Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We visited both with our kiddo when she was a toddler. Sofia is nice, and within a few hours you could also visit parts of Serbia or north Macedonia. We did that and enjoyed it, but overall, they weren’t the most fun locations for a toddler.

During a different trip, we went to Estonia and loved Tallinn. Age 5, your child may really like the history, and there are great castles to explore, cool cobblestone streets, and also some pretty nice shopping and interesting restaurants. They’re also very close to the sea, which is an added bonus. During that trip we did three days in Estonia and traveled on to do a few days in Latvia and Lithuania. You could easily add on one of those if you’d like to see more than one location. Also, you can take a high-speed ferry across to hell think he, which might be fun.

Or, as another suggested, you could do a longer trip and include St. Petersburg. That may be more difficult to coordinate given the visa situation, unless you take an overnight ferry cruise, where Americans can avoid requiring a visa, if you visit STP for under 48 hours. It’s not super luxurious, but I did this (but before kids) and it was quite doable. Can give more detail if you’d like.

Thank you! We have also been considering adding Latvia and/or Lithuania or just exploring more of Estonia (outside of Tallinn). What are your opinions on Latvia and Lithuania. Better to save for their own trip or add on to Estonia? I worry we'll be too rushed and if we stay in Estonia we can enjoy more that the country has to offer. Many thanks!

What you seem to not be comprehending is that Estonia has very little to offer. It’s a weekend trip at most. That’s how we do it here in Europe. Taking an overseas flight just to visit Estonia would be absurd, especially with a small child in tow.

PP here who wrote about traveling to these countries with a toddler. Ignore this immediate response. The Baltic states are a very child friendly and almost all the tourists we saw also had small children in tow. I find that people who say parents are “absurd” to travel with a small child either don’t have children or read these message boards with envy and lash out because they’re unable to travel. Enjoy your trip!

+1. OP's kid is 5! A 5 year old is easy to entertain on plane/train/bus/car. A 5 year old can pull their own rolling suitcase, hike/walk for longer distances with problems etc. Do not need special food. It is nothing like traveling with a baby, toddler or pre-schooler.

Anonymous wrote:Bulgaria doesn’t believe in Covid and has abysmal vaccination rates. Just something to think about, depending on the situation.

I just read this Post article. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/09/25/covid-vaccine-skepticism-bulgaria/ I wouldn’t go there.

Anonymous wrote:If you want to go to Bulgaria for the beaches because you think it is the next Croatia, I would instead go to Montenegro. I think it will be a major tourist destination for “off the beaten path” travelers in the next decade. (Assuming you have not already been as it checks all your boxes.)

+100

Montenegro is a hidden gem!

If you want to go to Bulgaria for the beaches because you think it is the next Croatia, I would instead go to Montenegro. I think it will be a major tourist destination for “off the beaten path” travelers in the next decade. (Assuming you have not already been as it checks all your boxes.)

If you go to Vilnius, you can spend a pleasant day in nearby Trakai, visiting the castle https://www.govilnius.lt/visit-vilnius/places/trakai-castle

Bulgaria doesn’t believe in Covid and has abysmal vaccination rates. Just something to think about, depending on the situation.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We visited both with our kiddo when she was a toddler. Sofia is nice, and within a few hours you could also visit parts of Serbia or north Macedonia. We did that and enjoyed it, but overall, they weren’t the most fun locations for a toddler.

During a different trip, we went to Estonia and loved Tallinn. Age 5, your child may really like the history, and there are great castles to explore, cool cobblestone streets, and also some pretty nice shopping and interesting restaurants. They’re also very close to the sea, which is an added bonus. During that trip we did three days in Estonia and traveled on to do a few days in Latvia and Lithuania. You could easily add on one of those if you’d like to see more than one location. Also, you can take a high-speed ferry across to hell think he, which might be fun.

Or, as another suggested, you could do a longer trip and include St. Petersburg. That may be more difficult to coordinate given the visa situation, unless you take an overnight ferry cruise, where Americans can avoid requiring a visa, if you visit STP for under 48 hours. It’s not super luxurious, but I did this (but before kids) and it was quite doable. Can give more detail if you’d like.

Thank you! We have also been considering adding Latvia and/or Lithuania or just exploring more of Estonia (outside of Tallinn). What are your opinions on Latvia and Lithuania. Better to save for their own trip or add on to Estonia? I worry we'll be too rushed and if we stay in Estonia we can enjoy more that the country has to offer. Many thanks!

