Where to take the kids this summer: your guide to family days out in North Norfolk
April 27, 2026 | Things to do | 9 minute read
Planning a summer holiday with children can feel like a bit a juggling act. You want space to roam, plenty to do and somewhere everyone can properly switch off. If that sounds familiar, North Norfolk might just be your answer. With big skies, sandy beaches and a surprising amount packed into one stretch of coast, it is one of the best destinations for a family holiday in the UK.
Norfolk is the kind of place where parents can relax, and kids can simply be kids.
Make Holkham and Wells-next-the-Sea your base
Settle in at Pinewoods Holiday Park in Wells-next-the-Sea, where caravan holiday homes and tourers sit among gorgeous pine trees just a short walk from the beach. For a smaller, more relaxed setting, The White Horse at Holme-next-the-Sea offers a handful of modern caravan holiday homes, with an award-winning pub and bakery right on your doorstep… imagine the smell of fresh bread as you wake up!
NEW for this summer, Camp Holkham brings a pop-up campsite into the heart of Holkham Park. Run by the brilliant Pinewoods team, it is perfectly placed for tents, motorhomes and tourers, with acres of parkland, activities, events and experiences just moments away.
Things to do at Holkham
Holkham is a fantastic playground for families. There’s space in every direction and plenty to fill your days. Hire bikes and cycle through the Park, tackle the high ropes course, hop on a tractor trailer tour or follow one of the family-friendly trails. There are paths perfect for scooting, rollerblading and running, and an opportunity to stop for an ice cream or two!
Younger visitors will love the free Woodland Adventure Play Area, while wildlife lovers can keep an eye out for deer and birdlife across the Park. Throughout summer, Feast in the Park brings a tempting line-up of street food, ideal for picnics with a changing mix of music and outdoor entertainment.
And then there’s the beach. Vast, unspoilt and made for sandcastles, paddling, and lovely long barefoot walks. Just a short hop into Wells-next-the-Sea, you’ll find crabbing, or gillying as the locals call it, on the quay, buckets and spades at the ready, and a beach lined with colourful huts. Add in arcades, fish and chip shops and the all-important stick of rock, and you’ve got a proper seaside day out.
When it is time to refuel, the Beach Café next to Wells Beach is a firm family favourite. Think freshly baked pizzas, generous whippy ice creams and something chilled and sparkling for the grown-ups, all just steps from the sand.
Brilliant days out nearby
If you fancy exploring further afield, there is no shortage of family attractions within easy reach for days out in North Norfolk:
- ROARR! Dinosaur Adventure Park and splash pad
- BeWILDerwood for magical treehouses, zip wires, boat rides and storytelling play
- Wroxham Barns for farmyard animals, outdoor play areas, soft play and rides
- Pettitts Animal Adventure Park for theme park rides and animal encounters
- Banham Zoo for a full wildlife day out
- SEA LIFE Great Yarmouth or Hunstanton for underwater adventures and close-up encounters
- Cromer Pier for a classic seaside show, fish and chips and a stroll along the prom
- Sandringham for woodland walks, gardens and a taste of royal Norfolk
- Pensthorpe for wetlands, family wildlife trails and brilliant in- and outdoor adventure play
- North Norfolk Railway for a nostalgic steam train journey through the countryside
- Thursford Adventure Play Fair for a new outdoor playground and splash park
- Watatunga Wildlife Reserve for guided safari-style wildlife experiences
- Thrigby Hall Wildlife Gardens for up-close animal encounters and amazing treetop viewing platforms
- Amazona Zoo for exotic animals, soft play and a relaxed family-friendly zoo experience
You can also head out on the water, with boat trips on the Norfolk Broads or seal spotting trips along the coast offering something a little different, plus of course venturing into Norwich for fun in the castle, cathedral, theatres, cinemas and museums.
The simple pleasures
Some of the best family days out in North Norfolk don’t need to cost a fortune! Holkham Park, National Trust estates such as Felbrigg Hall, Sheringham Park and Blickling, coastal paths, playgrounds and wide sandy beaches all offer space to explore at your own pace.
Along the North Norfolk coast you are spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches. Holkham National Nature Reserve and Beach is made for long walks across vast open sands and dramatic scenery. Wells-next-the-Sea offers a classic sandy beach backed by colourful beach huts, with lifeguards in place during the summer months. Sheringham is home to Blue Flag, life guarded beaches, perfect for safe family swimming, while Cromer is ideal for rock pooling, paddling, surfing lessons and a seaside swim.
For a bit more seaside excitement, Great Yarmouth’s Pleasure Beach sits at the top of the ‘Golden Mile’, dominating the skyline with classic rides, including its historic wooden roller coaster which has been operating since 1932, alongside arcades and all the traditional seaside fun. Then there’s Joyland, also in Great Yarmouth, famous for its Super Snails ride, a true rite of passage for anyone visiting this stretch of the Norfolk coast!
Time your visit right and you might catch one of Norfolk’s traditional village carnivals, including Wells’ much-loved week of events (Friday 31st July to Sunday 9th August). Expect highlights such as the Carnival Day Parade on Saturday 8th August, with floats and fancy dress, sandcastle competitions, raft races on the harbour town, a crier competition, gillying on the quay and of course, the crowning of the Carnival Royals. It’s seaside nostalgia at its best and the kids will love it.
Getting here
Holkham is around a two and a half hour drive from London, making it an easy escape for a long weekend or a longer summer stay. It is also well placed for visitors from Cambridge, Norwich and the Midlands.
Why families keep coming back
It is not just one thing that makes Holkham and Wells special for families. It is the combination of space to roam, fresh sea air and genuine variety with something to suit each family member. One day you are cycling through parkland, the next you are crabbing on the quay or surrounded by life size dinosaurs!
Sandcastles, picnics, fish and chips, dripping ice creams and just the right amount of adventure. That is a North Norfolk summer.
