MiamiBeachMomma

In researching the areas we have modified the summer trip - any thoughts?

Fly into Stuttgart from US - see MB and Porsche Museums. Porsche factory closed for the time period we are in Europe

Train to Munich - visit Fussen Castles, Salzberg, BMW factory, Beer tour, Munich as day trips

Train to Lucerne
Train to Bernese Oberland - still debating whether to stay in Interlakken or up in the mountains.

Train to Italy - not sure where to visit yet - now hubby wants to go to Modena for Ferrari. We have considered lakes region - Como/Bellagio, Stressa Area, or Cinque Terre. (We have been to Venice, Florence, Pisa, Rome, and south) We fly out of Milan.

We have 15 nights. Kids are boys and 13 1/2 and 10 1/2. We need a good mix of city and outdoorsy - zip line, hiking, luge, etc.

KimiG

Sorry to say, it is incomplete, but perhaps this could give you an idea or two:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-austria.cfm

Loved our trip to the region last summer!

MiamiBeachMomma

Kimi - I just quickly peeked at your TR - the SOM bike tour sounds amazingly fun!!! Def going on my list of musts!!! How can you not love this movie and the music!!! Dh and I are both huge fans!!! So you think its a good idea to visit Salzburg as a day trip from Munich or should we move hotels and spend multiple days?

Aramis

"Incomplete" What does that mean?

HappyTrvlr

In Berner Oberland, go up in the mountains.

PalenQ

- any thoughts?

for your Swiss part do not neglect considering getting a Swiss Pass - valid not only on all trains you will be taking to Interlaken or in full up to villages like Wengen, Miurren, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen - basically the only 4 mountain villages you can chose from to stay in. Passes also valid on lake boats and give 50% off most aerial gondolas and mountain trains to mountain tops and also free entry to 400+ Swiss museums. - Use it to go from the German border to the Italian borcer.

for lots of great info on Swiss trains, the Berner Oberland and Swiss passes I always highlight these IMO fantastic sources- www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

jgg

I wouldn't do all those daytrips from Munich, too much going back and forth. I think I would spend a few nights in Salzburg and then maybe just an overnight in Fussen to see the castles. That is what we did. In Salzburg I think your boys would enjoy the salt mines as well as the sommerrodelbahn (dry tobaggan runs open off season). We also did the SOM bicycle tour and loved it!

Ferrari museum is in Maranello not Modena, but not too far from each other. We went to the Ferrari museum while we were in Bologna and it was an easy drive. My husband and son loved it, and even my daughter and I thought it was fun! While we were in Bologna we also did this fabulous food tour with Alessandro of Italy Days Food Experiences ((http://www.italiandays.it/). We all loved it including the kids.

If you enjoy hiking, I would really suggest you consider the Dolomites. We had a great trip there, loved the hiking, and the huttes everywhere on the mountains are so great to stop for some food and a little rest.

Here are some links to my trip reports along with pictures:

Dolomites/Bologna:
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/catego...es-milan-2010/

Salzburg/Fussen/Munich:
http://www.fromhometoroam.com/catego...ublic-austria/

jp4120

I would rent a car for at least part of your trip, too much train travel will get to be a drag. A low end MB with GPS is the way to go and not expensive if you use gemut.travel..

PalenQ

We have 15 nights. Kids are boys and 13 1/2 and 10 1/2.>

About the Swiss Pass if you have kids under 15 they get a free pass - a Family Pass where they never pay a cent to ride anything - even things the Swiss Pass normally only pays a discount on - on things like the Jungfraujoch train that can be a huge savings. Get the free Family Pass when you order your Swiss Pass.

KimiG

I meant incomplete only because I had not finished the trip report, however I am trying to remedy that.

I would indeed stay in Salzburg and not just visit as a day trip. That's my opinion only, but I felt Salzburg had a very special magic. Enjoy!

PalenQ

Moving bases is always a pain IMO - a day trip lets them at least see that wondrous city of Salzburg - relocating takes a lot of a day - and really for most folks a day in Salzburg would be enough - especially a family with two kids. I love Salzburg and have indeed spent days there but for the OP's limited time a day trip would be fine.

