I've gone to Europe a lot on my own, and have seen many great places. There's not much I haven't enjoyed and am not fussy about where we go. I am thinking of taking my 5 y.o. daughter this Nov-Dec. for 9-10 days. I know it will be cold-ish, but much like WI, I suppose. Suggestions for a 5y.o. in winter? I've wanted to do some Christmas markets, I thought those would be nice. Cheapest flights I've found have been to Berlin and Dublin. She has been to England, as we have friends there; also to Warsaw, so I know she travels fine. But staying with them at this time isn't really an option as they are remodeling their house.
Posted by
New York City, NY, USA
5678 posts
Hi Jenny, Your post got me thinking about this. At first I was thinking that somewhere alpine would be great, but maybe with a good children's museum. But I wondered where the best Children's Museums are in Europe and found this article! Then I started thinking about Santa Claus and that made me think of Scandinavia. Had you explored that idea? I found this link for Norway. And then I looked into Denmark. Check out this. Hope you get some more ideas. Pam PS You can actually learn a lot about European Christmas customs right there in Wisconsin. Folklore Village has a Christmas Festival every year that is very family friendly and lots of fun for adults as well. It's been years since I've attended, but I loved everyone I went to. It's very creative and participatory. Not much on their site now about the Festival, but if you email them, someone will tell you all about it.
Posted by
OP
WI, WI
88 posts
Thanks, Pamela. Scandinavia didn't even cross my mind! That's one area I haven't been to, though I certainly would love to! I've never heard of the Folklore Village, but we are north of Milwaukee, so it's probably not close enough to us to get much notice. But I'll have to check it out! Thanks for the suggestion.
Posted by
Fontainebleau, France
893 posts
I just want to give you a heads up about Christmas markets with a 5yo. While they sound like a lot of fun, the reality may not be that fun for your daughter. There's a lot of walking around (outdoors, when the weather may not be ideal). And the things to see can get repetitive and beyond candy and food, may not hold the interest of a child that young. Scandanavia could be an interesting choice. There are some "North Pole" visits that are supposed to be really magical for children. I have a friend who has taken her children (each one around age 5) to Lapland. She raves about the experience.