Six of the best educational family trips from around the world

Your next vacation can be both fun and enriching with an educational family trip. From destinations like Morocco, Iceland, and the U.S.A., you can add depth to your vacation by traveling to a country steeped in centuries-old history and architecture. Whether you’re outdoorsy, interested in glaciers and volcanoes, or an animal-loving family particularly wanting to learn about conservation efforts, discover your next educational family trip with our guide. 

From ancient architecture to family-friendly food, Rome is one of the best educational family trips. With centuries-old history and architecture, families can learn about Rome’s legacy that spread throughout Europe and beyond.

Top sites to visit in Rome 

Starting in the morning, your family can tour several of the ancient Roman architectural sites, many of which are clustered together:

• The Colosseum is a massive 2,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. It's the largest amphitheater ever built, historically accommodating up to 80,000 spectators for gladiator battles.
• The Roman Forum, including the Arch of Titus, is an ancient city in ruins. It's close to the Colosseum and usually booked as a combo tour ticket. In ancient times, it operated as a marketplace and government center. 
• The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome and a symbol of the city. To toss a coin, a €2-ticket is required to visit the lower fountain area, available on site. Or your family can tour Rome’s underground aqueducts to learn how water moved around.
• A day trip to Vatican City’s Sistine Chapel adds the smallest independent country to your trip. You can see the highlights in a few hours of the spiritual and administrative center of the Roman Catholic Church, ruled by the Pope and guarded by the Swiss Guards.

Top tip: Consider a guided tour to make transportation to the ancient sites in Rome easier. 

Italian experiences to add to your trip 

Italy offers many experiences suited to educational family getaways. For food-loving families, you might arrange a cooking class while in Rome, while history-loving families might be interested in culture-specific attractions:

• A pizza-making class might be fun for your family, where you start with the dough and finish sampling your wood-fired pizza
• Gladiator School is perfect for children to learn the art of hand-to-hand combat from a historical perspective

Top tip: an afternoon gelato and an espresso break will keep everyone’s energy high. 

Family-friendly accommodations in Rome 

You can stay centrally located and use public transportation to get around while in Rome. Consider these options for family-friendly stays:

• Hotel San Remo is close to Rome’s Termini train station and offers two-room suites with several beds
• The Bluehostel is near the main train station and Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, with triple rooms that work for families

Some families enjoy history and culture, while others want to learn about science on their family educational trip. From volcanoes to black sand beaches to glaciers, Iceland is a favorite destination for families with active children. Your family can hike, take a dip in a geothermal pool, or see whales or puffins while exploring this island country.

Iceland’s top experiences for families 

Iceland is home to unique volcanic scenery with waterfalls and lava flows. Hiking trails range from the multi-day Laugavegur trail to day hikes – a bus ride from Reykjavík. While there, you can consider adding these unique Icelandic landscapes:

• You can take the Golden Circle tour to see the Geysir thermal area, the Thingvellir National Park, and Gullfoss waterfall. Thingvellir is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates drift apart.
• To see two of Iceland's most iconic landscapes, you can arrange a tour to Jökulsárlón Glacier Lagoon and Diamond Beach, where small icebergs float in the lagoon, broken from the Breiðamerkurjokull glacier. They land on Diamond Beach and glisten in the sun. 
• You can walk on the Reynisfjara Black Sand Beach, famous for its black sand and basalt columns.

Top tip: Layers and rain gear are a way of life in Iceland, as are proper footwear with grippy soles.

Reykjavik for families 

Home to the largest international airport, Reykjavik is particularly family friendly with several museums, walkable streets, and playgrounds:

• You can take a puffin watching tour to Akurey Island, where the seabirds live
• The Reykjavik Zoo and Family Park—home to Icelandic wildlife—and the National Museum of Iceland are included on the Reykjavik City Card
• Blue Lagoon is the most famous, but there are several geothermal pools in Iceland, like Sky Lagoon and in Reykjavik. Some even offer slides

Top tip: if your family is traveling between September and mid-April, then you might see the northern lights. 

Family-friendly accommodations in Reykjavik

With a nearby international airport and popular departure point for tours, many families stay in Reykjavik. Consider these options:

• Grandi by Center Hotels is close to the top attractions, such as FlyOver Iceland, and includes spa access
• Day Dream Vesturgata 17 Reykjavik features family suites with bunk beds and a kitchenette, close to Reykjavik Old Harbour

At the northern tip of Africa, travelers have passed through Morocco for centuries, including stopovers from trans-Saharan camel caravans.

It blends indigenous Berber culture with Arab-Islamic heritage, with later influences from the French, which many people still speak. For centuries, hospitality has been important to Morocco, making it one of the top destinations for family educational travel.

