Favourite places we’ve visited: The World’s Largest Virtual Solar System Drive

As mentioned previously, we did at least two of the drives which incorporate the World's Largest Virtual Solar System Drive. We joined one of the drives on the Mitchell Highway at Narrabri. Just south of the town, there is a truck-stop/picnic area with a 3D model of Neptune to which it was attached. We were on the outskirts of the giant Solar System – but Pluto was hundreds of kilometres back up the highway towards Moree. Driving towards Coonabarabran, we were nearing the centre: the Sun.

The drive works something like this. Imagine that the dome of the Anglo-Australian Observatory at Siding Spring, Coonabarabran is a scale model of the sun. Someone, in their impressive imagination, created scale models of all of the planets (even Pluto) at the scale distances along the roads leading away from Siding Spring. A three-dimensional scale model of each planet is mounted on a gigantic billboard containing information about that planet on it. So, Mercury was just down the driveway road from the observatory, and Venus further along than that. Earth was almost at the main road and Mars just beyond the intersection. The model of Jupiter was simply enormous, and located just before the road entered Coonabarabran.

At this point, there are five versions of the model – each spread out along one of the five main roads leading away from Coonabarabran so that, for example, Pluto is located to the north between Narrabri and Moree, to the east near Merriwa, and to the south in Dubbo. There are several Saturns – hugely spectacular with the rings, of course – located a few kilometres away from town along each of the main roads. Neptune and Uranus much further away down the highway. Pluto, hundreds of kilometres away in Dubbo, was a tiny hemisphere of grey attached to a gigantic board in the carpark of the Tourist Information Centre. The Bookworm, who loves space, loved the drive. So did the rest of us. Tracking down each planet and trying to guess how long it would take to reach the next one was a fun way to pass the time with the kids in the car.

The Solar System Drive has to be one of the more unusual sights we have seen on holidays, but it was terrific fun! The kids loved it as we stopped at each planet to read the brief information and marvel over the relative sizes and distances represented. And it was an interesting way to pass the time on some very long driving. I’m glad that they stopped with Pluto. It was hard enough trying to comprehend the enormity and emptiness of the Solar System without having to stretch my brain around distances across the Universe! It wouldn’t have fit, anyway.

Ask the readers: Canberra with kids

We've been wanting to take the kids to Canberra for ages now. We really want to take the girls to Questacon, the National Science and Technology Centre. I went there when I was little but I can't remember it at all. John hasn't been. Its a really interactive sciencey sort of discovery place, with lots to see and do. So that's definitely on the list.

We heard the other day that Canberra zoo is really good, even better than Sydney's Taronga Park Zoo. Not sure why, but perhaps we need to find out first hand!

Tidbinbilla Tracking Station is also on the list, as we're a family that is interested in space. Tidbinbilla is a complex of radio telescopes that are part of NASA's Deep Space Network.

Do any of you lovely readers have suggestions for things to do with kids in Canberra? Its likely that we will go some time in the next few months, during which time it will be particularly wintery in Canberra.

Some of our kids' favourite travel memories

The other day we were talking about eating icecreams. Bendy piped up about visiting an icecream factory. We were surprised, as we visited the Ben and Jerry's icecream factory in Waterbury, Vermont in 2006, when Bendy was just 2 and a bit. Bendy still remembers it. The other strong memory that Bendy has from our America holiday is eating a SpongeBob icecream in Central Park in New York. Bendy actually has no idea who SpongeBob is, as we have no TV, and therefore the only thing she knows about SpongeBob is that he's an icecream character. However, she liked the goofy look of him and obviously its highly memorable for her.

The Bookworm remembers the same day, but not so much in the context of eating icecreams (although she does remember eating the rest of the SpongeBob, because even though it was obviously so exciting and memorable for Bendy, she didn't want to actually finish it!). For her, it was more about learning a bit about the Beatles and John Lennon, in the Strawberry Fields part of Central Park. When they were there, there was a jazz band busking, and the kids really enjoyed listening to it. It took them quite some to get up enough courage to go and put some money in their collection. The Bookworm really didn't want to, but eventually did.

Of course, their other favourite travel memories would have to be from our visit to Hong Kong Disneyland. That will be burned onto their brains and they will never forget it. Indeed, Bendy's new life quest is to visit ALL the Disneylands around the world. Aim high! Just what the Disney corporate executives would want...

When The Bookworm was 20 months old, we visited the UK, Ireland, and Singapore. For a long time afterwards (until the memories eventually faded) her strong memories of that holiday were of the Jacobite steam train on the West Highland Railway in Scotland (also famous as the Hogwarts Express), men on horses in London (the Horse Guards) and a piece of troublesome rubbish that was stuck to the play equipment in Singapore airport. At the time she found this piece of rubbish extremely distressing, and we think that is why the memory stuck with her for so long.

