My husband and I will be traveling to Germany over Christmas with our two kids (5 and 1). We'll be staying with family in Bechhofen, Germany, but want to take a day trip into Switzerland. Zurich was originally suggested, but RS doesn't recommend it. Does anyone have any suggestions for a short, day trip that's not too far from where we'll be staying?? I would love for my girls to see (or go up into) the Alps if possible.
Thanks for your help!
I'm not absolutely certain I know where Behhofen is -- what is the nearest major rail station? If it is where I think it is, you'll have trouble daytripping to Lucerne, and Interlaken is out of the question.
I'll second the notion of spending a day where Germany meets Switzerland -- do 1/2 day at Neushwanstein, and 1/2 day frolicking in the Swiss countryside accross the border.
I love the Interlaken area, but you'll have to commit more time to make it there and back. It looks like about 6 hours by train -- so you could go over there, spend an evening and night, go up the mountain in the morning, and head back to Germany.
I didn't realize Rick rejects Zurich as a destination. Even if this accurate, it doesn't necessarily mean Zurich isn't worth visiting for part of a day (and you can see the Alps in the distance from there). It's not a powerhouse destination by any means. Realistically, however, I would recommend staying in Bavaria for a day trip. Lots of good options from your location: Nürnberg, Munich, Rothenburg odT, even the castles as already mentioned (Alps are right there).
Looking on a map, it looks like your nearest large city is Nuremburg. The nearest border to Switzerland is at least a 4 hour journey by car, you would probably have to travel about another hour farther to see the mountains, and cloudy weather could block your view at any time. As the others recommended, if you want to see the Alps, just go south of Munich. There are a number of Alpine mountain resorts, such as Fuessen, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberamergau, Mittenwald, Bertchesgaden and others.
please post after your return I will be flying into zurich in March and looking to spend a few days on my own in Switzerland before heading to colmar france to meet up with french friends.
It looks like Bechhofen to Zurich is 6 hours each way by train, to Lucerne is an hour further. I don't think it's worth it - 2 or 3 hours each way and I'd say you had a good chance of it.
You can check it out at http://www.bahn.de/i/view/USA/en/index.shtml