Top Moroccan experiences for families 

Submerge your family in Moroccan culture by walking through its ancient cities and sampling its unique cuisine:

• Merzouga Desert Experience Camp offers traditional dinner, a pool, and nightly Berber show (traditional entertainment in Morocco) under the stars
• Chefchaouen’s blue buildings and painted walkways are perfect for family photos and lead to historic medinas and the Kasbah
• Your family can take a Moroccan cooking class in Marrakech that starts in the market and ends with a feast

Top tip: You'll probably arrive and depart from Casablanca, the international hub. With its positioning along the Northern Atlantic, your family can stay at one of its resorts to rest before your adventure.

Top historical sites in Marrakesh 

Marrakesh is one of the imperial cities in Morocco and has a history dating back to around 1070. Known as the red city, after the sandstone, families choose it for its close proximity to the Sahara Desert and the Atlas Mountains. It also offers museums and gardens, and it's a favorite family destination for history and culture:

• You can take a guided walking tour of the Bahia Palace with its 19th-century Moroccan architecture and gardens. Also, stop by Jemaa El-Fnaa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with snake charmers and spice merchants. 
• For views of the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, you can arrange a sunrise hot-air balloon ride. 
• A guided tour of the Majorelle Garden, a botanical garden once owned by Yves Saint Laurent, includes the Berber Museum, with its electric-blue buildings surrounded by exotic plants.

Top tip: some mosques welcome non-Muslim visitors inside if you are modestly dressed.

Family-friendly accommodations in Marrakesh

Your family can book a traditional riad, which often includes a courtyard pool. Consider these options:

• Riad Diamond Of Marrakech & Spa is close to the Jemaa El-Fnaa, with a pool and family rooms 
• Riad Irhalne features a courtyard pool and is close to the Marrakech Medina and the souk

If your family is keen to learn more about African wildlife, then a safari is the best way to see the Big Five: Elephant, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard, and rhinoceros. There are several areas noted for their wildlife that offer family-friendly safari camps.

Top protected wildlife areas

Several African countries feature protected areas for wildlife, and many game parks include small airports for bush planes:

• Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve is home to the Great Migration that happens from July to October. Zebras, gazelles and wildebeests travel from Tanzania for grazing and water. 
• Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park is a larger savannah area next to the Maasai Mara. Wildlife spend the majority of the year there, from October to July.
• South Africa’s Kruger National Park is home to the Big Five, and the more developed roads allow crossover vehicles for a self-drive option. 

Families can stay on the North American continent and learn about history or wildlife. In Mexico City, families can visit ancient pre-Columbian monuments in its vibrant capital, one of the oldest cities in North America. Meshing ancient Aztec pyramids with skyscrapers, families can tour cathedrals and any of its 150 museums.

Top educational sites in Mexico City 

Mexico City offers a combination of pre-Columbian cities, important religious pilgrimage sites, and world-class museums to explore with your family:

• Your family can tour the National Museum of Anthropology to learn about pre-Hispanic civilizations and the Chapultepec Castle, one of the only royal castles in North America
• For an in-depth look at the pivotal female artist, your family can tour the Frida Kahlo Museum, La Casa Azul in Coyoacán
• The towering pre-Columbian Teotihuacan Pyramids and the pilgrimage site of the Basilica of Guadalupe are often featured on a guided tour

Top tip: For those in search of unique entertainment, your family can watch a Mexican wrestling match while in Mexico City. 

Family-friendly accommodations in Mexico City 

Many families opt to stay in the La Condesa neighborhood or near the Bosque de Chapultepec. Consider these options:

• Lombardo Suites is four blocks from the Avenida Reforma and offers apartment-style lodging with kitchens
• Andaz Condesa Mexico City by Hyatt offers a rooftop pool and three restaurants on site

For families who yearn to explore the outdoors, you can learn about wildlife and habitats, ecosystems and cultural, or historical sites in a U.S. national park. The idea of protecting land for future generations began in the U.S. with the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872.

• In Northwest Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park features the Old Faithful Geyser, Old Faithful Inn, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Families can go wildlife spotting for bear, moose, elk, and wolf while learning about geothermal energy and super volcanoes. 
• A road trip through Northern Arizona and Southern Utah will take families to the Grand Canyon, then on to Utah’s National Parks. Where they can see water and air erosion at work, sculpting the many shades of sandstone. 
• Maine’s Acadia National Park features historical carriage roads to hike, horse-drawn carriage rides, and sampling popovers at Jordan Pond House. You can also arrange a boat cruise to view Acadia from the water. 

From Africa to Europe to North America, your family can spend your vacation learning about ancient cultures, eating traditional foods, and staying in the unique lodging of a region. Or you can explore the natural world by wildlife spotting or hiking through a unique ecosystem. Whichever destination you choose, you can keep it fun by adding hands-on activities and interesting tours, from pizza cooking classes to wildlife safaris.