Umbrella Stroller for Central Europe
 

Hi, We will be traveling with our 14 month old to central europe (munich, prague, budapest, vienna) in late August. We are planning on bringing a carrier (front and back) and using an umbrella stroller. we have read online about cobblestone roads in these cities and aren't sure if a light umbrella stroller will work. The one we were planning on bringing is a 7 lb Mclaren Marc II stroller. This should be easy to carry during travel esp on trains. Any experiences with using this for travel in europe? Also, any recommendations/ advice on whether this should be okay?

Thanks!

We used a MacLaren (I forget which one - maybe Triumph?) all over Italy and Paris over multiple trips with two kids and it worked out great. It was fine on all the cobblestones. A light stroller is great for when you need to carry it (with child strapped in) down stairs, on trains, etc. It is also great for outdoor restaurants (child can sleep in stroller rolled up to table), naps in general and even diaper changes in a pinch.

The only challenge for us was keeping our child in the stroller at that age if he/she is already walking. But can't recommend a product to help with that! I have not traveled with my girls in the places you are going but you can click on my name for some general advice/trip reports about traveling with young kids.

Have fun!

It depends on the country and where in each country. Vienna and Munich cobble stone streets are "usually" small wheels friendly enough. Prague is tougher. The city consist of medieval streets paved with smaller uneven stones. Your feet bottoms would also hurt in Prague if you wear soft sole shoes.

Maclaren should be fine. That's a $100+ stroller (at the lowest price points) that has some reinforcement and actual build quality, especially for the wheels.

Don't get thrown by the notion of "umbrella stroller" - yours really isn't. It's the $20 dollar specials that won't work. Those are the real umbrella strollers where the "seat" is just fabric that folds up and the handles are curved and look like old umbrella handles (think Travelers insurance logo).

Hi All, Thanks so much for your input! We do want to travel light since we're traveling with a baby and want to make train travel and getting around as easy as possible for us! A lighter stroller will def make it much easier for us!

@sally30 -- Agreed, the biggest challenge will be to keep our lill one happy in the stroller! Thanks for sharing your experience and I will def check out your posts for more tips on traveling with lill ones. Happy traveling to you!

We've done four 2-3 week trips (Italy and Greece) in the past 4 years with strollers and covered pretty much every terrain.

MacLaren Volo wins for a lightweight, sturdy stroller. Our 40-lb 4.5 yr old ode around in it on this past trip so it's definitely a workhorse. Does fine with cobblestones, can't handle stairs too well. Sunshade is small, there's no recline... it's plenty functional but not luxurious.


CitiMini by BabyJogger - it'll handle most terrains and even a lot of staircases if not ultra steep with shallow steps. Has all the comforts. Is heavier and definitely less compact.

Hi TexasAggie, Thanks for sharing your experience! I believe the Volo may be discontinued right now but I will double check that and also, look into the citimini. I have seen that around and it looks very compact and perfect for travel!

Try looking here - pick your price range, or a model or manufacturer...
https://trustorereview.com/top-9-bes...roller-reviews

This is going back two decades, but we used Perego umbrella strollers. (Needed two, twins).

They fold down flat for sleeping and can be covered up completely in case of rain.

The wheels have about an inch of suspension travel and are made of very durable but somewhat soft compound.

Peregos were quite expensive, I think we paid about Canadian $300 for each.

... forgot to add the model, Perego Pliko.