Connect and nurture: destinations for multi-generational family trips

Discover the Scottish Highlands around Glenfinnan

Marked by a monument to Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite Rising, the Glenfinnan area is both gloriously remote and conveniently located for exploring the rugged Western Highlands. You don’t have to walk far from the village to find the curving Glenfinnan Viaduct, which Harry Potter fans will recognise as the route of the Hogwarts Express. Climb aboard for a stunning journey along the West Highland Line between Fort William and the port of Mallaig

Boat trips explore silvery Loch Shiel from Glenfinnan pier, spotting golden eagles and red deer on the shores, or you can head to the heights in the Nevis Range Mountain Gondola. With a good chunk of Scotland’s 282 3,000ft-plus Munros clustered around Ben Nevis, the UK’s only mountain gondola whisks hikers up neighbouring Aonach Mòr for magnificently beautiful walks.

Feast on the culture and cuisine of Madrid

The Spanish capital has emerged from Barcelona’s shadow as a European city break destination, from its grand plazas to the vibrant spirit captured by Pedro Almodóvar films. Madrid’s Golden Triangle of Art – the Prado, Reina Sofía, and Thyssen-Bornemisza museums – are strong candidates for a cultural getaway, respectively displaying Diego Velázquez’ enigmatic Las Meninas (1656), Pablo Picasso’s monumental Guernica (1937), and El Greco’s dramatic The Annunciation (1576)

Among the 70-plus museums, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts is also recommended for its Francisco Goya collection, but there’s plenty of good food to enjoy, too. Cross the street for some 30 choices at department store Galería Canalejas’ gourmet food hall, including St. James’ famous paella, DBellota’s Iberian hams and wines, and MAD Gourmets’ world cuisines and live music. Sightseeing tours by electrical tuk-tuk are fun for all generations, while authentic experiences include La Latina tapas bars and cocido stew at Lhardy Restaurante.    

Hike through history on Turkey’s Lycian Way

This well-marked footpath follows a wildly beautiful stretch of Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, where the pre-Roman Lycian kingdom left a string of mysterious ruins. The 760 km trail winds through pine and cedar forests to farming villages, continuing to whitewashed harbour towns and mountain-ringed beaches, on the Teke Peninsula between Fethiye and Antalya. If hiking for 35 days doesn’t sound like a holiday, simply tackle small sections – accommodating hoteliers will happily ferry your bags to your next stop to lighten the load

The laidback holiday spots of Kaș and Kalkan make relaxing bases, with some scenic parts of the trail tracing the coast east to the Sunken City – the submerged remains of Lycian Simena. Atmospheric Lycian sites include the crumbling theatres and colonnaded streets of capital Xanthos and political centre Patara, and weatherbeaten sarcophagi poke from the Mediterranean scrub throughout the region.

Hit the Italian slopes for dumplings in the Dolomites

Often overlooked in favour of France, Switzerland, and Austria, Italy’s three main ski regions – the South Tyrolean Dolomites, Val d’Aosta, and the Savoy Alps west of Turin – impress with their gorgeous scenery, family friendly resorts, and reliable snowfall.

For encouraging newbie skiers, look up Courmayeur at the foot of Mont Blanc. For slopes to suit everyone and thermal baths after a day on the mountain, try Bormio in Lombardy’s Alta Valtellina valley. And for one of Europe’s most beautiful mountain villages, opt for Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its incredible landscapes and rock formations, the Dolomites is also home to Alta Badia – an area renowned for its incredible restaurants, such as Atelier Moessmer Norbert Niederkofler. Hearty local Ladin cuisine is characterised by dumplings and game, which you can try at Ütia Crëp de Munt mountain hut on the Alta Badia slopes.

Experience the wildlife of South Africa’s Kruger National Park

If you’re looking for a budget blowout, there’s no finer place to see the sun rise than the African savannah. A safari holiday, with its dawn wildlife drives, poolside afternoons, sundowners in the bush, and family dinners under brilliant night skies, is an experience that children will never forget. Most lodges offer interactive ‘junior ranger’ programmes to engage younger kids, too, with activities such as identifying birdcalls, spotting tracks, and collecting animal dung.

The king of South Africa’s lion-prowled grasslands, vast Kruger National Park, and the adjoining private reserves are recommended for families. Easy to reach from Johannesburg, combinable with beautiful Cape Town, and offering a range of safari lodges from wilderness camps to luxury retreats. Tracking a big cat or a pack of wild dogs, accompanied by a guide’s whispered explanations, is nature at its most dramatic and an experience that inspires environmentalism.