We love a city break and the UK is filled with some great baby friendly cities! Some of favourite family travel bloggers have picked their favourite cities for family city breaks and have shared other parents to offer top tips, advice and inspiration for other families to take successful UK city break.
Table of Contents
Birmingham with a baby
With Wandermust Mummy from Wandermustfamily
Enjoying The Birmingham sealife centre
Birmingham is originally my home town so I go back fairly regularly. The city centre is remarkably baby friendly as it is accessible and relatively flat. There is plenty to do in the city centre from shopping to lovely walks along the canal but perhaps our baby’s favourite thing to do is visit the Sealife Centre (we won’t dwell on birmingham’s proximity, or lack there if to the sea). It also has great museums like the city museum and the Thinktank science centre. We also love the jewellery quarter for some window shopping and enjoyed the jewellery quarter museum. It It also has great parks outside of the city such as Cannon Hill which includes a wildlife centre and Sutton Park which is a great place to stroll around.
Given its location, Birmingham is fairly easy to access from all over the Uk, has great train and road links and an international airport making it a really easy city to escape to.
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Weekend in Cardiff with a baby
By Christine at Tapped Out Travellers
The Tapped Out Travellers at the Doctor Who Experience
We really wanted to visit the Doctor Who experience and Cardiff castle. They were both so amazing that it is really hard to decide which was better. The Christmas markets around the city were pretty amazing too, they gave us a glimpse of what was to come in the rest of England during the holidays. Everything was walking distance, save Doctor Who, but it was a good way to get a quick nap in before the attraction.
We didn’t need much transit to get around the city, just some walking. Everything was family friendly in that it wasn’t for Adults only. The food was great, especially Jamie’s Italian , with a great selection for the children’s menu. The castle didn’t allow strollers in the Residence or in the Keep but there was stroller parking available and it was still a great attraction for the kids, though with a baby, baby wearing would be required at this point.
Don’t forget a baby-wearing device for the little ones and try to do the big things when they are awake. Parts of the castle allowed a stroller so we did that part during nap time since the dark and quiet were a perfect setting for calming down an excited 2 year old.
Weekend in Henley Upon Thames with a baby
by Wandermust Mummy
Henley upon Thames
What Wandermust Mummy has to say
Henley is the perfect weekend getaway. Only a short train ride from London, and its proximity to nature is why we went. On a sunny day you can walk along the riverside and stop at the fascinating river and rowing museum. Or if you don’t fancy walking you can take one of the lovely Hobbs from henleys boats down the river. The shoppings great too. It is easily accessible to families and you can get everywhere with pram. The near by Greys Court is not to be missed and Henley is surrounded by great historic houses and national trust properties for those with a car.
Read more about our time in Henley here
Visiting London with a baby
by Claire from Tin Box Traveller who went to London with a baby and toddler
Mr Tin Box and Baby on the Cutty Sark London
Here what Claire has to say:
We decided to have a week-long break in the UK’s capital because my husband was running the London Marathon. Supporting him was the perfect excuse for a city break with our daughters, then aged three and 11-months-old. This was our first trip to London with our kids. Experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city when also trying to fit in ridged feeding and nap times was a challenge, but we did it. Our top attraction for entertaining the girls was the Science Museum with its interactive children’s zones and spacious baby changing area. It’s also free! The Cutty Sark is another brilliant attraction for young kids, with lots of exhibits suitable for little fingers. For us parents, we enjoyed the peace and quiet of viewing the city’s famous skyline from the London Eye, knowing there was no where for the girls to escape.
You can read more about Claire’s trip visiting London with a baby here and follow her on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.
Weekend in Oxford with a baby
by Wandermust Mummy at wandermust family who took her five month old to Oxford!
What Wandermust Mummy has to say:
“There is definitely a sweet spot for visiting Oxford after all the summer tourists have left and before the students arrive back which is why we visited in early September. We got so much done during our city break as the city is so baby friendly. Lots of museums for a cold day but plenty of surprising green spaces too. We enjoyed the botanic gardens and exploring all of the colleges which were open to the public. Our favourites were Magdalen as it has a deer park and New College with its walled garden.
It’s a really great city to go with Babies given the variety of good and bad weather activities but be warned the cobbles could be a travel pram killer!
You can read more about our experiences in Oxford here
If you liked this post you may also be interested in our European City Breaks with Babies part one and part two!
Come back soon to find out more about city adventures with babies in Asia, America and Australia and if you would like to add your baby travel experience to the Uk or any other category please get in touch!
U.K. City breaks with babies
Great locations. I love Oxford and plan on going back with Mr J this summer as it’s where we had our first date. Birmingham is also a fab city, I grew up not far from Birmingham (nr Stratford on Avon) and never thought it was good for much else than shopping but after spending so much time there I have a new found love for it and there are some really nice parts. Thanks for sharing for #marvmondays x
Author
Oxford was amazing – enjoy
Oh we are off to Cardiff next week so this was good to read! Love Henley – my favourite place and wish I could live there! Gorgeous photos! #MarvMondays
Author
Glad it’s of use ?
Great places to visit. We went to Cardiff last year as a family and the kids loved it. #MarvMondays
Author
I’ve never been but would love to visit
some lovely ideas in the post. We haven’t been to enough of them #citytripping
Author
Thank you – once I left the Uk I realised how much more I wanted to explore – more for when I return
I’ve still not been to Cardiff. We had a great time in North Wales last summer, based in Caernarfon, so need to visit the capital next time.
