written by Sophie S.
Thinking of travel to Europe with kids? Then you must visit some cool castles and scary dungeons along the way!
There are so many European destinations to consider, and some of them are better for family travel than others. If you want to plan a trip filled with castles, dungeons and other neat remnants of a time gone past that children will find entertaining, there is plenty to see. The castles of Europe served as the inspiration for Disney, Vikings were the original pirates, and prisoners were kept in some of the most elaborate prisons the world has seen.
Head to any one of these European destinations with kids for a trip straight out of a storybook.
Germany’s Castles By Car or Boat
For anyone that loves the sight of a castle, Germany is the record holder of all time favorite castle destinations, and every Disney princess or tower fan in the family is going to love this destination. Dubbed Castle Road, the Burgenstrasse and Romantische Strasse let you castle hop for hundreds of miles by car. Alternately, families can rent rooms aboard several different cruise lines and view castles from the Rhine River, which are often split into two trip sections so you can do part of the trip by water and part by boat.
Tower of London and the Tower Bridge
London is one of the top European destinations, and its a favorite with families because there are a lot of castles, dungeons and palaces to explore. The Tower of London is one of the favorite attractions of kids, where the Tower comes to life and families can experience what it was like to actually live in the Tower. After exploring the Tower, head over to Tower Bridge where the entire family can walk the high level walkways and learn more about how the Bridge was built and works.
Skansen and Stockholm
If a Nordic vacation is what you have in mind Stockholm is a playground for children that love maritime history and the outdoors. Skansen, in Stockholm is a living museum, consisting of an open air park that is representative of Swedish agricultural life from the 16th through 20th centuries. Kids can have fun in the zoo, learn from and watch period dressed craftsmen and villagers and walk through operational buildings from all different periods. Back in the city, use the same waterways the locals use to get around the city of islands where fairy tales and Pippi Longstocking were born.
Gladiator’s View of Rome
The Colosseum might just look like a beautiful ancient structure to us now, but it was built to hold thousands of gladiators prisoner before they were forced to fight in the rings. Rome is filled with ancient history, and so much of it has an interesting story to go with it. Head to Castel Sant’Angelo to view the rounded tower castle that Hadrian built for himself, then head to Vatican City, which is actually an entire country. Older children might enjoy a trip down into the Catacombs, where early Romans buried entire families in carved out caves and tunnels.
