Trip ideas for Germany and Switzerland
 

Hello Fodorites,

I plan to travel to Germany in early March for 2 weeks with my husband and 10-month old son. We will be based in southern Germany (Black Forest area), staying with family. I want to visit the must-see sights in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Can you suggest possible itineraries for a 2 week period? I guess we cannot be too ambitious since we are traveling with a baby. We were thinking of driving as much as possible rather than taking the train because of all the baby stuff we will need to carry around.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions..

Happy Travels..

Hi, Mdlady. Topping to see if you'll receive any suggestions today. I'd say, off the top of my head, Lindau and Meersburg on Bodensee, then through Bavarian alps (via the castles) to Salzburg in Austria, then maybe Halstatt, then back towards Switzerland as far down as Lucerne, then back up to the Black Forest via Stein am Rhine. Well it's a start. J.

THe above response is a good one. Just what I was about to say. I would NOT skip the part about Hallstat. I love small, beautiful, mountain towns llike that.

Also, if you stay in Meersburg, and have time, you might want to take the ferry across to the island of Mainau (sp??), but check first to see how it would be that time of year.
It is a manicured garden type of island, and lots of folks go there for family day trips, just to walk around, etc. It was very pretty, but might not be so great in March.

Regarding traveling with a baby:
The baby gear is an issue to consider, but so is the time strapped into a car seat. If you know your baby loves riding in the car, then it could be fine. Our daughter gets so bored, I spend most of my time entertaining her rather than seeing the sights. She traveled quite a bit on public transportation in Russia when she was 13 months old and that was more successful. On the train, you can lose the car seat which sometimes makes a difference. Train travel in Germany can get expensive though, if that's an issue. Then again, gas is expensive in Germany, too.