Type. We had a hotel for this visit. We stayed at the Holiday Inn - Slough Windsor, which was fairly close to the park (about 15 minutes away). We had two double rooms, which were thankfully right next to one another (though not adjoining). We split them between boys and girls (which means I got stuck with 3 kids while my hubby only had 1).
Cost. We cheated a little on this one, as we had built up loyalty points with Holiday Inn. We use our points for the stay, and so it was free. Rooms ran for us at 15,000 points a night. Money wise, they were about 57 GBP per room (about $110), but did not include breakfast.
Amenities. Each room had two queen beds, a table and chairs, a tv, a full bathroom, and tea/coffee service. The Hotel had elevators, parking (which was 5 GBP per night), and a restaurant in the hotel.
Other. This hotel is within reasonable commuting distance to Legoland Windsor. It is in a rather interesting neighborhood, but does have some facilities such as an ASDA store within about 1/2 a mile.
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel two stars (**) for kid friendliness. Transportation
Driving. We drove from our home in the northern part of England. It took about 4 hours to get there. Driving was a bit chaotic, as many of the roads were under construction and Windsor is quite near London and traffic is heavy.
Public Transportation. There were some bus routes that ran from the local towns to Legoland.
Walking. It is not possible to walk to Legoland, though walking to some areas of the local towns is possible.
Food
We brought our own breakfast foods (such as muffins, fruit and juice), and then purchased lunch and dinner at the park.
Fast Food. Legoland had plenty of places to eat, ranging from the burger joints, to sit down places.
Sit Down. There were a few sit down places in the park.
Parking costs 2 GBP per day, unless you have an annual pass. There is prefferred parking, which is closer to the park entrance, which has the following costs:
Preferred Parking
Prices
Preferred Parking Pass
£6
Annual Passholder Preferred Parking Pass
£4
Preferred Parking Season Pass
£14
Comments: We had a lot of fun here. They had a great pirate show, plenty of fun rides for all ages, and plenty of places to eat. We bought an annual pass (as it was cheaper than a two day pass which is our normal Legoland fare), and got to spend three days in the park. We even got to go back in October to see the park's "Wizard Fireworks".
Toilettes Availability:Public restrooms can be found readily throughout the park. They have family restrooms as well, just in case Mom or Dad has to help a little one.
Public/Private: All of the restrooms in the park are open to the public.
Cost: Restrooms in the park are free.
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: We did not see any laundry facilities in the hotel or near the hotel.
Groceries: There was an ASDA Superstore about 1/2 mile from the hotel, and other local shops in the area. Review
This was a really fun trip. Our kids were excited to see yet another Legoland, and hurriedly decided on which rides to hit. There was plenty to entertain kids of all ages, though being the high season, lines were a bit longer, unless you go early in the day. Sadly there were no large roller coasters, like there were at Legoland Billund or Legoland DE. They are in the process of building a hotel at the site, and some new rides.
Trip Highlights
- umm, Legoland?
Overall Rating
If you love Legos, Legoland Windsor is definitely a 4 star must see location.
Type. We stayed at a hotel about an 30 minutes from the park, called Park Hotel Schmid. It was part of a holiday package with Legoland. Legoland Deutschland also has it's own hotel on site.
Cost. The total for our holiday package (2 night hotel stay plus 2 day passes to the park for each of us) was 289.00 Euros.
Amenities. The hotel had two double beds, and we brought our own baby cot. There was also a full bathroom. The hotel offered a daily breakfast. The hotel was located in a very small town, so there were not too many amenities.
Other. We had a nice walk around the town, and it was in a nice area.
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel four stars (****) for kid friendliness.
Transportation
Driving. We drove from our home in Germany, and it took us around 4 hours. Driving in the area was pretty easy, and the hotel did offer parking. We did have to drive to the park (about 1 hour each way).
Public Transportation. We did not see any reliable transportation to the park, as it is quite isolated.
Walking. Walking inside the park is no problem, but getting to the park requires vehicular transportation.
Food
Luckily breakfast (which for me is the hardest meal to deal with when traveling) was provided at the hotel We ate heartily, which helped us last until we could find lunch.
We had lunch in the park, and dinner at either a restaurant outside the park (called Quick burger) or one of the german restaurants in the town near our hotel.
Fast Food. There were several fast food restaurants between our hotel and the park.
Sit Down.There were a large variety of sit down restaurants ranging from casual cafes to upper crust fancy places.
Times: See the parks website for details on opening times as this park is seasonal.
Costs:
Ticket
Reg. price
Online price
1-Day Ticket Bambini (3-5 years)
16,50 €
16,50 €
1-Day Ticket Child/Senior (6-11 / 60+)
33 €
24.75 €
1-Day Ticket Adult (12-59)
37 €
27.75 €
2-Day Ticket Adult (12-59)
61 €
51.85 €
2-Day Ticket Child Senior (3-11 / 60+)
61 €
51.85 €
Comments: This park had a much stricter policy for ages and heights on rides. They did have plenty of fun rides and movies to see. This park, surprisingly, is not as child friendly as other Legoland parks, due in part, I imagine to the cultural issues in Germany around children.
