Travelling with Kids in the Middle East

Article by: Amelia Thomas, October 2006

Throughout the Middle East, independent travellers with children will find an incredibly warm welcome, an absolute dearth of disapproving glares, and in many cases, blatantly preferential treatment. Egyptians for example, adore kids. During the depths of Ramadan, fasting locals will appear proffering fruit, cookies and cool, sugary drinks.

In Cairo, there are a whole host of delights in store: labyrinthine markets where ducklings and bunnies proliferate; pyramids where children will love being hoisted aloft by a grinning camel driver; the eccentric Felfela restaurant chain whose waiters whisk kids off to bake pitas; and Fagnoon Art School amid the stork-studded fields of Saqqara, where calm ladies teach children to work a potter's wheel and an entire upper floor can be daubed with poster paint.

Armed with nappies, wet wipes and bottles of milk, he grinned with pride as we left him to tend to his slumbering charges.

Bunking down in the tiny cabins of the night train to Aswan, our children were lulled to sleep by the gentle lurching of the shoddy but atmospheric Wagonslit. Meanwhile, their parents indulged in multiple beers from the comfort of their own cramped bunk. Once in the deep south, there were felucca rides and horse-and-carriages galore, as well as solemn temple complexes (with a significant absence of 'Keep Off' signs).

On reaching the Ramesseum, near Luxor, to check out the atmospheric remains that inspired Shelley's Ozymandias, we found that our small travelling companions had all nodded off in the back of the taxi. Anxious that we wouldn't miss the experience, our young taxi driver insisted we entrust them to his care. Armed with nappies, wet wipes and bottles of milk, he grinned with pride as we left him to tend to his slumbering charges.

Heading further north, Israel's safe, sandy beaches are havens for tired parents. Budget hotels are happy to haul out a baby bed or two, whilst the classiest Tel Aviv restaurants won't bat an eyelid when you turn up en famille for dinner. And while on a bus ride from Tel Aviv to Eilat, we watched our nine-month-old being passed merrily down the aisle to successive families who fed and watered him, sang to him, and gladly changed his nappy. His parents meanwhile, jumped at the chance to catch up on some quiet holiday reading.

Equally, across the fence in the Palestinian Territories, intrepid travellers with children will be greeted with astonishing openness. A casual conversation will be followed by invitations to lunch or tea, through which you'll gain a unique insight into Palestinian culture. You'll be treated as one of the family. Before you know it, you'll be exploring the West Bank's hidden nooks and crannies whilst your children play happily with their local contemporaries, lavished with attention and sticky Arabic sweets.

During the depths of Ramadan, fasting locals will appear proffering fruit, cookies and cool, sugary drinks.

If more organised activities are called for, Bethlehem's Dar Annadwa Centre and Peace Centre, both just off Manger Square, hold plays, concerts, classes and events for children and Christmas parties in December and January. It must be noted too, that a toddler or two by your side will smooth your passage through IDF-controlled checkpoints and roadblocks; it's a peculiar sight to see a khaki-clad 18-year-old soldier with a machine gun, cooing at your bewildered younger generation.

A quick, child-friendly hop over the Mediterranean and the story is the same in Turkey. Shunning the full-English-breakfast coastal resorts, there are hidden gems perfect for unwinding with small children. There's little-known Kabak, set on a glorious bay, with rough-and-ready tree house accommodation and plentiful sea and sand. Further along the coast, there's touristy Oludeniz's heavenly lagoon and the wide expanse of wild white-sand beach at Patara. Closer to Istanbul, there's the tiny island of Bozcaada, where children will be doted upon and immersed in easygoing village life. In Istanbul itself, the only drawback you'll find with small children are the dauntingly steep cobbled streets. But with trams and ferries galore, there are no end of novel diversions to make up for the minor inconvenience of hauling your Bugaboo pram up a few vertical gradients.

The best thing about independent travel with children in the Middle East is that you feel you're an asset, rather than an inconvenience, to the local scene. Unlike resorts where children are encouraged to retreat to a well-hidden kids' club, other people appreciate your children too. That's not to say that travel with small children is pure, unadulterated fun: with tiny ones, there are matters of nappies, sterilised bottles, baby food and health issues to consider. But being afraid to take the plunge and staying home isn't much fun either... So when you're attempting to coerce the troops into having an afternoon nap (so that weary parental ears, nerves and biceps can finally get some rest), there's something to be said for the serene strains of a call to prayer drifting gently in on the breeze, and a good strong raki, while you're doing it.