Vakantiepark Bergsehaak

At Hof van Eckberge (15 minutes’ drive), kids can get up close and personal with alpacas, wallabies and prairie dogs. Good news if they’re into amphibians, too, for there’s a reptile house with poison dart frogs (plus gekkos and chameleons). Thrown in a watery playground, and you should have happy, tired kids at the end of the day. In Borculo (20 minutes), minerals, fossils and precious stones fill the rooms of the Kristalmuseum, while across town the Brandweermuseum explores the history and the work of the local fire brigade, with displays including uniforms and vintage vehicles. For a day in Germany, head to Stadtlohn (half an hour), where the Siku Museum exhibits close to 100 vintage cars (and you can buy the toy versions in the museum shop); or to Bocholt (45 minutes) to admire the typically Saxon architecture and to chill in the hammam at Sauna- & Wasserwelten Bahia.