Travel with Children - Baby friendly cities

Hello all,

We are planning to go for a small holiday in one of the European cities in May this year. We have a small baby (9 months) with us. Can you please recommend some baby friendly cities in Europe from the following list ? Basically, cities where we can move around with the stroller on the streets and use public transport. Also, we would prefer if the city is walkable and we dont have to use much of transport. Just for info we are based out in Germany.

List:

1. Helsinki
2. Tallinn
3. Rome
4. Lisbon
5. Florence
6. Budapest
7. Malta
8. Naples
9. Malaga
10. Mallorca
11. Nice / Cannes
12. Stockholm
13. Riga
14. Geneva

So, as you can see that we are very open to travel to very different cities, however, the place should be such that we can enjoy with the baby and relax a little.

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@Mods if this is not the right forum for this thread please move it to right forum where I might get some replies. Thanks

*Bump*

@Mods if this is not the right forum for this thread please move it to right forum where I might get some replies. Thanks

The Travel with Children section may get you some mroe responses.

The cities you have posted are very different, what do you want to do in the cities while you are there (museums, restaurants, historic sites, sitting on a beach, etc), as that may help people point you in the right direction.

From experience, my friend lives in Rome and has two under 3s, and she has no issues walking around central Rome - it is pretty easy to navigate the streets, and whilst there are hills (like up the Via Veneto) nothing too difficult. Pretty gardens to walk in, shaded walkways (and lovely sidewalk restaurants in the Trastevera area) but some of the more historic bits could be harder with a stroller - maybe someone else can comment as I don't think they are the sorts of places my resident friend goes often! There are also cobbles in some parts, but having grown up somewhere with tons of cobbles, I don't actually have a problem with them and strollers, but others may disagree!

I really like Florence, but not sure how much there is for straight sightseeing (and how long you want to go for) as I visited with a friend who lived there, and we spent more time catching up than seeing things (Uffizi was impressive tho!)

The Travel with Children section may get you some more responses.

let's try it :)

chrissxb
co-moderator
europe forum

I think Stockholm from the list you posted, but I'd one-up it with Copenhagen, which is not on your list.

However, since your child is so young, you could easily do some of the other cities that have less to offer children NOW before s/he is old enough to need true kid-oriented entertainment. You won't have many more chances for such things for a while. :)

With a kid that age you need a stroller friendly city where kids are welcome in restaurants (so the parents can enjoy too). I second Copenhagen (or Reykjavik). I Summer it would be Spain in a hotel right on the beach (e.g. Mallorca).

I agree with MR'er, go where you want to go. Your baby is too young to care and too small worry about entertaining.

I made the mistake of taking school aged children to Florence. Let's say that there isn't much to thrill that age (museums anyone??) although they liked the food. Venice, by contrast, was a hit.

Your baby is also young enough to not be the dangerous toddler age where you spend the whole time running after them. While I just recommended Venice, it's not a good idea with a little one with fast legs...

Rome is the only city on that list that's stroller-unfriendly and even then, you could manage it, if that's where you wanted to go.

Were Barcelona and Paris left out on purpose?

Better yet, tell us where you want to go, or at least give us the top contenders and we can chime in with our experiences.

Thanks all for your responses.

The list is basically the cities which we want to go and have not been to in Europe yet . So, basically we would go anywhere in this list where we can enjoy with a baby in tow. The top contenders would be Lisbon /Helsinki / Mallorca . (though not so sure how is it with a baby on the beach)

In terms of our interest we like historic sites but we are not much into museums. We like to have lively city center , river flowing through the city, baby friendly restaurants. Obviously the city should be stroller friendly and to an extent walk able.

@ Eclipsepearl : Yes, Barcelona and Paris were left out on purpose because we have already been there.

Let me know if there is any more information which I can provide you to help me out.

I'd combine a few days Palma the Mallorca (aka small Barcelona) with Hotel Esplandido in Soller (right on beach/town so great with a baby). Spain is extremely baby friendly and if from the US no problem with jet lag - just start the day at 11AM every day and shift all meals forward by 4-5 hrs.

Most baby's I know love the beach/pool.

Scandinavia (mostly Finland and Sweden) is top list for bringing babies because breastfeeding in public is common, and all fastfood outlets that I have been have microwave, beeps etc for your baby.

Switzerland is also great for stroller, we never lifted our stroller anywhere we have been to - Geneva, Basel, Luzern.

