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

. It was a first visit for the whole family to the city that floats on water – a city which, for me, had been a collage of clichéd postcard images and corny ice-cream ads. Yet, in reality, there is little that is clichéd about Venice, and catching a glimpse

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

ViennaVienna is one of the few cities where both adults’ and children’s ideas of indulgence meet. To me, Vienna is old-world charm in unhurried cafés where Freud dreamt up theories and Trotsky planned a revolution. To my husband, it’s the setting

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

, which was billed as a “once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience to eat alongside killer whales”. The buffet meal wasn’t up to much, but it was fun to see the whales interacting with their trainers. We were then whisked off to the Shamu Stadium, where the whales