prices at St Malo hotels using the HotelsCombined price comparison site.

The pirate town of St-Malo, Brittany, France

Browse through our Europe travel tips to find the best places to visit in Europe. Content published on Europe a la Carte.

I’ve got a new Europe travel planning challenge coming up: organising a trip to Germany with my new baby to introduce him to his relatives. At the time of our trip he’ll be about four months old (hopefully an ideal time to travel) and over the next few weeks I’m going to use this experience to share some Europe travel tips and advice on travels with a baby or young children. And perhaps I can get some good advice from readers, too!

First up is renting a car. In contrast to my previous car rental experience on holidays, this time I’m not going for the bottom-of-the-range budget option. We need enough space for three adults, a baby, and a lot of luggage and baby paraphernalia, and decided on a station wagon of some kind.

I hit the web to compare prices from some of the major rental car companies represented in Germany: Hertz, Budget, Europcar and Sixt. The good news is that all four of them had user-friendly websites and it wasn’t too hard to get the information I was looking for. The bad news was that after all that effort, the price differences between companies was minimal! However, my tips would be:

• If possible – that is, if you have the money available, and if you are reasonably sure of your plans – pay for the rental up front. The savings can be large, up to 25% or so. And the rental I chose had a small cancellation fee of around 50 Euros if I did end up having to cancel, which was cheap compared to the amount I was saving.
• If you’re travelling with children, definitely go for a bigger car than you think you’ll need – you don’t want to be squeezing the last suitcase in on top of somebody’s lap, and the extra cost will make your holiday run much more smoothly.
• Before you sign up for extra insurance, check if your credit card offers you any coverage. My Gold Visa covers me for any excess I may have to pay in the event of a rental car accident, so there’s no need for me to pay extra at the car rental company for insurance to cover this.  There’s also the option of purchasing car rental excess insurance.
• Try to rent any extras you need – for example, a baby or a child seat, or a portable DVD player to keep the kids amused – from the same car rental company. Combining these generally makes it cheaper.
• Make sure you can pick the car up from the airport, and that the rental desk is open at the time your flight arrives. Obviously a 24-hour service is the best in case your flight is delayed.

[Pic of many cars from torley]

As anyone traveling with kids knows, travel plans alter radically once you are lugging along pint-sized companions. On a recent trip to London with my children, I had plenty of activities to fill our days, but none of them included queuing up for kilometers to go on a giant ferris wheel.

Unfortunately for parents hoping to avoid it, the London Eye is visible all over the city and it was nearly impossible to keep my kids from voicing their enthusiasm – constantly – about going on a ride. So after multiple entreaties of “Please, mommy, pleeaase!”,  I finally gave in.

Fortunately, it was a spectacular day, complete with sun and blue skies. Between the price tag and the hassle of waiting in an endless queue, my Europe travel tip is to only ride the London Eye if weather conditions are ideal.

The queuing system is efficient, with timed tickets. It took us about 40 minutes to navigate the queue and enter our “pod”. You can buy Fast Track tickets to avoid the wait, but at double the (already steep) price tag, we opted for the normal tickets.

Admittedly, the views over London are pretty spectacular. The pods travel slowly, so you have adequate time to admire the panorama on your one revolution.

Needless, to say, my kids were thrilled with the novelty and were able to point out places we had already visited. Their enthusiasm was contagious and, as a fan of seeing the city from a bird’s eye perspective,  I enjoyed my time, too.

Attracting about 3.5 million visitors a year, the London Eye is hardly an off-the-beaten path tip, but if you are accompanying kids – or just kids-at-heart – a revolution on the London Eye may be a welcome addition to your London visit.  Karen has written a post “Why London is a top European destination for kids” with more ideas about family friendly activities in the UK capital.

I think that Montenegro is truly one of the best European destinations. I’ve already written about Montenegro’s stunning coastline and its unspoiled, wild interior, ideal for hikers, rafters, walkers and other sports enthusiasts.

One of my top Europe travel tips is a holiday in the pretty Montenegro seaside town of Perast. This lovely little Adriatic town on the Boka kotorska (Gulf of Kotor) is an ideal base for a relaxing holiday.