As previous poster said, since your baby is that young, why not go somewhere you enjoy? A 9 month old is easy to take around, the baby doesn't need entertainment and you don't have to yell at it yet. You can even take the baby to the US because the baby won't have jet lag issue.

We were so tired after a 2 weeks trip to SFO and both of us passed out almost every night because we had to constantly stop our kids from running wild, playing with each other etc.

First, I wouldn't assume a 9 month old doesn't walk and that baby mobility won't be an issue. Speaking from personal experience, some do start to walk at that age, and when they do it on vacation, it can be very challenging!

We loved visiting Copenhagen with a small child. Lively, walkable city center, interesting things to do, very kid friendly. Even got a sitter a couple times from a reputable agency and had some parent time.

In general I think beaches with a baby are a bad idea; as their skin, even with sun block, is so vulnerable to burns.

Agreed. My first was a year when we went to the beach for the first time, near Barcelona, and started to eat the sand...

Don't get me wrong. Beaches and babies can be mixed but there's a lot to consider (sun, water dangers, eating sand).

True, at 9 months, you can get some fast crawlers who can dive out of strollers and get themselves in trouble. Just because your child is placid and calm this month doesn't mean they can change on a dime, especially once they figure stuff out.

Throwing out another issue; safety. With a child to distract, you can become the target for pickpockets. Petty crime does happen more frequently in some places than others. I wouldn't get too paranoid about it. Take the normal precautions and don't dwell on it too much. Go where you want to go but if you want to count that into your decision...

Firstly thanks all for your helpful replies.

I am now leaning towards Scandivian cities Stockholm or Helsiniki.

Is it possible to combine Helsinki and Tallinn ? Has anyone taken a baby on Helsinki - Tallinn ferry ?

And is Tallinn a good idea with baby ?

I can fly into one of the cities and fly out of the other. This wont be a problem.

Just to clarify the baby cant walk at the moment and can hardly crawl. So, hopefully no risk of the baby running away on own.

I went to HEL with a one year old and it was ok (I could go outlet shopping and sightseeing). I went to Tallinn before having kids but I wouldn't go to Eastern European countries with kids because I didn't feel that safe when I was travelling in Prague, Warsaw and Tallinn.

There were a lot of drunk Finns there, and a lot of spiritus seller approached my Danish husband (he looks very Scandinavian) and asked him if he was interested in buying something.

We were there more than 10 years ago so a lot of things might have changed.

i haven't been to Helsinki or Tallinn but i took my daughter to Krakow when she was 9 months and had no problems there, felt safe enough etc (this was nearly 5 years ago), i felt safer there with a baby than i had on my previous visit as a teenager

Helsinki is very child friendly. all the buses, trams, metro stations etc will have easy access with a stroller. Tallinn is ok in summer, but during winter it´s almost impossible, because they don´t plow snow away from sidewalks. Tallinn by ferry is very doable, most ferries even have playgrounds inside for kids. nothing to worry about. It´s between 2-3 hours by ferry and there are 15 departures a day by several companies. cost should be 15-45€/adult/direction.

I also like the beach suggestions. When my little one was that age, I liked places that gave *me* a break, and the beach has so many distractions for baby.

Not on your list, but a place I really enjoyed when my daughter was young, was Dublin. The big park in the city (I think Phoenix Park) was awesome.

I recommend Genevra. Napels is not for babes exactly. :)

Scandinavia (mostly Finland and Sweden) is top list for bringing babies because breastfeeding in public is common, and all fastfood outlets that I have been have microwave, beeps etc for your baby.

Switzerland is also great for stroller, we never lifted our stroller anywhere we have been to - Geneva, Basel, Luzern.

As previous poster said, since your baby is that young, why not go somewhere you enjoy? A 9 month old is easy to take around, the baby doesn't need entertainment and you don't have to yell at it yet. You can even take the baby to the US because the baby won't have jet lag issue.

We were so tired after a 2 weeks trip to SFO and both of us passed out almost every night because we had to constantly stop our kids from running wild, playing with each other etc.

First, I wouldn't assume a 9 month old doesn't walk and that baby mobility won't be an issue. Speaking from personal experience, some do start to walk at that age, and when they do it on vacation, it can be very challenging!

We loved visiting Copenhagen with a small child. Lively, walkable city center, interesting things to do, very kid friendly. Even got a sitter a couple times from a reputable agency and had some parent time.

In general I think beaches with a baby are a bad idea; as their skin, even with sun block, is so vulnerable to burns.