Interesting that all of these memories have strong emotions attached to them. Most were obviously of extreme happiness and even ecstasy, but the distressing ones were equally emotive.

Sometimes people wonder why we take our kids with us on holidays when they are so young. We know that not all the memories that our kids have of their holidays - especially from when they were extremely young - will stay with them forever, but each has a part in shaping who they are. Of course they won't remember things from when they are tiny, but that doesn't make the experiences any less important.

Kids' recommendations for Paris

We have mentioned that we have some friends who are currently planning a trip to Europe. Last night we asked our kids what they would recommend that our friends' kids should see while they are there.

The Bookworm: the Mona Lisa.

Me: Why?

The Bookworm: Because it's famous. Also the big paintings in the Orangerie [the Monet waterlilies].

Bendy: The Eiffel Tower.

Me: Why?

Bendy: Because its fun.

John: And what advice do you have for them about the Eiffel Tower?

The Bookworm: Get there early and take hot croissants.

So there you have the hot kids' picks for Paris!

Favourite places we've visited: Sainte-Chapelle, Paris

I loved the Sainte-Chapelle for two reasons. The glorious stained glass windows are, of course, the paramount reason to visit. Few churches can rival the technicoloured splendour of the windows which seem to defy gravity and stretch away up to the vault of heaven itself. Even the lower chapel (for the royal servants etc.) was impressive!

I have a soft spot for stained glass, and this little chapel is a supremely fine repository of that art form. Architecturally it is a wonder: the spindle-thin columns of stone supporting the weight of the roof with over an acre of glass in-filling the spaces between, towering to a great height above the decorated floor. And the light. All that glorious coloured light streaming in from the outside. It is no wonder that the architects of Gothic cathedrals thought they were transmitting the immutable presence of God to the awestruck congregations of the middle ages. It still works in our high-tech information age. A telephoto camera lens helps to make out the detailed figures within the higher glass panels that are otherwise indistinguishable from the floor.

I'd love to have had the chance to experience a choral concert in the upper chapel - I suspect the acoustics are impeccable.

The other reason I loved the Sainte-Chapelle is more prosaic: I had my first actual conversation in French with a security guard, asking for and clarifying directions to a toilet other than the nearest one (inexplicably closed...) for Bendy. A great sense of accomplishment swept over me despite the ordinariness of the subject.

Our travel tip for the Sainte-Chapelle is this: there are TWO queues into the Palais de Justice. The one on the left is for visitors to the Palais de Justice (i.e. probably not you). The much longer line on the left is for the Sainte-Chapelle. We joined the wrong line at first, and then were sent on to the end of the other one right at the doorway. It stretched back to the corner of the building, so we thought we'd be there for ages, but it was really only about 20 minutes from there until we went through the security screening checks.

Favourite places we've visited: Quebec City, Canada

Quebec City, Canada has two distinct parts. First, there's the yukky modern city. It seems about as lifeless and uninspiring as many modern cities can be.

Then there's the old walled city - and that's a different world. We were privileged to stay within the walls a few years ago at a charming hotel with an all-important adjoining parking garage (with a hefty fee...). What a pleasure it was to stay in this place! We could easily have lived there (except we didn't experience winter, and I suspect that it's a little colder than what we experience in Australia). So, what was so good about Quebec City?

Well, I guess the first thing is the people. Canadians are universally hospitable. We've never met an impolite, unfriendly Canadian and I wouldn't wonder if they didn't exist. And despite occasional English/French rivalry and attempts to secede from Canada, the Quebecois (French Canadians) were extremely courteous to us as their guests, even if they did assume we were British...!

Secondly, the architecture is fantastic. A European city in North America, replete with French architectural styles. The grand hotel Chateau Frontenac, with its commanding position above the city, certainly reinforces the French influences in the buildings.

Thirdly, the ambience and quaintness (and I don't mean that in a condescending way) of the city: cobblestones, steep winding streets, artists on the pavement, Christmas shops, the tangled driving maze, the wall encircling the town, the street decorations. The myriad of tiny details that conspire to create the feeling of a place, and not just the pretty view.

Fourth, the view. Commanding a high position above the St Lawrence Seaway, it is one magnificent view. And there's a long promenade to take advantage of it.

