Best winter city breaks in Europe for families
23rd October 2021
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The Czech Republic does family holidays all year round.
Visit in spring for historic cities and dramatic national parks. Winter’s good for uncrowded, inexpensive and snow-sure ski resorts or cute Christmas Markets and quaint traditions. Choose summer to cycle in Moravia, have a Bohemian spa break or adventure round the Krknoše Mountains. And Prague’s perfect any time – even just for a weekend.
Cheap, direct flights from the UK to Prague take less than two hours.
The Czech Republic has four national parks including Krkonoše one of the country’s top winter sports’ areas.
There are 12 Czech UNESCO World Heritage sites including the entire historic centre of Prague.
Weather’s warm and sunny in spring and summer with temperatures between 19 and 25˚ from May to September.
The medieval heart of Prague is one of the prettiest square’s in Europe and famous for traditional Christmas markets.
A compact country to explore easily with kids; the UK is three times bigger than the Czech Republic.
One of the better value European countries, London restaurants are roughly 70% more expensive than the equivalent in Prague.
Prague’s an enchanting fairy tale of a city at heart. The Baroque left bank, with its towering castle, cobbled streets and graceful, red-roofed buildings, regularly city-doubles for ‘18th century Paris’ in movie-land. And, Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square), hasn’t really changed since the middle ages: it’s still under the watchful gaze of Our Lady Before Týn and time’s kept by a medieval astronomical clock where Death commands the twelve apostles to dance every hour, on the hour. This is a city for wandering, exploring slowly, eating, drinking, crossing bridges, climbing hills and discovering for yourself. Too humid and crowded in summer, it’s wonderful in autumn and magically pretty in winter.
Brno’s the city in the south east often forgotten in the rush to (undeniably) grander Prague. But, for a relaxed holiday with older kids and teens, the ancient capital of Moravia’s lively, interesting and considerably less expensive than its more famous northern counterpart.
World Heritage Český Krumlov’s one of the loveliest towns in Europe. It’s a little like Prague, but without any trace of development after the early 19th century, and designed on a much smaller scale. It’s another big box to tick on a Czech Republic tour so expect it to be packed with tourists in summer. Visit in December, avoid the crowds and see the town wreathed in snow instead.
The country’s top family ski-resort, Lipno is a good choice for a first time ski holiday with kids: inexpensive, good ski schools and majority of slopes are beginner and intermediate.
Public transport in major cities and most larger towns is excellent and inexpensive. The national rail network covers the entire country but always check journey times – they can sometimes be twice as long as the same distance by car. If you’re travelling outside cities, good roads and charming towns and villages all over the country make driving around with kids easy and enjoyable.
