A List of the Best Father and Son Holidays
Our guide to the most memorable father and son trips away (and places to stay, of course)
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There’s nothing quite like a dad and lad trip to improve the tight bond that ties generations together. If nothing else, it's a great excuse for a trip away. Should you be in search of some inspiration, we here at Plum Guide have done an awful lot of hard work (as usual) and rounded up the top destinatons for your holiday away. And you can trust our expert advice, because when we do something, we do it right.
Seek out the souks in Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv is first on our list of father and son holidays for a reason: the food mainly. Rummage through the Carmel Market and other souks spread through the heart of Tel Aviv. Munch on some falafel and shawarma together and pick out some of the carpets and other exotic items on display on the stalls for the folks back home. Your wife, partner or neglected other child would love a Middle Eastern souvenir by which to remember the trip they weren’t invited to. Feeling smug and satisfied with the gifts you’ve picked up and somewhat full from the hummus and couscous, waddle on down to one of the beaches straddling the side of the city and fall asleep facing the Mediterranean Sea.
Head to Hollywood in Los Angeles
Hollywood Hills Sign, Los Angeles
There’s nothing quite like a Hollywood fantasy, is there, so why not live out your very own with a trip to LA? Check out the iconic Hollywood Sign and walk, head down, along the Hollywood Boulevard Wall of Fame. See the Dolby Studios, where the Oscars take place and the famous red carpet is rolled out, and take the tour of Universal Studios, where you can find yourself in some very real simulations of Jurassic Park, The Simpsons and other distractions you can use to make the rest of your uninvited family jealous.
Get your football fix in Lisbon
It may be known for its romantic, undulating alleys and rustic city centre, but Lisbon finds itself embroiled in one of the fiercest football rivalries known to man. And this is a man holiday, so you should know about this rivalry. Things first got heated in 1907, when eight Benfica players moved to Sporting Lisbon just before they played each other. Apply for tickets online and go to either the Estádio da Luz or the Estádio José Alvalade. Also (since you’re in the city), try to listen to some fado music and get a few of those pastéis de nata custard pastry things.
Enjoy an adventure to Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris
We don’t know what kind of father and son you are. It may be that you’d enjoy studying the art in Montmartre, admiring ecclesiastical gems in the Sacre-Coeur Cathedral and strolling through the Luxembourg Gardens. But, let’s face it, so far this Paris trip is sounding like a father holiday without the son part. A short train ride will take you to Disneyland Paris, where all your dreams and wallet haemorrhaging come true. Bond through your fear in the Phantom Manor haunted house and lose yourselves in the Toy Story Playland.
Boogie together in Berlin
How old is your son? If he’s past drinking age, check out some of the bars and clubs in Berlin's Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain. Because, why shouldn’t a father and son be able to go clubbing together? That said, if your son is six years old, it’d be entirely inappropriate and we just can’t advocate it within this list of father and son holidays. But you do have the Berlin Zoo and an opportunity to teach your little one about the perils of communism and fascism all at once in the museums of this tumultuous city.
Book a boys' trip to Barcelona
A great opportunity for your son to show off his Spanish Catalan. (Don’t make that mistake, they’ll be livid). Barcelona's Park Güell is out of this world, and a great place to go for a walk and catch up on some father-son chat. It’s quite hilly, so you could just check the photos on Google, but then what’s the point of anything.
Parc Guell, Barcelona
Perhaps you have one of those competitive pseudo-intellectual relationships, in which case you can passive-aggressively spout various facts you looked up the previous night about each of Gaudí’s fairytale-esque masterpieces. Here’s some ammo to start you off: construction on the park began in 1900, and it was initially meant as a remarkably baroque housing development.
Discover the charm of London
Wander around the charming streets of London's Little Venice and stroll along the banks of the canals. Enjoy a few ales at a traditional English pub skirting the water. Boat rentals are available without a license from GoBoat for those special father-son moments right before you crash into a bridge for the most memorable of father and son holidays.