Toilettes
Availability:Public restrooms can be found readily throughout the park. They have family restrooms as well, just in case Mom or Dad has to help a little one.
Public/Private: All of the restrooms in the park are open to the public.
Cost: Restrooms in the park are free.
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: We didn't notice any laundry faciilties near our hotel. Ask your hotel where the best facilities are located.
Groceries: There were a few small shops in the town. Review
We had fun at the park, but we made the mistake of going the weekend of a German school holiday, so the lines were long and it was hard to get a lot of time going on rides.
Trip Highlights
-having our first Legoland experience
Overall Rating
If you like Legos, Legoland Deutschland is a 4 star must see location.
Type. We stayed at FDM Camping - Billund, which is a camping village about 500 meters from Legoland. We had a two bedroom cabin with a parking space.
Cost. We had an entire package which not only included our accommodation, but also 2 day passes to the park. The total cost was 528 Euros.
Amenities. Our cabin had two bedrooms (one with double bed, one with bunk beds), kitchenette, sitting area and bathroom (shower only). We also had a television (and like most Scandinavian countries there was plenty of English language shows). There were several play areas in the camping park, and there was a water recreation area right across the street. The site also had a small grocery store.
Other. You can't get any closer to Legoland than this! We were within walking distance of the park.
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel four stars (****) for kid friendliness.
Transportation
Driving. We drove from our home in Germany, and it took us around 12 hours. Driving in the area was pretty easy, and the hotel did offer parking with our accommodation. Since we were so close to the park, we just left our car and walked.
Public Transportation. There were some buses to the park from the town, and Legoland has it's own adjacent airport (Billund airport).
Walking. Leooland is fairly isolated, though we were able to walk from our accomodations.
Food
Since we had a kitchenette, both breakfast and dinner were eaten at "home". We brought some food with us, but purchased more essentials at the small shop in the camping village.
Fast Food. Legoland had plenty of places to eat, ranging from the burger joints, to sit down places.
Sit Down. There were a few sit down places in the park.
Christmas in LEGOLAND - children (3-12 years) / seniors (65+)
weekends 13/11 - 5/12
approx 17
Christmas in LEGOLAND - adults 13-64 years
weekends 13/11 - 5/12
approx 20
Comments: We found this the most fun of the European Legolands. The smaller children had access to more of the rides, and they were much more family friendly. They have a great medical staff (our smallest tripped and split her lip open) who even gave our daughter some free duplos for being a trooper. They also have plenty of baby help, with free diapers, changing facilities, food and bottle warmers, etc.
Toilettes
Availability:Public restrooms can be found readily throughout the park. They have family restrooms as well, just in case Mom or Dad has to help a little one.
Public/Private: All of the restrooms in the park are open to the public.
Cost: Restrooms in the park are free.
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: The camping village did have a laundry room.
Groceries: There was a small shop at the camping village, as well as larger ones in Billund proper. Review
This was a really fun trip. We arrived late in the afternoon, but were please to discover that we could get into the park for free for the last hour (as the rides were all closed). This allowed us to see Miniland and do some pre-shopping. Our kids had a great time on the rides, and surprisingly the lines were very short, so they could on the rides repeatedly. I was slightly bummed to miss the roller coasters, as I was pregnant. In two days, we were able to hit every ride that was open. The lunches were a bit pricey (hey welcome to Denmark) but balanced out with the fact that we had "home" meals and brought our own snacks.
Trip Highlights
- umm, Legoland?
Overall Rating
If you love Legos, Legoland Billund is definitely a 5 star must see location.
Type. We choose to stay at the Radission SAS Scandinavian Hotel in Copenhagen. We were able to get a family room, with a bedroom (double bed) and two twin cots in the living area (we brought our own baby cot).
Cost. The room itself was 1545 DKK per night (about $275), and sadly this was a cheap price for Copenhagen, as this is a VERY expensive city. Breakfast was an additional 175 DKK (about $32) per person per day. We skipped that.
Amenities. The room had a separate bedroom with a double bed and the hotel gave us two twin cots which were placed in our living area. The hotel did have internet connection (included in our room cost), and cable television (one tv in the bedroom and one in the living area) which had english language programs and movies. We also had a full sized bathroom.
The hotel did offer breakfast and had several restaurants in the hotel. Parking was available on site, and was about 190 DKK per day.
Other. The hotel was located on the outskirts of Copenhagen, but within walking distance of most of the sights.
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel four stars (****) for kid friendliness. Transportation
Driving. We drove to Copenhagen (via Norway and Sweden) from our home in Germany. Whilst it was fairly easy driving, Copenhagen is not a car friendly city, so I would recommend parking the car and either walking or using public transportation during your visit.