This tiny Venetian town is dramatically situated on the edge of the Adriatic fjord, surrounded by imposing, rugged mountains on all sides. Swimming in the warm waters with this dramatic backdrop is a highlight of any visit to Perast.

The architecture is lovely and time seems to have stood still in this little Adriatic outpost, once an important maritime power and the home to brave sailors who fought as part of the Venetian Empire (1420-1797) against the Ottomans. Perast’s  history museum is housed in the grand Venetian Bujović Palace and its small collection traces the rise of Perast’s power.

The town has a small beach in an idyllic point, just in front of two lovely island churches. One of the churches, Our Lady of the Rock - built in 1630 on an artificial island said to have been constructed at the site of a shipwreck – can be visited by frequent boats departing from Perast. The church houses a small, but interesting museum.

If you are travelling with kids, you'll spend lots of time at the town's popular 'Pirate Beach'.

The 17^th century St Nicholas’ church, on the main town square, has a dramatic belfry. Visitors can climb to the top and the vantage point offers dramatic and breathtaking views over the town and the fjord below.

Perast is also an ideal base for exploring other towns in the Boka region – beautiful Kotor is just 12 kilometers away – or other areas of Montenegro or nearby Dubrovnik, Croatia. You are sure to enjoy your time in this idyllic corner of the Montenegro coast.

If you are taking kids on a trip, you want to know that there will be plenty to keep them entertained.  I reckon that London is one of best places to visit in Europe with children.  Here are some ideas for things to do in London with kids.

1 London Museums

London has so many museums, state museums are free to enter (but there may be a fee for special exhibitions),  this is such a bonus as it also gives you an all weather option.  Heather’s top three London museums for families are the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert.  Neha recommends the Transport Museum and Pollocks Toy Museum and  but there’s a entry fee at these venues.

Pattern Pod at the Science Museum London by heatheronhertravels

2 London Parks

Hyde Park is a large open space in central London,  ideal for a picnic or a row on the  Serpentine Lake.  The Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens has a full size pirate ship replica. London Zoo and the Open Air Theatre are at Regents Park. St James Park is close to Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square, kids love pelican feeding time at 2.30pm

Diana Memorial Playground by sightseeingLondon

3 London City Farms

There are ten city farms in London where you an experience the country life without leaving the city.  Hackney City Farm is open Tuesday – Sunday from 10am – 4.30pm, a late afternoon visit would incorporate feeding time at 4pm. The onsite Frizzante Cafe won a Time Out award for the best family restaurant.

Hackney City Farm plan by aburt

4 London Theatre

With so many theatres in London,  there is bound to be a selection of shows suitable for kids and families. You should check out the deals available on London West End tickets as it’s often cheaper to purchase through a third party. An annual Kids Week (it’s actually on for two weeks) runs during August when one child aged 5 – 16 gets a free ticket for specified shows when an adult buys a full price ticket. There’s also a range of free activities such as puppet shows and behind the scenes tours.

Lion King at Lyceum Theatre by AndyRob

I think you must agree that London is one of the best places to visit in Europe with kids.  If you’re doing some family Europe travel planning, London should be on your itinerary, so make sure that you find the best hotels in London for your family group, as kids policies can vary from hotel to hotel.  Some hotel chains such as Hilton, Apex and Holiday Inn even offer kids free stays and meals if they share a room with adults.

Do you have any recommendations for things to do in London with kids?

Useful Resources

Visit London have a regularly updated What’s on for Kids section.
Kids discounts on London Transport.

Admittedly, it’s an obsession when I travel: I always want to see a city from up high. I love to get the feel for a place, understand the layout and geography. When I understand the blueprint of a city from high above, I start to feel more like a local than a tourist glued to her map to reach every destination. Paris, one of my favourite European cities, has so many great places from which visitors can observe wonderful Paris views that I have made it my personal quest to see most of them.

But the place I first visited as a child and which draws me back time and again is Paris’ spectacular Notre Dame cathedral. I was recently back in Paris with my young children.  Since it was their first visit to Paris, I immediately made a beeline to one of the most popular Paris attractions, Notre Dame to share this special spot with them. We visited the cathedral and then exited to get in the line to climb up the towers. They groaned when they saw the size of the line (inwardly, so did I), but I told them the story of Quasimodo the hunch-backed bell-ringer of Notre Dame as we waited.