Fifth, the wonderful, wonderful eateries. OK, so we debased ourselves and went to McDonald's once, but we have repented of our error and won't do that again in a hurry. But the cafe across the street and up a bit was simply fantastic. Our lunch servings were so substantial we had to join several tables together just to fit the trays on them (there were 2 adults and 2 kids, ages 5 and 2)! And, the staff let me practice my very haltering French - we conversed bilingually until I got it right! The food was great and the coaching graciously endured. Also, the kid-friendly staff and food at the St James Resto-Bisto is worthy of special mention.

In planning this holiday, we had intended to see New York and the New England area - Vermont in particular. We stretched things and reorganised the itinerary to squeeze in several days in Quebec City, and we are so pleased that we did! It was well worth the visit.

Favourite places we've visited: The Alhambra, Granada, Spain.

There would be few places on earth which rival the overwhelming magnificence of the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra. Located on a hillside overlooking the Spanish city of Granada, it is a must-see destination for any travellers to Andalusia. The gardens of the palace, and the summer palace of the Generalife (next door) are magnificent - so it isn't just the interiors that are worth seeing.

We were there on a mostly sunny day - though it was raining as we left. We had driven from Seville for 3.5 hours to be there, and found the route - especially in and around Granada - to be really well signposted. This can often be a problem in unfamiliar territory, but not here. The directions were superb, and there was loads of carparking (pay parking).

We had pre-booked the entry to the Nasrid Palaces on the internet about 3 months in advance. This is because they only permit a certain number of people into the Palaces each day - so if you turn up on the day there is no guarantee you'd get in. And I wanted that guarantee. I don't think that pre-booking made any difference to the price - just to the certainty. You are allocated a half-hour timeslot within which you MUST enter the Palaces, or you miss out. I seem to recall, however, being able to nominate either morning, afternoon or evening tickets - but you can't specify the timeslot.

We turned up as early as we could and were helpfully assisted at the Servi-Caixa machines by an attendant to actually retrieve our tickets. These are scanned every time you enter the grounds - you can do this as much as you like - and on entry to the Palaces.

We got some takeaway lunch from a little store across the street - ham and cheese rolls or something as simple. There is not much to choose from, so bring your own if you need to. The adjoining restaurant was pricey and uninspiring. We entered the grounds and found ourselves a little seat in the shade of the trees at the approaches to the Generalife. Quite a few people were in the area, enjoying the sunshine, the gardens and their lunch.

Ahh yes. The lunch. Apparently you can't eat lunch in the grounds. At all. We were roundly told off for doing so (as were the other visitors) and were made to exit the grounds and eat outside. We could only conclude that it was some sort of effort to keep pigeons away - otherwise who would bother with such a rule? Obviously we wouldn't be able to eat inside the Palaces, but outside? It hardly made sense. Well, we sat outside the complex entry and ate, then re-entered without hassle.

After a very brief look at part of the Generalife gardens we headed for a longer-than-expected walk to the Nasrid Palaces. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. The queue for our timeslot was long, but once it got going it was quite a quick entry given the number of people.

Nothing can prepare you for the interiors. Of course, I'd seen lots of photos etc., and read Moorish Architecture of Andalusia by Marianne Barrucand as part of the lead-up to the holiday. I was still unprepared. As we have said a few times in previous posts, there is nothing like the reality of being there to bring something to life. One of the things that amazed me was that each room I entered was more magnificent than the previous one - if that were at all possible. I cannot begin to adequately describe the intricate details of the tiles, the plasterwork, stonework, timber ceilings and beams. Everything is covered in the most exquisite decoration. And the amazing thing is this: it should look overdone and tizzy, but it isn't. It is remarkably restrained and elegant.

The kids loved it too. They looked for patterns on the walls, they looked at ceilings - and they constantly reminded us that you must remember to look up - they looked at a thousand small things that adults might otherwise miss: everything from door handles to window shutters, ponds to floor tiles.

We went in search of Moorish Spain, and stayed in Seville as our base in order to minimise the travel, packing and unpacking and all the settling in that a new hotel requires. In addition to the Alhambra, we visited the Real Alcazar (Seville), Cordoba Cathedral (the Mezquita, Cordoba), and the very tourist-free ruined city of Medina Azahara (outside Cordoba). If Moorish Spain is ever on your itinerary, then the Alhambra must not be missed. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, and it was worth the seven hour round trip to get there.

Favourite places we've visited: Scenic World, Katoomba.

For all the non-Aussies out there, Katoomba is situated in the Blue Mountains, a gorgeous World Heritage Listed region to the west of Sydney, Australia. Favoured in bygone days as a health resort, it is a centre of tourism in our region - and with good reason. The natural beauty of the area is outstanding, and there are many ways of enjoying a day or a week in the area.

