WWYD? 14 full days in Europe

[msturtle143]

ILs are paying for DH and I and DD to go to Europe with them next year in May. 
DH and I have been to Paris and Rome and while I'd love to go back to Paris, I am not keen on spending a lot of time there so we may be there with them for a few days together then split. But I'm not sure where to go.
DH and I have hit the major sites in Paris and Rome and aside from Versailles and maybe a le bateaux marches, I don't care to go the the museums again. With a 3 year old, I am thinking of also going to Disneyland Paris. Thoughts on this?

I like the idea of spending some time at the beach.
I would like a mix of culture, historical sites/sightseeing, and beach. What do you recommend?
We'll have 14 full days excluding flights.

[wise_rita]

Are they giving you a trip to Europe or a trip to Paris? You seem to think Paris is a must do at all costs. Personally, if we'd both been before I wouldn't bother with Paris (unless you really wanted to do it together and haven't in the past).

Beach in May is going to be pretty hit and miss. I don't even know if the French Riv or Spain would be up to its normal beachy self at that time. You might have to go to Greece for that, but even in May I don't know if tourist beach season will be in full swing.

I would see which airports have an easy connection to your home US airport and take it from there. If you could do a multi-city flight (in one city, out another) you'd get the most time to try different places without having to backtrack.

[frlcb]

I would personally skip Disneyland Paris unless you don't think you would ever get to Disney in the US. There is so much to do in Europe that is fun for a 3 year old that taking the time to go to Disney would be the last thing I would want to do. I agree May seems a little early for the beach, but if you really want to then I would probably do Barcelona.

[osumelissa]

Southern France (Cannes, nice, st tropez) is nice in May, although the film festival does make Cannes a bit too touristy depending on when in May you go. Spain is also gorgeous in May. Barcelona is a great city as is Madrid.

Have you been to London? That seems like a good city with a toddler - enough for them and for you. I imagine May is quite lovely there (I have only been in December).

[Deleted]

I would consider London or Nice, both of which are easily accessible from Paris (That seems to be a requirement? Maybe you can clarify) and would be good at that time of the year. I don't know if you will get great beach weather anywhere in May, it really depends on the year.

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 27, 2013 13:00:59 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I would consider London or Nice, both of which are easily accessible from Paris (That seems to be a requirement? Maybe you can clarify) and would be good at that time of the year. I don't know if you will get great beach weather anywhere in May, it really depends on the year.

To Lauriers point we had done the Nice area( we stay in Ville Franche it's so much more chill) when the Film Festival and the Grand Prix were happening and the beach weather was great somehow.

[Deleted]

Dec 27, 2013 13:26:47 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

Dec 27, 2013 13:00:59 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I would consider London or Nice, both of which are easily accessible from Paris (That seems to be a requirement? Maybe you can clarify) and would be good at that time of the year. I don't know if you will get great beach weather anywhere in May, it really depends on the year.

To Lauriers point we had done the Nice area( we stay in Ville Franche it's so much more chill) when the Film Festival and the Grand Prix were happening and the beach weather was great somehow.

I had good weather in Nice in October a few years ago. But I find in Oct-Nov and April-May you can be roasting in the sun or huddled in a parka. Its like Canada!!! LOL

[iammalcolmx]

Dec 27, 2013 13:29:00 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

Dec 27, 2013 13:26:47 GMT -5 iammalcolmx said:

To Lauriers point we had done the Nice area( we stay in Ville Franche it's so much more chill) when the Film Festival and the Grand Prix were happening and the beach weather was great somehow.

I had good weather in Nice in October a few years ago. But I find in Oct-Nov and April-May you can be roasting in the sun or huddled in a parka. Its like Canada!!! LOL

Also keep me posted on when you will be in Paris, it's possible I may be there during that time.

[msturtle143]

Dec 26, 2013 19:47:24 GMT -5 wise_rita said:

Are they giving you a trip to Europe or a trip to Paris? You seem to think Paris is a must do at all costs. Personally, if we'd both been before I wouldn't bother with Paris (unless you really wanted to do it together and haven't in the past).

Beach in May is going to be pretty hit and miss. I don't even know if the French Riv or Spain would be up to its normal beachy self at that time. You might have to go to Greece for that, but even in May I don't know if tourist beach season will be in full swing.

I would see which airports have an easy connection to your home US airport and take it from there. If you could do a multi-city flight (in one city, out another) you'd get the most time to try different places without having to backtrack.

Well initially we all planned to go to Paris and yes I agreed to go again since they have relatives there and I don't mind visiting again since they were so nice to us the first time around. But it's not required that we spend the money on a trip just to Paris, we can go elsewhere if we choose. The check has been written. 
Also, Paris happen to be my favorite city so I won't be kicking and screaming going back there.

We're actually going the very last week of May so I was hoping for nicer/warmer weather.

[msturtle143]

Dec 27, 2013 13:00:59 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I would consider London or Nice, both of which are easily accessible from Paris (That seems to be a requirement? Maybe you can clarify) and would be good at that time of the year. I don't know if you will get great beach weather anywhere in May, it really depends on the year.

