Anonymous wrote:At 20mos they won't remember the trip and you have to haul or rent baby gear, I would wait until 4 when they can really enjoy it.

.... OTOH, if you WANT to go now and realize that while your child won't remember the trip, you will! And your child remembering it or not is not important, GO!

I put my life on hold after I got married because of fertility treatment, so after my child was born I was ready to enjoy it again. We went to Paris when he was 22m and it was WONDERFUL! Then we went to SF when he was 2y and it was great as well.

Also went spent a month in Europe - 2 weeks in Italy and 2 weeks in Spain when he was 2.5 and we had a great time! We went to London when he was 3 and also had a great time, and spent a month in France when he was 3.5 and also was wonderful!

We have been to Disney too a couple of times since he was 18 m and it was magical!

He doesn't remember those trips but we (husband and I) do! And we have some sweet memories!!!

20 months is too old. We did it with a 4 year old and an infant in a stroller. That worked. Early toddler is too risky

Went to spain for 18 days when youngest was 18 months old.

Yes to the small light stroller. We usually esplored the cities we were in in the morning, ate a simple lunch and the ducked into a museum while toddler napped. He was very good at napping in his stroller. We let him run around plazas and such and found little parks for him.
I also brought a pretyy big jar of peanut butter in case he got fussy about food and needed something familiar; smartest thing I did. I always pack tylenol and a thermometer.

It was a great trip. He slowed down our pace a bit and I think it was wonderful. Have a great time!!

We traveled to Italy when our daughter was 16 months old, and then again when she was 27 months old and had a 5 month old brother. We were in Rome almost the whole time, in an apartment the first time and a house the second time (my parents had embassy housing). I echo the comments above about Italy being very child-friendly. I would bring a lightweight stroller - if it doesn't hold up, you can always buys another umbrella stroller there inexpensively, but lugging a bigger stroller around (and parking it at restaurants, etc.) might be a pain. (However, you may appreciate having your own stroller with all its "attachments" that you're used to.) Gelato will get you very far with a small child, and you can get small portions. The fountains that are everywhere are surprisingly popular with kids. In Rome, the water is very clean and you will see little water fountains and pumps around the city - fill up your water bottle or sippy cup and let your kid get his or her hands wet. Pasta is popular with most kids, but almost every restaurant has french fries or mashed potatoes (pure' di patate) as well, and there are always breadsticks and bread at the table. Balanced? No. Kid-friendly? Yes. Be prepared for a few cranky days at the beginning as the time difference sets in, and be flexible in your timing of visits to sites so you can accomodate a nap if needed. Have a wonderful time - I wish I could do it again. We have fantastic memories of these trips.

Also a baby carrier can be helpful.

the vista is way too big. you won't be able to fit it in some cabs and it will take up the width of some sidewalks. definitely get a good umbrella stroller - the g luxe or similar.

OP again. Thanks for the replies! We have the Vista (and LOVE it) but were debating getting the G-Luxe umbrella stroller for this trip but sounds like maybe we could get away with the Vista? I feel like some people would NEVER take anything but an umbrella because its lightweight and easy but others prefer their full size because of the wheels.

Noted on the gelato stains!!

Sightseeing sounds about what we were thinking. Not too much with lines or tickets, don't pack too much in and just go with the flow.

I concur with those recommending renting an apt & going with a rugged stroller. We went to Rome & basically walked the city with the bugaboo. At Vatican City, they actually let us skip the entire line for the Sistine Chapel because of the size of the stroller! There were plenty of little neighborhood playgrounds in addition to the big parks an monuments, so taking frequent play breaks was easy. Having the extra space and cooking facilities was also a life saver, as DS was really picky and hated pasta (still does ...). Our DS is 8 now, and we'll be replicating the trip next spring - just wish he could still fit into his old stroller!

To get back to your original question, we found Italy was good because we could do a lot of sites that weren't strictly museums (Vatican was probably the one exception and we did that one pretty lightly)-- esp. in Rome (Forum, Coliseum, Trevi Fountain) but also in other cities too.

We tried to avoid places that required waiting on lines, and we stopped frequently for gelato.

Good for you OP. DH and I didn't curb our travel at all after DD was born and she's been all over the world. She's 11 now and a great traveler and worldly kid.

Since you mentioned strollers - don't take a stroller with flimsy wheels (umbrella or otherwise) because the old cities with cobblestones will eat up those wheels quickly! We made that mistake in Zurich, where our stroller wheels broke the first day when DD was 2. There's a reason the European parents have these big strollers with the wheels of a Hummer!!

We've been to Italy several times with DD and Italians LOVE kids and will treat you well all over. You can always find cafes to eat early enough - and what kid of any age doesn't love Italian food! DD was 4 the first time we took her and every single piece of clothing that she brought was covered with chocolate gelato stains when we got home! Hint - it doesn't come out in the wash

Have a great time.