Family Trip to Europe - possible itinerary

Paul, I haven't been to Ljubljana or Piran so I don't know what there is to see there and how far off the beaten path it is. However, I think your itinerary looks reasonable. How much time do you want to spend with the family in Frankfurt? It would be better if you could fly into Munich and out of Frankfurt. Would save a few days. Are you driving or training?

I think Denise is pretty much right on about a number of things, the first question being are you traveling by train or by car?? We have always gone by car since it gives a lot of flexibility. With some of the places you want to go you will be a slave to timetables if you go by train. If you do drive, by all means rent or lease a diesel, they really deliver on fuel economy. Last September we put 3900 miles on a Peugeot 308 diesel and it delivered just a tad over 44 mpg and ran like a champ cruising the motorways at 80 mph and the open sections of the autobahns at about 95. Also Ljuljana and Piran are kind of off the beaten path unless you have personal reasons for going there. I understand how personal reasons fit in, we did an extra 700 miles last fall to see m cousin in Vienna. I would trade the time in Slovenia for a couple days in Switzerland in the in the Lauterbrunnen area of theBerner Oberland. ( I have met people who live in the Colorado Rockies who have been to Lauterbrunnen 5 times ans still decscribe it as "just a little piece of heaven") From there you can do Annecy and Bacharach as they fit in. IMHO Bacharach is nice but Rothenburg is better especially if you take the nightwatchman's tour which is both entertaining and educational. Definitely keep Venice in the plan. Copenhagen. Amsterdm and Brugge all talk boaut being the Venice of the north but Venice is THE VENICE, period end of discussion. Have a great trip!

I wpould fly into Munich. We found that airport much easier and less hectic than Frankfurt. Very clean looking and not as crowded.

Paul, If I read correctly, you're planning on visiting 11 locations in a 28-day time frame. That's an average of 2.5 days per location, with no allowances for travel times. That seems a bit "ambitious" to me, so I'd suggest crossing a few locations off the list. As this is a first trip to Europe for your family, I'd suggest that everyone read Europe Through The Back Door, as that provides a lot of good information on "how" to travel. Once you've got locations more-or-less finalized, you can use the country-specific Guidebooks to plan hotels, restaurants, sightseeing and transportation. One option would be to fly inbound to Frankfurt and then take a train directly to Bacharach, as that would be a great place to recover from jet lag! The other locations you want to visit are all east of that, so it might be easier to fit Bacharach in at the beginning. Although you mentioned Munich at one point, I was curious on why it wasn't on the list of destinations you plan to visit? I agree with a previous comment about possibly skipping Ljubljana and Piran - is there something specific you want to see there? It will be easier to suggest an efficient travel route after your list is somewhat finalized. Given your home location, you may find it very helpful to make the short drive to Edmonds and use the free Guidebook Library at ETBD (during office hours). That would also provide an opportunity to speak with Rick's travel experts. They also offer a personal travel consultation for a small fee, if you feel that might help. Good luck with your planning!

This is all great input, thank you! We are planning on renting a car for the duration of the trip for the flexibility you mentioned Irv. We just picked up Europe Through The Back Door and will be scouring it for info and tips. The Slovenian leg of the trip was based solely on watching Rick Steves' show about it. It just looks spectacular and very inviting. The main reason for going there would be to expose our kids and our selves to their culture. Still, I am open to eliminating it from this trip, just need to think more about it. I did neglect to mention Munich, but that is definitely a possibility. Our trip will more than likely coincide with Oktoberfest, so it kind of makes sense to swing by for a liter or two :) How is Oktoberfest for kids? We're definitely planning on making several trips up to Edmonds for help too. It's nice knowing that kind of resource is so close to home. Nancy, I like what you've proposed. It seems very sensible, yet with enough flexibility to shift things around a bit as needed. Not quite sure how long we're planning on visiting family, but I think 4 nights sounds just about right. My Dad used to say something about fish and guests starting to stink at about that time frame :) When would be a good time to buy the plane tickets? Should we do it now, or wait - given that what we're talking about is 6 months off. Thanks again everybody!!!

Paul, I'm going to assume you are leasing a car for the month, if so I think your itinerary is very doable. For ease of p/u and return of car I would fly in and out of Frankfurt. If so pick up car when land in Frankfurt and transfer to Rothenburg for 2 nights, transfer to Munich for 3 nights, 2 nights G-P, 3 nights for Salzburg & Berchtesgaden, transfer to Ljubljana for 3 nights, then to Piran for 3 nights, then Venice for 3 nights, transfer to Annecy for 2 nights, Bacharach for 2 nights, then last 4 days in Frankfurt with family. This is just an example, number of nights in each place would depend on what you want to see and how long you plan to visit with family in Frankfurt before flying out. If planning on training or flying between places it would be much different. As you can see I'm a big believer in no 1 night stands. Also, you didn't mention Munich but it makes sense. If you don't go there you have add'l nights in other places. Good luck with your planning.

This sounds like an interesting trip. I'm curious if the people telling you skip Slovenia have been there and not liked it or what the rationale is there? I haven't been either, but it's nice to see a less typical destination on the list, and it would certainly be different than the other places you're visiting. Also, I don't know what you mean by "swing in for a liter or two" during Oktoberfest but I would avoid Munich during that time unless you REALLY want to go specifically for Oktoberfest. It's very crowded, it may be too late to get a decent hotel nearby, driving into Munich during that time would be madness. If you do want to see Oktoberfest, figure out your itinerary ASAP and book a hotel for an overnight ASAP. If you can make it so you could be in Munich before or after Oktoberfest, it is a lot easier to "swing in" and trust me, beer is available year round in Munich!

Hi Paul,
I have kids the same age as yours and they loved Slovenia on our trip there a few years ago. We stayed on a tourist farm where they were able to feed the animals and have plenty of room to run around. Predjama castle near Ljubliana would be a 3* site if it were in the middle of Germany. Well worth visiting, as are the Postojna caves. My advice would be to skip Oktoberfest with the kids. It's not that fun unless you are young and drunk (having seen it from the college point of view long ago!) Sounds like an awesome trip! We are going back this summer to see Benelux and northern Germany with our crew.

Oops Paul, I forgot about oktoberfest in Munich, maybe best to add add'l days elsewhere. I've not been there at that time and I'm sure there are things for kids to do during the day, but as Sarah said, it's maybe not something you want to deal with (finding a hotel, traffic, crowds, etc). I think Slovenia sounds great, hope I can get there someday. I don't think you should cut any of that out of your plans. Happy planning.

Thanks again for all of the replies and advice. Angela, hearing about your experience in Slovenia has me wanting to go even more. Definitely sounds like a keeper. How did you find the farm? Still undecided about Munich due to the Oktoberfest influence. I'm imagining surrounding areas would see an increase in activity at the same time as well? Paul

In addition to all the beer drinking, Oktoberfest is also a huge carnival, with rides and booths and lots of activity. It's quite a spectacle and I think it might be fun for the kids. Also, on the first Sunday of Oktoberfest there's a great parade in downtown Munich, well worth watching. But you would want to make your hotel reservations ASAP.