Barcelona

Barcelona is a rare thing: a big city with a proper beach at the end of a metro line. Mornings can go on Gaudí’s dragons and mosaic lizards, afternoons on the sand, and the wide flat grid of the Eixample is a genuine relief for anyone pushing a stroller.

Gaudí’s buildings look like they were designed by a child with an unlimited budget, which is precisely why children take to them. Add a funicular up a mountain to a century-old funfair, four kilometres of city beach and an aquarium with a shark tunnel, and there is enough variety to keep a wide range of ages happy without long journeys in between.