Hello! My husband has a conference to attend in NYC in late June. I planned to tag along and spend a week there along with our 14 month old son. We now live in Singapore and we have a stop-over at Frankfurt. We realized that we could take one more week off and spend some time in Germany before heading to NYC (though we do understand that there will be limitations to how much we can see and do in a week with a baby)
I am concerned if this trip will be too much for my son given he will have to overcome jetlag twice - from Singapore to Germany and from there on to the US.
Any tips / comments / suggestions are appreciated. I am unable to decide on what to do. Should we simply skip the germany portion?

Thank you very much!

I don;t see why this would be esp difficult for a baby that age - as long as you rent an apartment (so you have a separate place for the baby to sleep and a kitchen for meals/snacks at odd hours.

I remember well when our twin boys were in that age. With 13 months, they both started walking and talking while we staying in a vacation rental on the Cote d'Azur. If you cook your meals by yourself, you can manage the jetlag better because you can find your own rhythm. We always found that babies very quickly adapt to different time zones (the afternoon nap is extended and the night sleep is shortened - and they can sleep in the stroller or in the car).

A rental apartment is a good idea and also renting a car with a safety seat (order one with your reservation).

Also take a light, folding stroller with you - with large, sturdy wheels (which will manage cobblestoned streets). German towns, castles and abbeys are perfect for walking and pushing a stroller.

Select a place which is fairly flat - otherwise pushing the stroller turns into hard exercise.

It depends on your interests, where to go - if you prefer a medium-sized city, a small town or the countryside. Here a few options which are not too far from Frankfurt:

- The Rhein and Mosel valleys are very beautiful. There are many charming quaint towns, lots of castles, abbeys and opportunities to board a boat for a relaxing cruise. The Rhein is very close to Frankfurt, just 30 minutes driving time. From there, you can do easy daytrips to Heidelberg, Köln (outstanding museums and cathedral) and Trier (lots of Roman heritage).

- Franken. Franken is a beautiful region with lots of charming villages, wineries, a spectacular baroque palace (in Würzburg) and a dramatic castle in Nürnberg. The Romantic Road towns (e.g. Rothenburg, Feuchtwangen, Dinkelsbühl) are not far away. Franken is about 1:30 from Frankfurt Airport. A daytrip to München is possible.

- München is about 4:30 driving time from Frankfurt Airport. I might be an option if you prefer a large city with many museums etc.

Generally, you should not maximize attractions during your stay in Germany. Better enjoy the places more deeply, walk, see, relax, immerse - I personally enjoy this style of travelling even without a kid.

Echnaton,

Thanks so much for all the helpful information you have provided. Do you think it will be too tiring for the baby to get to Germany first from Singapore, spend 8-9 days there and then onto NYC for a week?

Thanks!

Babies have their own schedules and don't have a concept of time. You will be much more tired from your trip than the baby will be. Babies and even children are flexible. Allow time for naps and your baby will do fine.

Padams is right - babies are extremely adaptive. We travelled a lot with our little ones, the first trip when they were six months old. Don't be afraid of long flights - he will sit and play and sleep. Take an mp3-player with some stories that he likes and earphones.

It is certainly wise to have a week or even more between the transcontinental flights. Choose a relaxing pace both in Germany and in NYC.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. We have decided to go ahead with the trip - which brings us to the next question - places to see in Germany. Since we are traveling with the baby, we would not want to see too many places (also given we only have a week), what would be your suggestions? We could start our trip from Frankfurt or Munich. Thank you!

Is it possible to see the castles Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau with a baby (more correctly, with a stroller)? If yes, we could plan our itinerary accordingly. Please let us know. Thank you very much!

TTT
Please help us answer the question on the castles! Thank you

Hello! I am wondering if i said something wrong (or missing something) - i have always received so much help from this forum that i am really banking on you to make this trip happen. Please help!

So far, we are torn between focusing on the Rhine and Mosel valleys or doing the romantic road all the way to Fussen and see the castles. But, for us to decide we are not sure if we will be able to see the castles with the baby. Also, if we have to decide on Rhine / Mosel, is one week too long for this area? Where should we base ourselves in?
Or will it be possible to do - Franfurt - Heidelberg - a couple of days somewhere in the Rhine / Mosel area - Rothenburg - fussen? Are there trains available from Fussen to Frankfurt? Another option is to not do Heidelberg, but add Mittenwald to the itinerary.

I am sorry, i know this was a very unstructured post - i was just typing along - i have all these ideas floating around in my mind while always feeling anxious about the fact that this will be our first long distance trip with the baby - so as much as i do not want to do too much, i do want the holiday to be fun and enjoyable for DH and myself.

Any help is very much appreciated!!
Thanks

Sorry, I have been travelling and had no time for this forum.

Bad news: you cannot take a stroller into Neuschwanstein.

In any case, I would recommend to rent a car (a hatchback). Theoretically, you can do a lot by train, but with a baby, a stroller and luggage, it will be a hassle. Believe me, we have done this.

In my former post, I have made several proposals what to see. Use www.viamichelin.com to calculate driving times. It will be easy to combine the Rhein/Mosel with Franken/Romantic Road.