Unfortunately, most tourist buses only visit Echo Point, to view the Three Sisters rock formation, and iconic view known from thousands of postcards, and then force you to spend all your money at horrible souvenir shops. Pity - there is so much more in the mountains.

Scenic World, from my childhood, was one such tourist trap. A few years ago we stayed in Katoomba when the opportunity arose for Yvette to do some teaching in Katoomba. The girls and I spent a day at Scenic World, and I was genuinely pleased at the transformation that has been effected in the intervening years. Sure, it's still a tourist trap, but it has certainly improved. There are three elements to a visit. 

Firstly, there's the cable car suspended high above the valley, overlooking the National Park. On a good-weather day the view is incredible. I remember the old tin-pot cable car which has thankfully been relegated to the carpark, and we marvelled that this new version, with its glass floor for viewing directly below (and somewhat creepy to stand on).

Secondly, there is the Scenic Railway. Once built to haul miners up from and down to the valley floor, it is a very steep rack rail that is more like a tame rollercoaster. It still sets your stomach a-flutter as it appears to plunge over the cliff in an almost vertical position.

Thirdly, at the bottom of the Scenic Railway there is a wonderful new boardwalk through the temperate rainforest in the valley. This is absolutely fantastic. There are little boards describing the ecology of the rainforest, particular plant species, and a very cool, green ambience that can consume many lazy hours of wandering and sitting.

So, while Scenic World is very touristy, it is not as bad as you might think. The addition of the rainforest walk is certainly a plus. If you can manage a bushwalk as well, you'd end up with a really great day out with the kids in a natural environment. At the end, of course, there are always the rewards on offer at Blue Mountains Chocolate - all hand made, and only a few streets from Echo Point. Mmmmmm!

Favourite places we've visited: Western Plains Zoo

We had the opportunity to visit several towns in western New South Wales, Australia, two years ago and spent a couple of days in Dubbo - a large regional centre. The prime attraction (but by no means the only one!) is just out of town: Western Plains Zoo. Western Plains is a large, open range zoo in which it is possible to see the exhibited wildlife on foot, by car or by bicycle (which can be hired at the zoo).

This zoo is involved in a large number of animal conservation projects - from tigers, to rhinos, birds to primates. We discovered that the zoo is open very early in the morning for guided walks, hosted by volunteers from the Friends of Western Plains Zoo. These walks take you behind the scenes to some of the night enclosures, and also give you the chance to see things like feeding up close. The early morning walks cost extra on top of the daily admission ticket, but it is well worth it. It was difficult getting up at the crack of dawn to get out to the zoo (and have the kids organised!) but what a great time we had! Click here for the early morning walks website (it's really difficult to find just by browsing from the Zoo web page!)

Bendy went berserk over seeing the giraffes (her then-favourite animal). She nearly popped out of her skin with excitement - AND we got to see them being fed up close. She also nearly went mad over the camels (though we don't really know why - she'd never shown much interest in them before, or since...). The guide we had was excellent. She was fun, knowledgeable, and friendly - willing to answer questions, pick up the kids for a closer look etc. We had a look through the rhinoceros night yards, amazed to see so many of these critically endangered creatures in one place. The only animal we really couldn't see were the zebras - they were in quarantine due to an outbreak of equine influenza in Australia that brought any horse-related businesses to a standstill.

The tour went for a couple of hours, and was over just prior to the main zoo gates opening for general admission. While there were lots of people (in small groups) doing the early morning guided tours, it felt as if we had the place to ourselves. We spent most of the rest of the day exploring the zoo to its full extent (the tour doesn't cover everything!) and it was a great opportunity for our kids to see endangered species (both exotic and native) in a somewhat natural habitat. It was a beautiful sunny day, and we wandered at our leisure around the zoo, chatting about the animals, about conservation and appreciating the magnificent diversity of the natural world. We caught the hippopotamus talk and feed (a daily event, not part of the early morning tour) which was fantastic, and had the kids gripped throughout.

We highly recommend the early morning walks at Western Plains Zoo! Next time - which might be a while away - I'd consider staying at the Zoofari Lodge and have the whole wildlife-at-night experience as well.

Favourite places we've visited: San Gimignano

It is with some trepidation that I start a new series of posts about our favourite places to visit - they might just become too popular and lose some of their charm. However, here goes.

Top of our list is San Gimignano, Italy. What a beautiful place this is. We came upon it almost by accident - we were looking for a place in Tuscany when our travel agent suggested San Gimignano. Following that recommendation was one of the best things I have done, travel-wise.