Public Transportation. There is a fairly large bus network in Copenhagen, but we did not use it. Most places were fairly easy to get to, if you didn't mind walking.
Walking. Copenhagen was definitely walking friendly, with separate pedestrian and bicycle lanes on the pavements. Bicycles were also common.
Food
We brought our own breakfast food (as it was much cheaper than buying it from the hotel), and then purchased our lunches and dinners on the local economy.
Fast Food. Copenhagen is home to many of those restaurants which we know and love (McDonalds, Burger King, etc). They also have several that are more cultural. They also have a healthy supply of Kebab stands, sandwich shops, and other quick cheap European style fast food options. We didn't have a problem finding places to eat (other than making up our minds).
Sit Down.There were a large variety of sit down restaurants ranging from casual cafes to upper crust fancy places. Most restaurants were very expensive and so we didn't use any sit down restaurants.
Comments:Tivoli is the oldest amusement park in Europe, and is very reminiscent of places like Coney Island. It is very expensive to get in, and then you must pay extra to enjoy the rides. We merely went for a few hours, and so only purchased a few ride tickets so our kids could have a little fun. There is a Hard Rock Cafe in the park, and a variety of other yummy food vendors (our kids had cotton candy for the first time here). The Little Mermaid
Times: Open year round, daily.
Costs: Free
Comments: If you've managed to make the trek to Copenhagen, and haven't had a heart attack from the expense, you have to see the Little Mermaid Statue, located along the harbour in Copenhagen. You can take a myriad of photos from the overlook, or if you are daring (and we were) you can scamper across the rocks (hopefully without getting too wet) and have your photo taken with the lovely lady.
Comments: It is hard to find, but well worth the trouble. It's proper name is Vor Frue Kirke (so if you are asking for tourist information from your hotel try that name). It is a gorgeous church, and houses the original of Thorvaldsen's Christus and his statues of the 12 apostles. Freetown Christiana
Times: Daily
Costs: Free admission as this is an open community.
Comments: Christiana is a open co-operative community based in an old military installation. By law these individuals are squatting (the land is still owned by the military), but the community has been allowed to stay for quite some time. It is an interesting visit, but may not be suitable for all children. Photography is discouraged, and the use of marijuana is common. Other than a ramble through an interesting, alternative community, there isn't much to see here.
Comments: A great walk right on Copenhagen water front. This star shaped fortress goes back to the 17th century. Stroget (The Pedestrian Street)
Times:
Monday - Thursday 10:00 - 18:00.
Friday 10:00 - 19:00.
Saturday 10:00 - 16:00.
First Sunday of the month 10:00 - 16:00.
Costs: Free.
Comments: The world's longest pedestrian street is a place to see. With plenty of shops and restaurants to keep you busy. We had a nice lunch along here.
Comments: This unique and stunning tower can offer great view over Copenhagen. If you have small children, you may want to avoid it, as the climb is all stairs. We missed this one as the tower was closed for renovations.
Access to the palace grounds are free. For admission to The Amalienborg Museum, and any special exhibition:
Adults: 60 Kr. Children (0-17): Free Groups (min. 12 people): 50 Kr, pp Students: 40 Kr. Seniors (+65): 40 Kr. Combined Ticket: 100 Kr. Season Ticket: 250 Kr. Photo Permission: 20 Kr.
Comments: This palace was beautiful, and you can watch the changing of the guard. It has a beautiful fountain, and is a nice walk for an afternoon.
Times: Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm. Mondays closed. Closed: 24.12, 25.12 & 31.12.
Guided tours in Danish of the Victorian Home start from the National Museum at 12pm, 1pm & 2pm on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.
The Childrens Museum closes 16.30 Saturday and Sunday.
Costs: Free admission.
Comments: If you'd like to learn about the history of Denmark, or see a wide variety of artifcats, this is the place for you. Even if you don't want to spend all day, you can have a quick look round, after all it is free! Toilettes
When you travel with little ones, bathrooms are an important thing to be able to find. Europeans are generally not big on public restrooms.
Availability: Public restrooms can be found, but are scattered and not always easy to find. Your best bet is to make sure to make use of restrooms offered in the restaurants, museums, and other attractions that you visit. Most of the major attractions have restrooms.
Public/Private: Most available restrooms are actually going to be in some type of business, whether it is a restaurant or attraction.
Cost: Costs for restrooms can run from free to around 1 euro per person. Occassionally bathroom attendants will allow an adult to take a child into the restroom and only charge for one person (I did this with my kids, and even when I took both potty trained children, I usually only had to pay for me).
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: We didn't notice any laundry faciilties near our hotel, but scattered around the city we did see some laundry facilities. Ask your hotel where the best facilities are located.
Groceries: There are a variety of grocery stores in both Leiden and Amsterdam. You can ask at hotels or tourist information points for locations. Review
While it definitely takes the cake for the most expensive place we've been, it was a beautiful city. There are so many cultural icons here that you may have a hard time choosing. You will need to watch your money, so make sure you know what you are willing to splurge on before hand.
