Hi, My husband and I are replanning a trip to Europe that was originally planned in 2020. We now have a 6 month old who will be 14 months at the time of our travels sept 19-oct 8. We have pared down a lot of destinations and sight seeing trying to be realistic about what can be done in 3 weeks with a 1 year old. We now plan to go to Rome, Cinque Terre, Lautenbrunnen then end in Munich only because my husbands college roommate now lives there. I wanted to spend the whole time in Italy but my husband really wants to visit his German friend in Munich. My question is how would you recommend getting from CT to Lautenbrunnen to Munich? We’re pretty light packers and plan to have 2 carry ons, 2 backpacks and a baby carrier. We talked about renting a car and driving which would give us the ability to stop when little man needs to eat/play ect. But I don’t want to lug a car seat around europe and wasn’t sure about the logistics of renting a car with a car seat there. Plus there’s the question of how dangerous, curvy, traffic filled the roads are. The train route seems to have a lot of changeovers and I’m not sure the “set up” in the European trains and how tough a full day of rail travel would be with a 1 year old. Has anyone driven the area? Rented a car with car seats in Italy? Or traveled by train with a toddler that distance? We thought about an early train out of CT to Milan where we could lunch and let our son run off some energy then picking up a rental car there and driving the rest of the way. We’ve rented cars in Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and had great experiences but I’m reading a lot of shady stories about car rental in Europe. Any experience/ advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Posted by
Paris
6921 posts
Renting a car in one country and dropping it off in another is cost-prohibitive, the drop-off fees can be close to €1,000 in some cases.
So I would only rent for the Italian section, and I would fly from Milan to Munich. Switzerland can wait, all excursions around Lauterbrunnen are train-based and could get cumbersome with a 10 kg infant in tow ;)
Also, Cinque Terre is probably the worst place to visit in your situation due to the lack of good road access and some steep villages. It is feasible, but u think that Santa Maria Ligure/Camogli/Portofino would be better to experience the gorgeous Ligurian coast.
Car seats can be booked, but make sure to rent the right kind: not sure what is standard in America, but here a 14-month old still uses a "baby" type seat facing backwards.
Posted by
lexington, il
4105 posts
Check to see if your husband’s roommate can come to you.
It would be much easier on your family.
Posted by
4473 posts
Can Lautenbrunnen be replaced? It would be a snap to fly to Munich.
If you cannot hike with the little one (some perhaps could--I had enough trouble getting myself up those steps), I'd consider somewhere other than CT too. There are so many other pretty coastal towns that don't get as crowded.
Renting a car within Italy is no big deal, but people are reporting high costs this year.
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11247 posts
plan to have 2 carry-ons, 2 backpacks and a baby carrier.
I am struggling to visualize how this works.
Traveling by train would allow more freedom of movement for the child, than being in a car, and even better than the plane ride to get there.
Your original plan/destinations probably worked well for 2 adults. A young child added into the mix creates some challenges that should not be overlooked and perhaps prompt a consideration of a change of plans to accommodate the new reality
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thanks for all the advice! I was questioning CT more so due to the popularity of the area even though everywhere in Italy is popular. We will definitely look into Portofino area instead. I suppose I should have included that we are pretty “experienced” travelers. We’ve gone on a multi week trips in Northern Europe and Central America with just 1 carry on and 2 backpacks for both my husband and I. We use laundry service at hotels when needed or in Central America pack some detergent sheets and just hand wash. Since our son was born we’ve been hiking in Door County, WI, Boulder and Vail, CO, Florida twice and just returned from AZ. This is our first international trip with him though. We got lucky with an easy baby and he loves his carrier/being outside especially being forward facing and checking out at the sights. I have no reservations about what we need per se or “how” to travel with a baby. We don’t try to do as much sight seeing as most probably do and are more into outdoor/active traveling so the Riviera and Lautenbrunnen are more important for us than Rome so we may cut that instead. Which still leaves us with the how to get to LT. My husband and his friend want to go to Oktoberfest together so Munich is a must for him. His friend is from Germany and says Europeans travel around Europe with their kids all the time, that I’m overthinking and trains or car hire would be fine haha. No help at all. We may replace Rome with Venice, take a train from the Riviera to Milan, rent a car there to drive through the Alps to Munich then on to Venice to avoid the fees. Or maybe cut Italy all together and save for another trip. Four 4-5 night stays in 3 weeks seemed doable but maybe we’ll rethink. Thanks again for the suggestions. Lots to think on.
Posted by
Minnesota
490 posts
Keep in mind that traveling with a 14-month-old may be very different than traveling with a 6-month-old. An “easy” baby at six months may be very happy in a baby carrier, car seat, stroller. But a 14-month-old may be walking and much more restless, wanting to MOVE, but not yet capable of long walks. I remember more than one restaurant meal where my husband and I never got to sit down together to eat - one of us had to be walking with the toddler outside throughout the meal LOL. Toddlers are a lot of fun, but can be much more exhausting to travel with!
Posted by
Sweden
6470 posts
Getting from Cinque Terre to Lauterbrunnen by train is easy, but will take a while. Something that is hard to avoid when going from a small village to another small village in another country. You will need to change in Milan, Spiez and Interlaken but that should be doable even with a small child.
Europeans travel with children on trains all the time, so I agree with your husband's friend that you are overthinking it. The train staff have seen children before and the other passengers as well. And when travelling by train you don't need to stop when he needs to eat or play.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11364 posts
I, too, think you are overthinking, but I also agree Cinque Terre is not a good option with a little one.
I do think the Lauterbrunnen Valley would be great with a child as there are great playgrounds, fun mountain trains and lifts, and easy hikes. The train transfers are easy in Switzerland, with their precise scheduling and interconnectedness. Most trains have minimal steps, if any, these days, and the stations have ramps and elevators,
You could do Rome, then take the train to Milan for one night to break up the trip, then train via Spiez to Lauterbrunnen. Maybe you’d enjoy another stop somewhere in Switzerland but it would be easy to pass a week in Lauterbrunnen (we spent a month there last fall and we go every year). From Lauterbrunnen head on to Munich as desired.
No car required!