I've considered London since we could also go visit a cousin of mine I haven't seen in years.
Anything in particular you recommend? Stonehenge?

[Deleted]

Dec 27, 2013 14:06:24 GMT -5 msturtle143 said:

Dec 27, 2013 13:00:59 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I would consider London or Nice, both of which are easily accessible from Paris (That seems to be a requirement? Maybe you can clarify) and would be good at that time of the year. I don't know if you will get great beach weather anywhere in May, it really depends on the year.

I've considered London since we could also go visit a cousin of mine I haven't seen in years.
Anything in particular you recommend? Stonehenge?

I haven't done Stonehenge, and I've only done London without kids so far (although I am taking DS who is 19 months in March to Paris and London) but in general our "travel" with our kid is just taking them where WE want to go. DS enjoys people watching, playing with his toy car in his stroller and just being out & about so I don't feel the need to cater to him specifically. Like, we did a visit to Niagara on the Lake last summer and we took him wine touring, we just fed him snacks in his stroller while we toured the wineries.

I tend to look for attractions that are within walking distance to where we are staying, and just work things around nap time a bit. If DS gets a decent day nap, he is a decent traveller. If he doesn't, he is a total asshole. LOL.

Also, I would skip Disneyland Paris if you think you would do regular Disneyland again. But I tend to hate that sort of thing

The only thing I would really suggest is if you normally would spend like 4 days in a city, spend 6 since you will do less with the kid and stop more.

[msturtle143]

Dec 27, 2013 14:11:02 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

Dec 27, 2013 14:06:24 GMT -5 msturtle143 said:

I've considered London since we could also go visit a cousin of mine I haven't seen in years.
Anything in particular you recommend? Stonehenge?

I haven't done Stonehenge, and I've only done London without kids so far (although I am taking DS who is 19 months in March to Paris and London) but in general our "travel" with our kid is just taking them where WE want to go. DS enjoys people watching, playing with his toy car in his stroller and just being out & about so I don't feel the need to cater to him specifically. Like, we did a visit to Niagara on the Lake last summer and we took him wine touring, we just fed him snacks in his stroller while we toured the wineries.

I tend to look for attractions that are within walking distance to where we are staying, and just work things around nap time a bit. If DS gets a decent day nap, he is a decent traveller. If he doesn't, he is a total asshole. LOL.

Also, I would skip Disneyland Paris if you think you would do regular Disneyland again. But I tend to hate that sort of thing

The only thing I would really suggest is if you normally would spend like 4 days in a city, spend 6 since you will do less with the kid and stop more.

Ha. Mine is 2.5yrs old and can skip her nap but it's a disaster around 5 to 6pm. If all goes well, we're celebrating her 3rd birthday abroad but no, this is not a birthday present to her. lol just happens to be the vacation time that works for everyone who is planning to go. 

I actually don't care to take her to Disneyland since SIL works for Disney and can get us in for no cost at all and has been inviting us. So really DL in Paris not required so we can skip.

I don't plan to cater to her and only go to places where toddlers are entertained.  The more I think about it, the more I wonder if we should just spend a couple of days there and base somewhere else...like London or Bruges.

Anyway, I also would like to be walking distances to nearby attractions as we made a mistake on this when we went to Hawaii staying at a very quiet, more secluded area where we had to drive everyday. DD is such a fussy sleeper and she needs absolute quiet to settle else she feels she is missing out on everything. It is slowly changing though

[Deleted]

Dec 27, 2013 14:22:02 GMT -5 msturtle143 said:

Dec 27, 2013 14:11:02 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I haven't done Stonehenge, and I've only done London without kids so far (although I am taking DS who is 19 months in March to Paris and London) but in general our "travel" with our kid is just taking them where WE want to go. DS enjoys people watching, playing with his toy car in his stroller and just being out & about so I don't feel the need to cater to him specifically. Like, we did a visit to Niagara on the Lake last summer and we took him wine touring, we just fed him snacks in his stroller while we toured the wineries.

I tend to look for attractions that are within walking distance to where we are staying, and just work things around nap time a bit. If DS gets a decent day nap, he is a decent traveller. If he doesn't, he is a total asshole. LOL.

Also, I would skip Disneyland Paris if you think you would do regular Disneyland again. But I tend to hate that sort of thing

The only thing I would really suggest is if you normally would spend like 4 days in a city, spend 6 since you will do less with the kid and stop more.

Ha. Mine is 2.5yrs old and can skip her nap but it's a disaster around 5 to 6pm. If all goes well, we're celebrating her 3rd birthday abroad but no, this is not a birthday present to her. lol just happens to be the vacation time that works for everyone who is planning to go. 

I actually don't care to take her to Disneyland since SIL works for Disney and can get us in for no cost at all and has been inviting us. So really DL in Paris not required so we can skip.

I don't plan to cater to her and only go to places where toddlers are entertained.  The more I think about it, the more I wonder if we should just spend a couple of days there and base somewhere else...like London or Bruges.

