We are planning a driving holiday for 7 days in southern Germany with our 6 month old son.

Our plan is to drive from Munich -> Fussen (2 nights) -> Rothenburg (2 nights) -> Wurzburg -> Bamburg (1 night) -> Munich (2 nights).

I'd really appreciate some input into our plans & tips on travelling with a six month old.

Are we crazy to even attempt this journey with a six month old?

Are castles / palaces in Fussen, Rothenburg, Wurzburg child friendly and accessible to prams / strollers.

Really appreciate some advise...

As one might expect castles and palaces were built long before the age of elevators. I have never seen a stroller in any of them - but some may allow them. But I would anticipate that you would have to lift the stroller up some steps and carry it in places. I don't think you can go anywhere with a pram if you mean one of those big boxy things (we don't really use them in the US). Or else just wear the baby, which is very common at that age.

As for baby friendly - the tours usually aren't too long - but if your child becomes upset and fussy - or screaming - you would obviously have go outside so the rest of the tour members could hear the guide.

I think you can do some of these things with a baby - but probably not all of them - since you need to allow time for naps and play - since the baby won't be at all interested in
the buildings or quaint towns. And if you try to do too much you are very likely to end up with a fussy baby.

Travelling with a young child is definitely different than without, but can still be a lovely experience. You're bound to get people here advising you to leave the child at home - you can still have a great holiday with your son, so take that with a grain of salt. You're not crazy.

As for your itinerary, I feel like you probably overdoing it a bit on the moving around. Changing hotels is always a bit of an energy and time suck, but can also be disruptive to babies. You might just spend 3 nights in Rothenburg, and do either Wurzburg or Bamberg as a day trip. Similarly, you could do something like end the trip with 4 nights in Munich and do Fuessen as a day trip. That's just a thought. I found driving in Germany with my 1-year old was sometimes helpful for naptimes and down time, so the driving itinerary isn't so bad. It's only about, what, 8 hrs of driving time spread over 7 days.

Castles and palaces really aren't stroller/pram friendly. We had good luck pushing the stroller where we could and then leaving it at a coat check area, or ticket office. Or just in the car. In the castles/palaces, you're going to either be carrying your child, passing him back and forth, or stowing him away in a baby carrier that you wear. Some castles aren't very child friendly for kids who want to crawl around and grab things, but a 6-month old will probably be fine just hanging out with mama. Some castles are only viewable with a tour, so you should be prepared to be considerate and step away in the event that your baby is disruptive to other visitors on the tour.

Sounds like a great trip - have fun!

<i>Germany with 6 month old.
Posted by: somebol on May 24, 13 at 12:34pm
We are planning a driving holiday for 7 days in southern Germany with our 6 month old son.
Our plan is to drive from Munich -> Fussen (2 nights) -> Rothenburg (2 nights) -> Wurzburg -> Bamburg (1 night) -> Munich (2 nights).</i>

It looks like you are going to be seeing more Autobahnen than Schlossen. Save half of that itinerary for another trip.

Prams are pretty much museum articles. Stuffing one in a car is going to be a chore. A fold up stroller will be good for the street. Leave it at entrances when you are in the castles.

If you don't already have a car seat for the boy get one that easily detaches so you can carry him in it and use it in restaurants.

I suggest a fold up crib. We had one for our baby. It was the best gift that anybody ever gave us. With your own crib you are sure to have one, and a safe clean one. You never know what hotels will have available. Our crib had small mesh net sides and no bars.

Traveling with a baby is a logistics challenge but it is worth it. EVERYBODY wants a peek inside the blanket.

Thanks for the responses.

We will definitely be packing a babybjorn baby carrier along with the stroller.

Can anyone recommend a good stroller that would be comfortable for the baby on cobble stone roads.

Also is castle Neuschwanstein really difficult to navigate with a six month old? Are there a lot of steps? or Should we skip Fussen altogether?