10 of the UK’s best open-top bus rides
Offering more than your hop-on, hop-off city sightseeing bus, these affordable routes take in seafronts, woods, valleys, ruined abbeys and Unesco sites
Take the kids to … Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh
Children will be spellbound at this temple of storytelling, which also puts on plays and spoken-word performances (for all ages)
Corsica’s cape of good campsites
With cliffs and crags, views and all-important sandy beaches, Cap Corse, which juts out from the top of the island, offers a perfect mobile home stay
Bank holiday bangers: great late August festivals and fun
The long weekend will see brilliant music, arts and food festivals, along with great-value breaks. Our pick takes in giant feasts, outdoor adventures and cool places to stay
Take the kids to … RSPB The Lodge nature reserve, Sandy, Bedfordshire
Its wildlife trails and play areas make this free attraction a fun and affordable day out in the countryside – with the odd woodpecker for company, too
The Suffolk coast: 50 years on from my childhood holidays
Hugh Thomson returns in search of the old-fashioned seaside idyll of his memories … and discovers it’s even more fun second time round
Who needs snow? Family fun and fromage in the French Alps
With a wide choice of ways to throw yourself down a mountainside, the ski resort of La Clusaz makes a perfect summer playground
Take the kids to … The Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge
Treasures abound at this grand museum that, amid the ancient pots and classic paintings, has plenty to keep kids entertained
10 great UK open-air theatres you can visit on public transport
Our pick of non-London venues present outdoor summer shows in locations from Cornwall’s coastal Minack to Glasgow’s wooded Greenbank Garden
Honey, we forgot the kids: a child-free holiday in Umbria
No kids for a week means a group of parents get the chance to be themselves again amid Umbria’s green hills
Take the kids to … Adventure Parc Snowdonia, north Wales
Adrenaline Indoors is a new adventure experience at the inland surf lagoon, so prepare for parkour trails, climbing walls and a zipwire
Secret Europe escapes: where locals go on holiday
We get the location lowdown – in Portugal, Spain, Italy and more – from families who reveal their summer escapes, and offer tips on what to see and do
Show stoppin’: a car-free art tour along the East Sussex coast
The Coastal Culture Trail links three modern art galleries along 18 miles of this stretch of seaside. On a family trip, our writer explores by train, bus and on foot
20 of the best campsites in UK and Europe by public transport: readers’ travel tips
Go carefree and car-free to these beautifully located campsites, from northern Norway to the Cyclades, via Norfolk
One goes mad in Dorset: camping on Scout island
The colourful history of Brownsea Island in Poole harbour takes in Henry VIII, Lord Baden-Powell and the Famous Five. Now the public can camp among its flora and fauna