Trip Highlights
-Tivoli Gardens
-The Little Mermaid
-The Church of Our Lady
Overall Rating
Copenhagen is definitely a 5 star must see location.
Type. Since we had 3 kids and were only staying one night, we opted for a holiday apartment at the Catalina Apartment Hotel. It was a two bedroom apartment located in a residential area of Oslo.
Cost. For one night at this apartment, the cost was 1590 NOK (about $269).
Amenities. We had two bedrooms, one with a double bed and one with two twins (which is also where we put the baby cot). There was also a full bathroom that included a clothes washer and dryer. The apartment had a living room, with cable television and internet connection, as well as a full kitchen, which included all dishes and cookware.
There was a small parking lot on site, but was not available for guests. We had to park on the street, which was free overnight (from 17:00 - 07:00). The hotel was quite close to a large kid friendly park.
Other. The hotel was a fair distance outside the city center, but within walking distance (as long as you had a stroller). The neighborhood was very quiet.
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel three stars (***) for kid friendliness. Transportation
Driving. You can drive fairly easily in Oslo. We "drove" from our home in Germany. It actually required about an 8 hour drive to Kiel (a port city on the northern coast) and an overnight ferry ride from Kiel to Oslo. This ferry was pretty pricey (about $800), and only included the transportation of yourself and a car and a stateroom for the overnight portion. Fuel in Norway (as with the rest of Scandinavia) was fairly expensive, so you may want to cut down on the driving you do.
Public Transportation. There are buses in Oslo, but we did not use them.
Walking. We drove to several locations when we first arrived, but after checking into our hotel, we walked everywhere. Oslo was quite pedestrian friendly and has a large pedestrian zone in the downtown.
Food
Since we stayed in an apartment here, we prepared our own meals. We packed enough food for this in our car, and purchased perishables (such as milk) at a local shop.
Fast Food. Just like the rest of the world, Oslo is home to many of those restaurants which we know and love (McDonalds, Burger King, etc). They also have several that are more cultural.
Sit Down.There were a large variety of sit down restaurants ranging from casual cafes to upper crust fancy places.
Attractions
There is a nice walking area in the downtown of Oslo, near the Royal Palace, as well as a nice open walking area near the harbour. You can also walk by the Nobel Peace Prize building (and the very ugly American Embassy).
Note: Other hours may apply on public and school holidays.
Costs:
Adults: 100 NOK
Seniors and Students: 75 NOK
Children (6-18): 25 NOK
Children (0-6): Free
Families: 200 NOK
Comments: This is another of the Scandinavian open air museums. There are a variety of buildings exhibiting the history of Norway. There are several guided tours which can show you the major sights of the museum. There are many animals (which you can touch) and a large number of historically dressed individuals. You can also visit a 12th century stave church (which is a bit of an uphill hike). We even had the chance to buy some sweet bread, which is still made the traditional way (it was very good). It was very accessible with a stroller.
Parking was available across from the museum for a reasonable price.
Note: Other hours may apply on public and school holidays.
Cost:
Adults
Admission
60 NOK
Children 7-15 years
Admission
30 NOK
(7-16)
Senior/Student
Admission
35 NOK
Groups min. 10 pers.
Per person
35 NOK
Family ticket
Admission
140 NOK
(2a+2c)
Children under 7 years
Free entrance
Comments: This is a small museum which houses several Viking era ships that have been excavated in Norway. They are displayed, along with a variety of artifacts related to Viking burial rites and life in the Viking age.
Note: Other hours may apply on public and school holidays.
Costs: Free Admission Comments: This Festning (or fortress) is located in downtown Oslo, near the waterfront and can give you an idea of Norwegian military history...plus some great views of the harbour.
Closed:
24, 25, 31 of December.
1. January and 17. May
Cost: Adults NOK 65
Children up to 5 years free
Children from 5 years NOK 25,-
Family NOK 130
Groups NOK 45 (min. 10)
Students/Seniors NOK 40
Comments: We didn't visit the museum on our visit, but my husband had been on a previous solo visit. It is all in homage to Thor Heyerdahl, Norway's great explorer, and his ship Kon-Tiki. There is pay parking near the museum, and even if you don't want to go in, there is a park area where you can picnic. We stopped at the museum merely to visit the park area, have lunch, and since there is access to the water, have a dip in the cool fjord.
*1 Må bestilles innen kl 19.00.
*2 Only during the week.(saturday and sunday by order)
*3 Only saturday an sunday.
*4 Only FROM Oscarsborg wednesday-saturday.
Costs: Tickets can be bought on the quay or on the ferry.
The price for a round trip is NOK 70 for adults, and NOK 50 for children. There is also a family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children) at NOK 180. Access to the fortress is included in the price of ferry ticket.
