Family holiday to Western Europe, 2 toddlers 1 baby

I am guessing you already have your visa for staying this long or are in the process of it, so I won't address that part of your question as I have no idea what the visa requirements are in the EU for visitors from Australia. With your list of requirements though, I think you would do better in a city than a village. With 3 little kids, you will want decent public transportation, swimming pools, and interesting museums and activities for the grown ups. Unless you are staying right next to a large tourist attraction, you will probably never notice the tourists. Every city will have pleasant neighborhoods, with lots of small stores, cafes, etc. but if you base yourself out in the country or a little village, you may find yourself kind of stuck with not much to do. You mention Stuttgart, which is the 6th largest city in Germany, and this would probably be a good spot. It is near Tübingen and there are a lot of palaces, and nice sightseeing in the area. Germany will be your cheapest country as far as lodging and food. Scandanavia your most expensive. Switzerland too, is very expensive.

I might recommend renting a chalet near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Oberstdorf. or something near or on the Bodensee. Australia is in the same category as the US and Canada- you are limited to 90 days for a visa-free entry in the Schengen Zone. You'll have to apply for an extended tourist visa if you want to stay for 6 months.

Your first stop should be to www.kinderhotels.com
We LOVE them! They are usually all-inclusive, have lots of activities in the hotels and in the surrounding areas, and have onsite care from infant through teens. The hotels are specifically set up for children (baby gates at all the stairs, and the elevators, bunks and cribs are standard not additional, playrooms, crafts, etc. I also recommend Stuttgart as a centrally located place to travel Europe. This is our 4th year in Stuttgart and in 6 hours by train or car you are in Paris or Prague. 2 hours easy drive to Zurich, Heidelberg, or Munich. Also a reminder that August is the vacation time for most Europeans, so rents will be higher then.

Thanks Jo, Tom and Kathy. I will delve more into your suggestions... my wife and I appreciate them thank you. Fortunately, we're citizens of New Zealand which has bilateral visa waiver agreements with most of the individual countries in the Schengen area. This means we can visit Schengen states visa-free for periods of up to 3 months in EACH country rather than the Schengen region as a whole. This is fantastic news for us. My wife and I are debating the virtues of basing ourselves in a city versus a small town/village with babies/toddlers. For example, Stuttgart or Tubingen, London or Bath? Without the toddlers and baby it would be the city but I'm worried about the noise our family makes! I would hate to be living in a small apartment in the city for 1 month, and the neighbors complaining about crying babies! A cottage in the country may be less exciting for the parents but perhaps less stressful in terms of upsetting the locals. For weekend visits from our base, would our family require a hotel with a "quad" or "triple" room? We are two adults, two toddlers and one baby. Is it common for young families like us to travel throughout Western Europe and is it therefore easy to find hotels that accommodate families? Thanks again,
Brent

I would also suggest looking into "farm stays", where often working (or non-working) farms have added fully furnished vacation apartments and outline all the amenities they have to keep children happy - like animals, sand boxes, swings, nearby lakes or pools, bikes for rent, etc. The German web sites are sorted by "Laender" - i.e. Bavaria, Saxony, etc. etc. There are, to my knowledge, similar web sites for Austria and Italy (and probably other countries.) Also, for that length of stay, you might look into a car buy-back plan instead of renting. If you're interested in that, there are probably some people on this board who have personal experience with that. You could post a separate question about it.

Has that 2 day old baby addled your brain and made you live in a fantasy world?! I am both jealous of the 6 month trip and amazed that you'll do it with the little ones. Small outings keep everyone happy. If you are stuck in a cottage or apt and no place nearby to get to easily, you'll be miserable. You need a park nearby, even just one with pigeons to chase, and a store to meander around. And an ice cream shop. The beauty of google is the street view where you can walk yourself around the neighborhood. Also, take this trip for you and your wife. Enjoy it with the kids, but do not expect the kids to have any memory of this. At all. This may actually be rather freeing for you, because you won't feel the need to take them up in the Eiffel Tower, etc if you don't think you can manage it. Make sure you each take time alone. By the way, the baby's crying.