10 day OCT Road Trip from Amsterdam to Italy+Back with 2 kids under five.
May 5th, 2012, 03:44 AM
#1
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10 day OCT Road Trip from Amsterdam to Italy+Back with 2 kids under five.
We love Italian food and the language and have never been there. So my husband is gifting me this awesome birthday in the second to third week of October. We will be leaving from Amsterdam and start driving to Germany with our two boys ages 2 and 4.
ANd we plan tentatively to see VEnice, Rome, Florence, Pisa, a Tuscan town (Montechiello?) and stop at some place in Germany mid-way...Nuremberg, Heidelberg ?
Problem is ..we have never done a road trip in Europe this long and our kids have allergies so we cant stay in remote towns. Options with food and other daily necessities nearby would be great.
Please recommend routes and what cities and what towns and hotels if possible. I have also been combing the threads earlier for some info on harvesting (since we might be in wine country,..you know stomping in grapes..like in I Love Lucy and Walk in the clouds
!)..but so far havent come up anything. You guys were a great help with all the posts when we were going to France and Germany early last year. PLease do help. Also, are we planning too much with the lil kids? Thanks.
ANd we plan tentatively to see VEnice, Rome, Florence, Pisa, a Tuscan town (Montechiello?) and stop at some place in Germany mid-way...Nuremberg, Heidelberg ?
Problem is ..we have never done a road trip in Europe this long and our kids have allergies so we cant stay in remote towns. Options with food and other daily necessities nearby would be great.
Please recommend routes and what cities and what towns and hotels if possible. I have also been combing the threads earlier for some info on harvesting (since we might be in wine country,..you know stomping in grapes..like in I Love Lucy and Walk in the clouds
!)..but so far havent come up anything. You guys were a great help with all the posts when we were going to France and Germany early last year. PLease do help. Also, are we planning too much with the lil kids? Thanks.
May 5th, 2012, 03:55 AM
#2
I don't want to rain on your parade, but in 10 days, this is wildly over optimistic. via michelin says that Amsterdam to Rome is 1000 miles, so a round trip of 2000 miles that's without your detour to Venice. add in your allergic kids and it sounds like a nightmare not treat to me. you have almost one destination a night - a stop in Germany, then all those italian cities [which are pretty terrible to drive into and out of, not to mention the traffic restrictions in the inner cities] - new hotels, feeding the kids.....you'll probably never want to go again!
honestly, i would pick 2-3 [2 for preference] Italian cities, rent apartments so that you can deal with your kids' eating yourselves, and give yourselves a break. were it earlier in the year I'd suggest going to the lakes or the beach, but that time of year, pick a couple of cities, fly, and take you time. Italy will still be there in a few years time, when your kids are older and easier to deal with.
honestly, i would pick 2-3 [2 for preference] Italian cities, rent apartments so that you can deal with your kids' eating yourselves, and give yourselves a break. were it earlier in the year I'd suggest going to the lakes or the beach, but that time of year, pick a couple of cities, fly, and take you time. Italy will still be there in a few years time, when your kids are older and easier to deal with.
May 5th, 2012, 07:13 AM
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Oh dear God, how do people come up with these ideas? Ten days, two kids with allergies, 2000+ miles in a car? Stomping on grapes? I'm at a loss for words.
Fly to Italy. Rent an apartment with a balcony or yard in whichever city/town appeals most to you. Buy grapes and get your feet all purple.
Fly to Italy. Rent an apartment with a balcony or yard in whichever city/town appeals most to you. Buy grapes and get your feet all purple.
May 5th, 2012, 07:36 AM
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My son drove from near Utrecht to near Pisa a couple of years ago, with his two young sons, the same ages as yours. They were staying at a campsite there.
On the way south they stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Switzerland. On the return they stayed not far from Freiburg.
So two days over the journey, with two drivers is perfectly doable.
I suggest you settle on one area to visit, and stay there for your entire trip. Much better for the kids. Consider doing as they did and renting a tent or caravan that is all set up and ready to go. It will provide a good base, and a safe area for the kids to play when you are not out sight seeing.
On the way south they stayed at a Holiday Inn Express in Switzerland. On the return they stayed not far from Freiburg.
So two days over the journey, with two drivers is perfectly doable.
I suggest you settle on one area to visit, and stay there for your entire trip. Much better for the kids. Consider doing as they did and renting a tent or caravan that is all set up and ready to go. It will provide a good base, and a safe area for the kids to play when you are not out sight seeing.
May 5th, 2012, 08:02 AM
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I guess I was afraid of that.Thanks for the suggestions,especially on the apartments.
We live in Amsterdam.
So, driving from Amsterdam and reaching Nuremberg at night on Day 1. Leaving Nuremberg for Verona and camp for Day 2 at night.
Day 3- Leave for Florence and stay 3 days including Pisa.
Day 6 - leave for Rome and stay there for 3 days,possibly including Vatican.
Day 9- would love to see the Neuschwanstein Castle, in Germany if possible and day 10 as well for the Hohenschwangau. Celebrate my birthday and leave on Day 10 for the drive back home to Amsterdam.
