5 top holiday attractions for kids in 2015

How do you decide where you should go for a great family holiday abroad? What is it that makes somewhere the ideal family holiday destination? And how will you know where is right for your family? Well, one of your top concerns will be making the holiday fantastic for the kids. Many of Europe’s most popular family holiday destinations keep people coming back year after year because they have created world class holiday attractions designed with children in mind. Read on to discover five attractions for kids that will be tops with families holidaying in 2015.

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Europa Park in Germany: is the largest seasonal theme park in the world and attracts more visitors than any other theme park in Europe after Disneyland Paris. 2015 sees Europa Park celebrate its 40th anniversary, with some new treats for visitors lined-up. The theme park has more than 100 attractions, including 11 roller-coaster rides, across thirteen European themed areas. Three other fantasy areas include the magical ‘Enchanted Forest’, the ‘Kingdom of the Invisibles’ which opened only last year (2014), and ‘Viking Land’. Located in Rust, on the Franco-German border, the park welcomes around 5 million visitors annually and hosts the Euro Dance Festival each February. When visitors want a break from the rides there are plenty of shows taking place around the park, with special themed events for summer, Halloween, Christmas and some spectacular fireworks displays.

Europa Park in Germany – Source: Europa Park

• Siam Park in Tenerife: is a Thai themed water park, spread over a huge 18.5 hectare site. The park only opened a little over six years ago and has already become a firm favourite with water park lovers. Siam Park claims a number of World records with its attractions, including a wave pool that produces the highest waves of any similar attraction. Of its 11 main rides, the most popular pulse raisers include the Tower of Power (a transparent vertical slide that takes you through a tank area with sharks and stingrays), The Dragon ( a huge slide that incorporates a light show), and the Mekong Rapids river rapids ride. All the park’s buildings are built in traditional Thai styles and there is a floating market where the gift shops and other retail outlets are designed to look like a typical village in Thailand.

Siam Park in Tenerife – Source: Siam Park

• Chester Zoo in the UK: has been popular with families since it opened in 1931. It covers an area of over 45 hectares and from its very beginnings was designed as a modern zoo. There are no sad caged animals at Chester Zoo  – they are all given plenty of space, with moats and ditches protecting them and the visitors alike. It has more than 400 different species of animal and claims to be the UK’s top zoo, with huge plans to become the largest conservation attraction of its type in Europe. Chester Zoo has an excellent record protecting and breeding some of the most exotic and endangered animals in the world. It also brags some spectacular award-winning enclosures and gardens, with plenty to see and well thought out play areas for the kids. If your legs start to tire, you can take advantage of the zoo’s monorail and in peak season you can also use a water bus along the attraction’s canal network.

Cheester Zoo –  iStock.com/ziquiu

• Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie: is located in Paris’ Parc de la Villette and is the largest science museum in Europe. Spread across five levels, the museum has been a huge success in the years since its opening in 1986. It welcomes around 5 million visitors each year, making it not just a top attraction in Paris but in the whole of France. The museum includes standalone attractions like itsn planetarium, submarine experience and IMAX theatre and has gone to great lengths to appeal to the kids by developing some superb special interactive areas. Four of the five levels have areas where you can buy refreshments, from snack bars to cafes and a proper restaurant on the lowest level. Being in Paris’ 19th arrondissement, Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie is also incredibly accessible on the Paris metropolitan area’s public transport network.

Cite des Sciences et de l’Industrie – iStock.com/OSTILL

• The Algarve in Portugal: is a superb destination for those who love surfing and for those who want to learn to surf. The waves in the southern Algarve might not be as dramatic as in other parts of the World but they are still impressive enough that they draw many experienced surfers here every year. The area’s mild climate makes this an all year round destination for surfers, as well as for tourists who just want a winter break with unspectacular weather events. With the waters around the Algarve coastline almost always perfect for surfing, there are plenty of surfing schools that are happy to teach novices the skills they need to discover the thrills of this ever popular water sport. You can choose from novice and family surfing lessons right through to courses that ultimately contribute to recognised certificates that will enable you to train others.

Surf in Algarve – iStock.com/zakochana

We hope that this article has given you an insight into what makes these five attractions so popular with kids. By choosing top attractions for kids across five different destinations, we hope also to have given you an idea of where to go and what makes these destinations so popular. Why not download our ebook ‘Holiday Attractions for Kids in Europe’ and find out about another 55 holiday attractions for kids, that they are guaranteed to love? The ebook has a look at a wide range of the different types of attractions and highlights some of the best to be found in Europe.