Five Offbeat Family-Friendly Destinations in Europe

The major metropolises of Western Europe are family-friendly, but they’re also everyone-friendly. Chances are, if you’re well traveled, you (and maybe your children) have already seen Paris, London, and Rome. So, if you’re looking for something different, or if you’re not interested in chasing your kids through urban hustle and bustle, consider taking your next family vacation to one of these more offbeat European destinations.

Devil's Bridge, Kassel, Germany
Photo by Matthias Stump

Fairy Tale Road, Germany:  Northeast of Frankfurt, between the towns of Hanau and Bremen, is a land of castles, cobblestone, wizards, and witches. Crossing through the home of the Brothers Grimm, Germany’s Fairy-Tale Road is thick with images that arouse whimsical imagination in the most unbelieving of mortals. Wind your way through the towns of half-timbered houses and the imposing forests that inspired the settings for your children’s favorite fables, including Sleeping Beauty, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Snow White, and Little Red Riding Hood. Towns along the road embrace their storied history with puppet-shows, open-air plays, and medieval feasts. 

Lapland, Finland:  Your children will happily brave the elements for the opportunity to meet the “real” Santa Claus. Rovaniemi is home to Kris Kringle, and the city has embraced the honor with a kitschy homage that kids will love and adults will tolerate. You can visit the Santa Claus Village year round, but it’s most festive during the holiday season when there’s that unmistakable Christmas cheer in the air. Highlights include the North Pole’s post office, an exhibition on Christmas celebrations from around the world, and Santa Park, an underground theme park chock-full of holiday spirit. A bonus for parents: Lapland has stunning unspoiled landscapes and good vantage points for viewing the spectacular northern lights.   

Transylvania, Romania
Photo by Eugen

Transylvania, Romania:  Transylvania is not the unearthly land portrayed by Bram Stoker, though it can evoke a slight feeling of eeriness that visitors may find hard to shake. The region holds fast to its Dracula connection; there’s Castle Bran, which is said to be the home of the Count, a number of other Saxon fortresses, and vampire-themed hotels and cafes. Really, Transylvania is more of a pastoral region with charming, old architecture. Still, you won’t have much trouble convincing your children of its place in mythical history. And parents will love the price--Transylvania is relatively inexpensive compared to similar destinations in neighboring Western Europe.

Loire Valley, France:  This ostentatious French region is home to some of the world’s most opulent chateaux. Adults and kids alike will enjoy promenades through perfectly manicured gardens and waltzes through the grand hallways of the country’s Renaissance. Don’t miss  Chambord, the second largest palace in France (next to Versailles), or Chenonceau, with its enchanting bridge arching over the River Cher. The castles’ delightful neighboring towns will give your children the urge to sing in the streets, Beauty-and-the-Beast style.



Chenonceau Castle, Loire Valley, France

 Odense, Denmark:  Birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson, author of famous fairytales such as The Little Mermaid and Thumbelina, Odense celebrates the storywriter with statues, parades, and a museum. Perhaps influenced by its most famous citizen, the town has evolved into a child’s wonderland. There’s a railway museum, one of Europe’s best-preserved water castles, and an impressive zoo. Nearby Billund is home to Legoland, another family-friendly Danish destination.  The kids will be especially happy if you stay at Lalandia, a resort complex with an indoor waterpark.

Kukkolaforsen

On my first trip to Finland in 2006 with my husband, we had a quick stop at Kukkolaforsen.
Első finnnországi utazásom során, 2006-ban a férjemmel tettünk egy rövid kirándulást a Kukkolaforsenhez.

The fishing village lies on the Swedish side, by the Torne river which is a border between Sweden and Finland, close to the North Polar Circle.
A halászfalu a svéd oldalon fekszik a Torne folyam mellett, ami határt alkot Svéd- és Finnország között, és közel az Északi-sarkkörhöz.

See map here / Térkép

Wild wild water...

