— France —

Paris with kids – see Van Gogh’s paintings at Musée d’Orsay, sail boat at Jardin du Luxembourg, Seine River Cruise

November 15, 2025

From Vienna, we did a “stopover” in Paris for 2 nights to use Jason’s 3 Marriot 50K free night certificates. Our flight arrived at 8:00 PM so instead of taking public transportation, it was easier and actually not that much more expensive to take a taxi because taxi from the airport to central Paris and… Read More Paris with kids – see Van Gogh’s paintings at Musée d’Orsay, sail boat at Jardin du Luxembourg, Seine River Cruise

— Austria —

The Kid-Friendly Vienna: Sisi Museum and The Children’s Museum at Schönbrunn Palace

September 28, 2025

Before the kids’ school started, we took another trip to Europe! I had plenty of Air France miles and they do expire in 24 months without activity and the recent unannounced devaluation made me expedite my usage of them. Plus, Jason has 5 free 50K Marriott night certificates from a credit card sign-up bonus so… Read More The Kid-Friendly Vienna: Sisi Museum and The Children’s Museum at Schönbrunn Palace

— Spain —

Summer 2025 Family Trip – Madrid day trip to Royal Palace of Aranjuez, another hidden gem palace!

September 14, 2025

Our last full day in Madrid, I decided to visit the Royal Palace of Aranjuez because we hadn’t been there (In fact, we didn’t visit any palaces on our first trip to Madrid because they did not allow photography inside. However, that has changed recently!) and it has direct local trains from Atocha via the… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Madrid day trip to Royal Palace of Aranjuez, another hidden gem palace!

— Portugal —

Summer 2025 Family Trip – Queluz and Cascais: Queluz National Palace is still a gem

August 10, 2025

Our 3rd and last full day in Lisbon, I was thinking of going to Mafra National Palace since we didn’t get a chance to visit it the last time and the admission is included with the Lisboa Card, but I found out it was closed on Tuesdays! Instead, we went to Queluz National Palace, it… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Queluz and Cascais: Queluz National Palace is still a gem

— Portugal —

Summer 2025 Family Trip – Sintra: Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira

August 2, 2025

2nd day in Lisbon, we did a day trip to Sintra to see the colorful Pena Palace. Like many popular attractions nowadays, to better manage the crowds, the palace implemented timed entry. I booked the entrance at 10:30 AM instead of right when it opens just in case of delay of the train or bus.… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Sintra: Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira

— Portugal —

Summer 2025 Family Trip – Lisbon: Ajuda National Palace, a hidden gem

July 26, 2025

With two little kids, picking vacation destinations became trickier and less flexible. As much as we love to explore less touristy towns and villages, we also try to avoid having to carry the car seats. We chose Lisbon and Madrid based on their low airfare (via TAP Portugal’s stopover), easy access to public transportation, and… Read More Summer 2025 Family Trip – Lisbon: Ajuda National Palace, a hidden gem