We’re planning a couple of days in London during the summer holidays

We’re planning a couple of days in London during the summer holidays. Can I take my nine- and 12-year-old girls to meet the Queen and Tony Blair, or at least see Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament? A. The Houses of Parliament (0870 906 3773, ) summer opening is from 24 July to 4 September, matching the school holidays pretty well. You have to join an organised tour; these start at 9.15am, running every few minutes until 4.30pm, and last for 75 minutes. And if the weather is fine, you’ve also got the option of a day on the beach.Q. I checked its “Best Buy” fares for early April, which offered a return fare of £119 for the adults and three-year-old, and £9 for the infant. For tourist information about the city contact the Netherlands Tourist Board on 0906 871 7777 (calls cost 60p per minute) and see Spain I’d suggest Barcelona.

There are lots of cheap flights from Gatwick and your toddler will probably love exploring the surreal architecture of Gaudi’s Parc Guell, where the gardens are dotted with buildings not unlike children’s sandcastles. Triple rooms start from €158 (£105) without breakfast – though be warned that prices for some weekend nights rise sharply. Or try the Eden Lancaster (00 31 20 535 6888; ), a simple but well-run mid-range hotel, which offers babysitting and free cots and is within spitting distance of Artis Zoo. A triple room starts from €158 (£105) per room per night without breakfast.For flights, you have one option from Southampton; ScotAirways (0870 606 0707; ).

Admission is free and the centre opens Wednesday to Sunday 10am-5pm until the end of March, then daily except Tuesday.As far as rooms are concerned I’d recommend the upmarket Hotel Estherea (00 31 20 624 5146), a series of 17th-century houses overlooking the Singel canal. It’s friendly, popular with families and is in a quiet but central spot. Afterwards you can tuck into a goat’s-milk ice cream from the farm shop. It opens Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm and admission costs €11 (£7.30) per adult and free for children under four. You can walk in about 15 minutes from Centraal Station, even with children.If the weather is kind, take a taxi out beyond the A10 ring road to the huge Amsterdam Woods on the south-west edge of the city.

Here you’ll find the Ridammerhoeve Goat Farm, Nieuwe Meerlaan 4, Amstelveen (00 31 20 645 50 34), a petting zoo on a large scale, with goats, chickens, pot-bellied pigs and spring lambs to feed and play with. Exhibits provide a gentle introduction to science: play with electricity, blow a bubble so big you can stand inside it, or make liquorice in the “laboratory”. The only disadvantage is that you can’t buy tickets in advance, so you might have to queue for admission.Another indoor attraction worth visiting is Nemo (00 31 20 53 13 233; ). Nothing to do with the film of the same name, it’s a futuristic science park specifically for children, who are actively encouraged to touch everything.