Europe with a Toddler

That's a pretty broad question. What do enjoy? Art, architecture, food, beautiful vistas? End of December will be cool, chilly to down right cold depending where you go. Would you prefer to stay farther south where it will be warmer? Have you been to Europe before? Where? It's a big place - more details would help.

Yes - Europeans travel with their children too so hotels will be equipped.

Yes, I have been to Europe five times (Amsterdam, London, Madrid, Barcelona, Germany, Dublin, Edinborough). I do not mind going to places I have traveled before. I am just trying to find the most small child friendly place. We enjoy food, architecture, tours, history, etc.

Hotels don't provide strollers - you will have to bring your own. Cribs are provided.

It gets dark c 4 pm in Northern Europe (earlier in Scandanavia), although there are plenty of indoor activities, of course.

Transport is difficult over Christmas, as in many places there is complete or partial shutdown on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and at new year, so don't travel these days. People often book cheap flights arriving Christmas Day, only to find there are no trains, tube or buses and have to spend a fortune on taxis.

Pick one city that will keep you occupied for days plus a few day trips, such as Parts, London, Berlin or Rome. The weather won't be brilliant anywhere in Europe, but it will be milder in the south.

Strollers--- depending on your destination, you may be able to rent one. We are in London right now and my son and his family (with 2 toddlers) were able to rent a very nice, sturdy double stroller---much better than bringing their own lightweight folding stroller from home. It was delivered to our apartment and picked up after they left.

Go to Southern Spain as temperatures will be ok or any place where there are many indoor activities- typically large cities. You don't want to have your baby out in the cold all day.

Oh, and you'll want to bring a stroller with you in the plane as it ain't fun carrying a toddler and all their stuff through an airport, trust me.

Yes, I have visited to Sevilla, Spain in December, and the temperatures were mild to warm. Do you recommend any other mild cities / regions in Europe in December (Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal etc....)?

Malta, Crete? Google December weather and I bet you can figure out some others.

Like others have said if you are traveling around the holidays transportation is something you will have to think of since some things might not be running. We have been traveling to Europe with our almost 5 year old daughter since she was 9 months, although we typically travel mid February through the first part of April. At that age you are not really having to find many things that they will have an interest in as you would say an 8-10 year old. Our daughter has always been fine with things we have wanted, museums, castles, old houses, etc. I always make a point of finding something interesting or something she has never seen and pointing it out to her and talking about it in terms she would understand. We try to make everything we do fun to her, especially riding the trains. At 1 1/2 your child will probably love a zoo. We love the Munich zoo and my daughter has seen animals there that we don't have at the Atlanta zoo. Anywhere you go if you have a nice day weather wise, find a park to play in for a while. There are usually lots of them in the city and they might have some equipment you might not find in the US. My daughter even played with some local children last year at a park and had a blast.

I have never seen a hotel provide a stroller but we have also always brought ours. On her 2nd trip we started using our umbrella stroller instead of the travel system I used the first year. It was lightweight and easy to fold with one hand. I gate checked it and I guess since we almost always fly with Delta to Europe I've always gotten it back there at the gate. I know some airlines will return them at baggage claim so some people will wear the little ones through the airport if needed in a carrier. As for a crib I've never had a problem reserving one, I always notify the hotel well in advance that I will need one. Many of the hotels we have stayed in have used pack n plays but they are usually longer than what we have in the US and the hotel provides sheets that actually fit the mattress. I have also always been provided with a pillow and blanket for her. Be aware though that a lot of hotels in Europe will charge you a daily fee for a crib. I don't think I ever paid more than 10-12Euros per night for it while we were in Germany. Most of the hotels we were in had a high chair or two in the breakfast room that we could use. Most of the time our daughter has not been charged for her breakfast.

Also note that our hotel rooms have not always had a bathtub which can make giving her a bath interesting, at least in prior years. Most of them have had shower heads that were hand held so that made it easier to wash her off.

Where ever you go one thing I would highly recommend you bring to use with your stroller is one of the stroller covers to protect your little one from rain and wind. They saved us on at least two trips, one trip was really wet and/or snowing, the other was extremely cold. Our daughter would always quickly get back in her stroller because she was nice and warm under that cover. One year we never took it out of the suitcase but it was nice to know I had it if needed.

Have a great time wherever you go!

Thank you all for this information.

We are considering Ireland, Southern Spain, or Southern Italy. If you think of any other kid friendly destinations the end of December, please feel free to post.

Ireland sounds wet, windy, and cold. On the other hand Andalusia is the warmest, driest place in Europe. I'd recommend Seville/Cordoba/Malaga/Ronda (not in that order).

Can't you take a stroller with you? That way you can use it in the airport and when taking the train from city to city.

You should think about bringing a stroller with you, because most cafes and restaurants do not provide booster seats - some chains do. Also, toilets rarely have changing areas, so the stroller would come in handy for that, too.

In France, you must count your baby as a "person" when booking a hotel, even if your child will sleep with you or in a borrowed crib. You might want to check to see if this is true wherever you end up.

I'd vote for Italy and/or Spain in a heartbeat.