Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe punches wildly above its weight for family travel. The old towns are storybook, the pace is human, prices are gentler than the west, and the trains connect it all. Prague, Budapest, Krakow, Vienna, Ljubljana, Dubrovnik — these are cities that a five-year-old can walk end-to-end, where a river cruise is a plausible lunch plan, and where the coffee-and-cake culture makes long afternoons with kids feel civilised. Our Eastern Europe guides are built around what we actually do with our own family: the "four-country loop" from Vienna through Český Krumlov, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest; the Croatian coast in shoulder season; the salt mines outside Krakow that beat any theme park for a curious eight-year-old. Expect practical advice on car rentals across borders, child seats, family-friendly hotels in the old town versus outside the tourist crush, and where the good playgrounds hide.