Author Profile: Clare Thomson

Trying lots of different foods and flavours is one of the joys of travel. Lisbon’s a great city for foodies of all ages. Here are seven of the best things to look out for when you’re in the...   view more

Lisbon, with its colourful houses, red-tiled roofs and near constant blue skies, is a perfect city break for a long weekend. There’s so much to see and do, from riding on the trams to exploring the castle and visiting the aquarium. Here’s my guide to the best activities in the city for...   view more

The palaces and gardens of Sintra, perched on hills amid lush green forests, were once the royal family’s summer retreat. It's an easy 40-minute train ride from Lisbon. They feel as if they belong in another world, a world full of colour and magic. Here's my guide to the best of the...   view more

Seville is everything you ever imagined about Spain: flamenco dancing, bullfighting and roads lined with orange trees and jacarandas. It’s beautiful and elegant, with stunning architecture and a fascinating...   view more

The Tower of London is one of the most iconic sites in the capital and an absolute must-see for anyone planning a visit to London. You’ll find everything from suits of armour and execution sights to some of the most famous jewels in the world. Here’s my guide to the best bits for...   view more

London is a wonderful place to introduce your children to a wide range of art and artists. At these places, children are actively encouraged to get involved by doing art workshops, going on a family trail or listening to stories about the...   view more

The best museums are so much fun that your children won’t want to leave at the end of the day. They’re the sort of places where playing is encouraged and where there are lots of interactive exhibits that children can touch and enjoy. Here's the list of London’s top ten museums for...   view more

Southwold, on the Suffolk coast, is the British seaside your grandparents will remember. It has all the charm of a genteel seaside town, with its colourful beach huts, pier and award-winning beach. You can fly a kite along the beach in the morning and watch a Punch and Judy Show in the...   view more

Barcelona is a great city to get your kids excited about art and architecture – the bright colours and fantastical animals of Gaudi’s buildings really appeal to children. What’s more, the food is fantastic. Here’s my selection of the best activities in the city for...   view more

Bath is, quite simply, one of the loveliest cities in England. Surrounded by beautiful countryside, it’s the only city in the UK to be classed as a World Heritage...   view more

There is so much for children to see and do in London but a day in the city can work out really expensive by the time you’ve paid for entrance tickets, public transport, meals and treats like ice-creams. But not everything has to cost a...   view more

Paris is top of most people’s travel wish lists and with good reason – it’s one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But how easy is it to visit with...   view more

Your kids will need no persuading to visit Wells, the smallest city in England – it’s full of tales of dragons and witches. The medieval city in Somerset is also home to swans that perform tricks, spectacular caves and one of Britain’s most beautiful...   view more

My ten year old is obsessed with the Royal Family. It started when he was three and asked for a royal birthday party with a cake in the shape of a king’s...   view more

It was my 12-year-old who begged to go to the Royal Pavilion. He said it looked like it had been beamed down from another planet and he just had to see...   view more

Honfleur, on the Normandy Coast, is one of the prettiest places to visit in France. You could easily spend several days just soaking in the atmosphere of this charming medieval town with its narrow cobbled streets, half-timbered houses and beautiful...   view more

Amsterdam is one of Europe’s prettiest cities. Its historic canals and gabled houses are impossibly picturesque and it’s a real pleasure to wander around on foot or by...   view more

Perched on its hillside overlooking the marshes, the medieval town of Rye in East Sussex is one of the prettiest towns in...   view more

Tenerife is an ideal place to visit with children. The Spanish island off the coast of Africa is the largest of the Canary Islands and the weather stays warm all year round. You don’t even need to worry about jet lag – there isn’t a time difference between Tenerife and the...   view more

There are over 150 beaches in Cornwall and many of them are considered to be some of the best in the UK. You can find secluded coves, wide stretches of golden sand, beaches with caves and beaches you can only visit on...   view more

Many of us will immediately think of places like Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, perhaps even Hyde Park or the Changing of the Guard. So many of London’s most famous and iconic sights are those associated with royalty and the kings and queens who have lived and reigned...   view more

It’s been 20 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published. A whole generation of children has grown up dreaming of getting a letter from Hogwarts, of becoming witches and wizards and discovering magical worlds and enchanted...   view more

Rouen in Normandy is one of the most ancient and historic cities in France. It’s also one of the prettiest.Colourful,half-timbered houses line the narrow cobbled streets and gruesome gargoyles glare down at you from the tops of the Gothic...   view more

Hamburg has a picturesque historic quarter with an impressive amount of towers and spires. It has more bridges than Venice, Amsterdam and London combined. It also has some of the friendliest, most helpful people I’ve ever come across in my...   view more

Venice is a joy to explore with children. Wander down the less touristy backstreets and you’ll find tiny canals and little bridges to run across. There are ice-cream shops on almost every street and you can learn how to row a gondola and paint a Venetian...   view more

Visiting Matera with kids is no less a thrill than a ride on a magic carpet. Where else in the world can you sleep in a cave first occupied 9,000 years ago or wander around streets virtually unchanged for hundreds of...   view more

I love Lyme Regis. It’s one of the UK’s most charming seaside towns with its Georgian houses, the fish and chip shops and the famous Cobb wall curving around the picturesque...   view more

The medieval village of Lacock in Wiltshire, with its timber-framed cottages and stunning abbey, has to be one of the prettiest villages in England. Wander through the streets and you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d stumbled upon a film...   view more

You know you’re onto a winner when you stumble upon a picture-perfect Italian hillside town that virtually no one else has heard of. A gorgeous Italian town that’s so famous for its gelato that it’s known in Italy as the ice-cream city. A town called Pizzo...   view more