If you’re looking for the perfect family vacation destination with plenty of things to do, places to eat and affordable accommodation, where should you head to?
With US domestic travel returning to pre-pandemic levels and international travel rapidly opening back up, it looks like 2022 is set to be ‘back to normal’ as families jet off around the world for a break from everyday life.
But if, like many, you’re looking for inspiration on somewhere new to travel to over the coming months, you’re maybe wondering where the world’s most family-friendly cities for tourists are.
To reveal the cities best set up for the perfect family vacation, we’ve taken a deep-dive into a number of family-friendly factors for the world’s 100 most popular cities with international visitors to find out.
- Ranking the World’s Best Cities for a Family Vacation
- The 20 Best Destinations to Visit with Kids
- Which Cities Have the Widest Range of ‘Good for Kids’ Attractions?
- Which Cities Have the Widest Range of ‘Family-Friendly’ Hotels?
- Which Cities Have the Widest Range of ‘Family-Friendly’ Restaurants?
- Where are the World’s Safest Cities to Visit with Kids?
- Which Cities Have the Fewest Rainy Days Each Year?
- Methodology
Ranking the World’s Best Cities for a Family Vacation
To rank the world’s best cities to visit as a family, we took a deep-dive into the following factors for each of the world’s 100 most popular cities with international visitors:
- Number of ‘Good for Kids’ attractions (Tripadvisor)
- Number of ‘Family-Friendly’ hotels (Tripadvisor)
- Number of ‘Child-Friendly’ restaurants (Tripadvisor)
- Number of ‘Nature and Parks’ attractions (Tripadvisor)
- The average cost of a meal at an inexpensive restaurant (Numbeo)
- The average nightly cost of a family hotel room (Kayak)
- The Safety Index score (Numbeo)
- The average number of annual rainy days (Weather & Climate)
We wanted to truly take into account the different factors that make a city the perfect place to visit with kids, considering both the options available to families as well as the cost of the trip’s essentials, the safety of the city and the chance of you facing a rainy vacation.
The 20 Best Destinations to Visit with Kids
If you’re looking for your next city vacation with your family, here are the 20 destinations you should be considering heading to if you’re looking for a fantastic mix of nice weather, safety, plenty of things to do and an affordable trip.
| Rank | City | Index Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | 7.30 |
| 2 | London | 6.42 |
| 3 | Paris | 6.33 |
| 4 | Dubai | 5.79 |
| 5 | Tokyo | 5.77 |
| 6 | Marrakech | 5.70 |
| 7 | Istanbul | 5.37 |
| 8 | Madrid | 5.26 |
| 9 | Barcelona | 5.20 |
| 10 | Prague | 5.08 |
| 11 | Moscow | 5.04 |
| 12 | Bangkok | 5.02 |
| 13 | Hong Kong | 4.93 |
| 14 | New York City | 4.86 |
| 15 | Lisbon | 4.81 |
| 16 | Denpasar | 4.80 |
| 17 | Hanoi | 4.77 |
| 18 | Jaipur | 4.76 |
| 18 | Chiang Mai | 4.76 |
| 20 | Phuket | 4.71 |
1. Rome, Italy (7.30 Index Score)
2. London, UK (6.42 Index Score)
3. Paris, France (6.33 Index Score)
4. Dubai, UAE (5.79 Index Score)
5. Tokyo, Japan (5.77 Index Score)
Which Cities Have the Widest Range of ‘Good for Kids’ Attractions?
Having an extensive range of things to do for the whole family is so important when traveling with kids, which is why we analyzed the number of ‘good for kids’ attractions in each city, as listed on Tripadvisor.
Here are the 10 best cities in the world for the widest range of family attractions:
Rank | City | Country | ‘Good for Kids’ Attractions (Tripadvisor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | Italy | 715 |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom | 672 |
| 3 | Marrakech | Morocco | 568 |
| 4 | Delhi | India | 498 |
| 5 | Paris | France | 483 |
| 6 | Moscow | Russia | 467 |
| 7 | Hanoi | Vietnam | 431 |
| 8 | New York City | US | 420 |
| 9 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 419 |
| 10 | Dubai | UAE | 401 |
Which Cities Have the Widest Range of ‘Family-Friendly’ Hotels?
Families have different needs and requirements from their accommodation than couples and solo travelers, and some hotels are ultimately more family-friendly than others.
