Brainstorming help. Summer Trip with Grandma and 3 teenagers!
 

Trip planning help needed...again.

This July/August, we will be meeting a group of our family in Frankfurt for a trip around Germany/Austria/Switzerland starting in Frankfurt. We have 10 days. I am in charge of planning something. The challenge this time is that we have to juggle 3 active teenagers with one active (but slower) Grandma.

Any ideas of how to make this trip fun for all?

One idea that all may enjoy might involve a river trip for at least part of the time. Any leads on good (but affordable) river cruises?

If the river cruise doesn't work out, I'd consider booking a bus trip for part of the time. Is there anywhere I can look on line for a 5 - 6 day trip with bus/hotel. Flights have already been booked...

Thanks for your help and I appreciate ANY ideas!

Hi Woyzeck,

You say the trip starts in Frankfurt; does it end there too? Or have you booked an open-jaw into Frankfurt and out of ____??

s

Sorry. Starting AND ending in Frankfurt.

Hi again,

I think this would be a good routing: Koblenz-Basel by cruise, then Basel-Luzern, then Luzern-Fussen, then Fussen-Augsburg-Wurzburg-Frankfurt. But I don't think you have enough time in 10 days to do even that, much less add on Austria. Grandma will be very, very tired. Maybe just stick to Germany & do the Rhine and the Romantic road in 10 days.

s

Thanks for the start swandiv. Obviously, it is a lot to handle for just 10 days, and we don't want to tire Grandma out...

That should provide a nice balance between city/country to keep everyone interested...

I think you're nuts if you coop up the teens on a boat for days.

I agree with Swandav's other comments - forget Austria. Spend 4-5 days in the Rhine/Mosel region and tour some castles (Reichsburg in Cochem is good, neat falconry show too; Marksburg Castle in Braubach is good too; best castle is Burg Eltz, outside Cochem; St. Goar's Rheinfels is a set of castle ruins that's interesting to climb around on.)

There are some spectacular fireworks shows and festivals along the Rhine during high season - check the calendar here (a boat tour to see the show isn't necessary, but possible):

www.firework.rhine-river.com

Trier, Cologne, and Mainz are some larger cities in the area worth a visit; the rivers are cluttered with interesting little villages too.

Then spend 4-5 days in Switzerland - the Bernese Oberland is terrific, and Lauterbrunnen makes for a great base to explore from - go up to the Schilthorn (peak) by cable lift for a spectacular view (the James Bond breakfast experience is fun), visit Muerren, Interlaken, Grindelwald, take a lake cruise, and let the kids hike.

Yeah, very good point. Cooping up the teenagers is a concern indeed.

Til now I think I was mostly focusing on making Grandma happy. The proverbial sqeaking wheel, I suppose. She'll be happy if we do maybe a day cruise. We'll keep the kids off the boat. Thanks for the other input.

I'm going to 2nd Russ's comment about the teens going nuts on a boat. We took ours (14 and 16) on a cruise up the Rhine and it was ok for about the first 1/2 hr and then it was ho-hum another castle. We ended up disembarking (we got bored as well) and taking a train back to Wiesbaden. If your teens are fairly independent why not suggest they do some hiking and then arrange to meet you up/down river via train? One place you could do this is Rudesheim as the teens could take the cable-car thingy to the town that is the next stop on the Rhine and hike around a bit, get on the train and then meet you all further up. I think also the Pedestrian platz areas in towns are safe for your teens to walk around in while you and Grandmom do your own thing.