Comments: Located a short way from Oslo proper, Oscarborg is an impressive island fortress. It is most famous for it's protection of Oslo Fjord during the First World War, with it's most famous action being the sinking of the German ship the Bluecher. You can explore the fortress and see exhibits about what life was like for the men who served here. You can also get some impressive views of the fjord and Oslo (in the distance). If nature is your thing, there are plenty of small trails through the islands that you can walk and explore.
Toilettes
When you travel with little ones, bathrooms are an important thing to be able to find. Europeans are generally not big on public restrooms.
Availability: Public restrooms can be found, but are scattered and not always easy to find. Your best bet is to make sure to make use of restrooms offered in the restaurants, museums, and other attractions that you visit. Most of the major attractions have restrooms.
Public/Private: Most available restrooms are actually going to be in some type of business, whether it is a restaurant or attraction.
Cost: Costs for restrooms can run from free to around 1 euro per person. Occassionally bathroom attendants will allow an adult to take a child into the restroom and only charge for one person (I did this with my kids, and even when I took both potty trained children, I usually only had to pay for me).
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: We were lucky that we had laundry machines in the apartment. We didn't notice any other laundry facilties near our hotel, but scattered around the city we did see some laundry facilities. Ask your hotel where the best facilities are located.
Groceries: There are a variety of grocery stores all over Oslo, from larger chains to small local shops. You can ask at hotels or tourist information points for locations. Review
This was a great trip, and the fact that we were able to some by boat was amazing (Color Line Ferries). It would have been nice to have a little more time to explore, but the two days we spent there was actually pretty well filled. The weather does get cool at night, even in the "high" summer, so make sure you have the appropriate clothing.
Trip Highlights
-Oscarborg Fortress
- Open air museum
- the cruise into Oslo Fjord
Overall Rating
Olso is a 4 star location. It doesn't rank 5 stars, merely because of the difficulty in getting there.
Type. At this time, we only had three kids, and, especially in Europe, we were generally required to get two hotel rooms. Sometimes, one room was possible (if the room limit is at least 4 people), since our youngest was still in a port-a-crib. We were able to find a hotel in Stockholm that allowed us to use just one room. We stayed at the Gustav Vasa Hotel.
Cost. Since we only required one room, the cost was 1450 Swedish Krona (about $214) per night.
Amenities. The room we had had a wonderful view of the Gustav Vasa Church. It had one double bed, two single beds and a couch. The room also had a phone, a desk, a hair dryer, and a bathroom. The bathroom was a bit of a strange layout. The shower (there was no bathtub) was located in the middle of the bathroom, and blocked the toilet from the rest of the room....so you couldn't take a shower and have the toilet available at the same time.
The hotel offered an breakfast buffet every morning. It was included in our reservation.
One downside was the fact that the elevator was too small for all of us (or our luggage) to go in at the same time...so it took a bit of huffing to get ourselves and our bags up to our room (we were on the third floor).
Other. The hotel was well located in Stockholm. It was in a fairly residential urban area. It was less than a block from the nearest Metro (subway) station, and there were a variety of bus lines as well. There were many options for restaurants within a reasonable walking distance of the hotel (including both Burger King and McDonalds).
The hotel has no parking of it's own, but does contract for parking spaces at a nearby garage for 150 SEK a day (about $23). We were lucky and found a public on street parking space right in front of the hotel, which was 20 SEK per day (about $3)...we just had the inconvenience of making sure that we updated our parking ticket every morning.
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel two stars (**) for kid friendliness. There were no overtly kid-friendly aspects, but they were also welcoming to families. Transportation Driving. We did take our car from our home in Germany, and made it to Sweden via an overnight ferry from Germany to Oslo Norway, and then driving (nearly two days worth) from Oslo to Stockholm.
Public Transportation. There was great bus and subway links throughout Stockholm.
Walking. Stockholm is like most European cities, and is very friendly to pedestrians.
Food
Luckily breakfast (which for me is the hardest meal to deal with when traveling) was provided at the hotel We ate heartily, which helped us last until we could find lunch.
Fast Food. Sweden is home to many of those restaurants which we know and love (McDonalds, Burger King, etc). They also have several that are more cultural. We found a good Kebab restaurant not far from our hotel, and generally used places like Subway or food stalls to provide lunch.
Sit Down. There were a large variety of sit down restaurants ranging from casual cafes to upper crust fancy places. We didn't patronize any of the sit down places during our visit.
Attractions
Since we planned to spend a few days in Stockholm, we purchased the Stockholm Card. This pass allowed us access to many of the local attractions for one price (and in the end saved us a ton of money). The card also allows for free access to the transportation network of Stockholm for the duration of the card.
Most of the museums, and several of the larger attractions are located on Djurgarden, and island in Stockholm once part of the Royal game park.
If you choose to visit single attractions, keep in mind that like most European museums and attractions, children under 18 are free, but check each attractions admission information to be sure.
Cost: 110 SEK ($16.50) for adults, Children (0-18): free. Free admission with the Stockholm Card.
