The Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Rijksmuseum

I spent some time living in Amsterdam before having kids, and it's somewhere that is very special to me, and I try to visit as often as possible. There is so much to see and do in the city and the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam's crown jewel of art and culture, awaits you. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned museum enthusiast, the Rijksmuseum offers an unparalleled journey through Dutch history and world-class masterpieces. This guide will help you make the most of your visit to one of Europe's most magnificent museums. Planning Your Visit and Booking Tickets The Rijksmuseum welcomes over two million visitors annually, so advance planning is essential. Purchase your tickets online at least a few days before your intended visit to avoid disappointment and lengthy queues at the entrance. The museum offers various ticket options, including standard admission and combination passes that include other Amsterdam attractions. Consider visiting during weekday mornings or ......

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6 European destinations I would visit over and over again

I've travelled to over 26 countries and have been lucky enough to have the chance to live both the UK and mainland Europe (Netherlands and France), while also travelling extensively across it and I truly believe it offers some of the  best holiday destinations to be had. Destinations that I just keep going back to, whether it's because of the food, culture, history or the locals, here are 6 places I never hesitate to recommend.  1. Salzburg, Austria If you ask my youngest where his favourite places in Europe is he will tell you Salzburg and it's easy to see why with its UNESCO-listed baroque old town, stunning alpine scenery and the impressive cliffside Fortress Hohensalzburg (which is a must-visit for the views alone). Known as the setting for The Sound of Music, it also happens to be the birthplace of Mozart. This Austrian city is packed with music, history and culture and plenty of family-friendly museums to visit. On top of tha......

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4 Life Hacks for Parents Flying with Kids

* Affiliated Content As a parent, you may love the idea of traveling with your young children, because you can think of no better way to expand their horizons and cultivate their curious minds than by introducing them to new countries, new cultures, new people, new sights, and new experiences! However, as we know from the Star Wars movie franchise, there is a dark side of the force out there somewhere — and for so many parents out there, it is that dreaded time in the air. Indeed, while some kids love flying and decorate their rooms with pictures and models of airplanes, many kids would almost rather go to the dentist (almost!) than board a flight. Of course, they are too young to know or care how airplanes work. But that is beside the point. They know what they like, and they know what they are not keen on and for some flying is firmly in the latter bucket. Fortunately, if you’re the parent of an unwilling or unsure passenger, then you don’t have to limit your adventur......

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Amsterdam - the perfect child-free weekend destination

When you’ve got young kids, nothing beats a family holiday . Getting away together is a fantastic way to spend quality time, keep the youngsters engaged, and even teach them a thing or two. One thing’s sure getting them used to flying and new cultures when they’re young is always a bonus. What’s more, there are plenty of family-friendly vacation spots to make the most of when travelling together and some Kid-focused hotels even host fun clubs should you want to mix culture and travel with also the odd break for an hour or two. However, a short child-free break can be a really positive experience. I recently went to Durham for two nights, it was the first time I had ever left our kids for more than a night, that's over 7yrs of not one proper child-free weekend away and you know what it went really well. Then kids loved having fun with their grandparents and we had a fantastic time exploring the historical northern town of Durham we all felt renewed and refreshed from our week......

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Why Amsterdam is the Perfect Family destination

Around this time last year we were coming back from a week-long trip to Amsterdam, we had spent a few days in London before taking the train down to the coast and the overnight ferry to the Hoek of Holland, then a high-speed train into the city as part of the Rail Sail ticket Stena Lines offers. That trip was not our first family break to the Dutch Capital, in fact, the year before we flew from our local airport with KLM , a very quick and easy trip from Cardiff and KLM flies from most UK airports maki,ng Holland a very accessible destination. For some people Amsterdam may not be their first choice when thinking of a family-friendly European destination but it truly is a wonderful city that you will fall in love with as soon as you arrive. The locals are very friendly and welcoming of families and there is a fantastic array of things to see and do. If you are only going to be in the city for up to 72hrs I would recommend getting the iAmsterdam Card which includes......

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Embracing slow travel with Stena

As some of you may already know we enjoyed an amazing break to Amsterdam during the summer as I have mentioned it a few times on the blog but in this post I really want to focus on the journey and not so much the destination. We are avid travellers and love sharing our passion with our kids and for myself personally it's very much about enjoying the ride and as quick and convenient flying is taking an alternative route can be so much fun and really open up a whole different adventure. We have done the Eurostar to Brussels and Paris as well as high speed trains across France and thought it was time to take to the high seas in a little overnight crossing from Harwich to the Hoek of Holland. The Stena Hollandica Before heading over to Holland we spent a few days in London, something which we do as a family every year, taking in all the museums, coffee shops and open spaces before hoping on the train to the coast with our rail sail tickets from Stena Lines , basical......

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Stylish stay at Mercure Amsterdam Canal Hotel

Our summer was so action packed this year with the highlight being our trip to Amsterdam from London on Stena Lines and with so many other things happening it's taken a bit longer than normal to  edit the hundreds of photos we took during our trip and sit down and write a review of this amazing hotel we stayed at - The Mercure Amsterdam Centre Canal District. The two boys relaxing in our amazing hotel room So after a long journey including an overnight ferry to the Hoek Of Holland during the heatwave it was such a refreshing sight to finally get into Centraal Station, take a short tram ride across the city and step inside this perfectly located boutique hotel right in the heart of this vibrant city. The reception area is well designed with comfy seating and very helpful staff, we felt immediately welcome and they even gave Mr A two little soft toys to keep. Once we checked into our room we had a little bit of down time, enjoying the space and beautiful interior, be......

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Taking the stress out of overseas travel

Mr A on one of our adventures this year When it comes to a family holiday it's really important for it to start off on the right foot. There is nothing worse than a 5 hour drive to Heathrow or waiting in long departure queues, bored and whining children who have been waiting for hours before you have even boarded the plane or simply having to navigate a massive airport and, inevitably, the terminal you are looking for is the furthest away from where you are. Things like this can make the mood go down pretty drastically. Whenever we plan a holiday we always look at ways to make it as stress-free as possible because with kids excitement can quickly turn into frustration, especially when you’re flying, a tired and irritable child boarding a plan can be a recipe for disaster. So it's really good to hear that local airports now offer far more choice than before, and last year we had first-hand experience of that when we flew from Cardiff to Amsterdam with KLM . I can h......

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Travels of Late

The two boys in Amsterdam So it's been a little quite than usual on the blog but not because we haven't been up to much, in fact the complete opposite, we have been travelling so much the past two weeks and with various dodgy to no wifi and a lost power adaptor has meant some scheduled posts did not go live and what not, so I thought I would do a little instagram roundup of our travels of late. Over the past two weeks we have made three trips to London with one night in the lovely Montcalm for Britmums and then two nights at a new Aparthotel which is not yet open to the publish but I am looking forward to sharing with you. We also spent 3 amazing days in Somerset a the most amazing organic farm Huntstile before heading across the sea on the overnight Stena Ferry lines from Harwich to the Hoek of Holland on our way to Amsterdam and an amazing stay at the Mercure Canal Amsterdam . It's been two weeks full or trains trips, trams, underground, ferries, buses and everyt......

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