40th birthday trip with husband and 4 year old
 

I am looking for ideas for a 40th birthday trip that is also appropriate for a 4 year old. Probably in Europe, in June 2011. I love the ideas I've seen on other posts in this forum, but the limiting factor for us is traveling with our son. He is a great traveler -- has flown in the US numerous times since infancy and has even been to Hawaii -- but he will be four next summer and still not as hardy a traveler as, say, a 6 or 8 year old.

We would travel anywhere from 7-12 days, departing Boston in mid-June. (Maybe could swing 14 days if it meant a less frenetic trip).

We are not interested in a Disney-type vacation or a tour. We are somewhat adventurous, though may not be quite as mobile as we once were. (Child too big for a carrier now and may be too big for a stroller too by next summer . . he is OK in the car but not for vast distances). We like cultural experiences, history, a little dose of adventure. Our son seems to do well in cities or small towns. We are not campers or great hikers, though definitely appreciate scenery and natural beauty, or opportunities for day trips out of a city. We wouldn't mind access to a beach, but are not very beach-oriented; we wouldn't sit by a beach or pool every day.

In our pre-baby days my husband and I traveled widely, and enjoyed covering vast distances by train or car, changing accommodations every couple of nights. Now, however, this does not seem practical, or fair to our young child. I think we may do better with one base, or maybe changing cities/accommodations only once.

Finally, we don't want to spend too much time flying to a destination, if possible, or to have more than one stopover.

Whew! Complicated!
So... Our top choices right now are England and Norway, but I'm open to considering other countries -- just not Ireland, as I was there not too many years ago and spent quite a bit of time there. (It's lovely and child-friendly, but for my 40th I want something new or different).

England: We were thinking of basing ourselves in London, maybe in an apartment rather than hotel, and combining city experiences with some day trips by train. (Oxford, Bath, southern England attractions). OR spending part of our time in the city and part of our time in the countryside somewhere.... but where? Husband and I have been to London before, but not together, and in the winter, so it feels pretty fresh and new to us. Maybe London is enough? With lots to amuse the little one? Is it worth it to change locations and do a couple of nights in the countryside or on the coast?

Norway: I'm a bit worried about the flight time from Boston, and the whole midnight sun issue with a child traveler (tough bedtimes??) BUT could be worth it since we may be able to connect with family there and have a free place to stay in Oslo. If we went to Norway, we would also want to get to Bergen if possible, and see some fjords. Maybe rent a car (easier than trains there?) OR take a short cruise (4 or 5 nights?) to see the fjords. But when I start researching cruise ship companies I become overwhelmed by all the options! Is Norway just too ambitious with a 4 year old anyway?

Ideas/advice related to these two countries, or other child-friendly (yet 40th-birthday worthy) destinations in Europe would be most welcome! Thanks for reading such a long post!

You will likely do better posting this over on the Europe Forum. Many times more folks will see your post there. And there you can tag your thread for both the UK and Norway (and any other country that may interest you)

My first choice would be London and a bit of Scotland. both because they have everything you mention, but also believe it or not - the UK would be a bit cheaper than Scandinavia.

There are hundreds of threads about travel w/ children and renting apartments over on the Europe board. A quick search will net you lots of info.

"<i>I'm a bit worried about the flight time from Boston, and the whole midnight sun issue with a child traveler (tough bedtimes??)</i>"

The days will be VERY LONG anywhere in northern-ish Europe - not just in Norway. England, Scotland, Paris, all of them will have sunsets after 10PM. There will only be maybe 30-45 minutes more daylight in Oslo compared to Edinburgh.

Oh, meant to add . . . Instead of re-posting, you can also click the triangle w/ the <B>!</B> and ask the editors to move your thread to Europe.

Forget junior for the moment. What matters as priority one is your interests. Work out what you and hubby want to see and do, then after that work out how to include junior. The youngster will enjoy it no matter where you go as long as he doesn't get over-tired and you enjoy it too.

It's hard to advise not knowing your interests. Reading between the lines on what you've written so far, I think either London, as you suggested, or possibly Spain.

For London, I stayed here a few years back. Position is marvellous. As a 1-bedroom flat the youngster could stay in the sitting room sofa-bed, you have a kitchenette for easy breakfasts and it is a brief walk to the nearest tube: http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/Eng...ndon/p1904.htm

No, I don't get a commission :) I haven't even met the owner. I just enjoyed it, and it's cheaper than a good hotel. Bear in mind I haven't stayed there since 2003, so you'd need to check if it has changed, but we loved the place.

For Spain, I went to Madrid and Granada. As a mixture of cultures and sights, if I had to pick one spot in Spain, it would be Granada. It has the lot, new and old, Moorish and Catholic - the Alhambra and Generaliffe are simply spectacular - and short distances from other Andalusian attractions. We booked our flat after gathering information on this site: http://www.madridman.com/

We flew to Oslo from NYC and were surprised at how short the flight was..6 1/2 hours.