huixin

We will take our 5 year old girl to Germany/Austria for the first time for 3 weeks in June/July. Will fly in/out Frankfurt. Would really appreciate if someone will provide some tips about this trip.

I am thinking to take the train from FRA to Berlin, 2 nights in Berlin. Then train to Prague, 2 nights in Prague. Then train to Vienna, 4 nights(?) in Vienna. Then train to Salzburg, 3 nights(?), then the remaining days in Munich/Bavaria area. I would like to visit the main attractions in those cities, but not in a rush or cover too many areas due to my little girl. I also consider to rent a car in Salzburg then return the car in FRA when we fly back home. Want to enjoy the scenic drive and the Romantic road from Munich to Frankfurt, but having a concern about the driving conditions(winding road, can't read german, driving speed, opposite side of driving, and etc)

Any suggestions about shortening or extending the stays of these cities, accommodations near the city center/main attractions? Anything that we should watch out when taking the train travelling between cities? Any other tips over all?

Thanks!

adrienne

If you arrive in Frankfurt in the morning and take the afternoon train to Berlin you'll have only 1 day in Berlin and then another long train ride to Prague and have a day and a half and then you'll start all over again getting to Vienna. It's a lot of travel in a short time, especially with a 5 year old. You'll not have much time to see the sights.

Drop either Berlin or Prague or add more time to see the cities.

Pack picnic lunches (including beverages) for the train rides. You'll find better food either in the train stations or in shops than on the trains.

I don't think you have to worry about reading German while driving as the traffic signs are universal. I've driven in countries where I didn't read/speak the language and it wasn't a problem. Just check the universal symbols (they're often on maps) before you go. If you're concerned about winding roads you must not be British. Driving speeds are posted so you can't go wrong.



I'm guessing you're British or from a Commonwealth country with the opposite side driving comment.

fourfortravel

I agree with Adrienne about dropping one of the cities. Berlin has kindercafes and a great zoo, and plenty of green space for a young one. Prague is a city worth touring, as well, but I would save it for another time and add those days to Berlin.

Pack light. You will have to carry and store your luggage on the train. Consider reserving seats in one of the enclosed seating areas rather than the open area; we were lucky on one trip and had the cabin all to ourselves.

We drove from Frankfurt to Salzburg with no problems. The signs are well marked, and that particular route is not winding compared to Great Britain or parts of Tuscany.

huixin

Thanks Adrienne, we live in Australia. Opposite side driving doesn't bother us, I have rented cars in France and US in the past, but opposite side driving with no speed limit in free way put me off a little bit.

Will add more days in Berlin. It's a long train ride from Berlin to Vienna, will taking a flight be a better option? Any suggestions for low cost airline in Europe?

Thanks Fourfortravel, how do you find out it's the enclosed seating area when you reserve the seats on line? I assume you booked it on DB website?

Any suggestion about bringing a light weighted stroller for my daughter? We did that when we were in France but not much help due to too many stairs in subway in Paris, and there are rental strollers in the museums. Is it stroller-friendly in Germany/Austria?

Thanks again!

bethany1

Is your five-year old a good traveler? I might drop 1-2 locations just to make it easier on all of you. My daughter is 9 and a seasoned traveler, she used to sleep in her stroller a lot. But I think we ditched the stroller around 4. We had a decent fold up stroller. And there are a lot of stairs in Europe.

adrienne

Yikes - that is a long trip from Berlin to Vienna with a very short connection time - too long with a 5 year old in the day time and the night trains are even longer. Check for flights. You can check Easy Jet, Ryan Air, or Lufthansa (sometimes they have good rates. The last Lufthansa inter-European flight I took the agent spent a bit of time to find me a cheap flight.). The discount airlines might be more than a regular flight as they have lots of luggage restrictions.

<< opposite side driving with no speed limit in free way >>

You're renting the car in Salzburg and returning it to Frankfurt and want scenic drives so why would you be driving on highways? You'd want to stick to the secondary roads for scenery. I almost always avoid highway driving in Europe as I want to see the countryside, not other cars and gray roads. There is almost always a way to avoid highways or to drive highways for a short time such as around the airport. Just keep to the right in the slow lane.

fourfortravel

Huixin, yes, we reserved a private compartment via DB when we made our train reservations. Though, as others have indicated, a flight might be a much better use of time.

Here in Vienna there are more and more low-floor trams and U-Bahn cars, but I've not seen stroller rentals in the museums. Plus, the cobblestones in the city are tough-going on most strollers; and in places like Schonbrunn and Belvedere, you would be battling pebbled and grainy "paths" as you toured, neither of which are all that stroller-friendly.

huixin

Many thanks to all of you.

Looking for accommodation in berlin for 4 nights, plan to visit berlin zoo, museum of technology, boat Tour on the River Spree and city tour. We arrive at Berlin main train station(hbf?) Any suggestion what area we should stay?

Thanks!