We were eating some very nice fish but don't ask its name... You can have it in the fancy restaurant as well, but it fits better to the spirit of the place to have it wrapped in paper and you sit down in the grass by the river.
Valami nagyon finom halat ettünk, de ne kérdezd a nevét... El lehet fogyasztani a csillogó étteremben is, de jobban illik a hely szelleméhez, ha papírba csomagolva vesszük, és leülünk vele a fűbe a folyóparton.

You might like my songs as well, have a listen
Hátha szeretni fogod a dalaimat is, hallgass bele!

KKK Supermarket

Listen to little birdie's station

Still in Finland, a surprising shop.
Még mindig Finnország; egy meglepő bolt.



No panic, it has nothing to do with that infamous KKK you would think of, this store is not owned or runned by Ku-Klux Klan. It is an ordinary supermarket chain over there. The K stands for something that I forgot :o( and the number of Ks show the rating of the shop - like you have *** and ***** hotels...
Csak semmi pánik, nincs köze ahhoz a hírhedt KKK-hoz, amire az ember gondolna, ez nem a Ku-Klux Klan üzlete. Arrafelé ez egy közönséges szupermarket-hálózat. A K valaminek a rövidítése, amit már elfelejtettem :o( és a K-k száma mutatja az illető üzlet minősítését - mint ahogy vannak *** meg ***** szállodák...

Somebody just corrected me about the Ks in a comment: the number of Ks indicates how big is the shop.
Valaki egy hozzászólásban kijavított a K-kal kapcsolatban: a K-k száma az üzlet nagyságát jelzi

*****

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Sunrise over train bridge in Tornio

Listen to little birdie's station


Back to travelling!
Vissza az utazásokhoz!

I indeed have a lot more pictures to work on and post... And something happened with the template of this blog, so I am trying to find the problem and fix it. I hope though, you can still enjoy the photos :-)
Tényleg van egy rakás fotóm, amin dolgoznom kellene egy kicsit és felrakni... Meg valami történt ennek a blogomnak a sablonjával, keresem a problémát, hogy ki tudjam javítani. De remélem, a képek azért élvezhetők :-)

This one is from the June trip to Finland, on the wy back.
Egy fotó a júniusi finnországi útról, visszafelé jövet.

Alatornio church

Listen to little birdie's station

It was a wonderful, particularly warm day, around 25 Celsius, which is not common in the beginning of June here. On the second day of our trip to the North we visited a magnifique place. Csodaszep, kulonlegesen meleg nap volt, 25 fok korul, ami errefele nem mondhato mindennapinak junius elejen. Eszaki utunk masodik napjan ellatogattunk egy lenyugozo templomba.

Alatornio is a part of the Finnish city Tornio, located at the Swedish-Finnish border, right where the Tornio river runs into the Gulf of Bothnia.
Alatornio a Tornio nevu finn varosnak egy resze, rogton ott, ahol a Tornio folyo beleomlik a Botteni-obolbe, Svedorszag es Finnorszag hataran.



The basics of this great Evangelical-Lutheran church might be even reaching back to 1208, but at least to the 14th century. Under Gustaf Adolph IV, as you can see it on the facade, got its final shape.
A hatalmas evangelikus-lutheranus templom alapjai talan 1208-ra nyulnak vissza, de biztosan legalabb a XIV. szazadig. Mint ahogy a homlokzaton is lathato, IV. Gusztav Adolf ideje alatt nyerte el vegso formajat.







Besides congregational activities, they have also concerts in the church.
Az egyhazkozossegi eleten kivul koncerteket is rendeznek a templomban.

It is also part of the Struve Geodetic Arc which belongs to UNESCO's World Heritage List.
Ezenkivul a Struve-fele geodeziai ivhez tartozik (ennek sajnos meg csak a nevet sem talaltam meg magyarul), amely az UNESCO vilagoroksegenek resze.

finland