I agree completely with CDTraveler.
I have an almost 9 month baby and he is not walking yet, but he certainly is not immobile! He's like flash when he gets on all fours. The other thing is that yes, they do need entertainment! There attention span lasts all of 1 second so they get frustrated very quickly if they get "bored." At 9 months, everything is go go go!
Keep in mind also that many babies are now at the height of their seperation anxiety stage and crowded situations or strange faces can bring on an unexpected meltdown of epic proportions, so maybe try to avoid crowds in confined spaces.

I also think beaches are a bad idea (not just sunburn, but you will probably be spending more time trying to keep baby from eating to much sand than sun bathing) but I do think Scandinavia sounds like a great idea!

Have fun! :D

My youngest was born in Jan and went to the beach at least once a week from June to September of that year. Yes, she ate a lot of sand. No it didn't kill her.

I'd vote for Scandinavia as well. Your baby will have fun no matter where you are, and I think the Scandinavian cities are pretty easy to get around. My was walking at 9 months and scooting around but he was still pretty easy to catch! He prefered parks to the beach, somehow at that age.

There are plenty of playgrounds in Helsinki if he´s into sand and swings. There´s one right behind Säätytalo, a block away from the Lutheran Cathedral. Ask if you need help finding more.

Thanks all for your valuable inputs. We are tilting towards Helsinki / Talinn combination as of now.

Thanks all for your valuable inputs. We are tilting towards Helsinki / Talinn combination as of now.

HEL is nice but I prefer Stockholm. They have are very child friendly, eg kids in strollers ride free on public transport. Also they have a fantastic archipelago with boat tours that are fine to bring your child on. Also, almost every museum in the city has a children's play room in the theme of the museum - eg instruments to play for kids in the music museum, boats and lighthouses to play with in the nautical museum, etc.

I have been reading a lot about Turkey in last days. So, was wondering is going to Istanbul with a baby a good idea ? Or maybe any other Turkish city ?

I'd think about what cities would have good weather for eating at restaurants that have outside dining areas. I've always found this a little less stressful than dining inside with our son. If he gets noisy, it's really not much of an issue outside. I figure anywhere a dog can go is okay for a baby to go to. :)

Also, I know pretty much all restaurants in the US supply high chairs for kids upon request. Would these be more readily available in some countries/cities than in others? Worst case you can leave your baby in the stroller pulled up to the table, but it's not quite as enjoyable for them as being at table height with you -- and if they're eating solids, it's not as easy to feed them that way.

We have found that staying either in a vacation rental (house or flat rented out by the day/week) can be very convenient when traveling with children, since they can sleep in their own room -- or you can at least have a separate room to be in with lights on/television on after the baby is sleeping. Hotel rooms can be tricky when traveling with a baby. Apartment hotels work well, too. It's also handy to have a kitchen/kitchenette for eating in occasionally, storing snacks, etc. So if these options might be of interest to you, their availability in the cities mentioned might influence your choice.

Activities a 9-month-old might appreciate: Aquariums, the zoo, street musicians/performers, merry-go-rounds, water (swimming pools, ocean, even fountains), gardens, boat rides, train rides, etc.

Oh- if you're worried about getting around with the stroller, you could bring along a carrier. An Ergo would probably be a good option, as it's soft and small but also very supportive for both you and your baby.

Have a nice trip!

I have been reading a lot about Turkey in last days. So, was wondering is going to Istanbul with a baby a good idea ? Or maybe any other Turkish city ?

Istanbul is quite spread out and also quite hilly.

I have been reading a lot about Turkey in last days. So, was wondering is going to Istanbul with a baby a good idea ? Or maybe any other Turkish city ?

We went to Istanbul when my youngest was 11 months. We had a fabulous time there, and did use a stroller for much of the time, but we made sure to bring a stroller that folded quickly and compactly, since we used trams to go the relatively longer distances between some of the sights (as Swiss Tony noted). The sights are fantastic, but there were challenges, such as finding a clean place to change a diaper, and a discreet place to nurse. We also saw the ruins of Ephesus on the same trip -- *not* good for a baby, or a stroller (but still worth it for us!) -- and went to a beach resort at Oludeniz, which was terrific (though my son did eat a lot of sand).

(We also went to Helsinki and Talinn the following year, and enjoyed them and found them child and stroller friendly, but I personally enjoyed the bustle and sights of Istanbul more.)