Chester Zoo
Excellent, but it is a lot of walking. Reviews rate 5 to 10 as the ideal age and still recommend a pushchair at four. Climbing frames, water play and sand pits break up the distance.
ChesterBoat City Cruises
Chester, Cheshire
The half-hour city cruise is the one to do with children: out from The Groves, under the suspension bridge, past Grosvenor Park and the Earl's Eye, along the sweep of the Meadows and back. Thirty minutes is precisely as long as a boat holds a six-year-old's attention, and under 5s travel free, so nobody has paid much if it does not land.
Boats sail daily from February half term to mid-December, weather permitting, at least hourly from 11am (until 4pm in winter, 5pm in summer). Just turn up, though booking online shaves a bit off: £9.50 adults, £4.50 kids, £26 for a family of five. There is a bar onboard for a hot chocolate, and toilets, which matter more than the commentary. The Groves is Chester's riverside promenade, so the cruise slots neatly into a city day rather than being the whole outing.
Know before you go
- You cannot reserve a specific sailing time, so buy the ticket and take the next boat - they run at least hourly from 11am, every half hour on busy days.
- Two of the three boats take pushchairs; if yours is a monster, be ready to fold it.
Seasonal: Feb to mid-Dec. Check before travelling.
Looking for more water & swimming near Chester?
Also in Chester
The Ice Cream Farm
Free to get in, with a giant sand and water quarry, play areas and the ice cream counter that funds it all. Some indoor attractions charge per go; the outdoor bulk of it costs nothing but the cones.
The Crocky Trail
A mile of muddy obstacles, wobbly bridges and enormous slides through a Cheshire valley. Children come off it filthy, soaked and asking to go round again. This is the point; dress accordingly.
Beeston Castle
A ruined castle on a crag with views from the Pennines to the Welsh mountains, a reconstructed Bronze Age roundhouse and woodland paths below the walls. Castles do not need roofs to work for this age group.
Grosvenor Museum
Chester's Roman story done properly: real tombstones from the fortress walls, a hands-on natural history gallery, and a walk-through period house at the back. Free, central, and the right size.
Grosvenor Park & Miniature Railway
Chester's Victorian park above the river, with a miniature railway looping the lawns, a good playground and open-air theatre in summer. Pair with a boat trip from the Groves below.