Anyone who has children dreams of taking them to see the big man at Christmas.

We might have some pretty amazing grottoes and experiences over here, but nothing beats seeing Santa in his homeland.

It is, without doubt, the most magical trip every family wants to make – but it’s not always an easy one. Here, we reveal the secrets you really should know before heading to the snowy lands to hunt down Father Christmas…

Planning a family holiday can be a complicated business: Backpacking is out, extreme sports are off the board, and even long-haul flights can pose serious problems.

Step forward, the city break. New research by Play Like Mum has looked at the common factors parents seek when finding a family-friendly foray, and totted up the top 50 European city breaks.

Props to Lisbon, Madrid, St. Petersburg and Zagreb, which all snatched a spot in the top five, but leading the pack was Italian capital Rome.