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Help me find a small city/town to base in? Bavaria area?

Hello- I know the title is very opened ended, but we just returned from a two week trip to Paris and Bruges. We traveled with our four year old, and although we had a great time in Paris, we absolutely loved Bruges. It got me thinking of our trip to Italy several years ago were we loved Rome but if we returned with a small child, how much someplace like Sienna or another town in Tuscany (Lucca?) would have been a better fit, Also met a couple in our same situation in Bruges who told us they specifically sought out smaller towns for a more laid back atmosphere. I know Bruges is very touristy, but that was perfectly fine in our situation

We have two weeks off in July and are considering Bavaria (I know it is a huge area) and would likely have two bases. What are some good areas that might have a similar feel/vibe?

What we are looking for

  1. Someplace that has charm and is beautiful and feels historic (not a big city atmosphere such as Paris, London, or Munich (now I have never been to Munich, but just making that assumption, not against staying there a night or two before flying out if we use that airport).

  2. A place with day trip options <30-45 minutes away via train or car.

  3. Places we won't get board of in ~6-7 days each. Note we are perfectly find taking things slowly and exploring and just sorta "mini-living" during the time. As long as fun bars, good food, and places to safety stroll and watch the world go by, we can entertain ourselves in places for a longer time than the average tourist, We could have easily stayed in Bruges for a couple more days.

  4. A place with some playgrounds for the little one - they were a lifesaver with our child. (yes, I know most towns will have something)

  5. Beautiful scenery.

  6. We just don't want to be in a modern feel town, but that sorta "fairy tale" feel of a place. We like plenty of free/cheap things to do - vs committing a large entry fee to a famous museum, then having the little one throw a fit and us leaving. If that makes sense,

Thanks in advance all

Posted by
6643 posts

Many years ago I provided some advice to a family that wanted a low-key stay like the one you're describing. They rented an apartment for one month in the town of Cochem and went about seeing things on their own in the surrounding are area, at their own pace, as the spirit moved them. They wrote me a glowing account afterward. Below is a partial listing of things you might see/do in the area with some links I have handy.

Cochem:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/ed/c8/68/edc8682d8a0cb751cd24ac321e595df8.jpg
https://one-million-places.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/deutschland/cochem-mosel-sehenswuerdigkeiten-04.jpg

Nearby:

Burg Eltz
Klotti Zoo/Amusement Park
Trier
Bernkastel
Braubach and Marksburg Castle (3 pages of pics)
Cologne + Cologne Cathedral
Beilstein (nice river-cruise destination from Cochem)
Biking along the river
Hiking paths through vineyards and forest
Birds of Prey exhibitions (at Klotti park above, or at venue in Saarburg.)
WW II bunker in Irrel

Frankfurt, Luxembourg, or Cologne are convenient airport choices for Cochem.

Posted by
29 posts

Spent 4 days last fall in Fussen as part of a 16 day trip by train. We were there 9 years ago but just on a day trip to Neuschwanstein out of Munich. We knew we wanted to see more of the area and were totally delighted. So much to do and see in regard to history, being active and nature. Small but large enough to have all the amenities but easy to navigate. One day we cycled to the mountain and took the cable car to the top of Tegleberg then cycled the entire distance around the Forgensee on a glorious day.

38 years of marriage at that time and still be of our fav memories.

That was our 9th trip to Europe (#10 was April with 12 days in France, #11 next week) through 12 countries and both hubby and I still rate Fussen as one of our favourite places.

Do some research on your own but I think it may fit your criteria.

Posted by
2242 posts

If you want to stay in Bavaria Donauwörth is known as child-friendly town (huge open-air bath) and located between Augsburg (40 mins by train) and Nuremberg (70 mins), also Munich (90 mins). And also other towns such as Regensburg or Bamberg would match your criteria in my eyes.

Posted by
8382 posts

Garmisch-Partenkirchen, 1.5 hours from Munich by train. Lots of outdoor opportunities and good tourist infrastructure. Very family friendly.

Posted by
130 posts

I recommended Bad Tölz 60km south of Munich in Bavaria as requested on your tripadvisor forum posting.

Posted by
451 posts

I was just going to say that German playgrounds are amazing, so you should be in good shape there! You can go on Google maps and type in Spielplatz to get an idea of where good playgrounds in the area are located and which are good.

Munich is a lot less "big city" than London or Paris, so you can probably spend a night or two there and find it comfortable and enjoyable.

Regensburg comes to mind as a good choice for easy train access to lots of places (Ulm, Munich, Nuremberg, Prague, and even places further afield) and having a very pretty old town.

Posted by
6643 posts

We have two weeks off in July and are considering Bavaria

You've received rec's for some really fine destinations here. I'm a big fan of Bamberg and Regensburg for their historical credentials. The scenery around Füssen is excellent. Garmisch-Partenkirchen was mentioned as well, a very convenient base town for outings by train. I would not be unhappy with 2 weeks in any of these places.

If it must be Bavaria, I'll toss out this additional suggestion, which might just tick all your boxes... Garmisch-Partenkirchen's high-altitude neighbor, Mittenwald. It's 10 miles from G-P and a great choice if mountains matter.

This map shows Mittenwald's proximity by rail to G-P, the Zugspitze, Innsbruck, and to the "Außerfernbahn" railway, one of Europe's more scenic train routes. It crosses Tyrolean Austria via Reutte and returns passengers into Germany. (In/near Reutte you could use a bus transfer to visit Füssen if you wish; as the map shows, Füssen is at the very end of a trunk railway, so staying there is going to interfere with the semi-daily train outings you are considering.)

