Child-friendly places and activities in other cities and countries

Child-friendly tips for other cities and countries

Are you traveling to New York, Bergen, Berlin or London? Then it might be good to know where the child-friendly restaurants and cafes are? What activities the city has to offer for kids? What museums the children could like?

Here are some links to good web pages for each city, in addition to come tips I´ve received from friends. Feel free to send me your own recommendations!

Here are some tips on navigating a big city with a baby. And here are some wonderful travel guides for kids, written by the Czech author M. Sasek. It could also be nice to combine a city holiday with a children´s book from the place you´re going, such as the Madeline-books.

Context Travel organise family walking tours in a bunch of cities. These are good for grown-ups, but they also include activities intended for kids under 12, such as a treasure hunt, game, or drawing activity. It´s expensive though, so it´s only worth it if you´re a group of people!

Enjoy your trip!!

Scandinavia

Norway

Bergen

Activities. VisitBergen´s pages are the best ones.
Some advice from the locals:
- For outdoor activities, the Fløyen and Ulriken are great for children! My kids love Ulriken. Buy tickets online in advance. There is often a loooong line-up.
- Otherwise, a trip over the town fjord on the little mini-ferry Beffen is nice with children.
- And to stroll in the cosy cobble streets at Bryggen. There are some fun sculptures to climb. Continue on to the fish market. Watch some living king crabs and lobsters and cross over to the Torgallmenningen, to the blue stone and then to the left towards the city park and the music / flower pavilion
- At Ole Bullsplass there´s a statue of Edvard Grieg, it is great fun for the kids to jump on the rocks in the water and climb the sculpture. Turn your back to the city park and look up to our beautiful theatre - The National Scene.
- If you have time I would recommend Lysøen, Ole Bull's villa. Fantastic when the weather is nice.
- The Nordnes sjøbad is great if you want to go for a swim. Or Gamlehaugen, where there´s a nice beach.
- You could also go to the Møhlenpris - a really nice neighborhood! Here you can cross the Puddefjord on the walkway Småpudden.
Child-friendly cafés/restaurants: Zupperia, Kunstindustrimuseet (Nordahl Bruns gt. 9, Tel: 55 55 81 14) Changing table, room for stroller. Smakverket in Bergens Kunstmuseum. Changing table, room for stroller. Colonialen in Litteraturhuset. Changing table, room for stroller. Has also events for kids on Saturdays. Fløien Folkerestaurant. Changing table and playground outside. Deli on the 5th floor in Galleriet. Playroom, changing table. Baker Brun in Bakersmauet (Bystasjonen), Telegrafen, Sartor and Lagunen. Changing tables in the shopping centers, can bring strollers in. Sartor also has a breastfeeding room. Pastasentral in Vestre Torggate. Play area and room for stroller. Peppes Pizza in Olav Kyrresgate. Playroom. These places have activity packs for kids: Dampen Bar & Restaurant/Steakers Restaurant og Prego Café & Restaurant.

Stavanger

Activities. Check out the VisitStavanger website.
Tips from the locals:
- The Oil Museum has many activities for children. And the Oil Museum's neighbor Geoparken is definitely worth a visit!
- Nice areas for swimming are Badedammen, Godalen and Vaulen. Otherwise you can swim or skate (in the winter) at Gamlingen :)
- At the Sørmarka arena they have both an ice skating rink for the little ones and a climbing wall.
- Go for a walk in Møllebukta and eat ice cream on Is Paradis.
- Or you can bring the kids to the Children's Museum and the Archaeological Museum.
- If you have a baby: You can take a nice stroll around the lake Mosvannet (3km) and go to the Art Museum for coffee and waffles. Good space for the stroller, there´s a changing table and highchairs. At the Art Museum they also have baby tours, check their calendar. Otherwise there is a nice nursery room on the 3rd floor of the mall Magasin Blå.
Child-friendly cafés/restaurants. Ostehuset (Klubbgt. 3) Room for strollers outside and room for diaper-change in the restrooms. Matmagasinet has a changing table, room for strollers in the backyard and activity packs for kids. Egon has room for strollers, a changing table, balloons and activity packs. These places have activity packs for kids: Harbour Café & Bowl, Bølgen & Moi (at the Petroleum Museum), Rica Forum Hotell, St. Svithun Hotel

Trondheim

Activities: See trd events and VisitTrondheim.
Child-friendly cafés: Somma (Nordre gate. High chairs, changing table. Stroller must be outside.), Jordbærpikene (Trondheim Torg, Byhaven Kjøpesenter), Dromedar Moxness (Olav Tryggvasons gate), Rosenborg bakerier (High chairs, changing table, room for stroller).
Restauranter: Egon (Prinsenkrysset, Søndre gate, Tyholttårnet), TGI Fridays (Nordre gate), Peppes Pizza (Kjøpmannsgata, Solsiden), Vertshuset Grenaderen (by Nidarosdomen behind Erkebispegården. High chairs, changing table, room for stroller), Graffi Grill (more for older kids, has activity packs and high chairs, but no changing table). These places have activity packs for kids: Tregården Restaurant, Café Bare Blåbær, Kvilhaugen Gård, Trondhjem Mikrobryggeri, NOORA Café & Grill.

