Toddler friendly vacations:
where we would take a 1 to 3 year old.
Our 1-year-old spent a July week in the Swiss Alps mesmerized by the cogwheel trains. That trip taught us what to look for at this age: somewhere the transport is the attraction, the paths are flat, and one base covers the whole week.
What are the best toddler friendly vacations?
The Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland first, because we did it with a 1-year-old and would book it again. Boothbay Harbor in Maine is the no-flight version of the same idea: park once, walk everywhere.
| Top pick | Wengen, Lauterbrunnen Valley: car-free, paved paths, trains and cable cars. We went in July with a 1-year-old |
|---|---|
| No flight | Boothbay Harbor, Maine: walkable downtown. We went in October with a toddler and a baby |
| Best city | Paris, with a carrier rather than a stroller for the Metro |
| Best with a baby | Iceland’s south coast, which we did with an 8 to 9 month old |
| Close to home | Long Sands Beach in York, Maine, and Story Land in New Hampshire |
| Skip for now | A new hotel every two nights, and anything the adults have to take turns doing |
A toddler trip is won
between the sights.
At 1 to 3, nobody remembers the cathedral. What decides the trip is the stuff in between: how you get from A to B, where the nap happens, and how many times a day you pack up the car. So we rank on two questions.
A cog railway, a harbor full of boats or a carousel keeps a toddler happy for free. Long drives between sights do the opposite.
Unpacking the travel crib once is the single biggest favor you can do yourself. Most of the picks below work from one place to sleep.
Where we would take
a 1 to 3 year old.
We went in July with a 1-year-old and based ourselves in Wengen, the car-free village up the cogwheel train from Lauterbrunnen. She was mostly along for the ride, and it turned out to be just about perfect for that. The valley paths are paved, so the stroller came everywhere, and the trains, cable cars and trams were the entertainment. Our rhythm was one outing a day, with slow meadow days in between. Swiss rentals run high, so book early.
Full guideWe did it with a toddler and a baby and never touched the car once we arrived. We stayed at the Bayside Inn, right on the water, and walked to the footbridge, the town dock and dinner at Brady’s. Give one full day to the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens. We went in a chilly, windy October, so the whale watch waited for another trip.
Gardens, carousels, boats and bakeries make Paris better with a toddler than people expect. The catch is the Metro: real stairs, real crowds, and plenty of stations with no lift. We default to a carrier there, even up to around age four, and keep the stroller for flat days in the parks.
Honest note: our daughter Selima was 8 to 9 months old on this one, so it was a baby trip, not a toddler trip. This one did move around, from a rental in Reykjavík to Hotel Vík and Hotel Gullfoss, both perfectly placed. We skipped the Blue Lagoon because of the baby, and the adults took turns on the glacier hike near Vík. Save that hike for kids about 8 to 10 and up.
Our own favorite beach, and close to perfect for little kids: a bathroom right on the sand, several takeout spots and ice cream shops, and tide pools. The girls always end up playing on the rocks with Nubble Lighthouse across the water. In summer, arrive before about 10am or the parking gets hard.
A theme park sized for small kids, near North Conway. We took the girls when both were under 6, and we usually stay over in North Conway rather than drive up and back. Our North Conway guide has where we stayed and the kid-friendly breweries we go back to.
What we would skip at this age: the Air France lounge at Logan, which is calm and quiet and stressful with a child under about 5, and any trip that moves hotels every two nights.
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Where to stay: checked rentals for our two toddler picks
One rental in Wengen and two in downtown Boothbay Harbor, reused from our full guides. We haven’t stayed in these three, but each passes our filters. We book real bedrooms at this age so the adults aren’t in bed at 8pm. In Boothbay we stayed at the Bayside Inn, which you book direct.
- 2 bedrooms
- 2 baths
- Elevator
- Full kitchen
- Washer and dryer
- High chair
- 7 min to the station
A 7 minute walk from Wengen station, with an elevator, which matters with luggage in a car-free village. About $290 a night, which is cheap for Wengen.
- 2 bedrooms
- 1 bath
- Ramp entry
- Full kitchen
- Washer and dryer
- Travel crib
- Across from Whale Park
Across the street from Whale Park, so you walk to the footbridge, the dock and dinner. About $310 a night when we checked.
- 3 bedrooms
- 2 baths
- Full kitchen
- Washer and dryer
- A/C
- Walk to downtown
A short walk to downtown, with a bedroom each and a deck. It is a little over our budget, about $340 a night.
Ratings and amenities were checked on Vrbo in October 2026. Links open Vrbo for 2 adults and 2 kids with no dates set, so prices change once you add dates. See every stay on our approved list.
How to travel with a toddler,
the way we do it.
These are the habits that made our trips with a 1 to 3 year old work. The longer version, for every age, is how to travel with kids.
We always booked a seat for the babies. Drive the stroller to the gate, gate-check it, then carry the car seat onboard and buckle them in. On a long overnight flight it was the best thing we did. More in why we never flew a lap infant.
A red-eye leaves near bedtime and the kids sleep most of the way, but the whole family still needs a nap on arrival. We book the rental from the night before, or a day-use hotel, so we can check in on landing. Our red-eye guide has the details.
A carrier goes up Metro stairs, onto ferries and through crowds. We bring a lightweight stroller too, for paved places and the nap.
With a baby or toddler in the mix we check two medium suitcases for the whole family. The Guava Lotus travel crib comes too. Our packing list splits the gear for ages 0 to 2 and 3 and up.
What families ask us.
What are the best toddler friendly vacations?
Places where the getting around is the fun part and you can stay in one base. Our top pick is the Lauterbrunnen Valley in Switzerland, where we went in July with a 1-year-old and the cogwheel trains did the entertaining. Closer to home, Boothbay Harbor in Maine, which we did with a toddler and a baby without touching the car once we arrived.
How do you travel with a toddler?
Pick one home base and plan one outing a day. Buy the seat and bring the car seat onboard. Fly overnight, then plan the nap anyway by booking your room from the night before. Carry more than you push, and pack two medium checked suitcases for the whole family so the carry-ons stay light.
Does a toddler need their own seat on the plane?
Under 2, most airlines let a child fly on a parent's lap; from 2 on, every child needs a seat. We always bought the seat anyway, so we could bring the car seat onboard and buckle them in, which made the long overnight flights far easier.
Is Europe a good idea with a toddler?
Yes, if you choose the right kind of place. Car-free villages, paved paths and trains beat a road trip with a 1 to 3 year old. Our July week in Wengen with a 1-year-old is still our favorite summer trip. A city like Paris works too, with a carrier for the Metro stairs.
Stroller or carrier for a toddler on vacation?
Usually both, used for different days. We lean on a carrier, even up to about age 4, anywhere with stairs, crowds or a metro. A lightweight stroller earns its place on paved, flat ground like the Lauterbrunnen valley paths, and doubles as a nap spot.
The flight guide from Boston.
Which routes run year-round, which are summer only, how far ahead to buy for a school vacation week, and the order we book a trip in.
Plus our 12-page field guide, free: where we stay, what we pack, and the eSIM, VPN and insurance we set up before every trip.
Or have us plan it with you: a $99 consultation, or full booking from $499.