This page has some sightseeing information on Mittenwald followed by some info on the Zugspitze (scroll down.)

Like Füssen, the Bavarian towns of Regensburg and Bamberg might be a box or two shy of a fully-checked list of your boxes, Scotttyd. Great destinations, but they may lack the amazing scenery and the "out-of-a-fairytale" vibe you are seeking. G-P itself is a great travel base with lots going for it, but it's also kind of big, developed, and spread out, not especially fairytale-like.

If "considering" Bavaria means you're open to other options, as it appears to do, I still think Cochem will suit you quite well. You may also be interested in the Fairy Tale Route towns, which also lie outside Bavaria.

Posted by
87 posts

thanks for all the great info - I have a lot of reading to do!

In no way am I limiting myself to Bavaria, and honestly I likely have failed geography a bit, as I see Bavaria is only SE Germany - not all of the south - I am really up for anything, but just think of Bavaria as quintessential "tourist Germany". Since it is July we want to be a place with lovely weather (not too hot like you would see in Spain or non-mountainous Italy.

I will definitely give it some time and appreciate all the responses.

Posted by
130 posts

So when like to go bit to the southwest of Germany
What about the Bodensee(Lake Constance)?

When you will have a car I can recommend a Holiday Appartment in Hagnau between Meersburg and Immenstaad
https://bucherhof-hagnau.de/69/ferienwohnungen
They do have links for places to go with kids on their website (sorry link only in German Google maybe your friend)
https://bucherhof-hagnau.de/72/ausflugsziele

Hagnau
https://www.gemeinde-hagnau.de/willkommen

5km away
Meersburg is nice town to visit or stay
https://www.meersburg.de/en/Tourism

10km away Ferry from Meersburg
Konstanz
https://www.constance-lake-constance.com/
https://www.stadtfuehrer-konstanz.de/other-languages/english-version-prices/

16km away Boatrip from Hagnau or Ferry from Meersburg
Insel Mainau
https://www.mainau.de/en/home

5km away
Immenstaad
https://www.immenstaad-tourismus.de/

40 km away
Lindau
https://www.lindau.de/en/

50 km away
Bregenz(Austria)
https://visitbregenz.com/en?mo=6&yr=2019&cHash=60ed2237bca0862baa9c0a395a8e1256

Only to mention a few places on the lake worth a visit.
You can also go to Switzerland by boat

Boatrips on the lake
https://www.bsb.de/en

Posted by
32765 posts

you may find that southern Germany can be quite warm in July. It was in the mid 30s and hotter this year

Posted by
1293 posts

With a car small towns... Priechsenstadt and Reit im Winkl. Main Franken Wine region and Bavarian home Alps. Driving distance to a lot of great places. Not so sure of playgrounds, but nature stuff to do with a kid. If you don't enjoy it you will be bored. The lesser traveled road.

Posted by
70 posts

Not sure how old your kids are but we really loved Berchtesgaden with tween/teen last year.

-pretty old town area
- salt mine
- Right by Koenigsee - boat ride and lovely little hike at end
- Right by Mt Jenner (cable car up; great views)
- Cool adventure playground on north end of town we hoped to hit but ran out of time for

Day trips:
- Summer luge ride with nice cable car up
- Therme in nearby town with stuff for both adults and kids
- Gorge hikes (a few within 20-60 min)
- Via ferrata tours
- Thumsee lake
- Cool castle with falcon show
- Ice cave
- Saltzburg close by

Honestly the hardest thing was picking what to do for our limited time there because there seemed so many options.

Posted by
19 posts

Wife and I just spent a couple weeks in Germany and Austria. Our favorite places in Bavaria were Rothenburg ob der Tauber and Berchtesgaden- we stayed nearby in Marktschellenburg. We also really enjoyed Regensburg.

Our least favorite destination was Cochem but we thought the town we stayed in nearby was charming “Hatzenport” and super convenient for visiting Burg Eltz which was amazing.

Posted by
114 posts

We flew to Munich a couple years ago and rented a car. My daughter was eight at the time. We spent a week, staying in Maria Alm. It is in Austria, not Bavaria. But it is very near the German border. Wavy took day trips to Innsbruck, Hallstatt, Eagles Nest area, and explored other surrounding areas.
It was stunning. We were there in October. The weather was unseasonably warm. We were able to go up ski lifts and wander around. Everything was decorated for fall.

Posted by
980 posts

I've traveled with a small child in Bavaria (we used to live in Munich), here are two good previous threads on the subject:
- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/munich-salzburg-and-bavaria-with-young-children
- https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/things-to-do-in-tegernsee-area

Honestly, if it were me I'd pick Munich as a base. Even though it is big it doesn't feel like it (people often complain/rave on this forum how un-big city like it is). Also, if you base out of Munich and the weather turns south the whole time you will still have plenty of indoor activities for the children.

By back up location would be Tegernsee area. Really good tourism infrastructure here and lots of things to keep a kid entertained for several days.

DJ

Posted by
8382 posts

I’m not sure what your thoughts are on your transportation options, but I wanted to mention that the “D” ticket was a huge money saver for our party on our recent trip to Germany. If you will be taking public transport, be sure to consider this.