For starters, it is World Heritage listed: and that generally means quality or significance. The whole town dates from the middle ages, and is picturesque in every way. The countryside around is filled with vineyards and fields of sunflowers, and the town is perched on the crest of a hill overlooking it all. All the stereotypical features are perfectly exhibited in San Gimignano: narrow, winding cobbled streets; rough, rustic stone buildings, NO CARS (must be kept parked in a hotel garage or outside the town walls), and a very slow, easy pace. There is a couple of tiny but exceptional museums, beautiful churches, town squares, discreet souvenir shops (restricted to one street, where most of the tourists on day-trip coaches congregate), and good restaurants.

We stayed in the Hotel Leon Bianco, and had a room overlooking the square. One morning, Yvette opened the shutters and watched the town wake up. The smell of freshly baked bread and brewing coffee mingled with the quietness in the air to create one of those indefinable but memorable moments. The day before, as we wandered across one of the squares, we became aware that the noise level had dropped, and that everyone seemed to be walking quietly. There was a harpist in the shade of the arcade at the side of the square playing exquisitely wonderful music, and anyone who could hear it seemed to show the utmost respect and gratitude for the intangible gift of music. We listened for a while, then crept off to our museum destination carrying with us something extra we hadn't brought with us.

Another time, we climbed to the top of the tallest tower (there used to be 72 of them!) to look out over the town and surrounding Tuscan countryside. Wherever we went in San Gimignano it seemed as if there were a thousand tiny treasures waiting to be revealed. Time stood still, but of course it raced by all too quickly.

Of course, the whole driving experience was accentuated in this hill town. I had never driven a car with a manual transmission until I got to Italy. I learned pretty quickly (though not very well) how to basically propel the care in a forwards direction. Once it was underway I was OK, but if I stopped for ANYTHING (toll gates, traffic lights etc.) then it could take me quite a while to get going again. I think the expression is "bunny-hopping"... Well, I did more than my fair share of that in San Gimignano! The 'no cars' rule is strictly adhered to. You can ONLY drive into town to drop of luggage at your hotel. You must then either leave your car in the hotel garage or take it back outside the walls. Our hotel had a garage - and quite frankly I didn't care how much they were charging me for using it, as driving that manual car was very frustrating.

There is one set of traffic lights in San Gimignano. Because the streets are so narrow, it allows a free flow of cars in both directions by alternating which direction has the right of way. I stopped at those lights. I finally got going again after SEVENTEEN changes of lights (surely a record!). It was a pleasure to use the garage! In the morning the hotel staff got the car out for me and I could go forwards again quite happily. On our last morning, however, they got me to reverse out. I'd never reversed at all until then, and wasn't sure I could do it. The garage was little wider than the car - so my room to manoeuvre was severely limited - but I did it (eventually).

San Gimingano had a great mix of culture, history, size, ambience and memories. It is one of the best places we've ever visited. I'll never forget that experience, and I'll never again hire a manual car.

How to be the best Dad in the world...

One word: Disneyland.

Ordinarily, I am not really fond of spending either my time or my money on things which are blatantly commercial and tastelessly trashy. However, I did it, and I don't regret it one little bit. Our kids have grown up sadly bereft of most forms of advertising that children are subjected to simply because we have chosen - quelle horreur! - to live without a television.

But you know, those crusty executives at the Disney conglomerate have their ways and means, so our two little girls were quite familiar with every Disney Princess in their repertoire.

On our most recent trip to Europe, we had the opportunity to stop over in Hong Kong on the way home. We usually do this to break up the ultra-marathon distances Australians have to travel to see much of the planet anyway, but Hong Kong afforded us the possibility of satisfying every little kids' dream (except Yvette's, apparently) of going to Disneyland. Yvette was a bit skeptical about the idea at first, but my repressed inner child was fully in favour of it. And to add icing to the cake, we eventually opted to stay in one of the full-on Disneyland hotels.

Well, it is hard to summarise what the kids' response was. We kept it a secret from them for a long time, and eventually we let on to this surprise. Their excitement was palpable. Watching them enjoy themselves was one of Yvette's and my lasting and most satisfying travel experiences (life experiences). Once we arrived they looked as if they were going to burst, such was the excitement they displayed. Bendy has, since then, found a new aim in life: to visit every Disneyland park on the planet.

A few good things about Hong Kong Disneyland, which we thoroughly recommend:

• It is small. Or should I say, It's a small world. Unlike the behemoth versions in America, HK Disneyland is on a geographically manageable scale.
  
