ampolo20

Hello, We are planning to fly into Frankfurt next June (we can fly nonstop to Frankfurt). Trying to figure out if it makes sense to then fly to Croatia and spend the majority of our trip there? Or makes more sense to rent a car and travel to some places in Germany & Switzerland? We really don't want to be on the road alot during the trip so trying to come up with a plan. We will have an 18 year old and 13 year old with us. Any tips, suggestions, itineraries, etc would be appreciated!

Melnq8

It's difficult to answer such a broad question. What is your rationale for flying into Frankfurt, other than the availability of a direct flight?

I can't help with Croatia, but in our 20+ trips to Germany and Switzerland, only once have we rented a car - and we wouldn't consider renting there again. It's just too easy to get around by train and bus, especially in Switzerland, which has the best public transport of any country I have ever visited.

What are your interests? What draws you to these three countries? How long do you have for the trip?

Help us help you.

ampolo20

The nonstop flight is the main reason - prefer a nonstop to Europe vs flying to NYC then over to Europe. Frankfurt is our only nonstop European flight. Germany hasn't been a top place to visit for us but with the nonstop flight, I started looking into areas in Germany.

Travel_Nerd

Yes, this is far too vague to answer as only you can decide. Why are you flying into Frankfurt at all unless it's to see the surrounding area? If you want to go to Croatia, go to Croatia. You may have a stopover/layover elsewhere in Europe if you decide to go to Croatia.

Have you already purchased these flights for June?

ampolo20

No have not purchased flights yet. They are pretty pricey this far out. If we decide Croatia, we'd have to connect somewhere. I'd rather get over to Europe and then connect vs connecting in the US somewhere first.

Travel_Nerd

This will likely be the case. Research flights and decide accordingly along with whatever fits your interests. Depending on the carrier, you will have potentially many to choose from to connect wherever you decide to go. Book your connections on the same ticket.

Look into multicity,, in one city and out another, depending on your itinerary. You still likely will find that direct long haul to Europe will be available for your home flight, too .

Where is home if you don't mind me asking?

TheModoc

We did a trip years ago that flew direct to Frankfurt - took a train to Heidelberg, then on to Freiburg, Triberg, Donaueschingen, Rhine Falls in Switzerland, then onto Lindau and Obertdorf, then up to Munich for a few days and then onto Nuremburg. It was an amazing trip!

lavandula

In Germany you can go just about everywhere by train, saving you having to spend time on the road ... how long do you have? The middle Rhine gorge is an easy trip from Frankfurt and you can do it all by train and boat

Lavandula

ampolo20

St. Louis

ampolo20

Probably 7-8 days. Not interested in staying in Frankfurt - maybe only a day there.

KTtravel

For such a short trip, you would spend a fair amount of time flying to and from Croatia from Frankfurt. Germany and Switzerland have a lot to offer. We recently spent a short time along the Rhine and also took a train from Frankfurt to Berlin, where there is a lot to do. My son's favorite place in Europe is Switzerland as he enjoys nature more than cities. What are your family's interest? Where in Croatia were you thinking of visiting?

ampolo20

Hello.... we all like the beach. Thus Croatia plus it's on our bucket list. Figured we'd have to connect somewhere to get there so why not fly direct to Europe (Frankfurt is our only nonstop from here) then connect. However, also started researching Germany and surrounding countries. Thought it might be easier to pick an area to stay in and then do day trips from there. Just starting to do research and figure out what would make the most sense and not require us to be moving to new places every few days.