KarenM26

can you suggest a nice european country/city/town to travel with a 1 year old girl?

Scarlett

Karen, most European cities/towns have residents who have small children, I think you would manage fine with your daughter as well as you do at home or in the US (if that is where you are from)
The question might be...what are <b>you</b> wanting to do in Europe? What are <b>your </b>interests?
Do you have any ideas yet of where you might want to go? Have you researched beyond this question yet?
We are all full of ideas and happy to help but you have to help too

alanRow

I'd avoid Europe totally, the incidence of child abduction (esp. 1yr girls) is so high in all the countries of Europe that it doesn't make the newspapers anymore.

Go somewhere safe like Utah instead

janisj

KarenM26: I will try very hard not to be rude - but &quot;<i>can you suggest a nice european country/city/town to travel with a 1 year old girl?</i>&quot; is a pretty odd question. &quot;can you suggest a nice US city/town to travel with a 1 year old girl?&quot; - same thing. Since she is only 1 yo she will never be out of your sight - what do you fear will happen to her??

steviegene

England, France, Austria, Belgium, Greece, Hungary, Denmark, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Ireland, Scotland,Sweden, Switzerland.... London, edinburgh, dublin, paris, rome, venice, florence, Brussels, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Prague, Copenhagen, Luxemborg, Milan, Madrid, Barcelona, Glasgow, Lisbon, Santorini, Athens, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Munich, Provence, Brittany, Loirre Valley, Normandy, The Cotswolds,Bath........and the list goes on.....

flanneruk

Oh, come on.

Yes of course there are thousands of 1 year olds in, for example, London. But they don't spend their time being dragged round sites, or making their parents cope with public transport several times a day. They sleep, move food from one end to the other, and get gently paraded round (generally adoring) friends and relations.

All of which is a great deal more difficult away from home. And - again to stay with London as an example - a lot less pleasant in places where everyone's got a life to get on with than in places where there's a longstanding culture of goo-goo-gooing at brats.

So common sense says there are places that, all other things being equal, are best left till the child can walk, carry her own case and take a lively interest in what's round her.

And I'd put all Europe's major cities squarely in that group. If you've got relatives in Venice, or need to do a year's course in Paris, taking the child there will be a terrific experience. But dragging a 1 yo round Rome when you there's no reason to avoid waiting till she's 6 strikes me as dozy.

christycruz

Dozy? Well, I guess we were a little crazy to take our 3 year old around the world, but it was still a great experience.

Check out http://www.travelforkids.com/main.htm

We took her to France at 14 months, and it was easier than at 3 years.

Paris is actually a child-friendly city, with many, many neighborhood parks (all very safe and clean), as well as Jardins du Luxembourg with the huge playground, and the famous puppet shows. Your typical neighborhood cafe was NOT uptight about having a child at the table. Often they were very helpful. The trick was to go to dinner early, which in Paris is about 7pm. Or feed the kid, stroller to sleep, and eat in peace.

We usually spent the morning sightseeing, when our toddler was most rested, then had lunch and did stuff she would enjoy. It's a slower paced trip.

The Dordogne region around Sarlat also has many family activities.

But I agree with other posters, although not with their tone. If there's a city you want to see, just post for suggestions for children in that city. Pretty much any european city is fine for a toddler.

Robespierre

Does the little lady have doting grandparents?

If yes, then I suggest you leave her with them and enjoy your journey without the distractions of baby logistics.

We took an infant. Once. The next four trips were bliss.

grimmy

My son and daughter-in-law took our 11 month old granddaughter to Italy last May and had a great time.
They decided as this was their first time with a baby they would stay away from large hectic cities with the exception of Florence. They ended up taking her to Cinque Terre and Tuscany.
They rented an apartment in Pienza as their Tuscan base and made short trips out each day. They rented a car so baby took naps on the longer drives.
They spent the day in Florence with no problems.
Granddaughter seemed to thoroughly enjoy being with her parents all day and loved the restaurant experiences.

All in all it was a great experience though unfortunately one the baby won't remember. I have to add that their baby is very flexible and loves all kinds of experiences. Only you know your child's tolerance levels.

With good preparation I think you can have a good experience with your daughter in Europe.

