alexandrak

My husband and I and our two best friends want to do a 7-10 day trip to Europe at the end of November. We will have our 7 month old daughter with us, so it needs to be a slower pace (staying in one apartment the whole trip and making day trips, nothing too strenuous. More about lazily taking in some sights, and eating well and drinking wine & beer).

We found great flights to Lisbon (direct, important with a baby!) and as none of us have been to Portugal, we thought that might be a warmer choice for the time of year (not expecting beach weather, but sun and no winter coats would be ideal). But Portugal has never excited me much in comparison to other European destinations I've yet to visit. All of the gorgeous pictures seem to be during the summer months. Our friends have been to Spain so they have vetoed that choice.

Anyone out there love Lisbon in the late Fall? Any other suggestions? I know that if we want sun our choices are limited... but any mild temperatures out there in places I might not have thought of? We really initially wanted a beach vacation but our friend is pregnant and therefore all Zika spots in the Caribbean are off the market for us.

massimop

Problem with Lisbon + baby is that it is so steep. Another downside is that part of the magic of Lisbon is its nightlife, which doesn't work with a baby. Upside is that you can get a huge apartment in Portugal very cheaply.

Given your wish list, how about Munich? Flat, parks, beer + affordable Italian wine -- but you need winter coats. However, most of Europe, even southern Europe, is prone to inclement weather in November. At least in Munich (or Berlin), things are set up to deal with it.

massimop

http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/events...as-market.html

But if it is just too cold to contemplate, consider Rome. Loads of stairs, stroller unfriendly, no beer -- but milder temps.

socaltraveler

We were just in Lisbon; I was impressed with the numbers of young couples out with strollers in the hilly streets. But I have no idea what the weather in November might be like. What about the Azores?

alexandrak

Massimop, thank you for the suggestions. Our last two trips were Munich and Rome (and Paris) - I should have mentioned that, as we'd like something new.

Socal traveler, I believe the Azores is quite off-season in November, although I think it looks gorgeous!

Rubicund

What about the Canary Islands or Madeira? The only problem may be whether you can get direct flights from wherever you are. Of the two I'd prefer Madeira as it will give you everything you're looking for, especially the weather, but if flights are a deal breaker then any of the Canary Islands will offer similar weather to Madeira.

TexasAggie

With a 7 month old, I would definitely plan to reply more on a baby carrier than a stroller if your little one likes them. We took our son to Greece for a couple weeks at that age and the baby carrier was a life saver. He would nap in it much better than in a stroller, and trying to navigate paths/stairs with most strollers can be a nightmare.

We have been to Campania region of Italy in late November and while it was chilly, it wasn't frigid and we had a couple milder days. Pompeii and Herculaneum are open at that time of year. So is Paestum (you might want to hire a driver to get you there so you don't have to mess with the rather indirect public transportation options). While the Amalfi Coast is largely shut up, Naples is always lively. The National Archaeology museum is worth several hours. The huge palace at Caserta is also an easy daytrip and the gardens are lovely even in winter (very green).

Rome is another idea. Again... it won't be warm but shouldn't be frigid. There is SO much to see and do indoors if the weather should happen to be rainy.

alexandrak

Thank you for the feedback - I hadn't heard of Madeira. It does not have direct flights (from Toronto) but the connection through Lisbon doesn't look too bad. Are the prices similarly cheap to the rest of Portugal? Part of the appeal was a more reasonably priced getaway.

Otherwise I think we will probably stick to Portugal (we did Southern Italy 2 summers ago). Thank you for the baby carrier tip - she loves it as well and it would likely be easier than the stroller.

Rubicund

There's a range of accommodation on Madeira, with most people staying in Funchal, the capital. Try:

www.booking.com
www.lastminute.com
www.laterooms.com

If you do want November as the time you'll visit, then Madeira is warmer than anywhere on the Portuguese mainland.

The main Canary Islands are:

Tenerife
Lanzarote
Gran Canary
Fuerteventura

and again all will have better weather than the Portuguese mainland.