Trevi34

Based on the help from folks on this forum I came up with the following itinerary:
Arrive in Frankfurt Airport 8am from West Coast.
Stay 1 night in Rothenburg. Afternoon departure from Rothenburg to Fussen.
Stay 2 night in Fussen. Morning departure to Interlaken, via Innsbruck (2-3hr stop).
Stay 4 nights in Interlaken. Morning departure to Paris.
Stay 3 nights in Paris. Morning departure from Paris, visit Brussels (1-2 hr stop).
Stay 2 nights in Amsterdam. Morning departure and head to Frankfurt via Rhine Valley.
Stay 1 night in Frankfurt and catch morning flight to US.

I am planning to rent a car for the whole trip. I am travelling with my wife and 2 kids (4 and 5 yrs old). I decided to stay 2 nights in Fussen instead of Rothenburg since it appears kids can enjoy there more. Any comments to help us would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

zobtraffic

whatever your up for that's fine. having kids (especially that age) i would try to find the most direct train route with as few stops as nec. reason being i'm assuming you're not from the area. good luck not losing your way. maps aren't like they are back in the states. with a train at least you can actually enjoy the trip and truly take in the scenery. looking at it from a kids perspective(like i often do) i don't know that i would be too excited about hopping around that much. i recommend flying into munich (close to fussen.) check out munich for a day then rent a car for just the fussen trip. ditch the car in kempten(just outside fussen) after seeing the castles and from kempten you can take one of the most beautiful train rides you'll ever see to interlaken (good choice by the way). if you truly want to leave germany and switzerland area (you really should take them both in for the 2 weeks your there) the eurorail sells 3,4 and 5 country passes. like i said, this way not only the kids and wife can enjoy the unbelievable view but so can you. hope all goes well...by the way munich to fussen will cut down on you drive and cost quite a bit from frankfurt. take care

ira

Hi T,

>Stay 3 nights in Paris. Morning departure from Paris, visit Brussels (1-2 hr stop).
Stay 2 nights in Amsterdam. Morning departure and head to Frankfurt via Rhine Valley.
Stay 1 night in Frankfurt and catch morning flight to US.<

A few suggestions:

A car will be a hindrance in Paris.

There is excellent rail service between Paris and Amsterdam via Brussels.

A car will be a hindrance in Amsterdam.

Have you looked at open-jaw flights? You could fly into FRA and out of AMS for about the same cost as a RT flight.

Trevi34

Thank you so very much for the response. This is indeed my first time to Europe. We cannot change our flights to/from Frankfurt so we are stuck there. I was hesitant on taking trains because I was not sure how we were going to drive around. Plus with all the kids luggage we might have problem travelling. How do we do hotel transfers from station? Car just seemed to give us more independence. What do you think?

SAnParis

Just an FYI - there is lots for kids to do in Rothenburg, they have a puppet show, a nights watchman's tour, a beautiful park & of course, schneeballs. The Gasthof greifen is a wonderful family run establishment right on the square. They also have a small son about the same age. This may also be a cheaper option. We've not had any problems w/train travel (though we've not tried it w/two yet in Europe). We typically have two drag-alongs ( 1 childs' & 1 adults' clothes in each) + a back pack & stroller. That's it. No worries.

treplow

I think that the kids may have more fun in Rothenburg than Fuessen. At that age, they can go along the walls of the city, watch the nightwatchman, etc. Thus, I would add 1 night in R.and skip additional night in F.

I agree with your decision to drive. There will be plenty of opportunities to stop en route to give kids a change of activities/scenery. Despite the marvellous train network in the countries yoiu will be visiting, changing trains with 2 kids in tow can be a pain.

Since you are planning to stop only for 2 hours in Brussels, I would skip it entirely. Traffic is pretty heavy in the city, and parking in the old part is also a nuisance. And the Belgian drivers are wild.

Check on this board if anyone has a suggestion for parking the car on the outskirts of Paris, with easy access to a commuter line. Traffic and finding your way around are negatives.

Trevi34

Thank you Treplow. Per you and SANPARIS suggestion I will stay 2 days in Rothenburg and 1 day in Fussen and skip Brussels. I have further questions which I will post independently also:
I plan on renting an apt in interlaken - what might be a good area?
Since both Paris and Amsterdam are not car friendly cities, should try to find an apartment on the outskirts and commute to the city - again recommendation please? I have 2 full days in Paris and 1 full day in Amsterdam.

RufusTFirefly

Schneeballs--they were terrible. I tried a second one from a different bakery thinking the first one might have been a fluke. But, yuck!

Maybe I just happened to get the only 2 incompetent bakers in Rothenburg.

tcreath

Rufus, the two schneeballs I had in Rothenburg were horrible as well. Perhaps I frequented the same two bad bakers in Rothenburg that you did? But a better bet would be that its the product, not the baker!

Tracy

MaureenB

I'd say pack lightly and do the trip by train. The kids will probably be fascinated by the novelty of trains, plus you have bathrooms whenever needed, and a place to get drinks and snacks. The kids can stretch their legs on the train by walking up to get a snack or see how the cars connect together. They (and you!) can even nap comfortably.
I think trains would be much more enjoyable for all four of you, than dealing with picking up and dropping off a rental car, trying to follow maps, deal with whatever weather, make pitstops as needed, and park in the cities. A car is more trouble than it's worth IMHO, especially when you are in the cities themselves. Staying outside the city and then commuting in sounds like a poor way to see Paris and Amsterdam, and again a big hassle to park.
The biggest challenge you would have with train travel is getting on and off the trains with luggage and kids. But, we found people were very understanding and helpful to us under similar circumstances. Just get to the depot early and don't try to make impossible connections. Once you're onboard, you'll relax and love it.
If you're interested, go to www.BudgetEuropeTravel.com and get their 800 number to call them and get advice for the most economical way to get around by train. A railpass isn't always the cheapest and best way to go, you know, but they can help you do the math on point-to-point vs. pass. Ask if the Bayern Pass is still available-- I think we paid about 32EU for 24 hours' travel in Bavaria for up to 5 people.

RufusTFirefly

tc--I can see you are a discerning person of impeccable taste.

Trevi34

Made some changes, please advise. Travelling soon in Mar 2006.
2 night in Rothenburg.
1 night in Fussen.
3 nights in Lauterbrunnen.
3 nights in Paris.
3 nights in Amsterdam.
1 night in Frankfurt to catch the flight.
There is not much to do in Interlaken as most of the tourist attractions are closed. We will try to use the car to visit the Delta Expo in Holland instead.

Trevi34

Here is a brief report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34782947