Comments: This was our first stop, as my husband was very intent on seeing it (and it was his major motivation for coming to Stockholm). The Vasa was a sailing ship built in the 1600's, and built poorly. It was too top heavy, and sank just after being launched. It was hauled up from the bottom of the harbour in 1961. It is now housed in the museum and you can look at it, and visit several exhibitions on maritime life at the time of the Vasa.
Times:
1 Jan-31 Mar:
Mon-Wed 10:00-18:00
Thu-Sat 10:00-21:00
Sun 10:00-18:00.
1 Apr-31 May:
Mon-Sat 10:00-21:00
Sun 10:00-18:00.
1 Jun -31 Aug:
Mon-Sun 9:00-22:00
1 Sep-30 Nov:
Mon-Sun 10:00-21:00.
1 Dec-31 Dec:
Mon-Sat 10:00-23:00
Sun 10:00-21:00
CLOSED: 1 Jan, 24-25 Dec. Cost:
Adults: 35 SEK ($5.20)
Children: 15 SEK ($2.20)
Free admission with the Stockholm Card.
Comments: This tower offers a great view of the Stockholm area. There is an elevator which takes you up to the observation area. There are a few stairs to get from one level of the viewing area to the other. There is also a cafe at the observation area (which is where we stopped to have a snack and drink, which we had brought ourselves). The restaurant in the tower also has landmarks etched on the windows so you can tell what you are looking at. The shop at the base of the tower offers the normal variety of tourist trinkets, and free access to the internet.
Cost:
Adult: 80.00 SEK
Child: 40.00 SEK
Free Entry with the Stockholm Card
Comments: This was a nice little stop on our tour. Most of the museums in Stockholm are on Djurgarden, so you can walk between most. The day was hot, so stopping inside this small cool aquarium was nice. It was no wonder of aquariums, but the kids enjoyed seeing the fish.
Times:
1 Jan-31 Dec:
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00.
CLOSED: 1 Jan, 20-21 Jun, 23–24 Dec & 31 Dec. Cost:
Adult: 50.00 SEK Children (0-18): Free
Free Entry with the Stockholm Card
Comments: This museum was located outside the city center, closer to the TV tower. We were able to take a bus from Djurgarden to the museum. If you really like Maritime history, or model ships, or maritime related artwork, this is the place for you. Our kids were less than impressed, but my husband enjoyed it.
Comments: We've discovered that most Scandinavian countries have open air cultural museums. Here you can see styles of buildings that existed in the past, information about the indigenious peoples, and cultural displays. There is also a zoo of sorts, which exhibits both native and exotic animals to see. It does require quite a bit of walking, so bring a stroller, and be prepared to take a few rest stops as there are a lot of uphill bits. Skansen also has an aquarium on site, which does have an additional entry cost.
Times:
1 Jan-31 May:
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00.
1 Jun-30 Jun:
Mon-Sun 10:00-17:00.
1 Jul-31 Jul:
Mon-Sun 9:00-18:00.
1 Aug-31 Aug:
Mon-Sun 10:00-17:00.
1 Sep-31 Dec:
Tue-Sun 10:00-17:00
Extended opening during school/public holidays.
CLOSED: 24-25 Dec. Cost:
Adult: 145.00 SEK
Child (2-15): 125.00 SEK
Child (0-2): Free
Free Entry with the Stockholm Card. Free entry is only valid for one child aged 3-6 with each adult.
Comments: Have you ever wondered what a museum dedicated to Astrig Lindgren's character Pippi Longstocking woudl be like? Well, head to Junibacken to find out. This has to be one of the best children's museums ever. Your tour starts off with a short train ride through the world of children's fiction (there is a bit of a scary part with a dragon toward the end). You then get to explore the rest of the museum. There are puppet shows, storytelling, plenty of things to climb on and explore. There is also face painting (there was a huge line for this), a huge pit of giant legos, coloring and crafts, and a giant playhouse. Our kids had a blast, and it took us a while to get them to leave.
Times:
30 May-30 Aug: Tours run hourly from 10:30-18:30 Cost:
Adult: 150.00 SEK Child (6-11): 75.00 SEK
Child (0-5): Free
Free entry with Stockholm Card.
Comments: This was a great way to explore the canals and big sights in Stockholm. The tour is offered in a variety of languages (through audio headsets). Toilettes
When you travel with little ones, bathrooms are an important thing to be able to find. Europeans are generally not big on public restrooms.
Availability: Public restrooms can be found, but are scattered and not always easy to find. Your best bet is to make sure to make use of restrooms offered in the restaurants, museums, and other attractions that you visit. Most of the major attractions have restrooms.
Public/Private: Most available restrooms are actually going to be in some type of business, whether it is a restaurant or attraction.
Cost: Costs for restrooms can run from free to around about $1 per person. Occassionally bathroom attendants will allow an adult to take a child into the restroom and only charge for one person (I did this with my kids, and even when I took both potty trained children, I usually only had to pay for me).
