I asked myself this question over and over again before we finalized our trip to Italy. I realized that our trip would not be the same as our last time in Italy (our honeymoon), but it could still be fun for all of us if I just planned carefully. I knew I needed to plan some fun things for us and some child friendly things. The Internet became my friend in planning this amazing trip and I have never "googled" that much in my life! It was worth it though.
Here are my tips for planning a European trip with kids:
1. Check out apartments for accommodations. We found amazing places to stay that offered more than 1 bedroom and a kitchen. Having a kitchen for kids is great for milk, juice and some snacks. We didn't cook or anything, but we liked having things on hand for our son. Some apartments also offered a washer and dryer which is also helpful with a two year old eating lots of messy pasta! All of the places we rented offered a large Pack-N-Play or crib that worked fine for my son.
2. Find parks and playgrounds along the way and include time there for your little one. We took a few breaks in between sightseeing to visit a playground here and there. My son loved it! Sometimes you can also just get some sandwiches to go and take them with you to the park and make a picnic of it. Let them blow off some steam before you put them in the stroller for a sight seeing tour. My son slept his way through our Vatican tour and the Colosseum tour too! It gave us peace and quiet to enjoy the tour while he napped in his stroller. Also look for amusement parks near places you plan to visit and try to incorporate fun things for your kids into the itinerary. Google around to find information. I found some information only in postings on chat boards posted by other moms. I even found carousels in Rome and Florence that my son loved, just by googling!
3. Make transportation fun! My son loved taking the boats around Venice, the train to Rome and boats all along the Amalfi Coast. He especially loved the double decker sightseeing bus tour in Florence. He liked riding on top of the big red bus and it served as a great way to get around the city with a tired toddler. We just rode the bus around at the end of the day for an hour and he loved it after using it all day to get around.
4. Ask about child friendly activities. We were not sure if bringing our son to a cooking class or winery tour would be acceptable, but when we asked we were told "yes"! In fact most people responded with "your son will be our guest". They did not charge him to attend the cooking class, winery tour or the lunch at a winery we attended. Kids are very welcome in Italy so it doesn't hurt to ask.
5. Take advantage of easy, kid friendly foods. My son was always hungry for lunch before we were so we would just stop and get him a slice of pizza and let him eat in the stroller while we walked the town. Once he had lunch, he fell asleep in the stroller and then we went to a nice lunch while he slept in the stroller beside us. We were able to get him food he liked (pizza and pannini's) and it allowed us to have a nice, long, quiet lunch and rest our tired feet over a glass of wine. This worked great for us! I am thinking about the long lunch we had in Capri...simply tasty!
6. Have a plan! I strongly suggest planning out a daily itinerary of your activities and leaving a little time to be flexible (in case your little one just won't cooperate). Get advanced tickets for tours, train rides, etc....it minimizes time spent in line waiting to get into an attraction with a tired little one. Make sure there is something fun for your little one planned each day along with some down time (oh, and time for a daily gelato!). Fun can be simple (my son loved just splashing the water in Trevi Fountain), it doesn't have to be anything special. We even brought a ball and tossed it around the park and he was happy.
7. The Internet is your friend. Google everything and you will find information. I spent a lot of time on the Internet planning our trip and I really found some great websites and chat boards that were helpful.
I hope this helps someone in planning a perfect family trip!
