Childproofing Your European Vacation
August 3rd, 2009 | by Kayt Sukel 14 comments
You’re visiting Europe.
You want to see the sites, eat good food, soak up the culture and experience all that is there to experience. After all, it’s why you traveled across the pond to begin with. And what don’t you want? To find out you owe the Louvre $10,000 because your kid somehow single-handedly wrecked the Mona Lisa’s security network after consuming 10 pain au chocolats and 4 Cokes at breakfast.
It seems to be a common fear.
I’ve had many parents tell me that they are afraid to take their kids to Europe. They worry that Europe’s museum culture is not family-friendly enough. But more to the point, they have concerns that their kids just may be too active to appreciate what Europe has to offer.
But I say pish-posh to all that! (See how European I’ve become? Or maybe it’s all those times I’ve seen Mary Poppins).
Kids adore Europe—even the museums. And my trick to getting good behavior out of my very active 4-year-old? Finding spots to let him run amok before museum or restaurant entry. I ease off the reins long enough for him to work up a sweat, and there’s never an issue about jumping in the stroller, wandering around an art museum or sitting down for a coffee or meal.
But you have to find the right spot. Security guards can get so tetchy when your child opts to turn a nice bench into a parachuting platform. Here are some of the best spots in Europe to let kids happily (and somewhat safely) run their ya-ya’s out.
1. Schoenbrunn Garden: Vienna, Austria
Not only does Schoenbrunn boast its own very cool zoo but the acres and acres of private gardens just invite the kiddos to get the lead out. You may feel a little weird about it until you see all the local runners doing the same thing. There are meandering paths into a maze of hedges, lots of gravel to shuffle around in and steps aplenty to jump from. Your kid won’t have the energy to protest checking out the exhibits inside the palace afterward.
2. Djurgarden: Stockholm, Sweden
Djurgarden is known as Stockholm’s Pleasure Island. And the great restaurants and attractions definitely lend credence to the name. But it’s also full of some great green space. Throw a frisbee or a ball into your knapsack to treat your kids after (or, okay, before) checking out some of the attractions. And yes, I know one of the main attractions is an amusement park. But if you love amusement parks as I do and have a short kid, you’ll appreciate them being exercised into a stupor so they don’t whine when you try to sneak in a second ride on the roller coaster.
3. The Louvre Courtyard: Paris, France
Let’s face it – you’re going to stand in line to go into the Louvre. Let me repeat that. You are going to stand in line to go into the Louvre. So good thing the inner courtyard is such a great spot for kids to run around. I recommend getting there half an hour before the museum opens to queue up. Then, without worry of crowds, you can let your kid run wild around the fountains and pyramids until they are past the point of protest. Fair warning: your child will find that one moment when you are looking away to somehow get his pants all wet. But I think it’s a small price to pay to the museum Gods for a couple of whine-free hours in the Louvre.
4. Palatine Hill: Rome, Italy
This lovely park-like setting is home to the Imperial palaces and influential residences of ancient Rome. And it is also an awesome place to let your kid roam free. There are broken pillars to jump off of, paths to run down and lots and lots of hills. Frankly, I thank Palatine Hill for many quiet dinners – by the end of the day, Chet was usually so knackered he fell asleep in the stroller and allowed me to sit back and enjoy a lovely Roman meal on a lovely Roman evening.
5. Mnajdra and Hagar Qim Temples: Malta
These incredible prehistoric temples on the island of Malta include some breathtaking scenery. They also have great paths both in and out of the giant stone structures for your kid to go nuts on. Chet enjoyed climbing on some of the wayward rocks, ducking into nooks and crannies and generally enjoying just being outside. I enjoyed watching him turn a thousand-year-old temple into his personal playground. And once again, exhaustion proved a boon for Mommy when I wanted to grab a nice seafood dinner after the excursion.
Did I leave out any great spots for your kids to run amok? We’re not done traveling in Europe and I’d love to hear about them!
Pain au chocolat photo courtesy of beautifulcataya.
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Jody on August 3rd, 2009
Great article. And there are so many places we found in Europe like that. Circus Maximus in Rome. That long, rectangular grassy park leading up to the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The little beach in Barcelona. (Notice that I don’t know what anything’s called.)
