KSOILES

My husband and I are planning a trip to Europe at the end of May. We will be spending one week in London and are trying to decide on a second destination. I'd like my kids to experience to unique countries, cultures, etc. Husband and I have already visited Italy, Paris, and Amsterdam. So something different is preferred. We'd rather not check in and out several times, so I'm looking for somewhere that would be a good base. Hopefully, it has the potential of a few great day trips, local sightseeing/activities, great scenery, food, etc. Looking for recommendations, perhaps somewhere in the Bavaria area? But we're completely open at this point.

swandav2000

Hi KSOILES,

I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, about 50 miles south of Munich at the edge of the Bavarian Alps, and (naturally!) I think this would be a good area for your family. We have great scenery, a very pretty town, and day-trips could include the Neuschwanstein palace (and the very pretty town of Füssen), Linderhof palace, the Partnach gorge, and of course the Zugspitze, Germany's highest mountain. There are numerous walks and hikes in the area, from flat(ish) to tough ascents. You can also hike up and then take a cable car down at some places. You could also base in Mittenwald, smaller than Garmisch and arguably prettier and more charming.

Many Germans take a vacation apartment instead of a hotel, and both Garmisch and Mittenwald have many to choose from. You can start hunting around at the town's website

www.gapa.de

Have fun as you plan!

s

Fussgaenger

The Garmisch/Mittenwald area does shout "Bavaria!" It's a great suggestion for those who enjoy the outdoors.

G-P:
https://www.gapa.de/en/Ort-Umgebung_en/Attractions


M'wald:
http://requisitosparavisa.com/wp-con...tenwald_-3.jpg
http://hastingshouse.typepad.com/has...vel_in_europe/

You would not run out of things to see and do here. And it's an easy area to get around using public transport. Other nearby towns of interest (besides those Swandav mentions) might include Oberammergau and Innsbruck.

This map shows the train lines (red, purple) and bus lines (green) that connect these places. Garmisch itself is a good base town. Füssen is not shown on this particular map - but you can get there from Garmisch by taking the train to Reutte and then a short bus ride into Füssen. Local day passes like the "Regio-ticket Werdenfels" cover all bus and train transport between these towns - two adults pay €28 (or €38 if you're going to Innsbruck) and your three kids travel for free. And round trip would be the same price - it's a day pass. The Werdenfels day pass is also valid for travel beyond the towns shown on the map, between the Garmisch area and Munich; here's a coverage map that shows all the train lines for this pass:

https://www.viajarsiningles.com/wp-c...Werdenfels.jpg

If you make Garmisch your base, the city bus system can be used for free - pick up a guest card once you arrive:

https://www.gapa.de/en/Info-Service_...rd-Gaestekarte

Fussgaenger

"This map shows the train lines (red, purple)..."

My map link got dropped - sorry - here it is:

https://bahnland-bayern.de/files/med...09-Ansicht.jpg

PalenQ

A car would be nice for family in that lovely area but trains and buses are great too and with the bargain Bavaria Ticket mentioned above cheap - all travel for all day on regional trains and buses for 35 euros or so. For lots on German trains check www.bahn.de/en; www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Kids will love Neuschwanstein Castle near Fussen - lovely drive from Garmnisch thru Austria or trains the same way via Reutte then bus to Fussen and castles.

Fussgaenger

"...with the bargain Bavaria Ticket mentioned above..."

I believe you are mentioning this day pass for the first time here, Palenq. The Bavaria ticket covers a much larger area (ALL of Bavaria, in fact, even north of Aschaffenburg) than the Regio-Ticket Werdenfels ticket I mentioned. It would be overkill for most local journeys except for Garmisch to Füssen/Neuschwanstein, which happens to lie outside the scope of the cheaper Regio-Ticket Werdenfels.

KSOILES

Would you guys recommend choosing a home base for the week, or road tripping with various overnights? I am concerned that there won't be enough to do for a week in one town, or we'll be spending several hours each day in the car going back and forth on day trips.

fourfortravel

You have not mentioned the age(s) of your children, but evenso, I would think you could find plenty of amusements based in Garmisch for a week regardless.

We have been to Bavaria several times with our children when they first ranged in age from 10 to 16; and will be returning over this holiday season now that they are 16 and 21. In all of our holidays we have either based at an apartment/chalet or at a resort, depending on the time we have; the comfort of returning "home" each evening is much preferred to us than changing locations every couple of nights.

And just for reference, all of our travels were via either a personal vehicle. We travel with our dog and appreciate the convenience and flexibility having a vehicle offers.

I hope this information is helpful.

fourfortravel

My apologies. I overlooked the mention of your children's ages.

PalenQ

With family of 4 with kids rent a car unless staying in one base like lovely Garmisch-Partenkirchen and take short train or bus trips around.

Thanks fuss for your continual expertise!

Fussgaenger

"I am concerned that there won't be enough to do for a week in one town, or we'll be spending several hours each day in the car going back and forth on day trips."

The point of a week in Garmisch-Partenkirchen is not to stay only there a whole week, but to spend time visiting other NEARBY places as well. I don't think my kids want to spend several hours per day in the back seat either. So if G-P is your base, just don't try to include destinations that are really far away. You can check the time and distance to the above-mentioned destinations and others here:

https://www.viamichelin.com/web/Routes

G-P to Mittenwald takes 20 minutes by train. You can check all the other train trips here:

https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de//bin/query.exe/en

The other thing to be said here is that most kids really don't like the back seat at all, and that riding the local trains is a brand-new kind of fun that makes the trips seem shorter. You can have a picnic lunch on the trains, sit where you like, move around, use the bathroom (no potty stops) and people watch. The scenery around G-P isn't bad either from a big train window - and the driver gets to enjoy it too when he no longer has to worry about driving. Here's a pic from G-P to Reutte route:

http://www.diesellokguru.de/images/D...4-04-17-23.jpg

Trains are dependable and frequent in Germany. You should however select a rental or hotel within walking distance of a rail station - it is inconvenient and time-consuming to have to walk or take a bus just to get to train station in the first place.

