planning an adventure trip with a 2 year old
 

Hi! Im planning a trip to Austria and the Bavarian alps for 2 weeks. I have a few places on the list that im wondering if taking a 2 year old would be a bad idea. any help would be greatly appreciated ... these are not the only activities planned, just the ones im wondering if we should go or not because of the kid. will have a car, small stroller, and a lot of camera equipment.

1) the salt mines (my wife is not that interested so we could scratch this till next time)
2) Liechtensteinklamm- both of us are really interested in this one
3) Neuschwanstein Castle tour and the marien bridge (not sure if im spelling anything right),
4)The Zugspitze,
5) Eagles nest
6) the five fingers
7)krimml falls

also would love to hear anything else you would add/delete! I know this is a lot. planning to just have an idea of what we can do... then go with the flow & play it by ear once we get there.

-Donny

help anyone???

I am surprised that no one gave you any input in this so far…

I have been to the Salt Mines with a group of American High School students (in 2004) and Neuschwanstein Castle when I was 20 (20 years ago). So, I do not have much to offer specifically about the sites you are considering; However, I have experience travelling to Germany with small children in recent years. In 2007 we travelled with my 19 month old daughter, and in 2010 we traveled with the same daughter (then 4) and our new 18 month old daughter.

The biggest advice/suggestion I would offer you is to consider finding as central a location as possible and renting a Ferienwohnung (vacation rental apartment/house). With a two week stay you could even do two or three different locations but find places where you can stay for a minimum of 4 or 5 nights and base your trips from them. You already said that you will have a car and driving an hour or a bit more to get to a more distant location not only gives you time to see the country side, it will also give your child time to nap.

We found huge benefits in having a separate bedroom for the children. We were able to stay up later without bothering them, and get up earlier (like that ever happens). Having a full kitchen allowed us to prepare a lot more of our own meals (saving money) as well as storing and reheating leftovers. It was also nice to be able to unpack a little more and leave our stuff in the apartment rather than having to repack and reload the car all the time. I think you will also find that they are probably less expensive than decent hotel rooms.

www.vrbo.com and www.homeaway.com offer some choices in English. Depending on your German language skills you can also search google using keyword “Ferienwohnung” and the town you are considering staying in.

Also, you may find my trip reports useful.

Good Luck!

We took our kids to the salt mines a few years ago and they loved it but they were about 8 and 12. Not sure that I would want to take a 2 year old as it can be a bit claustrophobic and the slide/ride at the end would be scarry. Neuschwanstein would be good. A stroller works, but we always like the kiddie backpaks and/or letting our child walk ( holding hands ) or the kiddie leashes that go around their chest so they have freedom but don't run off. If you are going to Austria, that is very do-able, Innsbruck, and a nice carriage ride in Salzburg, how about going to the baths in Baden Baden, Germany? Our kids LOVED that! One of you will have to stay with your child in the smaller area while the other parent goes off to enjoy the parger pool.They also loved driving The Romantic Road and Legoland ( can't remember where in Germany that was ). The thing that I always need to remind myself when travelling with kids is that things go A LOT slower, there are more stops for food, water, bathroom, and they still need to nap and go to bed early at night which is more restricting for you but you can still go for evening stroll, ice cream while mom and dad have a beverage at an outdoor cafe watching a festival. Go for it!

Hi there,

We'll be in Bavaria next month with our 4 and 6 year olds. Have you heard of Leutaschklamm gorge (also called Geisterklamm, or Spirit Gorge)? I think these are the same place! This is on our list. It looks similar to Liechtensteinklamm.

We are going to invest in the 14 day Bavarian Palace Pass - http://www.schloesser.bayern.de/engl...ts/jahresk.htm
It looks like a great deal and includes Neuschwanstein, Linderhof, Herrenchiemsee, and others. You can reserve tickets ahead of time for Neuschwanstein. There is a reservation fee but you can still use the palace pass.

I've heard that parks in Germany are great. There are some luge courses in Germany and Austria but 2 seems a little young?

I looked up some of your ideas - 5 fingers (incredible!) and Liechtensteinklamm. Thanks for those ideas.

Have fun! My blog is http://familyineurope.travellerspoint.com/ if you want to see what we're going to do with kids.

Anywhere in Bavaria is great with kids. Parks in Germany are great! Have a great time!! I will look at your blog!