mk_110483

i am planning a trip to Europe in May 2013 with my husband and 9 month old baby.
We need to start in Frankfurt as we are visiting for work and will then like to continue to see Heidelberg- black-forest- Vienna- Budapest- Prague - Amsterdam. We would prefer to use a train where possible and have 10 days.

1. what is the best way to visit black-forest (enroute Heidelberg) from Frankfurt.? Is there a left luggage counter a Heidelberg train station
2. should be do Amsterdam from frankfurt in the beginning or from any of the other destinations in the end? should be fly or take a train?
3. what is the best routing to see all of the above destinations.?
4. Can we take a eurorail pass?

The trip needs to be relaxed since the baby will be travelling with us.

Any suggestions or assistance will be appreciated.

nytraveler

Those places in 10 day sis NOT relaxed - it is a forced march. In 10 days you should stick to no more than 2 destinations. Or you could very easily have a very cranky baby. Also, will you e able to deal with the baby, all it;s stuff (luggage, crib or playpen, diaper bags with toys and snacks) and your luggage on and off trains?

At that age the baby will be getting into everything and keeping it cooped up on trains every day for hours is not a great idea.

mk_110483

Thanks...for the input.. i do understand that and that is a major concern for us.
How do you suggest we plan are trip.

We were thinking of dropping blackforest altogether and visiting Vienna on a day trip from Prague. so we can spend 3 nights there.

Frankfurt (day trip to Heidelberg)- Prague (day trip to Vienna) - Budapest -Amsterdam.

Is there an over night train from Budapest - Amsterdam or from Amsterdam to Prague/Budapest?

Ackislander

I don't get it.

If you are young enough to have a nine month old baby, you are young enough that you will have many opportunities to travel to Europe in your lives.

You are planning a trip that would be challenging for adults. What if the baby gets a cold and cries all the way over on the flight? And all the way home. Depending on the time zone where you are beginning, the baby is going to be six or more hours out of sync with the clock. It is midnight and baby is ready to get up and play, and when you get home, you get to do it all over again.

Amsterdam and Prague will still be there when baby is a child and out of diapers, and you can actually enjoy the trip.

BKP

Have you traveled with your infant before this trip? On a plane for a long flight? We took our 11 month old to Paris (from Seattle) and he was a peach but on other flights we have sat near other infants who weren't so easy.

How long will you be in Frankfurt before you start the holiday? Long enough to get over jet lag and acclimate? I think it's easier for adults to "power through" jet lag than children.

Are your flights in and out of Frankfurt? Any chance of an open jaw so you don't have to back track?

We prefer flights over trains. Cheap flights can be found by booking in advance. I also find flying less stressful but that's probably only because I've done it more. The only overnight train I've taken was Rome to Messina and it was a terrible, terrible night!

I've only been to a couple places on your list so I won't comment specifically on your itinerary. But I will say, with ten days I'd choose two major cities each with an optional day trip. Or three cities with no day trips.

worldinbetween

Hmm... I wouldn't do Vienna as a day trip from Prague without a baby (It can't be more enjoyable with a 9 month old, can it?).

I'm a pretty lazy traveler - and having a baby gives you such a great lazy travel excuse. Perhaps you could go to one very nice place (example Paris) and rent an apartment. (I could also be had on Amsterdam, a city I love). Frankly, Prague and Vienna are not on my preferred cities list. And Prague with a baby - no way.

But let's set my prejudices aside.

Since my daughter was a baby, we have taken her to Europe every year. For years, we limited ourselves to 1 place per week. (Florence, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam) and rented we rented a place. She was happy, we were happy. Life was good. We planned these trips with the expectation we would return.

BTW, I live in Central Europe. The trains - the best of trains - are dirty. I take the train to work everyday - and most days I gag. No way would I cart my baby on a central European train.

TexasAggie

We took our 7 month old son to Greece for two weeks in 2011 and to Italy when he was 19 months old this past summer. With a young child, naps are important and your trip will go downhill in a hurry if your baby is overly tired. Most babies under 1 require two naps daily. Can your child take a nap on the go, or does he need to be in a darkened room in his crib? When our son was 7 mo, we made sure he got one good nap in the hotel every day and then he took the other nap on the go. It makes for slow sightseeing, which is fine, but you need to be prepared for the slower pace. Full day day trips aren't an easy possibility.

TexasAggie

Ps. It took our son about 3 nights to adjust to the time difference on both trips, with a very rough first night on that initial trip when he was 7 months. Plan to be tired the first couple days! On this last trip, we let our son sleep until noon on that first day even though it meant we didn't have much time for sightseeing on that day. Some time with a happy and rested toddler is better than a few more hours with a tired, screaming little one.