Abu Dhabi ranks first in global survey of top cities for a family holiday

Travelling with children isn’t always simple, with the shortest of trips often requiring extra thought and planning. But families thinking of a holiday to Abu Dhabi are in luck, as the emirate has just been ranked the world’s best city for a family getaway.

The Family Vacation Guide has released its 2022 index of the top cities to visit with kids. Abu Dhabi tops the study, scoring 8.05 out of 10. The capital of the UAE has the highest safety index score in the top 10, and also performs well for how many family-friendly attractions it has including the world's first Warner Bros hotel and several theme parks. It also scored highly for its sunshine-laced weather, which averages 13 hours per day in the sunniest month of the year.

Dubai is another great choice for a family getaway, ranking second in the 2022 Family Vacation Index with a score of 7.76. Home to the world’s tallest building, plenty of resort-style hotels and several water parks, the emirate loses points for its higher-than-average hotel room rate, which is $124.50, compared to Abu Dhabi’s $94.50.

Third-placed Antalya in Turkey scores 6.27, and is lauded for its white beaches and incredible Mediterranean scenery.

The annual index from the travel website ranks destinations on 11 different factors including safety, pollution levels, number of family-friendly sights and attractions, and the average cost of a hotel room.

The research also reveals that the world’s safest city to visit with children is Sapporo in Japan, while the most affordable city for a family holiday is Bangkok, Thailand where average hotel rates are only $43 per night.

Thailand also performs well when it comes to things to do. Phuket — the smallest city in the index — ranks highest for family-friendly attractions with 115.92 sights or landmarks per square kilometre, meaning families visiting Thailand’s biggest island have more than 1,500 attractions to choose from.

For sun-seeking families, Cairo in Egypt and the US’s San Francisco top the list, each has 14 hours of sunlight a day in their sunniest month, giving travellers plenty of daylight hours to enjoy exploring.

When it comes to getting away for some fresh air, Switzerland’s Zurich is the best spot for a family trip. The Swiss city has the cleanest air in the index with a pollution score of only 17.58, thanks to the city’s substantial efforts to reduce its air pollution.