• It is designed with small children in mind. This is not a park for teenagers, though some would undoubtedly still enjoy it. There is a distinct lack of adrenalin-pumping rides - but there are some. Bendy LOVED the thrill of Space Mountain. The Bookworm screamed in terror and thought her end had come.
• It was crowded, but not oppressively. Sure, we waited in lines, but no more than 20 minutes for any ride. Most were only about 5-10 minute waits.
• The photos with the Disney characters are a really fun way to capture the memories - and they even let you use your own camera. They'll even get a team member to use your camera to take your family photo so you can all be in the shot. I did feel for the team members in the character costumes in the ridiculous heat and humidity.
• Disney's Hollywood Hotel (where we stayed) was a great place to stay. There were shuttle buses to the park, a breakfast spread that has to be seen to be believed (including Mickey Mouse-shaped waffles), and unbelievable decor.
• There is a long waterfront promenade between the two Disney hotels from which you can see Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. It's a pleasant way to fill in some time.
• HK Disneyland is very close to the airport. And if you have a long break between flights it would be possible to fit in a visit to the park. If you stay at the park, there's the added benefit of not having to struggle with the kids and your luggage through the streets of Hong Kong itself.
• It is very well connected to the rest of Hong Kong by public transport. HK Disneyland has its own railway station on a spur line between the airport and Kowloon, so access is fast and easy. But taxis would suffice just as easily.
• We were able to get a deal through our travel agent where we got a 2-day Disney pass for the price of one day. Part of the deal was that we had to stay in one of the Disneyland hotels. It was convenient, and added to the whole experience. And we could go in to the park twice - which we did.

So, do your kids a favour, and satisfy that inner urge to go to Disneyland which formed long ago while you were watching episodes of "The Mickey Mouse Club" on TV. I know we shouldn't do anything so crass as to "buy" the admiration of our children, but in retrospect I know it was a really, really positive experience the kids will never forget. And I came away with a smug inner glow knowing that - for a while, at least - I was the best Dad in the world.

The joys of the Paris Pass

The time has come to sing the praises of that most wonderful of inventions, the Paris Pass. I know that many cities have similar passes, but it is the only one we've actually purchased. We looked into the Lisbon Pass, but quite frankly it is unnecessary. There are no queueing issues in any location in Lisbon - even the most popular sites.

But the Paris Pass is a different matter. We purchased the 4 day pass, which included 4 day public transport passes as well. We purchased 2 adult and 2 children's passes, though naturally the children's passes were much cheaper as they have free entry to all the museums. We got theirs for the transport pass.

Paris Pass is not cheap - initially. However, it provides you entry to dozens of places in and around Paris, and includes all of the most popular museums and places of interest EXCEPT the Eiffel Tower. Once you have visited a few of the sights you have made your money's worth back. If you are only going to visit one or two sights, you might not consider the Pass worthwhile, though there are 2-day passes as well. We used our Paris Pass to get into: the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, Versailles, the Musee du Moyen Age, the Sainte Chapelle, Musee de l'Orangerie, and took the free Seine River cruise that came included with the pass.

In terms of value for money, we definitely got our money's worth.

In terms of saving time, the Pass proved to be priceless.

Everywhere you visit in Paris has a queue. Some of them are long. Most of them are not popular with adults, and even less so with children. The longest we queued was about half an hour to go through the Palais de Justice security prior to entering the Sainte Chapelle. We could have queued for much longer. We simply walked in to the Musee d'Orsay, while the regular ticket line snaked out into the plaza in front of the museum. We got preferential entry into the Musee de l'Orangerie (where the queues were much shorter, but in the rain) - and they seem to limit the number of people in the gallery at any one time. And we didn't join any lines at the Louvre - again we simply walked in.

But the real benefit was seen at Versailles. The day we visited was very hot and sunny. Thousands of people visit Versailles. There is no limit to the number of people who can enter the Palace at any one time (unlike the Schonbrunn in Vienna, or the Alhambra in Granada). Our Paris Pass enabled us to join a very short queue - we were inside in about 10 minutes. The real ticket queue was tragically long. It wended its way up and down the forecourt and was at least 4 hours long. None of it was sheltered from the baking sun. I shudder to think what a waste of time that would have been, and what a ridiculous thing to do - either with or without children.

If only for that one experience, I would have still purchased the Paris Pass. We - all of us - had a fantastic time at Versailles. The Bookworm went nuts with her camera, photographing all the shiny, glittery things she could see (and there's a lot of that sort of thing!). Just to think... we could have spent all that time in a monotonous line with bored, whingey kids.

A word of caution about the transport tickets that come with the pass... Yvette was the custodian of the transport tickets in a pocket of her well designed travel pants. Unbeknownst to us - until it really mattered - the tiny magnetic pocket closures had demagnetised the tickets so they no longer worked at the Metro stations. We were stuck - several times - on railway platforms. And to prove that the Parisians are not as arrogant as their stereotype suggests, we got unsolicited instructions on how to get through the barricade without a functioning ticket from a very helpful woman. Owners of Scottevest with its myriad pockets, some with magnetic closures - beware - this applies to you too!