Travelwise, an alternative would be spending the whole time in the Rhein/Mosel region, including Cologne, Aachen and Monschau. Monschau is a picturesque old town which is, IMO, even more beautiful than Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

http://www.monschau.de/tourist-information/

What can you do starting from Frankfurt:

You can visit Eberbach Monastery
http://www.klostereberbach.de/html_english/index.html

The picturesque town Rüdesheim
http://www.ruedesheim.de/cms/index.php?lang=english

You can stay overnight at a castle hotel, e.g. this one
http://www.hotel-schoenburg.com/

You can visit the Marksburg on the Rhein
http://www.marksburg.de/english/frame.htm

You can proceed to the Mosel valley, stay e.g. in Cochem.
You can visit Burg Eltz
http://www.burg-eltz.de/e_index.html

You can visit Trier, a Roman city with impressive ruins and a medieval Old Town and Karl Marx' birthplace
www.trier.de

You can continue via Monschau (see above) to Aachen, with an impressive city hall and the cathedral where Charlemagne was crowned in 800 A.D.
http://www.aachen.de/EN/ts/170_sehen...ten/index.html

You may do a sidetrip into the Netherlands, to Maastricht, a wonderful medieval town:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht

Then you can visit Köln with a gorgeous gothic cathedral, the shrine of the Three Magi, a dozen romanesque churches, rich Roman heritage and many world-class museums (including a chocolate museum).
http://www.koeln.de/cologne_tourist_information

In Köln, you can drop the rental car and take the fast train directly to Frankfurt Airport.

wow!! This is so much information!! Thank you very much. If i understand correctly, your advice would be to not do the castles in this trip with the baby. Is that right?
And yes, we willbe definitely renting a car as it would make it easier to move around with the baby. I will take a look at all your suggestions and get back with n itineray.
Thank you very much once again!

You CAN visit castles with your baby, but not Neuschwanstein. (Of course, you can leave the stroller at the cloak room and carry your baby, but it will be quite strenuous to carry him for an hour or so; I guess, with 14 months, walking won't work well either)

IMO, Neuschwanstein is best from the outside. Be aware that Neuschwanstein is not a real castle - it is a kind of Disney thing that was built by a mad king tried to evoke forgone times. And the inside of Neuschwanstein is not a must-see. There are palaces which are better inside, e.g. Würzburg Palace. Hohenschwangau is a "real" (old) castle, but not spectacular.

What you can do: Drive from Frankfurt to Würzburg, visit the Palace (Residenz). Then see Rothenburg, Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen and Neresheim Abbey. Then drive southwards, see Linderhof Castle, Wieskirche, Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau and Alpine scenery. Drive to Salzburg. On the way back, you may stop in München and/or Nürnberg.


I have recommend several medieval castles (Burgen). If you want to take the Rhein-Mosel-tour and see a palace (Schloss), Augustusburg in Brühl (south of Cologne) might be an option:
http://www.schlossbruehl.de/Augustusburg_Fotogalerie


So, you have basically two options: the Rhein/Mosel tour or the Romantic Road/Alp tour.

...hard to decide.

The romantic road /alp tour is doable in 1 week? I am worried about how long the baby is going to take to adjust to the jet lag (and how many hours we may have to lose because of that!). What is your view?

In my experience, babies take about a week to adjust. One of my sons had a great time at 18 months on his vacation, sleeping all day and playing all night. It was misery for us!
I think that with all these time zones and long flights for you that it's anyone's guess what your baby will do.
If you can prepare yourself that it might not go smoothly but you really want to go, then do it. We can now laugh about our trip and it only took us 20 years to get to that point!
Good luck.

Excuse me, but you keep confusing us. What do you want? Do you want to see as many attractions as possible - your post from Feb 28 indicated that? Or do want to go a more relaxed pace? If you prefer a relaxed pace, then forget Neuschwanstein. Then follow my early advice and rent an apartment on the Rhein, Mosel or in Franken and do daytrips from there.

I am sorry echnaton for confusing you. Honestly, like i mentioned earlier, we are a bit confused about what we need to do - I was only trying to understand your views / recommendations better. Apologies once again. We will look into your suggestions and get back. Thank you

TTT
Here is what we are planning. Please let us know if this itinerary makes sense. Any suggestions for places to stay?

Day 1 - Arrive Munich. Day in Munich
Day 2 - Day in Munich. Drive to Fussen
Day 3- See the castles. Stay in Fussen
Day 4- Drive to Mittelwald (or Lindau??)
Day 5- in Mittenwald (or Lindau?)
Day 6- in Mittenwald (or Lindau?)
Day 7 - Drive to Rothenburg. Stay in Rothenburg
Day 8 - In Rothenburg
Day 9 - Train to FF and take the flight

I have two (more!) questions:

1) Should it be Mittenwald or Lindau from Fussen?
2) Is 2.5 days a lot for Mittenwald (or Lindau)? Should we instead add a day to Rothenburg?

Thank you!

TTT

Please let me know if the itinerary is doable and any ideas on whether we should do Lindau or Mittenwald will be really helpful.

Thanks

Looks like i have really managed to put people off somehow - this forum has been our saviour while planning a lot of trips!
Could someone please take a look at our itinerary and help us....

Thanks