WOW,..I dont know if this plan is going to work but it sure sounds exciting.
We live in Amsterdam.
So, driving from Amsterdam and reaching Nuremberg at night on Day 1. Leaving Nuremberg for Verona and camp for Day 2 at night.
Day 3- Leave for Florence and stay 3 days including Pisa.
Day 6 - leave for Rome and stay there for 3 days,possibly including Vatican.
Day 9- would love to see the Neuschwanstein Castle, in Germany if possible and day 10 as well for the Hohenschwangau. Celebrate my birthday and leave on Day 10 for the drive back home to Amsterdam.
WOW,..I dont know if this plan is going to work but it sure sounds exciting.
May 5th, 2012, 08:41 AM
#7
LdyRao,
go to viamichelin.com. use the function on the left to put in your route there and back with all the stops you want. then think about doing this with 2 kids in the back.
plus you may find it difficult to get apartments for just 3 nights - not impossible, but difficult.
AND you are contemplating a plan which would involve you driving in both central Florence and Rome. And taking your tiny children round the Vatican Museums?
are you a masochist? [and a sadist come to that!]
it doesn't sound exciting to me, it sounds mad. when our kids were little the BEST holidays we had were the ones where we stayed in one place. they felt secure in what came to be familiar surroundings, we got to know the best restaurants and shops, we all had a good time.
Italy will still be there in a few years time. why not go to germany? rent an apartment in Munich, go to Fuessen, Neuschwanstein, etc etc. stay in Nuernberg. THAT makes some sort of sense.
go to viamichelin.com. use the function on the left to put in your route there and back with all the stops you want. then think about doing this with 2 kids in the back.
plus you may find it difficult to get apartments for just 3 nights - not impossible, but difficult.
AND you are contemplating a plan which would involve you driving in both central Florence and Rome. And taking your tiny children round the Vatican Museums?
are you a masochist? [and a sadist come to that!]
it doesn't sound exciting to me, it sounds mad. when our kids were little the BEST holidays we had were the ones where we stayed in one place. they felt secure in what came to be familiar surroundings, we got to know the best restaurants and shops, we all had a good time.
Italy will still be there in a few years time. why not go to germany? rent an apartment in Munich, go to Fuessen, Neuschwanstein, etc etc. stay in Nuernberg. THAT makes some sort of sense.
May 5th, 2012, 09:00 AM
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LdyRao, don't be put off. Dutch people do this all the time, with kids in tow.
I would cut down on the places to visit though, simply to give you some relaxation as well - the children will need to keep to a routine and all that moving about won't help.
Settle on Florence (area) for your stay. You can always go again, when the kids are older.
I would cut down on the places to visit though, simply to give you some relaxation as well - the children will need to keep to a routine and all that moving about won't help.
Settle on Florence (area) for your stay. You can always go again, when the kids are older.
May 5th, 2012, 09:05 AM
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hetismij - what your son did is a world away from the OP's plans. apart from anything else she's planning to do this in mid october, when camping could be a distinctly dodgy option.
as you say, dutch people do it all the time; the OP is clearly a novice.
as you say, dutch people do it all the time; the OP is clearly a novice.
May 5th, 2012, 09:49 AM
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Everyone has to start sometime.
It is perfectly doable in her time period IF she is prepared to stay in one place for that week.
There are caravans and chalets available, which have heating, and are suitable for October or they wouldn't be for rent, or she can rent a house.
St Cirq - the Dordogne is haunt of many a Brit and their sprogs too, and as far as I know mosquitoes don't only bite the Dutch, nor is screaming children to Dutch kids. The Brits will travel from the North of the country, take a ferry and drive to the Dordogne without a stop, well apart from being stuck in the inevitable car park around Paris, but that is not a break. What OP is proposing is not a ridiculous idea.
It is perfectly doable in her time period IF she is prepared to stay in one place for that week.
There are caravans and chalets available, which have heating, and are suitable for October or they wouldn't be for rent, or she can rent a house.
St Cirq - the Dordogne is haunt of many a Brit and their sprogs too, and as far as I know mosquitoes don't only bite the Dutch, nor is screaming children to Dutch kids. The Brits will travel from the North of the country, take a ferry and drive to the Dordogne without a stop, well apart from being stuck in the inevitable car park around Paris, but that is not a break. What OP is proposing is not a ridiculous idea.
May 7th, 2012, 06:46 AM
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It is doable, especially if you start driving at night. You can drive to Rome in one day, but not with two small kids. You know the German freeways are good, Switzerland is okay to drive too. Dutch traffic, well, if you live in Amsterdam now you know when to drive and when not. If you start driving early in the morning (5 AM or so) you'll be well in Germany before the morning rush-hours. Plan a stop-over in Switzerland (or even better: border of Switzerland and Italy) and you could be in Rome before the afternoon rush-hour starts. It won't be a nice calming trip though, especially with two young children that may force you to stop every two hours for a bit longer than it takes to just stretch your legs and switch drivers.
Why don't you just take a plane, fly into Rome and rent a car there?
Why don't you just take a plane, fly into Rome and rent a car there?
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