I will be traveling to Europe (Paris, Rome, Italy & Denmark in July) for the first time and with 2 infants.

1) Should I bring both carseats or rent and are they mandated by the above countries as in US. (minimze on luggage Question) Planning to just bring Umbrella Stroller & Baby BJorn.
2) Trains from Rome to Venice then back to Rome (Tourist Season-availability Question): Should I reserve train tickets now or can I buy them while I'm in Rome?
3) Necessities to bring that may help the trip less hectic?
4) Fun places to visit relating to small children.

Thank you for your suggestions that will make the trip more pleasant.

Hi MT,

Are you going to rent a car?

I was thinking of doing everything by foot, especially with the 2 little ones as I'm unsure how everything is in Europe.

Hi M,

The reason I asked is because you only mentioned taking trains in Italy.

Many folks go from Copenhagen to Amsterdam to Paris to Rome to Venice without cars.

I have seen people with babies in car seats on trains in the US.

I wasn't being facetious.

I planning to Fly to Paris venture there on foot to see the sights, not sure what's all there to do for small kids. Then fly to Rome for a few days, take the train to Venice as my son love Thomas Trains, so I thought this would be neat for him. Stay there a few days, adhoc see if we can get on a boat to view the city. Take the train back to Rome and fly from Rome to CDG and fly back to SF. The only things I've booked so far are my air & hotels.

On your other post you stated that you're travelling with a 23 month and 5 month old infants. Is anyone else helping you with this "adventure" and why take such a huge undertaking instead of so many places in the USA?

Hi Mike,
My husband will be going with me, both of us have never been to Europe. We are visiting a sick family member in Denmark. I can get advice as to what to do there, but before we go there we will visit Paris, Rome & Venice as it will be a long time before our next trip to Europe, that's why I'm a bit nervous and looking for any suggestions from experience travelers in this forum that may help me with: packing light, where to visit, where to eat with kid friendly in mind. I'm flying with AF and from the comments I 've read below it's not looking all that hot. But I just found out about this site today. Thanks!

..are you going this July?? re kids- if your little ones are 5m and 23 mo why are you going to the city unless you have relatives or your partner is on a business trip? Rome and Paris will be warm.. re thingss to do with kids..EXACTLY what you do at home with kids this age! In Venice you might go to the Lido as there is a beach. You will walk to parks and feed the pigeons, walk to a canal or river and look at the boats, walk to the local ice cream store /vendor and buy a cone. You will NOT go to galleries, museums ect. I would (and did not) attempt a trip whem my kids were this age (and my youngest are 20 mo apart) unless I had to (which I did as transatlantic family issues). When I had to my expectations were very limited as to sightseeing..though I can tell you something about every small park in the 6th and 4th arr of Paris.

travelbunny: Thank you for your suggestion, it's a family matter that is the driver and my husband is coming with me. I'm hoping for parks where there are activities for the 23mos to do as he is an active boy. I did not know about Lido, great suggestions. I understand that Paris is hot from reading some of the travelers comments, but not sure how other countries are. I will check the weather to pack accordingly.

Hi MTU,

I lived in Paris last fall with a 3 and 4 year old. There are small parks EVERYWHERE. Something I never noticed in all the years travelling to Paris without the kids There is even a large sandbox, and playground on the Seine side of the Notre Dame. I'd put the baby in the Bjorn and just wander around, stopping at parks along the way.

For children's supplies (diapers, wipes, cheap clothes, juice, cereal), locate the nearest Monoprix. (http://www.monoprix.fr). I think of it as the French Super Target.

For kid-friendly restaurants, try Hippopotamus (locations all around Paris). They cater to kids - with balloons, kid menus, etc. The location in the Bastille has flat panel TV's with Dora the Explorer playing. For adults, the foods OK. But, my kids loved it - they liked that it was loud (I wasn't constantly having to tell them to speak quietly), and had kids menus/crayons/balloons - something they missed from the US.

My children's favorite park was the Jardin d'Acclimatation. Great playgrounds and amusement rides for younger kids. My boys liked it better than Euro Disney.

I also travelled on the overnight train from Paris to Venice so that the kids could experience sleeping on the train (my little boys are crazy about trains, also). The train was a BIG hit. Unfortunately, it was 40 degrees and pouring down rain the whole time we were there. The rain and crowds put a big dapper on that trip.