What you seem to not be comprehending is that Estonia has very little to offer. It’s a weekend trip at most. That’s how we do it here in Europe. Taking an overseas flight just to visit Estonia would be absurd, especially with a small child in tow.

PP here who wrote about traveling to these countries with a toddler. Ignore this immediate response. The Baltic states are a very child friendly and almost all the tourists we saw also had small children in tow. I find that people who say parents are “absurd” to travel with a small child either don’t have children or read these message boards with envy and lash out because they’re unable to travel. Enjoy your trip!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We visited both with our kiddo when she was a toddler. Sofia is nice, and within a few hours you could also visit parts of Serbia or north Macedonia. We did that and enjoyed it, but overall, they weren’t the most fun locations for a toddler.

During a different trip, we went to Estonia and loved Tallinn. Age 5, your child may really like the history, and there are great castles to explore, cool cobblestone streets, and also some pretty nice shopping and interesting restaurants. They’re also very close to the sea, which is an added bonus. During that trip we did three days in Estonia and traveled on to do a few days in Latvia and Lithuania. You could easily add on one of those if you’d like to see more than one location. Also, you can take a high-speed ferry across to hell think he, which might be fun.

Or, as another suggested, you could do a longer trip and include St. Petersburg. That may be more difficult to coordinate given the visa situation, unless you take an overnight ferry cruise, where Americans can avoid requiring a visa, if you visit STP for under 48 hours. It’s not super luxurious, but I did this (but before kids) and it was quite doable. Can give more detail if you’d like.

Thank you! We have also been considering adding Latvia and/or Lithuania or just exploring more of Estonia (outside of Tallinn). What are your opinions on Latvia and Lithuania. Better to save for their own trip or add on to Estonia? I worry we'll be too rushed and if we stay in Estonia we can enjoy more that the country has to offer. Many thanks!

PP here. We liked Latvia (stayed in Riga) but found Lithuania (we stayed city center in Vilnius) to be the more enjoyable of the two. Vilnius is bigger, had tons of great restaurants and shopping, and a lot of green space and playgrounds. The historic sites were pretty easy to navigate with a stroller too. If I were you, I’d go to two locations: Tallinn and Vilnius or Tallinn and Helsinki. The former is a one hour flight between cities, but if you base yourself in Vilnius you can just take the high-speed ferry across to Finland and not have to deal with another airplane. Our style of travel is about three days max in a main city, usually with at least one side trip, so we typically would fit two countries in a one-week timeframe. I know others don’t like that, but the Baktic The former is a one hour flight between cities, but if you base yourself in Vilnius you can just take the high-speed ferry across to Finland and not have to deal with another airplane. Our style of travel is about three days max in a main city, usually with at least one side trip, so we typically would fit two countries in a one-week timeframe. I know others don’t like that One of the best benefits of visiting the Baltic states is having pretty easy transit times between countries!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are looking for something off the beaten path in Europe, I’d recommend Albania. Sorry to throw a whole new country into the mix. In the North you have beautiful mountains. Great for hiking. In the south you have amazing beaches and Roman ruins (Butrint). In the eastern part you have Lake Prespa and Ohrid. They love children and kids are welcome everywhere. There’s also a world UNESCO village/town. I forget the name. Highly recommend it. It’s also pretty cheap.

Yes, we have been, and it’s much better than Estonia. But don’t think this sheltered OP could handle it honestly.

OP here. Thanks to all for the thoughtful insight and suggestions. Gives us a lot to think about.

To the PP that thinks I’m sheltered. Thanks for the good laughs.

What’s so funny?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you are looking for something off the beaten path in Europe, I’d recommend Albania. Sorry to throw a whole new country into the mix. In the North you have beautiful mountains. Great for hiking. In the south you have amazing beaches and Roman ruins (Butrint). In the eastern part you have Lake Prespa and Ohrid. They love children and kids are welcome everywhere. There’s also a world UNESCO village/town. I forget the name. Highly recommend it. It’s also pretty cheap.

Yes, we have been, and it’s much better than Estonia. But don’t think this sheltered OP could handle it honestly.

OP here. Thanks to all for the thoughtful insight and suggestions. Gives us a lot to think about.

To the PP that thinks I’m sheltered. Thanks for the good laughs.

Bulgaria will definitely be warmer / sunnier. I recommend basing in Varna for a nice mix of beach + day trip options.