Last updated: May 2026.

Can you go on holiday with a newborn baby?

We’ve taken R on more trips than I can count in his first year: a Norfolk cottage at three months old, Mallorca at six months, a New England road trip at eight months, the Florida Keys at eleven months, and plenty of others in between. Each one taught us something new about what actually works when you’re travelling with a baby, and what really doesn’t.

The honest answer is that the type of holiday matters far more than the destination. A villa in the wrong location with a poorly positioned cot will be harder work than a well-chosen UK cottage two hours from home. So before you start searching flights, it’s worth thinking about format first, and then finding somewhere that fits.

This guide covers everything we’ve learned travelling in the first year with our son, broken down by holiday type, with the destinations that worked best for us at each stage.

Top picks at a glance

• Best for your first family holiday: a UK self-catering cottage, as its low risk, no flight stress, and you can overpack without guilt. Norfolk, Devon and the Cotswolds all worked brilliantly for us but we have a list of some of the UK’s best beach breaks and pram-friendly city breaks if you need some inspo.
• Best short-haul beach: Mallorca but in May or September to avoid the heat. The island has plenty of shallow, calm beaches, it’s a short flight, and easy to drive around. Jersey, Île de Ré or Deauville are all a close second for a slower, more French experience.
• Best short-haul city break: Bergen or Seville, as both are walkable, pram-friendly, and worth it for adults while babies nap on the move.
• Best long-haul adventure: Definitely a Boston and Cape Cod road trip if you’re up for the jet lag (see our tips to avoid it here!). While a short 6-hour flight, you can get a lot of accommodation for your money in America and this itinerary offers just enough of a dose of adventure without being too ambitious with a baby or toddler. The beaches on the Cape are gorgeous and it all feels very easy.
• Best all-inclusive: I understand that a break from cooking and cleaning can be a key requirement of your holiday, and this is where all inclusive comes into its own. Our Ritz Carlton Abama stay taught us a lot about what works and what doesn’t in a resort with a baby. The Canary Islands have the most reliable year-round weather in Europe, so it’s a pretty solid choice.

We shared our feedback on the main booking platforms in and specifically called out the level of family-friendly filtering available. If it’s a last minute deal you want, Simpson Travel offers a brilliant discount on last minute rentals and have a range of family-friendly villas with flights and car hire included if you prefer.

Why choosing the right holiday matters when travelling with a baby, from newborn to toddler

When travelling with young children, planning your holiday carefully is key to it being relatively stress-free. Once you’re through the newborn stage, babies under 1 tend to thrive on routine, so consider factors like travel time, accommodation comforts, and weather. The right holiday will balance your baby’s needs with your desire to enjoy your trip, making family travel enjoyable.

Best holidays to take with a baby

UK staycations with a baby

After several breaks in Norfolk, the Cotswolds, London and North Devon I can comfortably say that UK family holidays are a brilliant way to ease into travelling with a baby.

The travel itself is straightforward, and you have access to plenty of accommodation options that often come equipped with baby gear – or you can bring your own, as I do with a roof rack full of essentials. Slow mornings, casual lunches out, and easy sightseeing allow you to test how your baby adapts to new routines. And there’s plenty of gorgeous coastal areas or cultural cities to explore and enjoy that well-deserved break.

Keep in mind, the UK weather can be unpredictable, which may mean more indoor time – but I found that can be a welcome chance to stick to nap routines.

I’ve also taken the hard work out of planning for you and summarised 12 of the most pram-friendly UK cities to visit in 2026.

European beach holidays with babies

European beach holidays, like my recent villa stay in Mallorca or my stay with friends on the French island of Île de Ré, are perfect for families seeking a mix of relaxation and seaside fun. Having a private pool lets your baby nap peacefully while you enjoy downtime poolside, and wake windows can be filled with gentle walks along promenades and splashing in the sea.

However, choosing destinations around the heat is crucial in my opinion. Mallorca’s summer heat (with European heatwaves soaring above 32°C increasingly common) made our little one grumpy unless cooled by water or shaded in the pram (these cool down essentials saved many a nap!). Villas with fenced pools are a good idea for families with toddlers to keep everyone safe, but can be harder to find without dedicated search filters. I rated the top booking platforms for family search functionality here.

This type of holiday is ideal for families travelling with multiple children or friends, offering plenty of space and activities. You may prefer to not have to cook and clean, but I think this is worth it for the space you get in a holiday home. We stayed just outside of Port de Pollença and you can read my holiday itinerary.

If you fancy this but want to try a shorter flight, somewhere like Jersey could be a great option. We loved it and think it would be a great place for a spring trip.

If you’re considering this kind of trip, check out my article on what to consider when flying abroad with kids.

