Children aren’t like us. They don’t set off on holiday frazzled and ready to flop. They’re full of energy, their inquiring minds demanding stimulus.

So stimulate - some of the world’s biggest wonders are sensational when you’re little, and the impact can last a lifetime. Here are 10 we reckon every child deserves to see before they’re a teen - when their natural curiosity wears off for a while, and they start dragging their knuckles on the ground.

- Unless stated, prices include flights from London

PARK GUELL Barcelona

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Barcelona is a city that looks as if it was designed expressly for children, with beaches, a giant aquarium, food served in snack-sized portions, even its own chocolate museum. But what they’ll remember is Gaudi’s adventure playground, an entire hillside full of madcap pixie houses and mosaic monsters that’s guaranteed to send young minds spinning. Set them loose among toadstool turrets and art made from smashed-up kitchen tiles in kindergarten colours. It’s hide-and-seek heaven - they’ll be sketching their own “Gaudi-land” buildings on the flight home. Park admission free. Osprey (0845 310 3031, www.ospreyholidays.com ) has a two-night break for four at the three-star Hotel Lleo from £984

VALLEY OF THE KINGS Egypt

The pyramids pack more visual punch, perhaps, but for kids who love their mummies, nothing tops the magic of the Valley of the Kings. From the moment you pass the sentinel statues of Memnon, the romance builds ... King Tut’s tomb, Carter’s curse and the irresistible thrill of knowing that these painted chambers were sealed more than 3,000 years ago, never again to be ogled by man. Soon, you’re in - a real adventure, along twilit corridors coated with gods and monsters. Do pay extra and visit the boy-pharaoh Tutankhamun, whose tiny teenage body was only recently restored to its tomb. Admission £9.50. With Discover Egypt (0844 880 0461, www.discoveregypt.co.uk ), a week in a suite for four at the five-star Sofitel Karnak starts at £1,596

SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE London

The Globe plunges children into an exotic alternative universe of dressing up and acting out, set in a timber-and-thatch theatre sprung straight from a pop-up book. Its lively auditorium tours have tales of stinking groundlings and cross-dressing knaves, and in the exhibition hall there are touchscreen Tudor special effects, awash with gore. Child’s Play drama workshops for kids aged 8-11 are laid on during Saturday matinées. Or take them to a show - it’s an unforgettable way to hatch a lifelong love of theatre. Tours cost £10.50 (children aged 5-15 £6.50); www.shakespeares-globe.org . An apartment for four at 196 Bishopsgate Hotel, London EC2, starts at £231; 0845 230 8888, www.hotelconnect.co.uk

VASAMUSEET Stockholm

On the face of it, 17th-century Swedish warfare is no easy sell for children. But just wait until they clap eyes on the Vasa. This wooden galleon was hauled intact out of Stockholm harbour 333 years after sinking on its maiden voyage, and it writhes with grotesque multicoloured carvings of dragons, savages and mermaids.

Youngsters can swarm all over the place, peering into portholes in search of treasure chests, cannons and the ghosts of ancient mariners. Better still, the museum is in Djurgarden, which offers bears, wolves, Pippi Longstocking, paddle boats and rollercoasters. Admission £7.95 (under18s free); www.vasamuseet.se . Cities Direct (01242 536900, www.citiesdirect.co.uk ) has a three-night break at the three-star Tegnerlunden Hotel from £1,356 for four

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