Tromsø

Activities: See Aktiviteter for barn.no.
In the Troms region: Polar Zoo and Senjatrollet.
Child-friendly cafés/restaurants: Hansens spisebord. Playroom. The café in Polaria. Room for strollers. Here´s a map showing 3 child-friendly cafés.

Kristiansand

These places have activity packs for kids: Glipp Restaurant, Restaurant Sjøhuset, Bølgen & Moi, Thon Hotell Wergeland/ Le Monde Restaurant.

Denmark

Copenhagen
Copenhagen is a child-friendly city, as long as you don´t stroll on the bike trails! On luvaville.com you´ll find lots of good tips.

Copenhagen for babies and their parents:

- This page (in Danish) is a page for Danish mums on mat leave and gives you tips on what to do and where to take a coffee with a baby.

Copenhagen for kids:

Activities: VisitCopenhagen has a great site for kid-friendly activities. Some of them are Zoologisk have på Fredriksberg, Tivoli, The National Museum, Disney Store.
See also some good advice on what to do here.
Cafés and restaurants: Madmanifesten i Amager, Café Sonja in Vesterbro and The Laundromat Café in Nørrebro. See three more here.

Sweden

Stockholm

This is a great link for advice on what to do, see and eat, and where to stay when going to Stockholm with a baby or kids.

Activities for kids:

- Here are some great tips from a local.
- See also VisitStockholm.
- Event calendar for Stockholm: choose Family here or check this link.
- You can also download the app Barn i stan (in Swedish).
- Stockholm´s playgrounds :)

Child-friendly cafés:

This is a great link for baby-friendly cafés!
And here are advice for eating with kids.

Europe and the US

Great Britain

London
Before going

Some travel books for kids: Kids´London, City Walks with Kids.
You should also consider buying Madeline in London or the children´s book This is London!

Activities:

www.london-baby.com is a great page that gives a lot of recommendations on what to do with a baby in London.
Check out a mom´s tips for traveling to London with kids.
Useful app: Mom Maps. This app shows you to the closest playground, child-friendly restaurant, and much more.
If you´re a big group or have some money to spend, consider a family walk by Context Travel.

Where to eat and drink coffee:

Some highly recommended child-friendly cafés/restaurants: The Rainforest Cafe in Picadilly Circus, That Place on the Corner (has a playroom) in Newington Green.

France

MumAbroad gives advice for plenty of French cities :)

Paris

My friend Cathy warns about a not very child-friendly Paris with few cafés with changing tables, high chairs or room for strollers, metro stations with chairs and no lifts, etc. But that being said, there are some child-friendly cafés/restaurants (see below) and a lot of fun activities for kids!
Here is some good advice before traveling to Paris with toddlers.
Consider buying the Madeline-book on Paris or the children´s book This is Paris before going!

Activities:

A friend and daddy living in Paris recommends these activities.
A mum´s favorite things to do in Paris with toddlers.
Off-the-beaten-track things to do.
If you´re a big group or have some money to spend, consider a family walk by Context Travel.

Child-friendly cafés in Paris:

Here´s an overview of child-friendly restaurants.
Some recommendations:

Le Poussette Cafe in the 9th arrondissement. Room for strollers, high chairs and a play room.
Les 400 coups in the 19th arrondissement. Has a playroom.
Le petit café du monde entier in the 11th arrondissement Has a changing table and regular events for babies/toddlers.
Café Justine´s Baby Brunch on Sundays where the toddlers play while you eat - in the 14th arrondissement.
Le Café Suédois in the 4th arrondissement - a Swedish and very child-friendly café.

Useful app: Mom Maps. This app shows you to the closest playground, child-friendly restaurant, and much more.

Germany

Berlin

Babyccinokids.com gives some good advice on what to see, where to stay, eat, shop and play.
Activities: Check out these 6 tips on what to do with a toddler in Berlin, and the Facebook group Berlin with kids.
Baby/Child-friendly cafés/restaurants: Check out Luvaville.com´s recommendations.
Baby/Child-friendly accommodation: Check out Luvaville.com´s tips.

Italy

Rome

Babyccinokids.com gives some good advice on what to see, where to stay, eat, shop and play.
For those who are pregnant or with small babies, go to The Milkbar, a really nice store dedicated to pregnancy, breastfeeding & motherhood!
If you´re a big group or have some money to spend, consider a family walk by Context Travel.

Spain

Barcelona

Mumabroad.com gives a lot of advice on life with babies/toddlers in Barcelona.
If you´re a big group or have some money to spend, consider a family walk by Context Travel.

Madrid

Mumabroad.com gives good advice on what to do with babies and toddlers in Madrid and child-friendly places to eat.
If you´re a big group or have some money to spend, consider a family walk by Context Travel.

The Netherlands

Amsterdam

Check iamsterdam.com for advice on things to do, child-friendly cafés and restaurants and much more.
Restauranten Kindercook anbefales varmt - her er det barna som er sjefen!

USA

New York

42 things to do with kids in New York.
Baby or Child-friendly cafés and restaurants: Kid101 gives an overview of the coolest restaurants for kids, while TimeOut advices you on the best baby-friendly restaurants.
Consider buying the children´s book This is New York!
Consider doing a family walk with Context Travel - expensive, so do it with a group of people!