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At a glance
- Best for
- Families with a baby, toddler, school kids or teens
- The five types
- Kids' or family hotel, holiday park, farm stay, holiday flat, all-inclusive resort
- Key question
- What does your youngest child need – and your oldest?
- Tip
- Always check facilities and child prices with the provider – they vary a lot
“Child-friendly” appears on almost every hotel website these days. In practice it can mean anything from a high chair at breakfast to all-day childcare with its own baby club. So you don't find out on arrival that something important is missing, we compare the five typical types of family accommodation, show which suits which age and give you a checklist for booking. We deliberately don't recommend specific properties – what matters is that the place suits your family. Our focus is on Germany and Austria, but most of the advice works anywhere.
The five types of stay compared
Kids' hotel & family hotel
Everything is designed for families: family rooms or suites, indoor and outdoor play areas, often a kids' buffet and childcare that, depending on the hotel, starts with babies or only from around three. In German-speaking countries, “Kinderhotel” is not a protected term – what's actually offered is in the list of services. Ideal if you'd like a few hours to yourselves as parents.
Holiday park
Cottages with their own kitchen, usually plus a big pool with slides, playgrounds and activities in the park. You're flexible with mealtimes and sleep routines, but you do cook for yourselves. Many parks run kids' activities; proper childcare like in a kids' hotel is less common. Good for short breaks and for families with children of different ages.
Farm stay
A holiday flat or room on a farm, often with petting animals, tractor rides, helping in the stables and plenty of room to run around. For children aged roughly two to ten, it's often the best holiday of all. Things are quieter and simpler than in a hotel – and cooking your own dinner spares you restaurant stress. Look out for quality labels, more on that below.
Holiday flat & holiday home
Often unbeatable with a baby: your own kitchen for purées and bottles, a separate bedroom for naps and no hotel schedules. Just as handy with teens, because everyone gets some space. There's no kids' programme – you find things to do in the area.
All-inclusive resort & club
Food, drinks, pools and entertainment in one package – mostly around the Mediterranean or further afield. Often a hit with school kids and teens thanks to kids' and teen clubs, sports and other children. With a baby, check the details: a baby club, baby food, a kettle in the room and short distances are not a given everywhere.
Which suits which age?
- Baby (0–1 year): Short journey, quiet room with blackout, cot, kettle or kitchen. A holiday flat, farm stay or family hotel with baby equipment is usually more relaxed than a big resort.
- Toddler (1–5 years): Shallow children's pool, playground, animals, short distances. Kids' hotels and farms really shine here. Ask from what age childcare starts and whether children in nappies can join.
- School kids (6–12 years): Action and other children: slides, kids' club, sports, outings. Holiday parks, kids' hotels and all-inclusive resorts work well. Check that programmes run during school holidays.
- Teens (13+): Their own space, Wi-Fi, sports and people their age. Teen clubs are mainly found in larger resorts; otherwise a holiday home or flat with their own room is often a better choice than a kids' hotel geared to toddlers.
If your children are very different ages: plan the basics (sleep, food, safety) around the youngest and the activities around the oldest.
Send the hotel a short email with your three most important questions before you book. How quickly and clearly they answer often tells you more than any brochure!
Checklist before booking
Child discounts: how they work
Child prices vary completely from place to place – so we deliberately don't quote figures, just the usual models:
- Age bands: Children pay a share of the adult price depending on their age. Each hotel sets its own age limits.
- Fixed child price: Especially with package holidays and all-inclusive, a child pays a fixed amount instead of a percentage – often only when sharing a room with two full-paying adults and only for a limited number of places.
- “Kids stay free”: Sounds great, but usually only applies to certain ages, rooms or dates. Meals, cots or local tourist tax may still cost extra.
- Single parents: Some hotels have special offers for one parent with a child – otherwise you may pay a single-room supplement.
- Cut-off date: Often the child's age on the day of arrival counts, sometimes at the time of booking. Give the correct date of birth when booking, or you may be charged the difference later.
Quality labels and associations that mean something
A label doesn't replace reading the list of services, but it helps you narrow things down. We've checked these labels and groups (mostly relevant if you're travelling to Germany or Austria):
- Qualitätsgeprüfter UrlaubsKinderhof (Germany): Awarded by the German federal association for farm and rural holidays (Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft für Urlaub auf dem Bauernhof und Landtourismus, BAG). It's aimed at especially child-friendly holiday farms focusing on children up to about ten. Checks include petting animals, indoor and outdoor play areas, baby equipment and safety features. The BAG also awards other labels, for example for farms, riding farms and wine estates, and for rural stays without a working farm.
- DLG quality label (Germany): The German Agricultural Society (DLG) also awards labels to farm and rural holiday offers. Ask the farm or booking portal what exactly was checked.
- Urlaub am Bauernhof (Austria): Member farms of the regional associations are rated with two to five flowers, based on the farm experience, service, appearance and facilities. There are dedicated baby and children's farms.
- Original Kinderhotels Europa: A group of kids' hotels founded in Austria in 1988, with its own quality seal; its hotels are mainly in Austria and northern Italy.
- Familotel: A group of family hotels, mainly in Germany and Austria. According to its website, all member hotels guarantee, among other things, age-appropriate childcare and all-inclusive meals for children.
- Stars for holiday flats: In Germany, the German Tourism Association (DTV) classifies holiday flats and homes with stars. That tells you about facilities and condition – but nothing about child-friendliness.
You'll find the exact criteria and current members on the associations' websites. And remember: plenty of great family places have no label at all. That's where the questions from the checklist help.
FAQ
What's the difference between a kids' hotel and a family hotel?
Neither term is protected. A “kids' hotel” (Kinderhotel) usually means a property designed entirely around families with childcare; “family hotel” is sometimes used more loosely. What counts is the actual list of services.
What's the best type of stay with a baby?
With a baby, a short journey, a quiet room, a cot and somewhere to prepare bottles matter most. A holiday flat, farm stay or family hotel with baby equipment is often more relaxed than a big resort.
From what age is there childcare in hotels?
Each hotel decides. Some kids' hotels look after babies, many kids' clubs only start from around three. Ask about ages, hours and days before you book.
How do I recognise a good farm stay for kids?
In Germany, look for the “Qualitätsgeprüfter UrlaubsKinderhof” label from the federal association for farm holidays; in Austria, look for the flower rating of Urlaub am Bauernhof and its dedicated baby and children's farms.