Friday 3 February 2017

Danish delight



Following on from yesterday's blog, flights to Copenhagen have decreased in price even more. A return fare from London Luton to the Danish capital is now only £20! Flights leave early Tuesday morning and return late Thursday evening. Self-catering accommodation averages at £100 a night for a two-bedroomed apartment, meaning that three full days in Copenhagen can be enjoyed for under £300 for a family of four.




Thursday 2 February 2017

February family fun!

For those of you lucky enough to have children breaking up for half-term on 17th February this year, there are a heap of bargains waiting to be grabbed.  Local authorities have staggered the spring break and holiday companies don't seem to have caught on!


So, why sit bored, looking out at the rain lashing the pavement, when you could be enjoying al fresco dining under the bright skies of southern Spain or exploring the snowy splendours of Scandinavia?


Copenhagen is a fabulous place to visit with the family.  Even though accommodation in Denmark isn't easy on the purse, there is a real sense of the importance of quality family time in this part of the world and children are considered the perfect tourists.  For kids, the National Museum in Copenhagen is a real gem; Viking history comes to life and the adventures through the layers of Norse culture unravel in front of the children's eyes.  Entry is free for under 18s. And, an evening treat for the family in Copenhagen is Tivoli Gardens, where fun comes alive in the middle of the city.  This amusement park offers thrills and spills for the young (and young-at-heart!)  Flights from Luton to Copenhagen are a mere £30 return.  With self-catering accommodation, a couple of days here shouldn't set you back more than £400. 



Image result for luxembourg city

Even cheaper than Copenhagen is Luxembourg which, for just £28 return, can be reached from Stansted with Easyjet.  One of the three official capitals of the European Union (alongside Strasbourg and Brussels), this tiny country has only half a million citizens and its picture-perfect capital city is like stepping into a fairy tale. Bordering Belgium, France and Germany, Luxembourg is an enigmatic country with an identity influenced heavily by its neighbours.

http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/free-things-to-do-in-luxembourg-city


What about Germany's second-largest city?  Hamburg is a mere £35 return from Manchester and has plenty of fascinating experiences on offer for a family, ranging from Miniatur Wunderland (the world's largest model railway system) for the younger explorers, to the chilling atmosphere of Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial for those studying GCSE History.  Travel around Hamburg is reasonably priced  and, with every adult travel pass, three children aged under fourteen go free on public transport.

http://www.hamburg-travel.com/attractions/best-of-hamburg/


Somewhere on my list is Malaga.  A two-hour drive from the Moorish royal palace of Seville and a mere hour and a half from the Barbary macaque wild monkeys in Gibraltar, Malaga offers so much variety in a holiday. With its Roman amphitheatre and free art galleries, there's no chance of being bored in this blue-skied city.  £32 will get you to Malaga, there and back, from Glasgow.



Closer to home, even Center Parcs don't seem to have cottoned on to the anomaly of February half-term dates.  A four-night mid-week break in a two-bedroomed executive lodge at Elveden Forest in Suffolk is £400 cheaper than the previous week, when some schools are enjoying their (more expensive) week off. 


So, rather than wondering how to entertain the family in the wet and wild weather of a UK winter, get hunting for flights and show the little ones the world...