What is the best way to travel in Europe this summer?

European seaside destinations will soon be accessible by high-speed rail. Photograph: Trevor Ray Hart

Q. We are planning to go to Italy with our parents and children (aged eight and 10) this summer. What’s the best way to get there?

A. When kids are very young and patience is not their strongest virtue, getting to a holiday destination as quickly as humanly possible usually seems like the best option.

Once your offspring are over about six, however, a whole new world of travel possibilities opens up to you. Car, train and ferry journeys can be the stuff childhood memories are made of, and give families plenty of flexibility for stopping off at interesting places en route.

Time is the big factor of course, and if you only have a week’s break then flying is always going to seem like a better choice.

If you do have enough time though, ferry or train make an exciting change from air travel – and its corresponding hassle. Ferry (ferrycheap.com) is still the better way to go if you’re taking your car – taking a car by train to Europe is still possible by motorail, but complicated and relatively expensive.

But if you are car-free, then travelling by rail is a great way to start your holiday. It only takes a day to go from London to Milan by Eurostar and TGV and costs from £61 one way – but book as early as possible to get the cheapest fares.

For multi-generational groups such as yours, going by train is likely to work especially well. Children can roam when they get restless, and the group can swap seats to keep things interesting and share entertainment duties.

If you want to stop at multiple places on the way, consider an Interrail pass (interrail.eu) – children under 11 travel for free.*

*Always consult a financial adviser before taking advice. Opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Sainsbury’s Bank.

Sainsbury’s Bank provides a range of services, including banking products, car insurance, home insurance, life insurance, pet insurance, travel insurance, travel money and savings.

We combine the shopping experience and banking by offering customers great products at fair prices, while consistently rewarding them with extra Nectar card points for choosing Sainsbury’s for their finance and shopping needs. Nectar points can be used towards travel, treats, family days out and shopping.

Visit Holland’s most charming and underrated city, take a break on the Cornish coast or explore Spain’s Picos de Europa

Take me there: Utrecht

Why go?

On 4 July the eyes of the world will focus on the Dutch city of Utrecht as it hosts the Grand Départ of the Tour de France. For a cycle-mad nation this is cause for celebration, but it’s also a chance to show off one of their most charming and underrated cities. With its handsome medieval centre, gabled merchants’ houses, café-lined canals and cosmopolitan student population, Utrecht offers a laid-back and compact alternative to Amsterdam.

What to do

This is Holland, so a cycle tour is virtually obligatory. There are dozens of rental places in town, but if you’ve been inspired by the Tour de France you can cycle the first or second stages on a vintage racer with Vintage Bike Tours (vintagebiketours.nl). They also offer gentle city tours on classic Dutch bikes. Alternatively, get a duck’s-eye view of the city by renting a kayak (kanoverhuurutrecht.nl). Utrecht’s canals are surprisingly peaceful and the chances of getting mown down by a motor-cruiser are pleasantly slim. Design aficionados should check out the Rietveld Schröder House, the modernist house built by Gerrit Rietveld, a luminary of the De Stijl movement in the 1920s. The excellent Centraal Museum has his furniture on display and can organise guided tours of the house (centraalmuseum.nl).

Where to eat

Blauw is the best place in Utrecht for Indonesian food. Order the “rijsttafel” (literally, rice table) for a tasting menu of a dozen or so small dishes for €30 per head (restaurantblauw.nl).

Where to stay

All rooms in the 18th century canal-side house The Mary K were designed by local artists and the welcome is warm (from €120, marykhotel.com).

Insider tip

The Dutch love a coffee-shop and Hayo van Dijk of Vintage Bike Tours says his favourite is Blackbird Coffee & Vintage (Oudegracht 222 , blackbirdcoffee.nl): “The couple who run the place are lovely, the coffee is great and their [juice] bar is awesome. Alongside the coffee they also sell vintage bikes. It’s a nice, tranquil place which you could easily pass, but should definitely visit.”

Give me a break

Summer’s hottest address: Chapel House, Penzance.

Home A quirky bolthole on the Cornish coast Cornwall has no shortage of gorgeous boltholes, but there’s always room for one more. Chapel House has just opened in Penzance in the building that used to house the quirky Penzance Arts Club. There are six airy rooms with sea views. With the option of kitchen suppers on weekend evenings and foraging excursions it looks set to become summer’s hottest address. B&B from £150 (chapelhousepz.co.uk).

On a high: cycling in Spain’s Picos de Europa National Park.

Away Active holidays in Spain Pura Aventura is inviting adventurous families to Spain’s Picos de Europa National Park this summer to enjoy a week’s activity holiday, with canoeing, canyoning, swimming, hiking and cycling. Combining guided excursions with independent activities, the trip departs on 23 July. From £750pp, including a week’s B&B in small, family-run hotels, car hire and guided trips. Flights extra (pura-aventura.com).