All-inclusive resorts for baby-friendly relaxation

All-inclusive resorts offer the ultimate convenience for family travel with babies. No cooking means more time to relax and enjoy the facilities designed for families, but you’ll likely compromise on space.

We recently got back from a fab trip to The Ritz Carlton in Tenerife, with R now eating 3 meals a day and on a stable routine, which made it easier to enjoy the amenities. We don’t tend to stay in all inclusive resorts, but Tenerife has lots mountainous day trips to enjoy so we could be as lazy or active as we wanted – and there’s nowhere in Europe with the weather quite like the Canary Islands this late in the year.

But we learnt a lot too about what works and what doesn’t on an all inclusive, with some key lessons:

• Sleep space: while we were lucky to get upgraded to a one bedroom suite on our second day, the first night was disrupted as we struggled to know whether putting R in the bathroom or next to us was the best bet. We tried the bathroom and he didn’t seem to like it, waking up more than usual. Once in the suite he slept in the living room and was much happier.
• Play space: our room, like most European hotel rooms, had a very hard tiled floor, and despite our best attempts at baby proofing, poor R ended up with two bruises on his forehead from faceplanting the floor at various points during our stay.
• Kids food: The Ritz had a great ‘kids under 4 eat free’ offer and each restaurant had a varied menu. Having said this, it’s impossible to know how much sugar and salt are added to the meals. R got pretty constipated mid-holiday, so we suspect there was a bit too much salt in the food despite the staff assuring us it was healthy for little ones.
• Dinner time: it wasn’t until our 5th night that we tried putting R to bed in his pram and going for a later dinner, which made a huge difference to our ability to enjoy dinner!
• Nap times: because we picked a room with a terrace, one parent happily chilled on the lounger outside while the other went to the pool. Upgrading to a room with a swim-up pool would give even more flexibility.

City breaks with a baby

I feel city breaks are often underrated when travelling with babies, often assumed to be more chaotic. R’s first trip abroad was at 5 months old to Bergen in Norway, and it went surprisingly smoothly. Once your baby is sitting it’ll likely love watching the world go by in their pram and happily nap well while you explore museums, parks, and cafés. If you’re picking a city for your holidays with a baby, choose walkable cities to avoid lugging your pram up stairs on public transport (some of my favourites include Bergen, Boston, Seville, and Copenhagen).

Choosing a city-centre holiday rental with a living area means you have comfortable downtime between adventures and can put your baby to bed without totally giving up adult evenings. Avoid cramped hotel rooms when travelling with baby gear, as we found for a one night stay in Palma, where a small hotel room felt crowded once our suitcases, pram and travel cot were in there.

Road trips with a baby

Road trips offer a flexible way to travel with a baby, allowing you to plan your pace and stops according to your little one’s needs. We did a big US/Canada road trip in August with stops in Boston, Vermont, Montreal, and Cape Cod, plus another long-haul in December to the Florida Keys. I’ve also done some brilliant closer-to-home road trips, like our recent trip from Nantes, or our easy-to-copy Irish road trip.

Having done similar itineraries before and researching how to make it work with R, I believe that a carefully planned itinerary is key to a fun trip for all. This means frequent breaks to let your baby stretch and play, well-timed car naps, as well as shorter daily driving distances to prevent crankiness. Booking spacious self-catering properties for overnight stays helps everyone relax and recharge for the next day of adventure.

Of course the jet lag for some of these destinations may cause issues, but I’ve saved all the tips to try and minimise the impact and written them up for you here.

Top tips: pack properly and choose wisely

Choosing your type of trip is a huge part, but looking at the amenities on offer in your preferred accommodation also plays a role in how successful the trip is. From high chairs to washing machines, we’ve learnt that having those necessary home comforts make all the difference. Take a look at our packing list, and our guide on the factors to consider when choosing accommodation with kids. For children old enough to wheel their own bag, see our guide to the best kids suitcases and toddler luggage, including the Stokke JetKids BedBox (a ride-on case that converts to an in-flight bed) and the Carry On Kiddie (a parent carry-on with a built-in toddler seat). I’ve also had some great experience hiring baby gear, which you can read about.

Travelling with a baby hits a bit differently from pre-parenthood adventures, but choosing the right type of holiday for you and your family can make all the difference.

From the trips I’ve taken so far, I feel the best type of holiday for us is one that has plenty to do in the day with spacious accommodation to enjoy when we fancy a lazy morning or evening in, and driving around has worked well with R too. I won’t be booking any more hot summer weather holidays with a baby anytime soon – as much as I enjoyed our week in Mallorca with our extended family.

Keep travelling!

Allie, Jack and R x

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Holidays with a newborn: frequently asked questions