Easter treats across Europe: kid-friendly food traditions

Easter food traditions are one of the sweetest ways to discover Europe with children: every country has its own bread, cake or chocolate that kids love. With Easter on 9 April 2023, the bakeries are already filling their windows. Here are 12 treats and places by city, plus tips on finding kid-friendly restaurants and cafés.

Why kid-friendly matters at Easter

Easter is a busy time for cafés and restaurants, so a place that welcomes children makes the difference between a happy treat and a stressful one. Many families travel over the Easter holidays, and bakeries and pastry shops get crowded. A café with high chairs, room for a pram and staff who do not mind crumbs lets everyone enjoy the moment.

What makes a place family-friendly

A family-friendly café or restaurant has high chairs, a simple kids' menu, a baby-changing table and enough space between tables. A play corner is a big bonus, especially on a rainy day.

• High chairs and booster seats: ask when you book, as there may be only a few.
• Kids' menu or small portions: plain pasta, soup or bread with cheese is often enough.
• Baby change and clean toilets: still not everywhere, so check before you settle in.
• Space for prams: historic cafés can be tight, so a terrace may be easier.
• Kids eat free deals: these are less common in continental Europe than in the UK, but some hotel restaurants and chains offer them.

12 Easter food traditions by city

From Vienna to Lisbon, these are the Easter treats and places most worth a detour with kids. Check opening hours and prices on the official website before you go, as many places have special hours over Easter.

Price per person for a treat or visit: budget = under about €10, mid-range = about €10–20, premium = over €20. Approximate values, prices change.

See family-friendly cafés in Vienna on the Kid.ooo map

Vienna and Austria

Demel, the historic pastry shop near the Hofburg, is famous for its Easter windows full of chocolate figures. In Styria, the Zotter Schokolade chocolate factory in Riegersburg has a tasting tour where children can try dozens of flavours, plus a farm with animals outside.

Lisbon, Milan and Paris

At Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon, the warm custard tarts are a treat all year, and at Easter Portuguese bakeries also sell folar, a sweet bread often baked with a whole egg inside. In Milan, the historic pastry shop Marchesi 1824 sells colomba, the dove-shaped Easter cake. In Paris, Ladurée is known for its pastel macarons and decorated Easter eggs.

Brussels and Prague

Choco-Story Brussels is a chocolate museum with demonstrations, so kids see how pralines are made and taste the result. In Prague, the Easter markets on the Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square sell painted eggs, gingerbread and trdelník, a sweet rolled pastry cooked over a fire.

Find kid-friendly restaurants in Prague on the Kid.ooo map

Florence, Barcelona, Athens, Kraków and Stockholm

In Florence, the Scoppio del Carro, a cart with fireworks in front of the cathedral, takes place on Easter Sunday morning. In Barcelona, godparents traditionally give children a mona de Pascua, a cake topped with chocolate figures. In Greece, families bake tsoureki bread and play an egg-cracking game with red-dyed eggs. In Kraków, children carry small baskets with eggs and bread to church on Holy Saturday. In Sweden, kids dress up as Easter witches and receive paper eggs filled with sweets.

Seasonal treats this month

In late March, bakeries all over Europe start selling Easter breads and chocolate, so you can try many treats before the holiday itself. In Italy, colomba appears in every supermarket and pastry shop. In Germany and Austria, look for sweet braided breads and lamb-shaped cakes. In Czechia and Poland, Easter markets open in the weeks before the holiday.

If you are looking for more spring ideas, our guide to carnival in Europe with kids covers the season just before, and our family ski resorts guide is still useful for Easter skiing, as many Alpine resorts stay open until mid-April.

Tips for a calm meal out with kids

Eat earlier than locals, bring something to do at the table and keep the meal short. In southern Europe, lunch and dinner start late, so a snack in the afternoon helps.

• Book Easter Sunday lunch in advance, as restaurants fill up fast.
• Ask for bread or a starter for the kids straight away.
• Bring crayons, stickers or a small book.

For family travel guides from around Europe, have a look at @wanderingwagars on Instagram.

Rate your favourite Easter café in Kid.ooo

Kid.ooo is a free family-friendly restaurants map where parents share and rate cafés, restaurants and playgrounds across Europe. Before your Easter trip, look up kid-friendly cafés near your hotel and save the ones with high chairs and a play corner.

Find family-friendly cafés on the Kid.ooo map

Missing a place you loved? Add it to Kid.ooo and rate it, so the next family knows where to find the best Easter treats.