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: We didn't notice any laundry faciilties near our hotel, but scattered around the city we did see some laundry facilities. Ask your hotel where the best facilities are located.
Groceries: There were a variety of local shops and grocery stores in the area of our hotel. You can ask at hotels or tourist information points for locations. Review
We had a great time in Stockholm, and there was plenty to see. We didn't make it to the amusement park (Grona Lund Tivoli), but we managed to see the majority of the major sights. The end of summer was a good time as the weather was warm (and hot at some times) without being overbearingly awful. Sweden was green and beautiful.
Type. With three kids, especially in Europe, we are generally required to get two hotel rooms. Sometimes, we can get one room (if the room limit is at least 4 people), since our youngest is still in a port-a-crib. We were lucky to find a great hotel in Leiden, Netherlands. The Holiday Inn Leiden, offered us a double room (two double beds) and even included a port-a-crib (so we didn't have to bring our own).
Cost. We decided to go with the Keukenhof package that the hotel offered. That only covered the first night lodging (with breakfast and tickets to the Keukenhof Gardens), but I was able to contact the hotel directly and add on two additional nights (with breakfast) at a discounted rate. Our total cost for the room (and all the "add-ons") was about 366 Euro (about $550).
Amenities. The room had two standard full sized beds, a desk, a TV, a closet, two chairs, and a bathroom (with tub, shower, toilet and sink). The hotel had a restaurant (which served dinner and breakfast), a bar, a swimming pool (which was actually open quite late), and a children's play area (which included legos, video games, a play house, and other toys). The hotel also had a parking lot which was free for guests. The hotel also offered a week day shuttle from the hotel to the central train station in Leiden (which offers trains to places like Amsterdam, the Hague, and other points in the Netherlands).
The hotel offered an AMAZING breakfast buffet every morning. It was included in our package, but I believe that you were able to purchase it separately for around 16 euro per person. It had cereals, breads, fruits, meats, a variety of juices and drinks...we never left hungry and we usually had a little something for the road (like an apple or a pastry).
Other. The hotel was well located in Leiden, and was within walking distance to the city center. The trains station was withing walking distance, but was pretty far (we managed it with a bike stroller and carrying the bigger kid).
Kid Friendly Rating: I would give this hotel four stars (****) for kid friendliness. Transportation
Driving. We drove from our home in Germany, and it took us around 6 hours. Driving in the area was pretty easy, and the hotel did offer parking. We did drive to some of the excursions (The Keukenhof Gardens), but choose not to drive to others.
Public Transportation. There are buses in Leiden (and other cities in the Netherlands), but we did not use them. They have a great train system, which we did use. It cost us about 11 euro per adult to go from Leiden to Amsterdam by train.
Walking. Most cities in the Netherlands are set up for walking, and most have pedestrian "lanes". They are also very, very friendly to cyclists. Most cities have speciall "roads" (two laned) for bicycles, and you will see many of the Dutch out on bikes. There are also many places from which to rent bicycles (even ones that can acommodate children) and most ran between 10-20 euro for the day.
Food
Luckily breakfast (which for me is the hardest meal to deal with when traveling) was provided at the hotel We ate heartily, which helped us last until we could find lunch.
Fast Food. The Netherlands is home to many of those restaurants which we know and love (McDonalds, Burger King, etc). They also have several that are more cultural. They also have a healthy supply of Kebab stands (yummy), Crepe stands, and other European style fast food options. We didn't have a problem finding places to eat (other than making up our minds).
Sit Down. There were a large variety of sit down restaurants ranging from casual cafes to upper crust fancy places. Our favorite was the standard crepe/pancake cafes.
Times: Mid March to Late May (check each year at their site for exact dates), 08:00 - 19:30
Costs:
Adult ticket
€ 13.50
Children (4 - 11 years)
€ 6.50
Senior citizens
€ 13.00
Groups (from 20 persons)
€ 11.50
Parking ticket
€ 6.00
Comments: The Keukenhof is one of the largest flower gardens in the world (and the most photographed). It is only open for about 8 weeks in the spring, so timing is everything. Most of the displays in the gardens are done by different gardens, growers, or bulb suppliers. The flowers don't bloom on cue, and are heavily affected by the weather, so don't be surprised if all the flowers are not in bloom when you go.
There are several play areas for children, a windmill to visit, a petting zoo, plenty of water features (even some beautiful swans swimming in the canals), a bazillion flowers, several indoor flower displays (think orchids, which was my fav), a variety of restaurants and ice cream vendors (yummy), and plenty of places to stop and rest along the way.
Make sure you have extra batteries for your camera on this one, there are a million things to take pictures of (and my camera ran out of power). There are also bulbs for sale (inside and outside the gardens), and plenty of souvenier shops (selling all kind of Dutch items, I almost bought a pair of wooden shoes).
