Family Road Trip Destinations: 7 Essential Routes Kids and Parents Will Love

Choosing between family road trip destinations is mostly about balance: drives short enough that nobody melts down, stops good enough that the kids remember them, and a mix of outdoor and indoor things to do for the days when the weather turns. A family road trip lives or dies on the stops, not the destination itself. Kids remember the ice cream van and the beach scramble, not the motorway. Here are seven routes that get that balance right, across the UK and Europe.

1. The Scottish Highlands: the North Coast 500

The North Coast 500 is the standout for families with older children who can cope with longer drives, rewarded with castles, lochs and genuine wildlife spotting, including red deer, seals and occasionally dolphins. Eilean Donan Castle is the classic stop. Many roads are single track with passing places, so plan more time than the map suggests and take regular breaks. It’s one of the most scenic family road trip destinations in Britain, but it suits children who enjoy a long day out.

2. The Jurassic Coast: Dorset and Devon

For younger children, the Jurassic Coast keeps driving days short, with fossil hunting at Charmouth and the dramatic Durdle Door arch breaking up the journey. Beaches, museums and small seaside towns mean there’s always a fallback plan when it rains, which makes it one of the easiest UK routes to enjoy with toddlers and primary school age children.

3. Cornwall’s coastal loop

Cornwall is easy driving with a beach at almost every turn, and towns like St Ives give you harbours, galleries and plenty of ice cream. It’s very popular, so book accommodation early and expect slow traffic and busy car parks in the school holidays. Arriving early in the day, or travelling outside peak weeks, makes a big difference.

4. Pembrokeshire: a quieter alternative

Pembrokeshire in west Wales combines sandy beaches, a coastal path, castles and boat trips to see puffins and seals, and it’s usually quieter than Cornwall. Distances between the highlights are short, which suits families who would rather spend the day on a beach than in the car, and it’s one of the better kept secrets among UK family road trip destinations.

5. Brittany and Normandy: an easy first trip abroad

Brittany and Normandy are close enough to reach by ferry and make an easy first European road trip. Expect long sandy beaches, medieval towns, Mont Saint Michel and the D Day landing sites for older children interested in history. The roads are quiet and good, and the food, from crepes to simple seafood, is easy for fussy eaters.

6. Provence: the toddler friendly French option

Provence offers flatter roads, shorter hops between villages and lavender fields that keep even reluctant teenagers interested in photos, particularly in bloom season from roughly late June to early August. Weekly markets, swimming pools and easy village life make it a good fit for a mixed age group, and the pace is gentler than most other European routes.

7. The Amalfi Coast: scenery for older kids

The Amalfi Coast suits families with teenagers better than toddlers. The narrow, winding roads make frequent stops trickier, but the scenery, boat trips and gelato more than make up for it. If you’d rather relax, plan transfers for the busiest stretches instead of driving the whole coast yourself.

Keeping young kids entertained on long stretches

Breaking any route into shorter stretches, with a proper stop in between rather than just a fuel station, cuts down meltdowns significantly. Downloaded shows or audiobooks for the car help, as does a stop with something to actually do, such as a beach, a playground or an ice cream stand. Building in one day with nothing planned partway through the trip helps on longer routes like the North Coast 500 or the Amalfi Coast, because everyone gets to rest.

Budgeting for a family road trip

Self catering accommodation with a kitchen cuts food costs significantly, since eating out at every meal adds up fast for a family. Budget for fuel, tolls (common on French and Italian motorways) and parking at popular stops, which can be surprisingly expensive at UK coastal hotspots in summer. That gives a more realistic total than counting only accommodation. Our budget travel tips and our guide to travelling Europe on $50 a day have more ways to keep costs down, and our list of low cost weekend getaways works well for shorter trips.

When to go

UK school holidays mean the Highlands, Cornwall and the Jurassic Coast all get genuinely busy, with accommodation booking up months ahead for the peak summer weeks. Late May to early June and September both offer quieter roads and more available accommodation for UK routes, while Provence’s lavender season is worth planning around if that’s a priority for your trip.

Car hire and driving considerations

For European routes, check whether your UK driving licence is valid in your destination country and whether you need an International Driving Permit, since rules vary by country. The official gov.uk guide to driving abroad explains what to check, including insurance and documents. If you’re hiring a car, confirm child seats or isofix points in advance rather than assuming one will be available, which avoids a stressful pickup desk conversation with young children waiting. Our guides to the cheapest car rental in the UK and car rental excess insurance cover how to compare suppliers and avoid expensive surprises at the desk.

Choosing between family road trip destinations

For toddlers and young children, choose the Jurassic Coast, Cornwall or Provence. For older children who can handle longer drives, the Highlands and the Amalfi Coast reward the effort, and Pembrokeshire and Brittany sit nicely in between. Whichever of the family road trip destinations you pick, keep the driving stretches short, plan the stops rather than the destination, and leave room for the unplanned detours that kids tend to remember most. If you’re still deciding what to pack, our travel tips for first time travellers help with the basics.