A concise itinerary for 2 weeks in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Malahide Castle made it to our list because it is touted as a kid-friendly castle due to it’s fairy trail, diverse food choices, and small castle (which is easy to navigate in a tour). The playground at Malahide is also extensive and suitable for kids from all ages.
If you visit Northern Ireland and ask for any advice on what you should do, most people will say to take a Black Cab tour. And I did not fully understand why until we listened to this advice and took a tour one summer day.
These political tours take you through the murals of Belfast and help make the Troubles more real. If you visit Belfast on your own, you might find yourself down by the Titanic museum or the W5 museum with children, or wandering around the grounds of Queen’s University, but you will likely not find yourself on the Falls road or Shankhill road.
The Dingle Peninsula is on everyone’s radar, and for good reason. This southwest coastal town is beautiful, and is the perfect place to spend a few days in the summer. We visited Dingle in July of 2024 with our 5-year-old daughter, as part of our road trip around Ireland and Northern Ireland.
Some of the most iconic photos from the Emerald Isle are often of Northern Ireland’s east coast. In two days on the Antrim Coast, you can easily visit well-known natural treasures, while also taking a beach day. Here’s our family friendly guide to the Giant’s Causeway, Carrick-a-Rede bridge, and the beaches of Portrush.
We visited Ireland in 2024. Check out what we’ve been up to since then!
Scandinavia is EXPENSIVE. Here’s how we were able to afford our Christmas holiday in Helsinki, Rovaniemi, and Stockholm.
How much does it really cost to visit Santa Claus Village? How does one visit Lapland on a budget? To be honest, I do not know! We attempted to visit Lapland on a budget, but it was challenging to complete our bucket list AND keep things affordable. Snowmobiling across a frozen lake, and being pulled around in a sled by reindeer is not cheap. We spent 4 days and nights in Rovaniemi, Finland in December of 2024. We stayed over Christmas, so that definitely increased our costs.
Edinburgh, Scotland is one of our favorite capital cities to visit. It has the perfect blend of history, culture, and family-friendly museums packed into a walkable area. Our first visit was in August of 2018 and we enjoyed the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival. (If you have older children, then I would look into attending during Fringe).
For our second visit, we stayed for 4 nights in June and planned about 48 hours of activities to keep our 6-year-old daughter engaged and happy.
Here’s our favorite museums, activities, and restaurants in Edinburgh that can keep the whole family happy.
Read about our kid-friendly morning in Paris.
If you are looking for one place to add to your Paris itinerary and are traveling with young children, then I recommend spending one morning in Luxembourg Gardens (in French- Jardin du Luxembourg). Your child can have a quintessential Parisian experience and the gardens offer a nice break for parents who want to escape the hustle and noise of the city.
When people think of Dublin, they might first think of pubs and not add it to their family trip to Ireland. However, we thought Dublin was a great city to visit with our daughter. We felt welcomed in all restaurants, and it is an easy city for walk around. If you are roadtripping around Ireland, you will probably want to spend more time in the countryside, but you should not skip Dublin and the surrounding area.