For new parents who love to travel, carrying an infant along may seem like quite a task. However, traveling with a baby can be easier than you expect, and finding the right destinations is the key to successful family travel. Here are our top 5 places to travel in Europe with a baby, plus some tips and tricks to make traveling with your baby easier than ever.
1. Copenhagen, Denmark
Copenhagen is a city of bright colors and fairytales, which babies (and parents) will love. When the weather is good, head to the Tivoli amusement park and enjoy the funfair booths and beautiful flower gardens.
You’ll also want to visit The Blue Planet, Copenhagen’s famous aquarium with over 20,000 living creatures to entertain your baby. Copenhagen is also a great city for walking tours, which means you can avoid taking public transportation or riding in the car too much.
Bring along this flexible travel stroller to make the experience easier.
2. Granada, Spain
With beautiful architecture based in the Moorish era of Spain, Granada has plenty to offer parents. To get a complete tour of the city and rest your legs, get on the hop-on, hop-off city train, an enclosed tram that takes you through the entire city. You can listen to interesting details of Spain’s history while your baby sleeps peacefully. Also, be sure to visit the beautiful Alhambra Palace, wander the gardens, and get a glimpse of Spain in another era.
3. Munich, Germany
While it may be known for Oktoberfest, the German city of Munich has much to offer families as well. An easily walkable city, Munich is home to plenty of family-friendly parks. This includes the 89-acre zoo, Tierpark Hellabrunn, complete with pony and camel rides for kids.
If you’re looking to buy a souvenir or two, head to Obletter, a multi-level toy store with over 16,000 toys.
If you’re in need of a diaper changing pad, consider this one.
4. Lisbon, Portugal
This seaside city in Portugal is nestled into a culture that adores children, and many restaurants offer kid-friendly play areas. If you’re looking to relax and soak up some sun with your infant, Lisbon is a great city.
Unfortunately, Lisbon isn’t very walkable since the city is built on steep hills leading up from the coast. However, there is a tram that will take you around, so you can rest your feet and still see the sights.
5. Tuscany, Italy
Feeling welcome is important, and Italy is another European country that is in love with babies. Many come here for the scenic landscapes and countryside homestays, labeled Agriturismo as an amalgam of agriculture and tourism; here, you can wander the fields and gardens, and if you’ve got a toddler, there will be plenty for them to discover. Also, public nursing is allowed, which is a nice perk for new parents.
Whether you decide to head to Pisa to see the leaning tower, wander through the gothic-style Cathedral of Florence, or just drive through the iconic rolling fields of Tuscany, you and your baby will absolutely love this part of Italy.
Pack this collapsible travel crib to make your baby comfy in any hotel room.
Use these tips to travel better with a baby
To make your family travel a success, try these five tips.
Carry your baby using a wrap
Strollers are heavy, hard to bring on a plane, and just plain cumbersome. If you can, try to avoid bringing a stroller by carrying your baby with you.
Using a baby wrap will keep your infant close to you, where they feel most safe, but will also keep your arms free to carry luggage, open doors, eat, and snap photos to cement those memories forever!
Buy disposable baby gear at your destination
Don’t worry about packing tons of extra diapers: just bring enough for the trip. You can always buy basic baby supplies once you get to your destination. Any local supermarket or pharmacy will carry what you need.
Use trains to get around
If you’re using public transportation on your trip, a train is absolutely the safest method. Thankfully, Europe is full of trains, which makes your travel even easier. You can carry your baby with you, and in many cases, they can travel for free!
Plan for one travel hub rather than moving around
While it’s tempting to plan a few nights in Italy, a few in Spain, a couple in Denmark, and so forth, be careful not to overbook your trip.
Instead of planning fewer nights in more places, plan more nights in fewer places. Ideally, find cities that you can call your ‘home base’ and spend the entirety of your trip using one hotel room or apartment. This will make the trip easier for your baby while still allowing you to take day trips to nearby destinations.
Avoid the summer months in southern Europe
Southern Europe gets very hot in the summer: it’s not unusual to see temperatures of over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) for multiple days in a row.
So, when traveling with your baby, it may be best to avoid July and August. But don’t worry: you can catch good weather and avoid the crowds by traveling in May-June or September-October.
While traveling with your new baby may be a bit more challenging than it was before, it’s absolutely worthwhile. For a couple who fell in love with travel before they expanded their family, introducing your baby to new experiences and cultures will leave an impression that will last a lifetime. Best of all, you’ll be strengthening your family ties and developing cherished memories together.
Have you traveled with a baby or small child? Tell us your stories below!
