Hellobee Boards

That sounds fun! We traveled to Europe with our LO at 7-8 months. We did a week of sightseeing in London and then stayed with family for 2 weeks. Renting a vacation rental sounds like a solid plan.

I live in Europe (Austria) and have family in France and we've been fortunate enough to be able to travel pretty frequently to other countries. We've had good luck renting through Air BnB. Depending on where you decide, you could have really hot weather or decent weather in July. The last two summers have been unseasonably lukewarm in Austria and France (and most of Europe). Some places I would consider are Barcelona, Lisbon, Copenhagen and Stockholm, or Corsica. Vienna is also extremely child friendly with plenty to do in the summer . Another thing to keep in mind is that July and August are usually packed with tourists, so it's a good idea to start looking for accommodation early.

@MenagerieMama: We took our to LOs to Barcelona this past October. It was really wonderful! There are plenty of great neighborhoods to stay in and explore and tons to see and do and it's fairly kid friendly. The only downside is the late night eating culture. We would go to restaurants at 8 and they would be empty. The bright side was that we could always get a table and service and we weren't bothering anyone, but the downside was that they restaurants were empty except for people having pre-dinner drinks! I would be happy to give you recommendations if you end up going. (We are going back to the Barcelona region later this spring).

We used VRBO for a rental in Barcelona (pre-LO) and it was super easy and the apartment was wonderful. I loved Barcelona and it was very easy to get around and we saw lots of people out walking with their strollers.

@MenagerieMama: we used this site to book an apartment in Paris for our honeymoon in 2010. We stayed in the Louvre studio. Maybe not big enough with a LO but it was awesome!

http://www.parisflatrent.com

@MenagerieMama: whatever you do, don't take anything bigger than an umbrella stroller, especially for Paris.

In Barcelona, we stayed in the Eixample neighborhood and found it to be really pleasant, close to transport, tons of shops and restaurants. You must go to the Picasso museum. Strolling around the beach area is really nice, I bet it will be packed in summer (it was October when we went). I will dig up specific restaurants when I get a chance.

As for Paris, I used to live there and spent time as a nanny there. Most places in central Paris will be fine, some parts of the 17th and 18th districts are really nice for tourists as are the 11th and 12th districts. Since your LO will still be pretty young, I would just suggest doing what you want to do and then try to follow her lead as to naps and down time. On the whole, Paris is very safe, so not much to worry about there. Not many restaurants have high chairs, so be prepared for that. But take advantage of the markets and have lots of picnicks! I would be happy to give more details about Paris, just wall me if you think of anything.

Also, for logistics, in Spain I could only find ENORMOUS packs of diapers, like 70-80 count. In Paris you will be able to find normal 30-40ct packs.

@MenagerieMama: in Barcelona the trains are pretty big, but not all stations have elevators (but if you don't have a stroller, no problem). The bus system was pretty easy to figure out though, and that was a good way to get around. The Paris metro is extremely well connected, but there are practically no elevators and tons of stairs. The trains are fairly small (narrow) compared to other big cities. I love taking the bus in Paris because you can see everything, but it can be a little complicated to figure out the routes since there isn't always a bus map posted. I don't remmeber what it's like in Barcelona, but a weekly metro+bus pass in Paris is extremely affordable or you can buy a pack of 10 tickets or individual tickets.

Eta: the Paris metro had no a/c, so it can get really hot and unpleasant.