MaureenB

I think your only concern would be safety for a mobile toddler. On that point I would suggest you avoid the canal cities-- like Amsterdam and Venice. Seriously, it wouldn't be unheard of for a baby to toddle into those waters. Not a good thought!

Also, don't try to hike the Cinque Terre. Just kidding. . .
&gt;-

Dukey

With the greatest of respect I would suggest you remember that the child's safety will depend <b>entirely&lt;/B on you and how much attention you pay.</b>

Ann41

I would also avoid Rome. I loved spending time there, but lots of cobbelstones would make a very bumpy ride in the stroller, and you'd never want to let her walk if she can with the Vespas EVERYWHERE.

But Italy is very child friendly. I have a 2-year-old, and while I'd rather poke my eyes out than fly that far with her right now, if I was going to Italy, I'd rent a house in the countryside for a week.

familytravelforum

I traveled around Europe when my children were 8 months and two years. We spent two months traveling through Portugal, Spain, France, England and Scotland. I'd earlier taken my oldest to Italy and Spain when she was four months. Italians adore children, but so do most people!

Our favorite place was Barcelona though - and we had a very easy and enjoyable time there. We rented an aparthotel - kind of a suite with a small kitchenette. That worked better for us because it was helpful to have a kitchen. Helpful website is familytravelforum.com - lots of articles on traveling with babies and toddlers.

annhig

Hi, Karen - our relatives thought we were mad when we took our one year old to the states! but I still remember her ist birthday on the beach at cape cod and her face on the maid of the mist, even if she doesn't.

Italy or spain, where they love kids, would be great choices, or Holland, or even germany - all much more child friendly than the UK where having kids appears to be viewed as some sort of aberation.

I would avoid venice though - all those bridges are hardly buggy friendly.

and I would go for an apartment - much more child-friendly.

Good luck!

hlphillips2

You posted this a while ago but here are some other thoughts. I posted a similar question (specifically for E. Europe and Scandanavia) and received recos for Cavtat, Croatia and Stockholm. Places I've been that I think would be &quot;doable&quot; with a 1-yr-old are Prague (if you can handle a lot of walking with your DD in a Bjorn or sling), London or Paris (good public transportation), Tuscany/Florence (you can rent a house in a small village and spend your whole time living like a local), or if your DD isn't walking Venice might be nice, again if you don't mind a lot of walking with a Bjorn. Venice and Prague don't seem to be very stroller friendly though. I think it's tough to get around Rome or Milan without a taxi which could be a pain if you want to use a car seat. Now that I think about it, Brussels and Amsterdam are also very walkable.

Hope that helps you to narrow it down. If you search for &quot;toddler&quot; and a specific city I've found a lot of trip reports for places we're considering.

walkinaround

avoid the uk...we are hysterical about paedophiles and most parents walk their children around on leashes....very sick and you'd never find this around europe. we were also just named the worst place to raise kids in the world. it was a unicef study or something like that...it was all over the news. anyway, i would stay away if i were you.

KarenM26

I come from the island of malta, and we would travel to europe. we want a relaxed holiday where we can enjoy with our 1 year old daughter. we want something for her too so that is what we would like basically

Huitres

Karen: I would think Malta is wonderful in itself! I am going there next month, end of August with my 6 year old and can't wait! I love Italy and since you are but a 1 hour ferry ride away from Sicilia, why not start there? The Italians love children and are very warm and welcoming towards them and families.

In terms of a child-specific area to go to, I would recommend Parco Pinocchio, in Collodi (in Toscana). I've taken my child there a couple times over the years and we loved it. It's not like a typical American amusement park per se, but the whole park is geared towards children and rides they can go on, things they can explore, puppet shows, etc.

Also, another fun place for children is &quot;Il Terennia&quot; also in Toscana, ,located along the coast between Pisa and Livorno. &quot;Il Terennia&quot; is a beach-side area with lots of things for kids and families to do. There is a big play place with logs that kids can climb around on, and a children's amusement park area with a caroussel and other animated objects to ride. In addition, the beach across the street is free with no payment required for umbrella rental, lounge chairs, etc.

I return to these two places when I can in Italia as they are favorites of my daughter and me! Buon viaggio!