Anyway, I also would like to be walking distances to nearby attractions as we made a mistake on this when we went to Hawaii staying at a very quiet, more secluded area where we had to drive everyday. DD is such a fussy sleeper and she needs absolute quiet to settle else she feels she is missing out on everything. It is slowly changing though

My favourite European cities are actually Munich and Budapest. If you decide not to go to Paris

[frlcb]

My son was born in London, and we go back to the UK often. London is a great city for kids, and I think you could skip Stonehenge. It isn't that exciting. Bath is nice though. And if you wanted to go outside of London York is nice and has a great train museum, Oxford is beautiful, so is Cambridge. If you really felt adventurous Northumbria is fabulous, with Holy Island and lots of castles. The Lake District is gorgeous too.

In London with kids - The Science Museum in South Kensington is awesome - in the basement they have a whole section with hands on stuff for kids 5 and under. You could also do the princess diana memorial playground and kew gardens, and if you do that you could do the Kew Bridge Steam Museum. In Wimbledon there is a great kids theatre called Polka Theatre that has plays for kids of all ages. There is also one in Kilburn called Tricycle Theatre that has childrens programming. There is another playground in Regents Park called Hanover Gate that is supposed to be good and one called Paddington Street Gardens Playground. Battersea Park has a children's zoo as well. Hummingbird Bakery in Chelsea and in South Kensington has great cupcakes! On weekends the Tate Modern has family events. And Coram's Field, in Central London, would be good. A boat ride down the Thames is fun. Borough Market is awesome. You could do a day trip to Brighton, although chances of it being warm are low, but it is the beach and you never know.

We have taken our son to Belgium too but at Christmas time, and he really enjoyed it. We have done Madrid with them as well, also fun. I do think Barcelona would hit a lot of what you want - culture, city, beaches, you could take the train up the coast to Sitges or Calafell, beach towns. We did Portugal and the NW Galicia region of Spain with kids too, so fun.

[oneslybookworm]

Barcelona is lovely, as is Turkey during that time. Lots of great beaches in the south, and Istanbul is a great city for lots of different activities. I also enjoyed Munich and Budapest a lot.

[giantsgirl]

I will echo the Nice/french Riviera comments. Easily accessible from Paris. If you have a full 14 days, I would probably start there for 4-5 days, then meet your ILs in Paris for a few days, and head to London and fly home from there.

[giantsgirl]

PS - anna7602 can probably give ideas abot what to do in Paris witha toddler.

[anna7602]

I am not a huge Disney person, personally. I took DD to Disney Paris when she was 5 and it was fun for her, but we were living in Paris and it was easy enough to jump on a suburban commuter train and take her for a day trip. I would not have made a special trip just to go there when there's so much else to do that's kid-friendly in and around Paris and in other European cities. I would probably ask on the moms board about Disney in general with a 3-year-old and make your decision from there. I haven't been to Disney in Florida in about 15 years, so it's hard to compare. Disney Paris seemed more manageable than Florida, but I really have no idea. 

As for Paris itself, there's just hanging out in the many, many beautiful parks and seeing puppet theaters and riding on merry-go-rounds. I really miss this about Paris. My favorite parks are the Jardin de Luxembourg (although you have to pay to get into the kiddie playground there) and the Parc Buttes-Chamont. Champs de Mars is also nice. In the summer, there's Paris Plage, a pretend beach along the banks of the Seine, which DD loved, and the fair at the Tuileries Gardens. In nice weather, there's also strolling along the Canal St. Martin. Indoors, there's the Doll Museum (Musee des Poupees), the Musee D'Orsay (DD loved the Degas depictions of ballerinas there), the Egyptian wing of the Louvre (well, the whole Louvre, but this was DD's favorite part), and the Musee Rodin. Actually, the garden at the Musee Rodin was what DD most liked, so put this in the see-during-nice-weather category. Oh, and no kid experience in Paris would be complete without a visit to a good creperie. I personally recommend going to the Rue du Montparnasse in the 14th arr. to find one. There are several creperies along this same street and they're all great. Creperie de Quimper is probably my favorite. 

I traveled to a lot of different European cities with DD and my favorites on the kid-friendly front were probably Marseille, Copenhagen, Lisbon and Berlin, although I have a special place in my heart for many parts of Spain. DD is a late sleeper and adapts well to the lunch-at-2, dinner-at-10 rhythm of Spain, plus I am pretty relaxed about letting her run off and play in plazas with other Spanish kids while DH and I (and other Spanish parents) sit in front of one of the bars on the plaza and enjoy a drink or some tapas. If you're not cool with all of this, or if you have a kid who has to stick to a very rigid schedule, maybe Spain would be a little more difficult with a kid. 

Here are some blog posts where I detail more info on kid things:

Parks in Paris: malangababy.blogspot.com/2012/08/hold-roller-coasters-please.html

Marseille: malangababy.blogspot.com/2012/05/mar-seille-can-you-see.html

Berlin: malangababy.blogspot.com/2012/09/72-hours-in-berlin.html

Lisbon: malangababy.blogspot.com/2012/09/oh-lusitania.html 

[msturtle143]

thanks, Anna!! You actually answered some questions for me already early this year via PM but thanks for always being so helpful!