Finally we reached the front of the line and made our way up the circular stone staircase.  As we emerged out into the daylight, it made the wait more than worth it. The view over Paris is unrivalled from this vantage point  and it is wonderful to be able to observe this lovely city among the whimsical gargoyles who have silently stood guard for centuries.

I’ll certainly be coming back to stand watch with my gargoyle friends as long as my legs will continue to carry me up there – who could ever grow bored gazing down lovingly on belle Paris?

If you’re thinking of a  Paris city break,  check out the best hotels in Paris.

The small Mediterranean island of Malta is a great Europe destination. Malta  appeals to travellers seeking beautiful, sunny weather, gorgeous coastlines and beaches, crystal-clear sea and impressive historical sites.

Although much of Malta has been over-developed, there are many beautiful destinations on this island which immediately transport you back in time. One of my Europe travel tips is to visit the charming, exotic Maltese town of Mdina (according to Maltese friends, pronounced EM-dina), with its impressive fortifications.

Although originally settled by the Phoenicians, the town today bears the stamp of its later Arab settlers. While wandering the winding, narrow, labarynth-like alleyways, you could be forgiven for wondering if you are in northern Africa rather than Europe.

There are wonderful  baroque details on the buildings, much of it pointing clearly to the golden era of the Knights of Malta. The powerful Knights of Malta brought great wealth to their island state and this is clearly reflected in the ornate baroque churches and palaces that the Knights constructed during major renovation efforts of the town in the early 18^th century. Not to be missed is the stunning and elegant St. Paul’s Cathedral, completed in 1702.

In northern African towns, it is always a pleasure to observe the intricate door-knockers. Mdina also has some fine, whimsical examples.

Malta is extremely hot during the spring and summer months. It is best to visit Mdina in early morning or late afternoon hours. My suggestion would be to combine this lovely town with the nearby beach of Ghajn Tuffieha, just a few kilometers away.

Image courtesy Wallpaper-s.org

Enjoying a day wandering the magical, warren of streets in stunning Mdina, followed by lazing on the golden sands of  Ghajn Tuffieha and swimming in its refreshing, turquoise waters as you enjoy the view up to one of the Knights’ impressive watchtowers, you will be certain to have discovered one of the best places to visit in Europe.

There are so many beautiful churches in Rome, that first-time visitors are often left exhausted and overwhelmed by all they have seen. On subsequent visits to the Italian capital, my Europe travel tip for Rome sightseeing is make an effort to visit some of the spectacular but less-frequented churches around the Eternal City.

One exceptional church tucked away on a side street, close to the much more visited Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, is Santa Prassede (Saint Praxades). One could be forgiven for unwittingly passing this church by – it barely stands out from the surrounding houses.

Yet missing out on a visit to this gem of a church would be a real mistake. Despite its simple exterior, the Byzantine mosaics on display here are well worth the visit.

The church is named for Saint Praxades, who is said to have lived in this area. The church was built in 822 A.D., on the site of 2^nd century Roman houses. Legend has it that it was Saint Praxedes herself who transported to this site and then reburied the bones of 2000 Christian martyrs who had been buried in the Roman catacombs. The catacombs, located outside the city walls, were considered unsafe during the 9^th century Saracen invasions of Rome.

The beautiful 9^th century mosaics high above the altar depict Saint Praxedes and her sister being presented to Christ. The luminous gold and bright colours reflect the changing light of day.

The real highlight of this church, however, is the tiny chapel of San Zenone, with its striking mosaics. Every centimeter of this chapel is encrusted in luscious, vibrant Byzantine mosaic work. The rich colours, incredible details, and the proximity of the mosaics in this tiny space, all allow visitors to carefully examine the work and to better understand the enormous complexity of creating such beautiful medieval mosaics.

The lights in the San Zenone chapel are controlled by timed, coin-operated machines, so bring along plenty of coins to admire this stunning art under the lights. You will be very pleased to have discovered this tucked-away masterpiece.

This church is very close to the excellent bakery,  Panella. Be sure to stop by afterwards for a light lunch or aperativo.

Santa Prassede is located near Santa Maria Maggiore, on Via di Santa Prassede, 9A. It is open daily 7:00-12:00 and 16:00-18:30.