Monthlong European vacation with a toddler
December 4, 2022 5:16 PM Subscribe
We're thinking about spending a month in Europe with our toddler in the spring (he'll be 2.5). Looking for location suggestions for a small city to make our home base, probably in France or Italy.
We'll be coming from the US and it would be the month of May or so. We'd like to find a city to make our home base for the month, and do easy daytrips from there (toddler willing). We don't necessarily want to do much sightseeing because that's so hard with a toddler -- more interested in being in a beautiful place that we can walk around, take public transportation, visit parks/playgrounds, eat good food (probably a lot of takeout or cooking at 'home' since it can be hard at restaurants with our son), maybe visit children's museums or zoos or other kid-friendly places. We also enjoy hiking and bike riding. I'd prefer not to be somewhere that is clogged with tourists. It would be fun to be somewhere that allows easy-ish daytrips or weekend trips to another country, though that's not a requirement.
I'd prefer to be in France or Italy because I've already done some travel in those countries, so it doesn't bother me as much that we'd be constrained on what we can do because of the toddler. On an older post I see people recommend Tuscany but that seems to rely on people renting a car, which I'd really prefer not to do.
So far I'm looking at Annecy or Strasbourg France. Would love to hear any thoughts on these, but would also love to hear suggestions of other places that could be a good fit!
We'll be coming from the US and it would be the month of May or so. We'd like to find a city to make our home base for the month, and do easy daytrips from there (toddler willing). We don't necessarily want to do much sightseeing because that's so hard with a toddler -- more interested in being in a beautiful place that we can walk around, take public transportation, visit parks/playgrounds, eat good food (probably a lot of takeout or cooking at 'home' since it can be hard at restaurants with our son), maybe visit children's museums or zoos or other kid-friendly places. We also enjoy hiking and bike riding. I'd prefer not to be somewhere that is clogged with tourists. It would be fun to be somewhere that allows easy-ish daytrips or weekend trips to another country, though that's not a requirement.
I'd prefer to be in France or Italy because I've already done some travel in those countries, so it doesn't bother me as much that we'd be constrained on what we can do because of the toddler. On an older post I see people recommend Tuscany but that seems to rely on people renting a car, which I'd really prefer not to do.
So far I'm looking at Annecy or Strasbourg France. Would love to hear any thoughts on these, but would also love to hear suggestions of other places that could be a good fit!
Lyon is the gastronomic capital of France and excellent for train connections (or flights!) (1 hour to Avignon, 2hto Annecy, 1.5h to Grenoble)
Annecy is just gorgeous and I think you would be quite happy with the “hang out in a beautiful place aspect” but come up slightly short for the ease of travel to many other places (though if you’re willing to take train to Geneva or Lyon first that could work.) walking around the lake just kept lighting up my face :)
Strasbourg is pretty the way that lots of old European cities are. Colmar is a cute town not so far away worth a day trip at the very least (but best known for Christmas markets).
Note that with many public holidays and long weekends in May in France, train travel may be busier than usual.
Many a location in Switzerland would fit your requirements of beautiful locations and easy to go hiking (even without a car) but it is eye wateringly expensive.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:53 PM on December 4, 2022
Annecy is just gorgeous and I think you would be quite happy with the “hang out in a beautiful place aspect” but come up slightly short for the ease of travel to many other places (though if you’re willing to take train to Geneva or Lyon first that could work.) walking around the lake just kept lighting up my face :)
Strasbourg is pretty the way that lots of old European cities are. Colmar is a cute town not so far away worth a day trip at the very least (but best known for Christmas markets).
Note that with many public holidays and long weekends in May in France, train travel may be busier than usual.
Many a location in Switzerland would fit your requirements of beautiful locations and easy to go hiking (even without a car) but it is eye wateringly expensive.
posted by raccoon409 at 5:53 PM on December 4, 2022
I spent May 2016 in Grenoble. Highly recommend! I was working but had evenings and weekends free so spent a fair amount of time wandering, including day trips to Lyon, Annecy, and Vizille. There is plenty to do in Grenoble proper as well; the archeology museum is incredible (maybe too much for a toddler, but it's free!), as is the Bastille/cable cars, and there's a large park in the center of town that had a carousel and other kid-friendly activities.
