travelmamana

Check out the 2 estates in Tivoli. Villa d'este and Hadrian's. Short bus trip.

stevewith

Just so you know, neither Paris or Rome "demand" 5 days each. This is based on the notion that you will be taking your toddler to the Vatican museums, or the villa Borghese, or the Louvre. I hope not!

You will have a toddler. Enjoy your trip. If you want to take 3 day trips out of Rome, fine. See the fountains. Visit Orvieto. Go to the beach. Up to YOU. Or stay in Rome the whole and enjoy the cafes and strolls along the via del Corso in the evening. I would not turn this into a 5-day tourist sightseeing project.

One could just as easily and more truthfully and intelligently post that Rome and Paris demand 5 weeks. These "rules for tourists" are totally arbitrary and for tourists! You are a family visiting another foreign city. Have a great adventure doing what your family wants to do.

You will have a toddler. Enjoy your trip. If you want to take 3 day trips out of Rome, fine. See the fountains. Visit Orvieto. Go to the beach. Up to YOU. I

stevewith

ooops. Didn't mean to be so emphatic. But do want to encourage you to play it by ear. An enjoyable trip is not constructed like a computer program. It is governed by mood, not fixed numbers and narrow logic.

Ackislander

One, maybe two cities, no side trips.

It will all still be there when baby is old enough to travel.

MaloBalo

stevewith, it's not meant to be a 5-day tourist sightseeing project whatsoever. I only meant to illustrate that touring Rome is hardly enjoyable if you have to rush. That goes for any other city, too. Paris and Rome offer so many different things, it's just logical you're going to miss out on something. Plus, it really depends on what you are trying to achieve. Visit to just see loads, to relax and take it in, to taste great food and experience the culture, or maybe do some bits and bobs of either here and there. The only thing I'd like to avoid with a toddler on board is travelling, travelling, travelling. You suggest to see some fountains, take a ride to Orvieto and then go to the beach with a toddler, of which especially the latter is a decent challenge to do on a planned city tour across Europe.

Gretchen

I am ALL for playing it by ear--have an idea about A side trip in each city, but start seeing that city FIRST, and then see "if you have time to do a side trip". Yes, Belgium is an easy TGV ride, but it requires getting to the station, on the train, etc. Maybe NOT such an easy day trip with a baby in tow.
The baby NEEDS a seat on the plane whether or not it is required by regulations.

StuDudley

Agree with most others to just plan on staying in Paris & Rome. Consider a side trip to Orvieto, Reims, Chartres, etc on your last day in Paris/Rome - if you feel like it. I bet you won't want to do the side trip when the time comes.

Stu Dudley

Taltul

I second moche_dolce's suggestion to look into renting apartments. Babies are very unpredictable - even the easiest baby can get fussy, become overtired or feel out of sorts in new environments and while travelling. Having an apartment (many times with a washer/dryer!) and the possibility of eating in occasionally might make a big difference.
Most apartments are in residential areas where you get the chance to feel how the "real" people live (shopping, cafes, restaurants) and there may be play areas for baby to let off steam.

suze

(echoing many other posts above) I say, just stay in Paris and Rome. Rent an apartment both places. You don't need the hassle of moving a 3rd time with a baby in tow.

nytraveler

Rome and Paris are plenty in your limited time - esp when you have a toddler with you. You won;t be able to move as quickly as adults alone - and with a day trip from either city- will still be just scratching the surface.

aliced

I hope you are have the baby on YOUR lap, Dad, on the plane. At 18 mos. mine were close to 30#. Rome & Paris are plenty. Metro stairs?? The thing with the smaller strollers is they don't do well on crooked pavements, which is why my grown kids have the $uper expen$sive joggers which do not travel well at all. Are there no options to leave baby at home? Good luck.

Woyzeck

I've now traveled to Europe twice with my small children, including when my daughter was 12 months. I agree with most here that you're much better off limiting yourself you Paris and Rome (if those are the Musts) and settling in each of those locations for a few days. There's no need to add another mini-trip on top of those two. My first trip to Paris with my wife was without kids, we spent 4 nights and it wasn't enough even though we wore the soles off our shoes. Take some time, see the cities deeply, and have a fun and relaxing trip.

Woyzeck

By the way, the toddler does NOT fly for free. Depending on the carrier, there will be a significant discount, but she WILL cost something - even as a lap baby. Do not assume that you can just show up for your flight and they will allow you to board, like you can do for domestic flights in the US. She needs to be ticketed in advance. Some booking websites are not user friendly when it comes to lap babies, so it might involve a phone call to customer service or booking directly with the airline involved. But make sure she is booked with her own ticket, even as a lap child.

LisaG

Another vote for limiting to 2 cities from a very well-traveled European traveler. You will thank your lucky stars!

Enjoy!

LIsaG

Gretchen

Apartment for 3 days--too much folderol. Rent a good size hotel room and use the desk to help make arrangements.

Woyzeck

What's folderol for some might be convenient comforts for another, particularly for a couple travelling with a small child. A vacation apartment could provide many advantages for a family, even for a short time frame. Laundry and a kitchen, just to name a couple. Separate sleeping quarters. Not to mention the fact that they are likely to spend more time there than the typical traveler, using it as a home base, possibly naptimes, and likely earlier bedtimes than most in Paris.

FHurdle

The cost for a lap child is generally 10 percent of the adult fare. So if your advance-purchase fare is $1,500 you will have to pay $150 for the infant. I hope you don't sit next to me.

A thought, just to be contrary. You could take a night train from Paris to Venice in a private compartment. Probably less strain on the infant than flying. Spend a single night in Venice. You'll arrive at 9 a.m. and have all day on your arrival day, plus part of a day the next day before you depart. The train ride to Rome will take 4.5 hours on a fast and modern train

justineparis

Tood I do want you to think about this, I know finiacially is sucks, but, but we bought our babies seats on planes,, we didn't want their little bodies smashed or bruised during turbulence and turbulence and sudden drops can happen with no warning. Plus I don't know how couples can eat etc with passing baby back and forth, and a baby that age is too big/old for the bassinets. In the "olden days" you could book two seats, one on each side of a row of three and at least 1/2 the time or more it would stay empty so you had some room for baby,but nowadays most planes I have been on seem to fly full or nearly full... be aware you could be holding a toddler for hours and hours and hours...and your child will likely start to struggle, at that age they have a hard time sitting 8-10 hrs and you aren't always allowed to get up...
I am a huge proponent of babies being in seats and car seats, but if you really don't want to do that, consider if you can swing upgrading you and wife to premium economy ( or if you have points business class) at least you will have more room for the three of you. On some flights its possible to get two premium economy seats cheaper then three economy seats,, you could look anyways.

Taltul

If you really want to do some day trips, why not stay in one city and do 3 full day trips? Then you can take it at easy the morning after. For instance, there are trips from Rome by train that are great to smaller, quainter villages. You could even daytrip to Florence. You can also easily get to the sea and have a relaxing morning in the middle of your visit(a short easy train ride from Rome.) If you're in Paris, you could daytrip to England as well as other interesting areas in France!
That way you don't have to hassle with the flying in the middle,you can rent an apartment and won't be locked into a tight schedule.
A tight schedule is fine for an organized tour where you want to manage to see everything but when travelling on your own, it's great to be flexible. We ended up visiting some off-the-beaten-tracks places because we were travelling on our own.