PalenQ

How about Italy - one week in Venice and Rome? Venice is great for kids with boat rides on canals and Rome is Rome. Fly Venice to London then Rome to London or home. Use trains as cars are useless in Italian cities. www.trenitalia.com for fares and schedules - high-speed train -160mph or so between Venice and Rome could be a treat too -just 3.5 hours - bring any food and drink aboard.

KSOILES

PalenQ, thank you for your wonderful suggestion. Venice and Rome are AMAZING! However, my husband and I just did a long Italian trip last year. As selfish as it may be, we are looking for somewhere that we have never been, so Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, and Amsterdam are out.

PalenQ

Sorry did not notice Italy in OP! I think some seaside action would be nice - Barcelona area perhaps and bop over to Madrid?

Germany great too but IMO I would not stay the whole week in say Garmisch-Partenkirchen and not see Munich too.

KSOILES

I had originally started with Munich as our home base, but Swandav2000 recommended GP, which looks beautiful. We had considered other cities like Copenhagen or Prague, but again, I worry about running out of fun things to see and do with the kids. This will be their first trip to Europe. London/Paris was my first choice. But my husband really doesn't want to return to any of our original destinations, when there are so many places that we have yet to see. My kids will handle museums in small doses. They are little foodies. History and great scenery are appreciated. We homeschool, so it will be fun to tie in some learning. We like the outdoors, but aren't the type to do an eight-hour hiking trek. And I'd like a place with character and charm.

I've been trying to assemble a list of interesting things to see and do, should we choose Bavaria. The salt mines in Salzberg look fun. Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden seems like it might be interesting from a historical standpoint. The cable car at Zugspitze. Spirit Gorge in Mittenwald. Neuschwanstein or Linderhof Castle.I haven't figured out their proximity to GP yet. Can you guys think of any other places or activities that might be fun for families? I will take a look at Barcelona as well. Thanks again for everyone's advice!

PalenQ

Could always do a day trip into Munich -especially with that cheap day pass fussgaenger mentions. Kind of neat to do one train trip even if have car and cities like Munich have such excellent transit.

KSOILES

That's a good idea. Would you recommend a car or just public transit? I think that we would need a mini-van for the five of us, plus luggage, which runs approximately $350.

Fussgaenger

"...interesting things to see and do, should we choose Bavaria. The salt mines in Salzberg look fun. Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden seems like it might be interesting from a historical standpoint. The cable car at Zugspitze. Spirit Gorge in Mittenwald. Neuschwanstein or Linderhof Castle.I haven't figured out their proximity to GP yet."

Berchtesgaden/Salzburg is a long way from G-P/Füssen/Mittenwald. You'll be doing very long day trips if you have only one base (including Munich.) You should have a two-base strategy in place if all of these will be in your itinerary.

PalenQ

Salzburg is a great base for doing Salt Mines; day-tripping to nearby Eagles' Nest - now a restaurant I guess and Berchetsgaden (frequent train connections from nearby Salzburg.

If your kids watched the Sound of Music then then the locale for much of the film was in and around Salzburg- especially the lovely Austrian Lake District about an hour by postal bus or car from Salzburg - gorgeous lakes - boat rides - mountain-climbing train and just beauty. Great day trip from Salzburg:

https://www.google.com/search?q=aust...w=1920&bih=949

Use the bargain Bavaria Ticket to go between Garmisch/Munich and Salzburg (fully covered even though Salzburg is a few miles inside Austria).

Another neat day trip from Salzburg would be Mad Ludwig's Herrenchiemsee Castle, the Bavarian 'Versailles' lovingly set on an island in the placid Chiemsee - take a train to Prien then boat to the castle. Like all Ludwig Castles as surprise at every turn- not your stuff old castle. Kids may especially like - boat ride to castle, etc.

Fussgaenger

"I'd like my kids to experience to unique countries, cultures, etc... . My kids will handle museums in small doses. We homeschool, so it will be fun to tie in some learning. Eagles Nest in Berchtesgaden seems like it might be interesting from a historical standpoint..."

Your kids are pretty young - sounds like you understand the value of hands-on learning. So with that in mind (and with complete disregard for the destinations mentioned thus far) Here are a few suggestions for the learning angle, cultural experiences, and rubbing elbows with German families within Bavaria.

This outdoor museum with a collection of historical homes puts you in touch with the lives of everyday locals over the last 500 years. It really is like time travel. Wagons are available for little legs that may tire of the walk:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...a_Bavaria.html

Take the kids fossil hunting:
https://www.bavaria.by/searching-for...nature-reserve

WW II stuff like the Hitlers Nest is quite abstract and likely to be well beyond your youngest children - and most of it is the furthest thing from "fun" - so be cautious with your sightseeing. There is far more history in this part of Europe that occurred before the dawn of the 20th century.

Apartments and hotels can isolate you from locals. Stay on a family farm for a few days - and see Bavarian farm life up close.

https://www.farm-holidays.com/

Families are a huge part of the German Youth hostel clientele - hostels now have modern family rooms with private bath and good recreation facilities, and you'll find them all over Bavaria. Common areas and play areas invite interaction. Many, like Berchtesgaden's hostel, were designed specifically for families.

http://www.jugendherberge.de/en/yout...en656/portrait