(Wherever you end up, get yourself some Amorino gelato. I still dream of it. Amorino!)
posted by basalganglia at 6:29 PM on December 4, 2022
(Wherever you end up, get yourself some Amorino gelato. I still dream of it. Amorino!)
posted by basalganglia at 6:29 PM on December 4, 2022
We traveled to Strasbourg with a 3 year old (and an older sibling, but less relevant). We liked it so much, we're returning with the kids (albeit a bit older now). You can visit Le Vaisseau (kids science museum - there will be fun things for a toddler ther) and Jardin de l'Orangerie (I believe there's a zoo there). There were also some playgrounds perfect for that age around Rue des Moulins. We traveled to there by rail from Germany - so, easy to visit other places (Lyon is lovely, but with a toddler, I think I would go the Strasbourg).
posted by skunk pig at 6:37 PM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by skunk pig at 6:37 PM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
We had a lot of fun in Strasbourg with a baby too! Like skunk pig said, easy rail connections, and loved spending a day in the Jardin. Could have easily spent longer - we found it laid back and people were nice.
posted by beyond_pink at 7:56 PM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by beyond_pink at 7:56 PM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Somewhere in either France or Germany close to Basel/Swiss border would probably go a long way to meet your needs. It's all very pretty. You have excellent train and European flight connections (Basel). You can venture into Switzerland with ease by train for day trips without having to pay to actually stay in Switzerland. You have the black forest in Germany and the Alsace in France - all full of small towns and pretty landscape.
You'll also find that a lot of places that are marketed as 'sports hotels' in the Alpes are very family friendly - during the summer season a lot of their business is family holidays. Specifically, people with children of varying ages looking for active, outdoor family vacations that allows them to entertain their children with ease and are still easy to get to and accessible. You're in very pretty landscapes, they have in and outdoor playgrounds, swimming pools, family friendly restaurants etc. Probably focus on Austria or France for that to avoid the Swiss price point.
Somebody mentioned public holidays in May - it's not just France - anywhere predominantly Catholic is going to have a boatload of public holidays in May. Pull up a calendar for your destination and check that when you do your more detailed planning. You may also find yourself bang in the middle of half-term/Whitsun school holidays in the 2nd half of May in a lot of places. That will make it more busy and expensive.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:50 AM on December 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
You'll also find that a lot of places that are marketed as 'sports hotels' in the Alpes are very family friendly - during the summer season a lot of their business is family holidays. Specifically, people with children of varying ages looking for active, outdoor family vacations that allows them to entertain their children with ease and are still easy to get to and accessible. You're in very pretty landscapes, they have in and outdoor playgrounds, swimming pools, family friendly restaurants etc. Probably focus on Austria or France for that to avoid the Swiss price point.
Somebody mentioned public holidays in May - it's not just France - anywhere predominantly Catholic is going to have a boatload of public holidays in May. Pull up a calendar for your destination and check that when you do your more detailed planning. You may also find yourself bang in the middle of half-term/Whitsun school holidays in the 2nd half of May in a lot of places. That will make it more busy and expensive.
posted by koahiatamadl at 12:50 AM on December 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
Just in case someone recommends Munich, I’m not sure I would want to do Munich in May because you can still get entire weeks where it is just complete rain and a lot of the stuff you want to do with a toddler is outdoors, but if that didn’t scare you then Munich is great because you can get your take out and enjoy it in beer gardens and do plenty of hiking and day trips easily. Salzburg and I think Vienna (maybe)…and we have LOTS of playgrounds.
posted by pairofshades at 5:05 AM on December 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by pairofshades at 5:05 AM on December 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
I lived 20 minutes drive from Annecy for nearly 15 years, selling people summer and winter holidays in the immediate vicinity, and my daughters now aged 5 and 7 were born and spent baby / toddlerhood there.
It's jaw-droppingly beautiful but I wouldn't recommend it for a long stay in May, as this is very often the rainiest month of the year... not just spring-showers rain but cold, heavy, constant rain that makes one think of Mary Shelley and Byron writing by Lake Geneva. And sadly, in such a great-outdoors focused area, wet-day options, especially with younger kids, are pretty thin on the ground.
I would recommend basing yourselves further south if you go France... Avignon could be a good bet, lots to do and see there and well placed for exploring Provence and the Camargue at probably the best time of year for fewer tourists but spells of reasonable weather.
