THE FACTS ABOUT A EUROPEAN CITY APARTMENT

A few days spent in Paris with an eight- and nine-year-old convinced me of three key requirements for a city break with children in tow: a reasonably central place to stay (to cut down on walking); two interconnecting rooms (so you don't have to lie rigid in a darkened room until your children have gone to sleep); and rudimentary cooking facilities (to keep energy levels up without spending a fortune in cafés). The problem was solved by renting a comfortable one-bedroom apartment sleeping four in Montmartre through Citadines (0800 376 3898; www.citadines.com) at €207 per night. For cheaper options try Interhome (020 8891 1294; www.interhome.co.uk) which has a wide choice of studios and apartments in many European cities, including Florence, Rome, Venice, Barcelona and Vienna, starting at about £450 per week for a family of four. Historic apartments in superb locations are offered by The Landmark Trust (01628 825925; www.landmarktrust.co.uk); it rents out the Casa Guidi in the piazza San Felice in Florence (sleeps up to six) once owned by Elizabeth and Robert Browning, at £386 per night or £1,931 per week. Also available is the Piazza di Spagna (sleeping up to four), a third-floor apartment next to the Spanish Steps in Rome (in the building where Keats died) at £381 per night (minimum stay three nights) or £1,906 per week. Venetian Apartments (020 8878 1130; www.venice-rentals.com) will organise rooms in Venice, Florence and Rome for short breaks. I recommend the Palazzo Velabro apartment block, just round the corner from the Forum in Rome, at €825 for three nights in a family-sized apartment. BONUS POINTS If the weather is bad, you aren't confined to a small hotel bedroom. And some operators provide welcome hampers (useful if you're arriving late on a Saturday) and maid service.