janisj

"The scenic part is up to Koblenz but you could travel as far as Bonn or Cologne. The towns along the Rhine for the most part are flat ground, perfect for strollers, . . ."

I was going to suggest the Rhine/Germany too. Lots of flat. But a stroller may not be all that great for a lot of those Rhine-side/Main-side/any river-side towns. The historic/center parts of most have cobbles and other rough pavements so a carrier rather than a stroller would be better in a lot of places. I'd definitely have both.

lavandula

Good point janisj, but depending on the age of the toddler the carrier might need to be swapped for one of those hiking carriers that Dad wears on his back. The front-wearing kind can be outgrown / get too heavy. If you want a stroller then the sporty three-wheeled type with large grippy tyres or otherwise a stroller with large wheels is more practical on cobblestones. Small wheels will judder but may also have the side effect of sending your little one to sleep (can be useful, can also be irritating with the noise).

Lavandula

bilboburgler

The Rhine is fine but look at the Mosel which is even better. Basically nearly every German river and canal has a cycle path and bike hire/repair places.

You could also look at France Germany on the Rhine cutting form Pfalz into Alsace, I've ridden that and again good if a little dull as the Rhine is so very straight. (relatively) but at least you get to taste French food. The Rhine also has wine festivals going off every weekend which makes finding accommodation a little harder to find but the evenings more fun. You have to google the wine festival diary.

I'd look at mybikeguide.co.uk which gives you some good ideas.

janisj

Lavandula: "the carrier might need to be swapped for one of those hiking carriers that Dad wears on his back. . . ."

I agree -- that's the type of carrier I was thinking of.

bvlenci

When my granddaughter was a toddler, my daughter's favorite carrier was a sling (that I made). It allowed the child to ride on her hip, while shifting a good part of the weight to her shoulder. It weighed almost nothing and could be carried in her handbag. She used it even when my granddaughter was three, along with a stroller.

We often took my granddaughter to Rome, where there's lots of uneven paving, and found that the best stroller was a lightweight one, which could be folded and carried for short distances, and wouldn't occupy too much space on a train or bus. It's best if it can recline so the child can sleep comfortably.