Adventure, Europe, Family, Spain

Fuente Dé and the Picos de Europa

If you’re looking for a family-friendly destination in Europe, Cantabria is a great fit. We’ve had three road trips in Northern Spain now and it largely remains beautifully unspoiled with spectacular scenery and lots on offer especially for adventurous families like us. We stayed in a 200-year-old cottage in the Liébana area with mountain views and not far from the medieval town of Potes. This provided us with access to the Fuente Dé cable car which is in the heart of the Picos de Europa.

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Adventure, Camping, Self catering, Switzerland

Planning our first family camping trip

We do love a summer road trip even if exploring for a full 6 weeks isn’t doable – we wish! We didn’t get our road trip fix last year although we did squeeze a lot of travel in with August spent showing POD Venice and exploring the Venetian islands before taking an activity break with Neilson Holidays in Sardinia. We really not having a summer road trip though so later this month we’re hitting the road again. This time, instead of taking the ferry, we’ve set our sights on driving from Calais to a campsite in Switzerland. Yes, we are embarking on our first ever family camping trip!!!

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Europe, Family, Italy, Off the beaten track

Matera and its fascinating Sassi

Once regarded as the “shame of Italy”, Matera is not a destination we’re going to forget in a hurry. Situated in the Basilicata region in southern Italy, the labyrinth of cave-dwelling communes (the Sassi), breathtaking ravine and rock churches make it a truly memorable place to visit. Remarkably, the honeycomb of caves was inhabited by hundreds of families right up to the 1950’s when the inhabitants were moved by law into modern buildings on the plateau above. Today, Matera is no longer seen as the shame of Italy but a fascinating reminder of times gone by. Hardly surprising it was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993 for being the most outstanding, intact example of a troglodyte settlement, perfectly adapted to its terrain and ecosystem. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ was also filmed in Matera.

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Adventure, Europe, Family, Italy, Off the beaten track

Italian Lakes: A mountain hike for cheese

One of the highlights from my recent trip to Lake Maggiore with Bookings For You was the mountain hike. Organised by the Golfo Gabella Lake Resort, our route took us from Campagnano up towards Lago Delio. We might have made the distance had we not been distracted by the magnificent scenery and the sensational local produce. You’ll get a taste of it from this post which features the routes we took and that delicious feast, with perhaps a few too many photos. 

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Europe, Family, Italy, Review, Self catering

The Golfo Gabella Lake Resort, Lake Maggiore

Last year saw me take trips to Tuscany, Verona, Sardinia, Venice (including the islands of Burano, Murano, Torcello) and Puglia. Just when I thought I couldn’t love Italy any more, it turns out I can! I’ve recently returned from a press trip with Bookings For You and some of my favourite family travel bloggers to discover what Lake Maggiore has to offer. Situated in Northern Italy, to the west of Lake Garda and Lake Como, and bordering Switzerland, Lake Maggiore is one of those destinations you know you’re just going to love even before you’ve explored it. What’s more, there’s heaps for families with kids of all ages to do. Read about some of the reasons to visit Lake Maggiore and in this post, where you can stay and what’s available locally. 

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Adventure, Beach, Europe, Family, Italy

10 reasons to visit Lake Maggiore in Italy

Situated in Northern Italy, to the west of Lake Garda and Lake Como, is the beautiful Lake Maggiore – the second largest of the Italian Lakes. Bordering Switzerland, the magnificent scenery that surrounds it and the spectacular views from the mountains really are something else. But as we recently discovered, there’s plenty to satisfy all tastes (we’re even not talking food here) whether you’re travelling with young children, tweens or teens. Here are just some of the reasons Lake Maggiore has to be on your must-visit travel list.

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Europe, Family, France

Beautiful towns to visit in Pas-de-Calais

Pas-de-Calais is not somewhere you’d automatically think of heading to for a weekend break or holiday. But the Côte d’Opale is just 15-minutes drive away when you emerge from Eurotunnel onto the continent. With beautiful beaches, delightful towns and rich heritage, there’s plenty to explore off the D940 coastal road. Here are some of our favourite towns and villages.

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City breaks, Europe, Family, Italy

7 things to do in Venice with kids

We’ve visited Venice on several occasions as a couple but Venice with kids, some thought we were crazy to take POD with us. But why not, she loves to travel just as much as we do – and is mostly happy walking (always handy for exploring Venice!). As it was her first time visiting this beautiful Italian city, we pre-booked a couple of activities including a gondola ride and boat trip, to make the most of our trip.

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Europe, Family, Italy

A Trullo in the Valle d’Itria

Puglia is famed for its spectacular coastline which stretches nearly 500 miles, picturesque towns and of course mouthwatering cuisine. Situated in the heart of the Mediterranean, this region of southern Italy is surrounded by the Adriatic with the Ionian Sea at the heel. Sometimes referred to as ‘the breadbasket of Italy’, historically Puglia made much of the country’s pasta and today continues to produce half Italy’s olive oil. Puglia, or Apulia as it’s also known, is widely recognised as being home to Trulli. So where better to spend a week than in a traditional Trullo, set amid the olive groves, in the Valle d’Itria.

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