I won't comment on Barcelona with kids because I am not personally a fan of the city period. But I will say that were I headed to Spain in February I would to go Andalucia in hopes of catching warmer, drier weather. I would also find Andalucia more exotic than Barcelona were I coming from San Francisco. I might also consider Valencia in February, because I think it's the height of the orange season.

<i>Although it doesn't compare to an overseas trip, our kids are excellent travelers for their age and have enjoyed our many trips in the US and Canada that didn't have specific kid attractions. </i>

Your kids are 2 and 4. A cardboard box will entertain them for hours if not days. I only get about 10-15 min enjoyment from a cardboard box.

I also would like to add that if you choose your spots wisely, going to Europe in July doesn't need to be hot or crowded, although it is likely to be more expensive -- but even there, you can find ways to make it work. In many ways, it would be easier to travel with the kids in summer because you can enjoy the parks and other outdoor activities much more readily. For adults in February, there are museums and other indoor venues, but kids need to be able to run around.

You can have a great experience of Europe in July, with moderate temps, fascinating but uncrowded places, kid-friendly activities, and you can find ways to economize to keep the costs down.

If it must be February (which is the coldest month of the year) I strongly advise to go to one of these regions:

- Andalucia.
- Greece.
- Côte d'Azur.

Andalucia is full of attractions. You find magnificent historical cities with great cathedrals, impressive oriental palaces, museums, archeological sites etc.: Granada, Cordoba, Sevilla, Malaga and more. You also find beautiful "white towns" like Vejer or Ronda. You find scenery: snow-capped mountains, canyons, orange groves, coastline. You have wine and sherry in Jerez, historic ports in Cadiz and Sanlucar de Barrameda - and you find sandy beaches where the children can play for an hour or two (don't forget them). If you think, Andalucia is not enough you can combine it with Toledo and Madrid. Madrid will be cold in February, but it is the capital (and has, in my view, much more to offer than Barcelona which will be dreadful in February).

Also, Spain is inexpensive, especially in February.

Even less expensive is Greece. The southern tips of Peloponnes, Rhodes, Crete will be nice and sunny in February with seawater that will be even warm enough for swimming. And you have all these wonderful archeological sites, medieval castles, Byzantine monasteries, picturesque villages, fresh seafood - and everything will be dirt-cheap.

Although farther north, the Côte d'Azur has a special microclimate, so expect springlike temperatures there. You will find most beautiful scenery, incredibly scenic coastal roads, rugged mountains, picturesque villages, a huge density of modern art museums, excellent food and also some large sandboxes for the kids. However, the Côte is pricey compared to Andalucia and Greece, but you may find good deals in February. Lots of vacation homes to rent. Can easily be combined with Italy.

I have selected these three regions because of their climate and because they have enough to offer to satisfy your hunger for attractions. There are regions in Europe which might be even milder but have not enough to offer (Baleares, Canary Islands).

You might also look at the Algarve in Feb

I never listened to the naysayers about taking young children on overseas trips. Mine were with me in Europe at least a couple of times a year, every year, from the time they were born. You just have to make the trip about THEIR needs, not yours, and it's not that hard.

I'd focus on Andalucia or Greece or the Algarve or maybe the Côte d'Azur, as mentioned by others. It does get old spending lots of time bundling and unbundling toddlers in cold and inclement weather. I'd pick two destinations, rent a place - apartment or small house - and settle in, rather than keep moving. Find places near a park or somewhere the kids can run around. It could be a perfectly lovely vacation for both you and the kids.

You hit the nail on the head, StCirq.

traveller1959 said it kind of perfectly. I think it sounds like a great timeline but it might be hard on kids changing their lodgings and traveling almost every other day. Rome and Florence looked very kid friendly since I saw plenty of families enjoying themselves there. I understand the need to go when you have time and it is way cheaper at that time of year so it's what I would do. November wasn't so bad so maybe February isn't much worse.

Oh what fun to plan travel in Europe...with two small children. Already Fodorites have discussed weather concerns and the children. (PalenQ, traveler1959, StCirq). We had our hands full so many years ago just camping and traveling throughout the U. S. with three kids. So a major concern is indeed what you can do to entertain them. I like the idea of not being on the move too much, i.e. limiting your own desires for sightseeing.

Yes, maybe Andalucia or Greece in winter. But of course gale winds will sweep across France sometime.