Europe with kids

[Fat Bastard 625]

Going to Paris in May for a 3 day conference. Would like to make a 10 day trip to Europe in total and taking kids for first time. They’ll be 6 and almost 4 by then.  Wife and I did Barcelona/Rome/Florence/Aix en Provence last year so I’m not to keen on going back to Italy and it’ll be too cold to get in the water in the Riviera  

 

To those that have gone to Europe with younger kids, what are some good locales to visit that are gonna be fun for them too? We’re not “hikers” so while naturally beautiful scenic places are nice, we’re more city people. Doesn’t have to all be in france. Not averse to going back to barcelona as I love that city and the Boqueria. 

Amsterdam?

Salzburg?

Copenhagen? (Never been)

Never been to Switzerland

 

TIA

Edited September 5, 2018 by Fat Bastard

[texasdago 7,646]

The Dutch are great with kids and so you'll have no problem there.  Amsterdam is walkable and public transportation is great.  That said, I would avoid staying in the main ring of canals and maybe rent an AirBnB just outside the main center.  We stayed in one last year about a block from the Amstel and a block from a metro stop and it was fantastic.  Kids loved it.  Easy to hop in a car and visit nearby towns, too.  AMS is super easy.

Copenhagen is great - another family-friendly city that is very walkable and with an excellent metro system.  Its also to catch the train north to visit Helsingor (think Hamlet).

I personally like Zurich even though there may not be as much to do there.  Vienna is a great city... probably more for kids than Salzburg.    My advice... do not hop city to city to city.  Pick a city and get to know the city and side trips.  Hub and spoke is ALWAYS the way to go.  Enjoy it, slow down as your kids will be just as happy playing in a nearby playground while you drink some wine than running all over the place.  Voice of experience here.  We take our kids on international trips 2-3 times a year.  Hub and spoke is key.

[Cheeseweasel 26,438]

Get matching hats.

 

[52-80 19,287]

disneyland paris

legoland in denmark, bavaria, and windsor near london

you dont have to hike but in the alps / hiking regions there are plenty of "sport hotels" and resort hotels with spas, archery, tennis, pools, thermal baths, and on-site family oriented activities.  the mountains also do alpine coasters , jungle gym , ziplines and all that sort of stuff

[texasdago 7,646]

Agreed with sport hotels but May weather can be touch/go in the Alps.  If you're going to do something like that Chamonix offers an assload of things to do and you can hop into Italy (or Switzerland) easily if you want. Just make Cham your base.

[closetojumping 63,656]

I've got 4 little kids and another adult kid that I've taken to places in Europe as children. 

Amsterdam is a good place to stay with little ones. There's plenty to do and you can walk all over. Beware the bike traffic. It's unbelievable and a legitimate threat to toddlers. 

Done Paris, Dublin and London with kids and they were all great, except for the fact that Parisians generally hate children, especially in restaurants. 

The favorite trip we've done with the babies so far is Munich/Salzburg. Munich is a great town with little kids. The biergartens are terrific with kids. There's plenty to see and do. The big park in Munich is excellent and riding bikes with the kids in tow is a thing there. Salzburg is probably my favorite town on the planet. It's not overly busy, it's beautiful, and the people are welcoming. I'd go back to Munich/Salzburg for a week in a heartbeat. 

[shnsajax 3,592]

If you go to Holland take the kids here. https://www.apenheul.com/

Wife and I went before kids and it was awesome. Its like a 30-45 minute train ride from Amsterdam and expect to spend the entire day. Also will be tulip season as well. 

https://tulipsinholland.com/2018/05/opening-keukenhof-2019/

[Digdogger 1,344]

My kids loved Port-au-Prince

[HenryJames 66,368]

Can we refer to FB's kids as Lil' Bastards?

[Txzen 498]

Paris is full of playgrounds - practically in every neighborhood. The French, and Parisians in particular, are very family friendly. 

There is a playground to end all playgrounds in Luxembourg Gardens, with areas of play for all ages. Highly recommended.