PalenQ

I would rent a car for at least part of your trip, too much train travel will get to be a drag.>

well that is a subjective look at it - to me driving is a drag - too much train travel will be a drag? Sounds like for sure - well I can relax on a train - if I am driving my eyes are peeled on the road, etc.

Some folks may find too much train travel to be a drag but not nearly everyone or even the average person on the OP's limited itinerary involving only a handful of rail journeys.

MiamiBeachMomma

Thanks to all!!
PalenQ - I dont think we will rent a car as the drop off fees are crazy!

jgg - Seems we have the same ideas for family travel!! Last summer I remember reading about your Barcelona trip!!

Can Wengan, Grindelwald, Interlakken be a base for day trips futher out from B.O.? I think we are cutting out moving hotels to Zermatt to heading straight to Italy after BO and Lucerne stays.

For some reason this trip is giving me a tough time - its harder than all the other trips I have planned!!

enzian

The point of going to the BO is to be there and do the activities on offer, not to use it as a base for trips elsewhere.

With boys that age I suggest Grindelwald. You will have a luge up on the Pfingstegg lift, and a zipline (Firstflieger) on the First lift. From the top there is a beautiful hike to the Bachalpsee and an adventurous ont=e to the hut on top of the Faulhorn. You can also rent Trottibikes and ride down from First. You can also ride the gondolbahn up to Mannlichen for a veiw into the Lauterbrunnen Valley, walk to Kleine Scheidegg, and take the train back down.

PalenQ

With boys that age you may want to budget a day in Interlaken itself - to do the famous summer luge course there and also to visit a theme park with kids rides - yah I hear the chorus of 'tacky' 'you don't go to Switzerland to go to a kids' theme park - but think of the kids and give them a day there - the park is on the edge of Interlaken, in a meadow from which you can see the majestic snow-girdled Jungfrau Massif.

PalenQ

http://www.interlaken.ch/en/activiti...frau-park.html

The Jungfrau Theme Park is now what it is called - just a km or so east of Interlaken.

jp4120

PalenQ - I have taken trips with all train travel and other trips with all driving and I much prefer driving. No waiting or dealing with train schedules, but as you say, its subjective.
To avoid drop off fees only rent within a country - no drop off fees usually within the same country like Germany.

PalenQ

jp - No problem with that I have driven and biked all over Europe and loved it to - I think driving is especially fun with others - a family or a couple but as a solo traveler I find motoring very fatiguing and isolating.

and it depends what kind of trip - going only to places like Rome, Venice or Florence and using cars only to blast between them is useless as cars are useless in those cities - have to pay a lot to park them as private vehicles are more and more banned in Italian city centers and many other European cities to boot.

but weaving thru Tuscan and Umbrian hill towns between those cities is great by car.

So yes there are many variables and personal desires and I respect that - the efficacy of driving some places however is not great - like if just going to large Italian towns.

MiamiBeachMomma

So now I revamped the itinerary as follows
Day 1 Fly into Stuttgart and visit MB - Overnight in Stuttgart
2 - Visit Porsche - Overnight in Munich
3 - Visit BMW Wekt Overnight in Munich
4 - Daytrip to Fussen w/viatour (or sim.) - Overnight in Munich
5 - Munich - Overnight in Munich
6 - Salzberg - SOM Tour - Overnight in Salzburg
7 - Salzberg - Overnight in Salzburg
8 - Travel - Overnight in Lucerne
9 - Overnight in Grindenwald
10 - Overnight in Grindenwald
11 - Overnight in Grindenwald
12 - Overnight in Grindenwald
13 - Overnight in Como or Maggiore
14 - Overnight in Como or Maggiore
15 - Overnight in Como or Maggiore
Day 16 - FLy to US from Milan

Should I bother with the overnight in Lucerne? Should I cut a day in night and spend 2 nights in Lucerne? Any other thoughts would be super!!! This is the toughest trip to plan!!!!

PalenQ

Yup I would cut a day out of Grindelwald or the Italian lakes and add it to Lucerne - Lucerne is small with not much to see really but it has lots of neat day trips to do - especially those involving a ride on lovely Lake Lucerne - spend a leisurely day on the lake, getting on and off at various neat places.