wendy17

We are a family of four with two boys. We will be based about 1 hour south of Stuttgart (down the A81) in a very small town for a few days this summer. We will have had a chance to visit Freiburg for a number of days and Bodensee as well, so we are looking at options for day trips in a pretty small area. So far I've found Tuebingen, Horb am Neckar, Triberg, and Calw. The girl we are staying with doesn't find these terribly interesting, but sometimes when you are in your 20s and have lived there your whole life, they aren't.

Hoping to get some insight on easy day trips. The boys are 4 and 6, so I am trying to limit our driving to about an hour. Burg Hohenzollern also made the list. Please add areas to the ones I've mentioned or talk me out of the ones I've mentioned if you don't think they are worth the visit!

Thank you!!!!!

sparkchaser

Legoland. It will probably be about 70-90 from where you are but it would be a dream trip for your kids.

dfourh

One thing to consider is choosing the most scenic drives. Maps you get in Germany frequently highlight pretty roads with a green line, and you can also look into scenic drives online: http://www.going-cuckoo.com/nature/chapter-2/

Also, I don't usually recommend specific guidebooks, but I really like the Rough Guide Germany for detail on worthwhile small towns.

AisleSeat

Neuschwanstein is not too far.

Russ

I agree with tne 20-year-old about Triberg, an over-touristed stop with a tall waterfall and some trinkets. The Black Forest museum there is good if you know German.

But in that general area you'll find some better destinations, including Gutach (Vogtsbauernhof open-air farm museum, a big hit with kids and families, generally; Summer bobsled run there too) as well as Schiltach (very handsome old-world half-timbered town) and Gengenbach (gorgeous old walled town.)

http://en.vogtsbauernhof.de/
Summer bobsled: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractio...rttemberg.html

Schiltach: http://www.evaway.fr/s3/evawayus/pho...4-78-58-CD.jpg

Gengenbach: http://www.stadthotel-gengenbach.de/...innenstadt.jpg

bettyk

We really enjoyed Burg Hohenzollern and the small town of Bad Wimpfen (less than an hour from Stuttgart).

http://en.badwimpfen.de/tourism/sights.html

artstuff

Schloss Lichtenstein is another castle you could visit.

http://www.schloss-lichtenstein.de/english/

There is a high-ropes adventure park in the woods surrounding the castle. They might let the 6 year old climb, but definitely not the 4 year old.

http://www.abenteuerpark-schlosslichtenstein.de/

I agree with the others - ditch Triberg, it's just a tourist trap; non-descriptive town with a waterfall and a big cuckoo clock store on the outskirts of town.

Robyn

artstuff

If you like castle ruins, here are two which are east of Tübingen, that you can hike around.

Burg Hohenneuffen and Hohenurach

http://www.hohenneuffen.de/cms/index.php?id=166

http://www.badurach-tourismus.de/Med...ine-Hohenurach

Robyn