We had no idea what to expect when we began traveling with kids in Europe a few years ago. We had taken small day trips in the U.S. in the past, but that doesn’t really prepare you for planes and trains, multi-night hotel stays, and exploring a new country. Through trial and error, we’ve accumulated some tricks from our European travels. These are things that have worked for us. Of course every family and ever child is different, but hopefully these tips for traveling with kids in Europe can help your next trip run a little more smoothly.
Accommodation Tips
First, let’s start with where to stay, which is the biggest decision after booking your flight. We generally lean toward Airbnbs when we travel in Europe if we’re spending more than two nights in any one destination. (If you don’t like Airbnb for whatever reason, there are of course other apartment sharing sites. You can also search for aparthotels in your destination; similar to extended stay hotels in the U.S., you book at an apartment complex where apartments are rented like hotel rooms.)
There are a few reasons this has worked best for us:
- Kitchens. Airbnbs can decrease the cost of trips because they allow you to make some meals in your apartment versus eating out for every meal. Most Airbnbs feature fully equipped kitchens. We find this most convenient for eating stress-free breakfasts in the morning and packing picnic lunches. Or, if we want to eat breakfast at a restaurant, we can at least feed the kids something at our Airbnb first, knowing they won’t make it until a restaurant opens at 8:00 am or 9:00 am.
- Availability. Finding hotels in Europe for four or more people is HARD. Most hotels want you to book two rooms if you have more than three people, which doesn’t make sense for a family, or rent large suites at crazy prices. That said, we have had good luck booking reasonably priced family rooms at Novotel, and have stayed with them in multiple cities, including Porto, Rotterdam, Paris and Mechelen.
- Space. In a hotel, you’re all crammed in one room (unless you pay for a large suite). But with an apartment, you can have separate bedrooms, outdoor space or a balcony. We find that our kids sleep better when they are in a bedroom separate from the living area. And the additional space provides more options for parents to leisurely enjoy the evening once kids are asleep.
The one downside of staying at an Airbnb versus a hotel is that there may not be somewhere to store your bags before check-in or after check-out. To avoid being stuck carrying your bags around all morning or evening, always check with the Airbnb owner in advance ; sometimes they are able to accommodate bag storage, but it’s not a sure thing like with a hotel.
10 General Tips
This list of tips is a mix of ways to travel, things to pack and just overall managing expectations. You can never know how a trip is going to play out; for the most part, kids are unpredictable. But you can prepare in advance as much possible, and be prepared to go with the flow when needed.
- Travel via train. If you’re planning to visit multiple destinations in Europe, consider using train as your mode of transportation. It’s more convenient than a rental car and cheaper than a flight. In fact, most rail providers allow free travel for young kids, or discounted prices at a minimum. The rail system in Europe is widespread and can easily get you to most places. Just remember to show up on time – the trains are very punctual and depart the station at their scheduled time.
- Locate “treats” in advance. We do a lot of things while traveling that are tailored to adults – historical buildings, monuments, museums, etc. So we like to sprinkle in little things for the kids, like playgrounds and ice cream shops, throughout our schedule. That way there is something special for them to look forward to.
- But don’t book attractions in advance (unless you have to). This is a personal preference, but when traveling with kids, we have a hard time keeping a strict schedule. It can be slow getting going in the morning or one of the kids might have a meltdown at some point during the day or we might unexpectedly pass a playground that requires an impromptu stop. Of course there are some attractions that require you to book in advance, but if not, we find it easiest to keep our days flexible.
- Be prepared to eat pizza. One of the great things about traveling in Europe is that each country (and even many cities) has its own cuisine and specialties. You get to have lasagna in Italy, paella in Spain, schnitzel in Vienna. But we’ve also accepted the reality that our kids aren’t always the most adventurous eaters. So while we try to enjoy the local cuisine as much as possible, we are also fully resigned to the idea of eating pizza for at least one meal. It’s all about accepting reality and giving our kids a meal that is for them.
- Consider a child carrier. You may or may not need this, depending on the age of your child. We used a carrier a lot when our kids were between the ages of 3-5 years. This was also when we first started traveling, and they weren’t used to walking miles and miles each day (be realistic about how much your kid will walk each day!). I never wanted to deal with the bulkiness and hassle of strollers, and there are a lot of carriers that are easily packable and great in a pinch. We used a piggyback standing carrier that worked quite well.
- Pack small activities. Whether we’re at a restaurant, on a train or in our Airbnb, if our kids are sitting still, they behave best when they have something to do. We always pack small coloring books or notebooks along with travel packs of colored pencils or crayons. A small stash of magnetic building blocks also works well, and we’ve had massive success with Uno. Basically anything that is small, easily packable, and of little value if it gets lost! This is also helpful when we are visiting a sight and the kids are over it or uninterested and need something else to do.
- Always have snacks. When you are out exploring a new place, the last thing you want to deal with is angry, hungry kids. To avoid this situation, we always carry snacks with us when we travel. We’ll usually bring some granola bars or crackers that we know the kids like, and then buy fresh fruits and veggies at our destination. This also sometimes serves as our lunch; we like to eat a big breakfast (because what kid can’t find something they like on a breakfast menu?!) and then wait until dinner to sit back down again.
- And water bottles. Water throughout much (if not all) of Europe is completely safe to drink. We always carry a few water bottles to fill in our Airbnb and at any public water dispensaries we find in cities. Dehydrated kids = grumpy kids.
- Bring bags for the kids. Don’t want to carry the activities, snacks and water bottles mentioned above when walking around? We like to bring small backpacks for the kids to carry some of their own things. They like having responsibility and feeling like they are contributing. Plus they have convenient access to the things they want without requiring us to dig around in our own bags.
- Carry change. Many bathrooms in Europe charge a fee for use. Museums, cinemas, etc. It’s generally under 1 EUR, so it’s always helpful to have lose change in your wallet for this purpose. When kids have to go, you probably won’t want to spend time looking for a bathroom without a fee.
One final, bonus tip for traveling with kids (in Europe or anywhere): Know your kids’ limits. It’s easy to idealize travel and all the things you’ll be able to see and do. But don’t go in without an honest assessment of your child’s limitations. In this episode of “been there, done that,” we planned too much walking on our first trip to Milan and ended up with tired and cranky kids. Since then, we’ve factored them into itinerary decision making. This means we have skipped museums simply because we knew our kids wouldn’t have been able to remain calm and quiet. And that’s OK. We have accepted that traveling with kids just requires some adjustments that will ultimately make it a better experience overall for everyone.