Where to go with kids in May

Short-haul Atlantic beaches, three water parks and resorts built around kids' clubs

All-inclusive Belek resorts with kids' clubs, plus Turkey's biggest theme park

May: May: sea about 20C, warm days and lower prices before school holidays. Some water parks and outdoor pools are open, but the sea is cool for small children.

Calm Nusa Dua and Sanur beaches, a big water park and a safari park within a day trip

May: Dry season has started, crowds are still light and prices are below July and August.

Europa-Park and Rulantica in Rust, with forest villages and waterfalls nearby

PortAventura, Ferrari Land and sandy Salou beaches an hour south of Barcelona

May: Warm, with sea still cool; the Caribe white-sand pool at Hotel Caribe runs May to September.

Sandy bays, water parks and Minoan ruins on Greece's largest island

May: Warm days, quiet beaches and good prices; Water City's pre-sale tickets for 2026 were valid from 15 May.

A long beach season, big water parks and resorts that run free kids' clubs

May: Very good: warm, uncrowded, with water parks open.

LEGOLAND, LEGO House and an indoor water park in Billund, plus Tivoli in Copenhagen

Five theme parks, a wildlife sanctuary and surf beaches within half an hour

Gardaland, water parks and a safari zoo around Italy's biggest lake

Free kids' clubs, lagoon beaches and a safari park, all on an island you can drive round

May: Cyclone risk drops, weather is dry and warm, and prices are below the July and August peak.

Efteling's fairytale park, a safari drive, Duinrell's slides and hands-on Amsterdam

May: Mild, long days and fewer queues than summer outside the May holiday; a good month for the whole route.

Seven big theme parks within 30 minutes, plus a real rocket launch site an hour east

Super Nintendo World, whale sharks and Nara's deer on one easy rail network

Two Disney parks, a Gaulish theme park and city museums built for small hands

Disneyland, Universal and LEGOLAND within one coastal drive, plus San Diego's zoo

Surf beaches, rock pools, the Eden biomes and steam trains on England's far west tip

Volcano hot springs, zip-lines and monkey-filled beaches within a day's drive

May: Green season begins: mornings are usually dry, afternoons often rain, and prices fall.

One island, one lagoon, one kids' club: a beach holiday with almost nothing else to plan

Shallow sandy bays in the north, water parks and an aquarium in the south-west

May: Warm days, quiet beaches and lower prices; Aqualand opens in early May in 2026.

Waikiki beach days, Ko Olina lagoons and a snorkel bay, all within an hour's drive

Big all-inclusives with kids' clubs and water parks on a long Atlantic beach

All-inclusive resorts, jungle-and-cenote parks and Maya ruins on one coast

Shallow white-sand bays, big family resorts and Bronze Age towers kids can walk through

May: Quiet beaches and lower rates, but the sea is still cool for small swimmers. Aquadream is not open yet: its site gives June as the opening month.

Universal, Oceanarium and Mandai wildlife parks, all under an hour by car in the tropics

Penguins and an aquarium in Cape Town, then Big Five game drives with no malaria tablets

Winter-sun family resorts with Siam Park and a volcano an hour away

Two Disney parks, Ghibli and teamLab, with trains that handle pushchairs