#citytripping
Author
I’ve never been either – one for the list
Oxford was the first city I took my daughter to (not counting London where we live, at least!) She’s been back another three times I think 🙂 Great ideas. Thanks for linking up with #citytripping
Author
I would love to go back again. Can’t believe as a Londoner my daughter has never been – need to rectify that one
Aww glad to hear you found lots of baby friendly cities in the UK! Birmingham is great fun, I grew up not to far from there! Cadburys world is just a short train ride from Birmingham and every kids dream! Brighton and Hastings are also great fun for kids too, both with sea life centres, mini golf, piers and ice cream! (I am a big kid I know!) #citytripping
Author
Despite living in birmingham for 18 years I’ve never been to cadburys. Maybe when the baby is a bit older
Some great ideas and inspiration! We didn’t do this much with our first so it’s inspired me to get out and explore more… #familyfunlinky
Author
Hope you get out soon – Surrey has lots of great spots
As a Welsh girl I have to agree that Cardiff is an amazing city, I love it there. I also really like Oxford but somehow managed to go my whole life never visiting Birmingham xx #bloggerclubuk
Author
Cardiff is one I’m desperate to visit
Some good ideas here. Will be helpful for planning some UK breaks this summer. #citytripping
I still haven’t taken Jamie to any of these places and most of them are accessible to us. Great post. I wish it was easier to drive into Birmingham to get to the sea life centre #familyfun
Author
Where would you be driving from?
I’ve been to most of these, but only London (where we live!) with the kids so far. I think Oxford would be a nice place to visit. #Familytraveltips
Author
London is our uk home and haven’t been with Baby yet – need to rectify asap
Lovely to come back to this as part of #CulturedKids. Thanks for joining in!
Great idea to showcase places to visit with a baby as travelling can be daunting #bloggerclubuk
Author
Thank you one of the aims of the blog is to inspire others to travel with babies
We really haven’t done a city break yet with our little not because we can’t because we tend to head out into the hills instead!! Think we will end up in London this year though! Thank you for linking up to the #familyfunlinky
Author
I really need to take our lo to London as our adopted hometown
Author
Yes it def adds thins to the bucket list
Lots of great ideas here! Makes me sad my girls aren’t babies anymore..:(.
Author
Aww – I am sure every stage is different but amazing. I’m just enjoying while she’s little as it seems to be going so fast
What about Nottingham!? 😉 You’re right though – some great cities to choose from in this country! Where do you even start! #citytripping
Author
I use to go to Nottingham as a child but no one offered to write on it. My favourite city is york but no one wrote about here either. I might just have to take the baby so I can include it
Oh wow some brilliant recommendations, thank you! I live near Birmingham and have also lived in Cardiff so I’m biased and I’d have to say that those are my faves. London is amazing with children though and Oxford too. The one I’ve never been to that I now want to visit is Henley Upon Thames. We love National Trust so the fact there are loads of places near there to visit on National trust is perfect. Thanks so much for linking up to #familytraveltips
Nat.x
Author
Henley is fantastic for national trust properties
Great ideas for city breaks. We tend to country or coastal breaks. I think the nearest we’ve done would be Windsor. #familytraveltips
Author
I like Windsor too but never been with a baby
London has been on our list for ages. Really need to try get ore UK city breaks organised. So many places to see! #familytraveltips
Author
Us too!
Note to self – must get to Henley soon! Great round up of baby friendly destinations. Thanks for sharing on #farawayfiles
Author
Henley won’t disappoint
What a nice idea to have so many mums sharing their advice on destinations. Top ideas from the ones who know! #FarawayFiles
Author
Thank you – I know I always trust other parents when it comes to holiday destinations
We are regularly back in Birmingham too and we always have a great time. We haven’t been to Sutton Park yet though – so thanks for the tip.
I really want to go to Henley upon Thames – thanks for reminding me! There are so many fabulous UK cities to explore with children. I particularly love the historic, beautiful cities like Bath, York and Cambridge. Really enjoyed reading this for #FarawayFiles
Author
It won’t disappoint
Henley Upon Thames looks adorable – love the steam boat! Great list for exploring with littles in tow. Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles, Erin
Author
Henley is brilliant for all ages
Oxford does sound tempting. Thanks for all the tips. #culturedkids
Great locations, I especially like Henley #CulturedKids
Author
Lovely isn’t it
What a lovely collection of City Travellers! My OH is from Birmingham too! x #GetGone
Author
Thank you! I really write a more in depth Birmingham post soon
Birmingham truly amazed my family! Usually we go for aparthotels or serviced apartments but we were told by a friend that the Park Regis would be our best bet with two young kids, as the staff were so accommodating on their visit with their child. And wow weren’t they just! We would never have seen the amount in Birmingham that we did if it wasn’t for their guidance, just wish we had seen this blog before hand as well so we knew about more! Definitely coming back for another visit soon! (The Thinktank and The Mac at Cannon Hill Park were truly amazing).
Author
I’m staying in Birmingham for the whole summer and would love to try park Regis as I’ve heard good things! Really looking forward to exploring more this summer and writing more blog posts