From the amenities on offer to their location away from busy party districts, it pays to take the time to hunt out a hotel that offers just what you need.
Looking at the availability of ‘family-friendly’ hotels on Tripadvisor, here are the 10 best cities in the world for the perfect accommodation:
Rank | City | Country | Family-Friendly Hotels (Tripadvisor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | Italy | 1026 |
| 2 | Istanbul | Turkey | 645 |
| 3 | Marrakech | Morocco | 620 |
| 4 | Paris | France | 586 |
| 5 | Bangkok | Thailand | 544 |
| 6 | Phuket | Thailand | 520 |
| 7 | Chiang Mai | Thailand | 418 |
| 8 | Florence | Italy | 411 |
| 9 | Prague | Czechia | 361 |
| 10 | Barcelona | Spain | 349 |
Which Cities Have the Widest Range of ‘Family-Friendly’ Restaurants?
When eating out whilst on vacation, most families don’t want fine dining.
Rather, they want a restaurant that offers a dedicated children’s menu (with dishes their kids will actually eat) and a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, affordable prices and walk-in availability.
So we analyzed the number of ‘family-friendly’ restaurants on Tripadvisor to reveal the world’s cities with the widest availability of eateries when traveling with kids.
Here are the 10 best cities in the world for the availability of family-friendly dining:
Rank | City | Country | Family-Friendly Restaurants (Tripadvisor) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paris | France | 6398 |
| 2 | London | United Kingdom | 6329 |
| 3 | Rome | Italy | 4623 |
| 4 | New York City | US | 3956 |
| 5 | Madrid | Spain | 3423 |
| 6 | Barcelona | Spain | 3382 |
| 7 | Singapore | Singapore | 2600 |
| 8 | Milan | Italy | 2574 |
| 9 | Berlin | Germany | 2543 |
| 10 | Rio de Janeiro | Brazil | 2483 |
Where are the World’s Safest Cities to Visit with Kids?
Safety is, without a doubt, something that’s at the forefront of any parent’s mind when on the hunt for that perfect destination, and quite understandably so.
We analyzed Numbeo’s ‘Safety Index’ score for each city to reveal the 10 safest cities in the world to visit with kids:
| Rank | City | Country | Safety Index Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medina | Saudi Arabia | 90.5 |
| 2 | Abu Dhabi | UAE | 87.9 |
| 3 | Kyoto | Japan | 87.7 |
| 4 | Taipei | Taiwan | 86.5 |
| 5 | Dubai | UAE | 83.7 |
| 6 | Munich | Germany | 82.6 |
| 7 | Fukuoka | Japan | 82.0 |
| 8 | Mecca | Saudi Arabia | 80.8 |
| 9 | Hong Kong | China | 78.0 |
| 10 | Tokyo | Japan | 76.6 |
Which Cities Have the Fewest Rainy Days Each Year?
No one wants to head away on vacation and spend the duration struggling to find things to do because it’s not stopped raining.
So we analyzed the average annual rainfall in each city to reveal where in the world you’re least likely to get drenched during your trip.
Here are the world’s 10 least rainiest cities to visit with kids:
| Rank | City | Country | Annual Rainy Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Abu Dhabi | UAE | |
| 1 | Dubai | UAE | |
| 3 | Hurghada | Egypt | 2 |
| 4 | Dammam | Saudi Arabia | 10 |
| 5 | Cairo | Egypt | 14 |
| 6 | Lima | Peru | 19 |
| 7 | Mecca | Saudi Arabia | 22 |
| 8 | Las Vegas | US | 27 |
| 9 | Jaipur | India | 35 |
| 9 | Los Angeles | US | 35 |
Methodology
To reveal the world’s best cities to visit with kids, we analyzed the world’s 100 busiest cities for international visitors against the following factors:
All data was collected on 13th October 2021 and was ranked using a weighted index to give each city a total Index Score.
More about our TFVG Author
A seasoned traveller, Dad, and avid sports tourist, James foundered The Family Vacation Guide to share his expert vacation experiences- especially when it comes to being a travelling family man.
Featured in Travel articles such as Travel + Leisure, TripSavvy and SFGate, you know you're reading some of the best vacation tips online.
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
- James Brockbankhttps://www.thefamilyvacationguide.com/author/james/
