5 Weeks in Europe with a Baby: Our Full Itinerary
Our complete five-week Europe itinerary with a four-month-old: London, Paris, the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro, a Croatia road trip, Slovenia's Julian Alps and Amsterdam. How we got between countries, what we packed, and what we'd do again.
When Andi was four months old, we packed up and spent five weeks in Europe: eight countries, two cities, a week on the Adriatic, a road trip up Croatia’s coast and a week in the Julian Alps. People thought we were a little crazy. Honestly, it was one of the best things we’ve ever done, and four months turned out to be a great age to do it.
Here’s the whole route, with links to the detailed guide for every stop.
- Dates
- May 20 – June 22, 2026
- Countries
- England, France, Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria, the Netherlands
- Who came
- Colin, me and Andi (4 to 5 months). Jack stayed home.
- Getting around
- Two flights, one Eurostar, and rental cars for the Balkans and Slovenia
The route
| Leg | Dates | Nights | How we got there |
|---|---|---|---|
| London | May 21–22 | 2 | Overnight flight from St. Louis |
| Paris and Versailles | May 23–25 | 3 | Eurostar from St. Pancras |
| Bay of Kotor, Montenegro | May 26 – Jun 1 | 6 | Flight from Paris Orly to Tivat |
| Croatia: Dubrovnik to Plitvice | Jun 1–9 | 8 | Rental car over the border |
| Slovenia and the Julian Alps | Jun 10–17 | 7 | Drove north from Plitvice |
| Amsterdam and Haarlem | Jun 17–22 | 5 | Flight from Ljubljana |
If you only have two weeks
Pick one region and go slow. If I had to choose, I’d do one week on the Bay of Kotor and one week in Slovenia. Those were our two favorite stretches, both are easy with a baby, and neither needs a single flight once you’re there. For beaches, swap Slovenia for the Croatia road trip.
How we traveled between countries
- Flights: St. Louis to London to start and Amsterdam home to finish, plus two short flights in the middle: Paris to Tivat, and Ljubljana to Amsterdam.
- The Eurostar from London to Paris: no airport, and straight into the city.
- Rental cars in Montenegro, Croatia and Slovenia. Driving with a baby gave us total control over naps and stops. Check your rental’s cross-border policy if you’re driving between countries, and buy the vignette for Slovenia’s highways.
What made five weeks with a baby work
- Slow down after every city. We followed London and Paris with a full week in one place in Kotor, and that rhythm of busy then slow kept everyone happy.
- Short driving days. We never drove more than a few hours, and always around a nap.
- Bring a stroller and a carrier. The stroller covered London, Paris and Haarlem. The carrier covered everything else: Kotor’s alleys, Dubrovnik’s stairs, Plitvice’s boardwalks and Slovenia’s gorges.
- Pick one or two pool stops. Split was our reset in the middle.
- End somewhere easy. Haarlem was the perfect soft landing.
What we packed for a baby in Europe
- A compact travel stroller that folds small for planes and trains
- A soft carrier, which we used every single day
- An infant life jacket for boat days
- A clip-on fan and a sun shade for June heat
- Swim diapers and a rash guard
- A sun hat, plus a warm hat for mountain mornings
- An eSIM so we always had maps and data across borders
- Travel insurance that covers the baby
Read each leg
- London and Paris with a 4-month-old
- The Bay of Kotor, Montenegro with a baby
- Croatia road trip with a baby
- Slovenia with a baby
- Amsterdam and Haarlem with a baby
Less than three weeks after we got home, we were back in the van for five weeks up the East Coast with Andi and Jack. Read the East Coast van road trip itinerary.