Try not to stress too much. I know what it's like to travel long distances with infants. You'll have a great trip - C

ttt

Dear MTU,

>Should I bring both carseats ...<

Why?

You don't seem to have a car in your itinerary.

Carseats are useless unless then are firmly attached to the car

Despite being less than 2 years old I would recommend buying one child seat on the plane (usually 70% of adult fare)while the youngest child should be fine with the bassinet provided by the airline that you attach to the bulkhead

I also don't see the point of car seats, also American car seats may not be certified for use in Europe, so god forbid if there is an accident, you may not be covered by your insurance.

Geordie

..re Tuilleries..yes the cotton candy is wonderful. There is usually a merry go round. My boys loved a pool/pond that is used to sail toy boats. There used to by a man who would rent you mechanised ones.

Hi ParisEscape & Geordie -
Great suggestions. Thanks for letting me know where to do my 1 stop shop for the kids and where to eat where it's loud so I don't have to appolize to others around me enjoy their meals.

We flew AF in April with our nearly 2 year old, and despite my complaints about luggage never making it when I fly them, the FAs were fantastic with my little fellow and the flight itself was absolutely fine. They kept bringing toys, blankies, and stuff, it seemed, to keep him occupied (despite my seemingly endless bag of little "presents" to keep him busy). One FA took it upon herself to arrange for a bulkhead seat for me, which was very nice, although not necessary. AF also has kids' seatbelts for lap infants that go around the kiddie and attach to your seatbelt. Very kid friendly. I would not even hesitate to fly them direct to Paris, I would just be inclined to avoid them when I have a connection, no matter how much cheaper the ticket is!

You may want the carseat for the older child on the plane, but that's up to you. If you are not going to be using a car in Europe, I would not take a carseat, especially since you're doing trains. Hard enough to get two kids and your stuff on and off, why add to the pile of stuff? You should think, however, about whether you will be taking taxis, and what you want to do about that situation, though.

Speaking of stuff and trains, I would go for first class tickets on the train from Rome to Venice. If it were just you and hubby, probably no need, but you get a bit more space, which is helpful with the two little ones.

I would be hesitant to rely on the Bjorn exclusively for the smaller child. I don't know about you, but I do a lot of walking around when I'm on vacation, especially in Europe and I couldn't take that thing for more than about an hour. I also would take something better than just a regular old umbrella stroller - they're just awful on cobblestones and not very comfy for the passenger. You can find decent, lightweight compact travel strollers - get something with wheels at least 5" in diameter - we bought a Britax one for something like $80 and it was great! Chicco makes some good, compact, lightweight ones, too. You may want to consider one of those sit and ride things that has a stroller in the front and little jump seat in the back for the older child. Don't have one, don't need one, but they don't look all that big or heavy. You should be able to gate check it, although on one AF flight they made us take our stroller into the cabin.

Necessities - take any medications your children are used to here. Yeah, you can find most of the stuff there, but why spend time looking for the right thing, and who knows whether it will taste the same as what your kids are used to. Some people report bad experiences with medications abroad - the active ingredients may be the same, but the inactive ones may not.

Also, if either child is prone to ear infections (mine is), ask your pediatrician if he or she will write a prescription for an unmixed antibiotic. Ours offered, we took it, and we needed it halfway through.

Stickers keep bigger kids busy for hours it seems - good plane activity. Also, coloring book and crayons. Definitely do the lots of little presents (can be new stuff, old stuff that hasn't been seen in awhile) thing - some say one an hour. Colorforms are also a good activity, and there are Thomas the Train sets out there. You can find them on-line. Bring Along Thomas (NOT Take Along Thomas) is a great little airplane activity toy. I found it on Amazon. It is a tiny compact train set with a wind-up Thomas. I keep it in reserve for trips and doctor appointments. My son loves it!

There is a nice playground on the grounds of the Villa Borghese in Rome. Our son refused to leave! I've been told that there is a nice children's museum in Rome, but we didn't make it there.

I'm also of the mindset to take diapers with me. I don't like spending my vacation time looking for them, and at the end of the trip I have room to pack all the stuff I bought while there.

Good luck and have fun! And sorry to hear about the sick relative....

Love your id name Cantstayhome: Thank you so much for the detailed text above. I enjoyed reading your suggestions

Hopefully one or two will serve you well!