In short, the Paris Pass was one of the best investments we made for our holiday. We pre-purchased them via the internet from the comfort of our own home and they arrived not long afterwards in the mail. We simply took them with us, and they saved us both time and money wherever we went.

More about museums and kids: small is beautiful

So we've visited a fair number of the really monolithic cultural institutions in our travels. Our kids have been to the British Museum, the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). All fantastic institutions, and all overwhelmingly huge. Taking kids there is a major undertaking (see Kids and the Louvre: a survival guide).

Something interesting we have discovered along the way is that small institutions can be wonderful - sometimes appreciably better than the gigantic ones. Not only can the exhibits themselves be first rate, they are frequently less crowded and much more manageable for taking kids around.

Any decent travel guide will mention smaller places, but I'm going to list a few we've visited that were outstanding. None of these are "children's museums". They are all fully-fledged museums for adults. However, our kids have each found many things to enjoy in all of them during their visit. This is only a selection of the places we've visited - there are many, many similar ones, of excellent quality and equally welcoming to kids.

• The Burrell Collection, Glasgow. Primarily a museum focussing on the medieval period, it is conveniently set in parklands where the kids could run around for a while.
  


• The Cloisters, New York. Another medieval collection, this time at the tip of Manhattan island. It is a branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and well worth a visit.


• Hancock Shaker Village, Massachusetts. A living museum made up of farms, homes, and a school preserving the unique Shaker way of life. Those who work the farms and keep the village running are not Shakers themselves, but keep everything running in an authentic manner. Our kids adored this place (so did we - we could have spent a whole day there easily - but we ran out of time).


• The Chester Beatty Library, Dublin. Home to a huge collection of books and manuscripts, including important early New Testament fragments, and a magnificent selection of historic Qu'rans.


• The Morgan Library, New York. Another collection of manuscripts, this time mostly European up to the early days of printing. It also includes a collection of original (i.e. autograph) music scores.


• Trinity College Library, Dublin. For one thing only: the Book of Kells. Words alone cannot capture the magnificence of this book. Just go there. Actually, there are a couple of lesser-known treasures there also which are worth seeing.


• Musee de l'Orangerie, Paris. Rightly famous for the huge waterlily paintings by Monet. A wonderfully intimate gallery where kids will not feel out of place.


• The Museo de Artes y Costumbres Populares, Seville. A really fascinating place where a series of different rooms have been set up as 'working' exhibits showcasing various local crafts and industries. Examples include gilding, olive pressing, pottery and tile painting, and leatherwork. 


• The British Library. It has a single exhibition space with all sorts of iconic and amazing items from their collection, such as the Codex Sinaiticus, hand-writted Beatles lyrics, Beethoven manuscripts, the original of Alice in Wonderland. Manageable and amazing.


• The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. A little larger than some of the others, but very kid friendly and usually not crowded. It showcases Australian social, design and engineering history and has some hands-on areas for kids. The two steam locomotives are always a hit.


• The Nicholson Museum of Antiquities, Sydney. Part of the University of Sydney, best of all it is free. The exhibits displays draw from ancient civilizations such as Egypt, Assyria, Greece, Rome and Cyprus. The kids usually like the Egyptian mummies.


• Any museum in Portugal. At the time of writing, Portugal was - even at the height of the European summer - uncrowded, though we didn't dare enter the over-developed Algarve coast. We didn't queue for anything, everything was reasonably priced, and nothing was too big for kids to manage. And the kids struck up a wonderfully funny relationship with the museum attendants at the Museu de Artes Decorativas in Lisbon.


• The Tower of London. The crown jewels are a must for any little girl who fancies herself a princess, or who just loves shiny, sparkly things.

We should also mention Hong Kong Disneyland as a sanity-sparing alternative to the larger versions in Los Angeles, Florida, Tokyo and Paris. It covers a physically smaller area, is far less crowded than the others, and therefore waiting times in queues are much reduced. It is, however, more suitable for younger children as it has one really gut-wrenching rollercoaster - Space Mountain (which 4-year-old Bendy loved, and 7-year-old Bookworm detested).

The giant museums and galleries are unmissable - usually because they are the custodians of a particularly iconic work, but don't overlook the less frantic pace of smaller institutions. You can often see artworks or historic pieces whose quality is on par with the major institutions.

Kids and the Louvre: a survival guide

The Louvre, or any other major museum (the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the British Museum etc.) need special thought when taking the kids.

