at Djurgården Island, which houses many of the city’s top attractions including the Skansen – the world’s oldest open-air museum, and home to over 150 Scandinavian buildings dating back to the 18th century, as well as over 60 species of animals, including bears

of year-round events, check out www.visitdublin.com SHOPPING Avoca 11–13 Suffolk Street, Dublin 2 is a ‘yummy mummy’ haven and has beautiful clothes for all ages but especially lovely things for children. Tel: 00 353 1 677 4215; www.avoca.ieBrown Thomas

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

wonderful day by the seasideThings to do Brighton Toy Museum With over 10,000 toys and models on display and period antique toys, this museum offers hours of entertainment for aspiring Fat Controllers. If your child is a big fan, there is also a shop

by metro from the city centre. Doubles from around £150. Tel: 0042 0 2611 91 111; www.corinthia.cz£ Hotel Europa is a beautiful hotel with wonderful art nouveau decor. Triples from around £75. Tel 0042 0 2242 28117; www.evropahotel.cz EATING£££ Nebozizek

(aka The Glasgow Boys), as well as Turner Prize nominees. The gallery runs a free drop-in art workshop for children aged three to 12 on Saturdays from 10.30am to 1pm. These are held in the old rooftop café where there is also a working studio

to Gatorland. But Busch Gardens was our next destination. Home to over 20,000 exotic animals: giraffes, deer, rhinos, meercats, monkeys and, in the new Jungala area, two of the world’s most endangered species, Bengal tigers and orang-utans. The highlight for us