During this pre-summer-season period public transport around and to some extent between towns can be (very) thin on the ground in a majority of places (France and Italy), outside of the big city-centered regions. If you're set on not having a car at all during the stay I'd put a lot of research into transport before settling on anywhere.
posted by protorp at 12:54 PM on December 5, 2022
It's jaw-droppingly beautiful but I wouldn't recommend it for a long stay in May, as this is very often the rainiest month of the year... not just spring-showers rain but cold, heavy, constant rain that makes one think of Mary Shelley and Byron writing by Lake Geneva. And sadly, in such a great-outdoors focused area, wet-day options, especially with younger kids, are pretty thin on the ground.
I would recommend basing yourselves further south if you go France... Avignon could be a good bet, lots to do and see there and well placed for exploring Provence and the Camargue at probably the best time of year for fewer tourists but spells of reasonable weather.
During this pre-summer-season period public transport around and to some extent between towns can be (very) thin on the ground in a majority of places (France and Italy), outside of the big city-centered regions. If you're set on not having a car at all during the stay I'd put a lot of research into transport before settling on anywhere.
posted by protorp at 12:54 PM on December 5, 2022
For a holiday with a toddler, I would strongly prefer Italy. I've spent a lot of time both places since I was a child and with my own children, and Italy is just much more child-friendly (not that France is bad). Also, May is normally just wonderful in Italy. One never knows, I've been in May where it rained all the time, but it is not normal.
For work, I've lived in Venice as a single parent with a 3-yo, and it was an amazing experience. I cannot emphasize enough how liberating it was to live in a completely car-free environment with a small child. It must be even better if you don't have to work. Venice is obviously very touristy, but the thing is, when you stay there for longer (more than a few days), you fall into the rhythm of the lived Venice of many students and you spend time in the areas that are less known. You find the good restaurants and figure out how to shop and cook. Public transportation is good, so you can easily visit the other cities of the Veneto, Trieste, the Italian Alps and even Ljubljana, a beautiful city. But just going by boat into the lagoon to visit the islands such as Torcello is great, for toddlers and adults.
In May, I imagine Sicily must be amazing, but I haven't been, so can't be more specific.
Another good place might be Ventimiglia, on the French/Italian border. Again, there is good public transportation, the atmosphere and food are great. You can easily get to a lot of interesting cities and good hiking areas in France and Italy. I have an irrational soft spot for Ventimiglia, but some years ago, a colleague rented a house there for his holidays and was totally charmed. It's sort of unknown, but in the middle of everything.
My family had a second home in the south of France for ages, and every time I went to Ventimiglia, I felt everything I love about life was amplified, in a good way: the smells, the tastes, the shapes and colors, the smiles, and the language.
Another place I have lived with and without toddlers and with and without cars is Rome. It is of course a huge city, but there is an intimate vibe in each neighborhood that makes it very livable, and it is easy to get out to the mountains or the coast. My now adult children love Rome, and so does my eldest grandson, it is so child friendly. The historical center has very limited access for cars, so kids can run freely in many places.
posted by mumimor at 7:19 PM on December 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
For work, I've lived in Venice as a single parent with a 3-yo, and it was an amazing experience. I cannot emphasize enough how liberating it was to live in a completely car-free environment with a small child. It must be even better if you don't have to work. Venice is obviously very touristy, but the thing is, when you stay there for longer (more than a few days), you fall into the rhythm of the lived Venice of many students and you spend time in the areas that are less known. You find the good restaurants and figure out how to shop and cook. Public transportation is good, so you can easily visit the other cities of the Veneto, Trieste, the Italian Alps and even Ljubljana, a beautiful city. But just going by boat into the lagoon to visit the islands such as Torcello is great, for toddlers and adults.
In May, I imagine Sicily must be amazing, but I haven't been, so can't be more specific.
Another good place might be Ventimiglia, on the French/Italian border. Again, there is good public transportation, the atmosphere and food are great. You can easily get to a lot of interesting cities and good hiking areas in France and Italy. I have an irrational soft spot for Ventimiglia, but some years ago, a colleague rented a house there for his holidays and was totally charmed. It's sort of unknown, but in the middle of everything.
My family had a second home in the south of France for ages, and every time I went to Ventimiglia, I felt everything I love about life was amplified, in a good way: the smells, the tastes, the shapes and colors, the smiles, and the language.
Another place I have lived with and without toddlers and with and without cars is Rome. It is of course a huge city, but there is an intimate vibe in each neighborhood that makes it very livable, and it is easy to get out to the mountains or the coast. My now adult children love Rome, and so does my eldest grandson, it is so child friendly. The historical center has very limited access for cars, so kids can run freely in many places.
posted by mumimor at 7:19 PM on December 12, 2022 [1 favorite]
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