These places are packed. Packed with people, and packed with things to see. The crowd in front of the Mona Lisa is ridiculously large all the time, and overwhelming for adults let alone the children.

Before you travel, visit the website for any of these museums, and identify all of the exhibits that you really want to see. The websites usually have floorplans, so use them to map out the location of these exhibits. There are often online "collection highlights" guides so you can see what the best exhibits are - particularly useful if you know nothing about the museum before you go.

Aim to see the exhibits on your list, but keep an eye on the ones you pass on the way. These will be bonuses you can add to your experience. We had a very small 'hit list' for the Louvre, despite being art-aware: the Mona Lisa (a bit cliche, I know, but it was our first visit), the two Slaves by Michelangelo, and the Nike of Samothrace were the top three. Connecting them, however, we discovered the Coptic Gallery, the Greek red- and black-figure vases, ancient sculptures, and European painting from the Renaissance. 

The Louvre contains many other glorious exhibits worthy of further exploration, but we saw those things most important to us, got in a few bonuses, and got out with no complaining from the kids.

A similar technique worked well at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, but we failed to use it at the Natural History Museum and boy did I pay for it with the whingeing...

Wandering aimlessly, especially with kids, is a certain path to mental instability. It might start out as fun, but it won't end that way.

Normal is what you make it

When we travel, we expect to do a lot of things that we don't do at home. Otherwise there is little point in going. And we expect our kids to join in as well. This applies to eating "foreign" food, visiting museums/galleries/historic buildings, walking lengthy distances, travelling quietly on aeroplanes and in cars (so as to not distract the driver in the car) etc.

Many people say that you can't expect to take your kids to a whole heap of museums or they'll be bored. 

Codswallop.

If you've always done it, it will be normal for them. Whenever you do it, they learn how to behave in such environments (e.g. not touching displays) and it is amazing at just how engaged even very young children can be in galleries and museums.

You generally just have to find something that they can relate to. Read the guidebooks or websites of the attractions and anticipate some things you are likely to see. I once created a treasure hunt booklet for our eldest daughter (then aged 5) so she could find particular things in various New York galleries. She loved it.

The same goes for eating out. If your kids do it from a young age, they will know what is expected and behave accordingly. Encourage, but don't force, your kids to eat the local cuisine if they really don't want to. Giving them a bit of your dinner might suffice to broaden their culinary experience - but don't just give in to fast food. We have forever regretted having dinner in McDonald's in Quebec City, despite there being several more-than-adequate kid-friendly eateries across the street. And when in the UK, our eldest daughter survived on a diet almost completely consisting of fries - we shouldn't have allowed that either.

Don't forget that the kids are still kids. Try to find some special treats just for them - a park, a visit to the ice-cream factory, Disneyland, the beach or whatever you find.

Don't expect too much. It's one thing to extend their cultural experiences, but quite another to expect things which are way beyond them.

Queues and kids can be fun!

Queueing and kids can be a nightmare. Plan well, and do everything you can to avoid the queues.

• Anticipate where you might be queueing and get to popular sights early (this means well before opening time). We have done the Eiffel Tower, the Empire State Building, and the Vatican museums early and wasted minimal time lining up for entry.


• Book ahead where possible. We pre-booked our entry to the Alhambra in Spain three-months in advance and it took less than 5 minutes to collect the tickets at the entry. We also pre-booked the two-day hop-on hop-off bus tour in New York because we didn't know what sort of queues we might encounter when we got there (none, as it turned out).


• In cities, buy city passes where possible, as these often enable you to skip the queues completely, or at least give you shorter queues. Kids are often free, so it is your adult tickets you’d be waiting for. The city passes are very economical if you plan to visit lots of popular sights. The Paris Pass (www.paris-pass.com) is worth every cent paid for it, as long as you do go to a number of the sights available: we took 10 minutes to walk into Versailles (held up only by the ubiquitous X-Ray scanning of our backpacks) on a blisteringly hot day, as opposed to the 4 hour ticket queue which we would have faced otherwise.


• Queueing is usually not a problem in locations which are away from peak tourist destinations.


• Transport passes for whole days, or multiple days will mean you can hop on and off transport much more easily, and often travel more cheaply. You may even be able to pre-purchase over the internet. Just be careful to keep the tickets in good condition: our 4-day Paris tickets stopped working after 2 days, and we once had a pointless argument in Melbourne over a train ticket that got folded in half which could not be read in the barrier.


• Keep a snack and drink on hand, in a small backpack (larger bags often have to be left at cloakrooms) for the queueing and post-queueing experience.