Parking was about 5 euro and is separate from your ticket. Everyone is required to have a ticket, even kids (who are free). You can also rent bicycles outside the gardens and ride around the gorgeous tulip fields which surround the gardens. If you are feeling like having fun, you can also take a short "canal" tour inside the gardens. The Keukenhof offers a short boat trip on the canals that crisscross the gardens.
Plan for a full day here as the ground are immense, and if you love flowers, there is plenty to see. Make sure to dress warmly though (and bring some rain gear), as this area is still cool in the spring, and you are likely to experience some rain.
Costs: Walking the area is free, but the "services" offered vary in cost.
Comments: This area is not really appropriate for children, as the prostitutes are often very visible and erotic ads and displays are out in the open. That being said, the buildings and canals in this area are beautiful. We happened into this area by accident and only really saw one street of it (we were trying to get our kids out).
March 15 through September 14 daily from 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM, Saturdays from 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM.
In July and August the museum is daily open till 10:00 PM.
September 15 through March 14 daily from 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM.
The Anne Frank House is also open on Sundays!
Last Admittance:
Thirty minutes prior to closing.
Exceptions
January 1: 12 noon - 7:00 PM.
May 4: 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM.
August 21: 9:00 AM - 8:30 PM.
December 25: 12 noon - 5:00 PM.
December 31: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Closed on Yom Kippur.
Costs: Adults: euro 8,50
Age 10-17: euro 4,-
Age 0-9: free
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Comments: One of the premier stops in Amsterdam is at the Anne Frank House. It is located along one of the main canals, and actually occupies several buildings (the original house and two neighboring buildings house the museum and other displays).
This is a VERY popular stop in Amsterdam, so expect very long lines. You can purchase your tickets on-line which allows you to select your own date and time (but keep in mind you MUST be there for that time slot, no changes allowed usually). This can help you avoid the lines. If you don't want to plan ahead, be sure to be there early in the morning to get your tickets.
Costs: Free, but be prepared to pay for any pictures you take of the "living" statues or for street performances.
Comments: This is home to some curious street performers and is one of the largest squares in the city. It is a nice place to stop and people watch (we ate lunch there).
Times: Vary by museum, please see their individual sites.
Costs: Vary by museum, please see their individual sites.
Amsterdam is home to plenty of museums. If you love impressionst art, you can visit many places such as museums to Rembrandt and Van Gogh.
There is also the Nemo which is a cool science museum.
There is also the Jewish Historical Museum, which is home to a collection of synagouges, has exhibitions on religion, Jewish life and culture, and the Jewish experience during WW II.
Looking for something very Dutch? You can visit the Tulip Museum or the Houseboat Museum (a popular form of accommodation in Amsterdam).
This area offers a wide variety of attractions. You can visit Leiden University (where Rembrandt was once a student), tour the pedestrian zone of shops and activities, walk along the various canals. There are several windmills that you can look at (and photograph of course). There are also a variety of parks and playgrounds scattered throughout the city.
There are plenty of Rembrandt related sites and museums here, as it is his birthplace. We spent a nice evening touring the city.
Hoorn, Netherlands
This is a picturesque town located north of Amsterdam on the IJsselmeer, a large inland lake/sea that connects to the North Sea. There is a beautiful park along the harbour, and plenty of nice cafes and restaurants in town.
The North Sea
We also had a chance to stop at the northern coast of the Netherlands along the North Sea. It was cold and windy, but we had fun for a little while. During the summer, this area is packed and even more beautiful (though the water is still probably freezing). Toilettes
When you travel with little ones, bathrooms are an important thing to be able to find. Europeans are generally not big on public restrooms.
Availability: Public restrooms can be found, but are scattered and not always easy to find. Your best bet is to make sure to make use of restrooms offered in the restaurants, museums, and other attractions that you visit. Most of the major attractions have restrooms.
Public/Private: Most available restrooms are actually going to be in some type of business, whether it is a restaurant or attraction.
Cost: Costs for restrooms can run from free to around 1 euro per person. Occassionally bathroom attendants will allow an adult to take a child into the restroom and only charge for one person (I did this with my kids, and even when I took both potty trained children, I usually only had to pay for me).
Nearby Amenities
Laundry: We didn't notice any laundry faciilties near our hotel, but scattered around the city we did see some laundry facilities. Ask your hotel where the best facilities are located.
Groceries: There are a variety of grocery stores in both Leiden and Amsterdam. You can ask at hotels or tourist information points for locations. Review
You can easily see many major points in the Netherlands from a "home base", by using the trains. We loved visiting the Keukenhof. Amsterdam was a fun day trip, but for us (as a family) that was enough time to see what we wanted (except the Anne Frank Haus). Mom and Dad would love to go back on our own.
A lot of the charm of the Netherlands is being able to walk around and enjoy the canals and the natural beauty of the area. So, it is important to be ready for being "out and about".
Trip Highlights
- The Keukenhof Gardens
- Walking the Canals in Amsterdam
- Visiting the beach at the North Sea
Overall Rating
The Netherlands is definitely a 5 star must see location.