Also, after traveling for a while with our kids in Europe, we started really preferring the villages over the cities. It seemed that there were always plenty of places for the kids to play, and, well, we just like villages!
louvre on August 3rd, 2009
of course its a great article..kids always have the capacity to make any new place their own..i found the details valuable..thank you..
Jennifer on August 3rd, 2009
Pompeii was an excellent place as well for the kids to run around, find places to hide and find a new treasure around every corner so it held their interest. Another thing my kids really enjoyed was climbing to the top of Notre Dame cathedrale, I wouldnt recommend it for really young children (my youngest was 5 when we did this) because it is alot of steps. Once at the top they enjoyed being so far up, it is a wonderful view of some of the other famous sites of Paris, and they were able to get up close and personal with some of the gargoyles.
Laura on August 3rd, 2009
One other thing to note about Schoenbrunn Castle in Vienna – not only are the gardens great, they also have an absolutely excellent children’s museum in the castle, where kids can try on costumes, set a royal table, and learn all about what it was like to be a royal child in extremely active, hands-on fashion.
Jamie Pearson on August 3rd, 2009
We love pedestrianized city centers: Dubrovnik, Sienna, Carcasonne, Sarlat, and York all spring to mind. It’s so nice to be able to relax your tight hold on those little hands, if only for a moment…
Best of the Web – Roaming Tales: Travel links edition for 3 August | Roaming Tales on August 3rd, 2009
[...] shares her secrets for how to get her four-year-old son to behave in a museum and the best places in Europe to let him burn off energy. (Or you could try letting them build it in LEGO first, as Norie on Intelligent Travel [...]
Sharlene on August 3rd, 2009
I just drool at all the cool places in Europe you have been. I hope to get my children to Europe soon. Actually I hope to get myself to Europe and if the kids are gonna tag along then so be it.
Bridget Smith on August 3rd, 2009
Cute Sharlene!!! I second your sentiments. What a beautiful post…now you have my dreaming of taking three kids to Europe…better win the lottery. Oh yeah! Better buy a ticket.
Two Kids and a Map » One Lovely Blog Award on August 4th, 2009
[...] Travel Savvy Mom – The blog always has the coolest kid friendly ideas on it. Books about travel, listening to audiobooks, iphone apps – you name it and you can probably find it here! [...]
Amy @ The Q Family on August 4th, 2009
This is very good post. Definitely will help family travel easing into traveling with kids in the foreign lands. :) I can’t wait to take my kids to Europe.
Jennifer @ OrangePolkaDot.com on August 5th, 2009
Great list! I look forward to checking off some that we have not been to yet. I truly believe that children can appreciate museums/culture. Parents need to be realistic about expectations of child though. Depending the the age of the child, consider their “indoor” time limit and plan your museum visit accordingly. Maybe you don’t get to gaze and analyze every painting, but at least you can see the ones you are most curious to see.
Living in Barcelona, I found that many museums offer children’s backpacks – little activities related to the museum packed into a bag for the child to use during the visit. These are a lifesaver! Even though my kids are too young to really understand some of the activities, we always get one. They love having their own activities.
IsabellesTravel on September 14th, 2009
Great article! Even though I don’t have children of my own. I think it would be a pity not to visit the many beautiful places Europe has to offer. So, thank you for pointing out these kidfriendly spots!
Ali on September 23rd, 2009
I just had to add my favorite place to let little kids go crazy- the outside of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, Scotland. There are these short black pillars outside, perfect for playing leapfrog off of. I love it! A few others I like- St. Stephen’s Green in Dublin is excellent for both kids and parents, and on the way to lots of things. And there’s a big park at the base of the Greenwich’s meridian line, so you can let them run there. I think those three are my favorites!
Thanks for the tips. I find that taking your kids along lends a whole different, magicial perspective to all those museums and historic sights. And like someone else noted, a lot of museums have kid’s audio programs and activities, and they’re worthwhile even if your kids aren’t old enough to really understand them.
Paulineh on February 27th, 2010
What a good list and I find limiting my time in museums to help too as I tell them we will be there an hour for example then I can update them on the time and they seem to accept that. I also let them run around before getting in and another place I love is the Palace Gardens of Versailles.
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