Italians love children, make the best gelato and love eating al fresco – these facts alone are enough to make Rome the perfect family city break. For a laid-back day with younger children, head to the Villa Borghese Gardens in the city centre

with designer childrenswear. For more children’s shopping, there are a number of shops in the Dublin outskirts.P Is For Pearl South William St. Tel: 00 353 086 389 3657; www.pearl.ie. A new city centre store that caters well for children clothes and accessories

selection of pastries for children. Alternatively, stay at Hotel Jules – perfectly located for Parisian shopping forays. This classic Haussmannian building is on Rue La Fayette – close to both swish department stores quirky antiques shops. Two adjoining

, make your way up towards Friends’ Meeting House. En route, don’t forget to window shop at Charlie Barley, a children’s clothes store selling fabulous fashion lines. Another excellent store is Pure South, a South African craft shop directly opposite

where you can barter for everything from clothes and jewellery to carpets and scarves. The Topkapi Palace in the Old City provides an oasis of calm amidst this chaotic capital, with a wonderful garden for children to run around. Take a day trip on a

BarcelonaThis is a city that could have been designed for children, by children. With its mix of bright paint-box buildings, parks full of crayon-coloured sculptures and museums stuffed with crazy modern art, it’s a perfect break for all the family

GlasgowGLASGOW IS AN energetic, gutsy city whose face has almost been wiped clean of its 19th-century industrial grime. These days, the city houses some of the greatest art collections in Britain, has the biggest shopping centre outside London

visited the more adventurous slides with their myriad twists and turns, while Joe received a soaking in the children’s play area. It was quite comical watching as one water-filled bucket would empty upon him, so he’d move to another spot in this water