Switzerland & Croatia with a toddler in August
 

Hi, we are in the beginning stages of planning a 2 week trip to Switzerland & Croatia with our daughter who will be almost 2 in August. We are looking for a scenic and relaxing vacation with lots of good food. In Switzerland, I'm thinking we fly into Zurich from NYC and drive or cab to Lucerne and spend 3 days there. From there, we could go to Geneva or any other location that is highly recommended by this forum. After spending one week in Switzerland, we would like to go to Croatia, either Dubrovnik or Split, or both and spend another week before returning home.

Our budget would be to spend approximately $450/night for hotels in Switzerland and hopefully less in Croatia. Is that reasonable? I know S is so expensive!

Is renting a car a must in Croatia for proper sightseeing or can we get away with taking taxis and mostly hanging out at a resort or in the village/city/downtown and walk to restaurants and beaches, etc?

Any suggestions to help kickstart an itinerary would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Cities like Lucerne and Zurich are very expensive with a lack of more budget hotels - I'd go to the Interlaken area if you've never been to Switerland - the Jungfrau Region of glacier-girdled soaring peaks rising above lush cow-dotted meadows - views of it all from your hotel balcony in say one of the nice mountain villages like Grindelwald or Wengen - Grindelwald and Interlaken have a wide-range of hotels where $450 would be much higher than you'd have to spend on a nice hotel or guesthouse.

Traveling by train? Even for a few days in Switzerland, if traveling by train investigate the Swiss Pass or Half-Fare Card or Swiss Card and others - check these superb IMO sites for details on Swiss trains - www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.swisstravelsystem.com.

Passes are also valid on lake boats such as those on Lake Lucerne and the two lakes bookending Interlaken and on Lake Geneva - a 2-year old's or an adult's delight.

http://www.easyjet.com/en/ has cheap flights from Geneva to Split and Dubrovnik, as well as from Basle to Split. There are furthermore direct flights from Bern to Split and Zadar http://www.flyskywork.com/de

Bern of course is very close to the Interlaken area - about 30 minutes by train.

Hopefully, the Croatia portion will balance out the Switzerland portions cost-wise. Once you determine where in Croatia you will go, feel free to ask more. In August, I would probably steer clear of Dubrovnik and Hvar, but it will be crowded everywhere. I can tell you that it is entirely possible to do without a rental car.