Family of 6, Normandy to Zell Am See - plane, train or automobile?

Have you thought about eliminating some of that "ton of luggage"? Many people travel for weeks in Europe with just a 22" suitcase.

As did I before children. Adding to the difficulty, we will be doing some semi serious hiking/outdoor activities in the latter part of the trip while the first half will be largely big-city sightseeing and social events. We basically need to bring everything from hiking boots, jeans and fleece jackets to flip-flops to dress-up clothes. Besides, with 4 kids all I remember from my last trip to Europe is doing laundry. This trip I would like to be able to do a little sight-seeing..

Hello 4kids

What a wonderful trip you have in store - 5 weeks!

One way car rentals are most expensive if you drop off in a country other than the country of origin. If you can work things so that you drop off in France near the German border, and then grab a train from there to Zell Am See, it will likely be much cheaper. (can't think at the moment quite what would be the best choice of dropoff city, but maybe someone else will have a brain wave.) Even so, there be a change of train at some point. Paris-Mannheim-Stuttgart-Salzburg-Schwartzach-Zell am See is the route showing on www.bahn.de - and given that it's a journey of 11 hours or so (more like 14+ if you leave from Bayeux), you'll want to break it up at some point anyway.

That said, I note that you have 12 enormous duffel bags - this could pose a problem for car rental. It will be hard enough to find a car to handle 6 people, let alone 6 people with that much luggage.

So, perhaps your best shot at this date is to take the train from Paris to Bayeux and drop your bags at your hotel. You can then go for a van tour of the beaches (e.g. Battlebus - well recommended albeit not cheap) or try renting a car locally to drive around the area to see the beaches. Warning: this is a large area and you can easily spend 2 or even 3 days looking around the many museums, etc. Then return to Paris, and start your way to Zell am See, breaking up the trip at various points as you see fit.

Thank you so much Sue_xx_yy! I didn't know it made a difference to return the car within the country you rented it so I am going to look into Strasbourg as the car return city since there seems to be a train that goes straight to Munich from there and you're right about maybe breaking that trip up a little - maybe we'll spend the night in Munich or something.

ACK! I just reread your post and see you have only a week between arrival and your expected arrival in Zell am See.

I think, quite frankly, it will be pushing it to see the beaches in that case. You will easily spend 4-5 nights in Paris, and then perhaps spend a couple more nights 'on the road' to Zell am See. There are very brief, very intense day trips to the beaches area offered by various companies from Paris - I don't usually recommend these, but maybe this time it is the only way to go. What do you think?

You can also go on an escorted bus tour that leaves super early in the morning and returns late at night. Then you don't have to worry about baggage at all. It's just a long day trip. True you won't see "everything" but it might suit your purposes.

Is it heresy to suggest your husband takes the trip to Normandy and rejoins you all in Paris? Depends on how interested your children are in seeing it.

helen_belsize - exactly what I was thinking.

You don;t say how old your kids are - but perhaps you and your husband can go to see Normandy by train by yourselves and just let the kids hang out in Paris. I don;t thin getting all 6 of you and all that luggage on/off/on trains is realistic. And for 6 people plus all that luggage you will need some sort of people mover for 10 or 12 people.

Helen, Sally, Sue & NYTraveler: You are all right. My husband & son will be heading to Normandy to do Battlebus tours shortly after we arrive in Paris, leaving the 3 girls & I to girl-tailor our Paris sight-seeing for a couple of days (any suggestions? Girls are aged 6-15..) In the meantime I will keep looking for a reasonable way to make it to Austria by the 31rst.