Help with itinerary -Amsterdam inbound&#59; Frankfurt outbound - 10 days

Thanks James - ok to skip Brussles. So you don't think the drive between Berlin and Munich is any good? Can you help suggest some must see places and dividing time in Germany. Also can you provide the reservation link to ICE? Appreciate your help. rk.

The BMW Factory Tour is 2.5 hours long... not so great for such young'uns, unless you can do a tradeoff with another adult. Some pretty serious adults on the tours. The BMW museum across from the BMW Welt ( a very cool building) would be more interesting with the variety of racing cars and motorcycles- maybe an hour. ( My sons thought so anyway). The Welt itself has a few interesting cars, worth a walk through and maybe a snack- very commercial, so 20-30 minutes there. Check into procedure for the reservations for the factory tour now. You didn't ask, but across the street from BMW is the Olympic Park- great place to run and play and the minigolf would be a fun hour- more memorable for the kids IMHO. Are you doing a day train from AMS to BER? We went from Amsterdam to Munich which is not bad. ( Have also done overnight trains, not too easy to sleep). If you do daytime,take something like a surprise toy or new book for them. We reserved seats in a compartment rather than the saloon as we felt our luggage was easier to watch. We took turns getting up to get hot coffee or snacks. You would find it easier to prepurchase most of yout food/drinks from one of the shops at the train station. Take snacks they like with you!
Nymphenburg palace in Munich was OK and it was a good excursion. You've got to walk arounf the Marienplatz. Very good zoo in Berlin.

Regensburg has a BMW factory nearby and sometimes easier to get a tour at that location. Cute town, too.

Melissa - huge thanks for your inputs. looks like you have traveled with kids in that area and are quite knowledgeable. yes, we were planning to take the train from AMS to Berlin - do you have any recommendations for castles that you thought was worth your time? I am seriously considering Regensburg for the BMW factory tour and skip Munich all together - any thoughts? Any recommendations on memorable WW2 sites. What did you think of Dachau? I definitely want to drive around even if for a short while on the famous autobhan - any recommendations. If I commit to a week in Germany, how would you split the time up between Berlin, Munich and the rest? Thanks again.

Berlin is a fine place to visit, but when I read your posts, rk, I hear "BMW", "Autobahn", and "castles", nothing specific about your intentions in Berlin. Is Berlin a "must-do"? Because it really is a big place that requires 4-5 days, maybe more with kids, and it isn't really a "kid" sort of place, overall. And if you're spending just 3 nights there, well, you're going to spend 6.5 hours on the train on the first Berlin day, so you really have only a tad more than 2 days in Berlin. I really think you're stretching this trip much too thin. I'd cut Berlin. 3-4 days in Holland sounds alright. I'd take the family to Zaanse Schans too - great for kids and it's a short train ride from Amsterdam. http://www.zaanseschans.nl Then I would take the train from A'dam to castle country for 2 nights in the Middle Rhine Valley - it's half way to Munich south of Cologne, just south of Koblenz. St. Goar is a good town to stay in: http://www.st-goar.de/17-1-.html http://www.marksburg.de Stop enroute at the excellent WW II museum at the "Bridge at Remagen" in the town of the same name: http://www.bruecke-remagen.de Then pick up your car and Autobahn your way to Munich for 4 nights, and do a drive or two outside Munich as well. It would make sense to leave for home from Munich Airport.

"What did you think of Dachau?" Very moving displays. But I think most kids at 5 would be traumatized. The 9-year-old might do OK if well informed in advance, but this place traumatizes adults, and indeed ruins your day for fun and frolic, as it should.

RK, Our kids first trip to Europe was to Germany years ago! We did a lot of what RS recommends, flew in to FRA, got a car, headed to Bacharach and the castles along the Rhine immediately. I was going to suggest that but didnt since your itinerary already sounds crowded. Remember your kids will be getting over jetlag just like you, only you know about it and can enjoy coffee, LOL. Check the RS book for sample ideas, but the kids also thought it was fun to be inside the city walls in Rothenburg the touristy place.
I would not give up Munich for Regensburg until the 3rd or 4th trip- I really like Munich. On the other hand my husband adores Berlin because it was off limits when we were growing up; Munich seems much more youth oriented. I might rule out Berlin just to keep the travel time short. If your kids even kind of like cars, then the BMW complex is good IF you keep the visit short and keep them well snacked. (We have found that low blood sugar makes anyone cranky, & ice cream is a good idea.) My kids are 18 and 21 now and we went to Auschwitz a few years ago: the older one could barely stand being there and was really upset. The younger one was shocked but took it in and could process it by talking. The younger one at age 15, went with me to Oradour-sur-Glane in France which is stark. I would not take kids as young as yours to such a site. Yet the torture museum in Rothenburg was their choice and didn't seem to bother them. You will have time and "assume you will return". Lots of fun happy and also cultural things to see instead at this age, IMHO. Not sure how easy it is to see the BMWs being made these days- for a while you had to book way in advance or hope for last minute tix. Going to be a fun trip!

Thank you Russ; will definitely add Zaanse Schans to the circuit. We have friends in Holland and hence this detour to Holland; but our focus in Germany. Thanks Melissa your inputs are very helpful, I have already bought the train tickets from AMS to Berlin; but I can keep the visit short. We will go easy of the museums as kids might not enjoy that as much - in Berlin the three places of interest are the Berlin wall; reichstag and the brandenburg gate. Also thinking of taking the walking tour. BMW museum, only the one in Munich is open to kids below 14; my thought is to just for my son and I to do it; while wife (who is ok to forgo this) will take the daughter to the Olympic park or do something that will keep them occupied that morning. Not identified other places to see/do in Munich. I appreciate some insights here. I might consider the drive from Nurnberg via wurzburg to Frankfurt. If that is not practical, I am ok to forgo Autobhan experience this trip; I am sure we will be back. Thanks again.

Apropos of nothing: Driving in Germany is FUN, since it isn't commuting for us. There's plenty of autobahn for you to enjoy, but clear with the family how fast you can go. My husband started freaking out when I got to 125 mph. HE felt OK driving 90-100, but not any faster with all of us in the car. Point well taken. On the other hand, last year in Italy I was mortified when a smart car passed us. --------------
Also, the Deutsches Museum is extremely cool; it's like one of those cool kid's museums that is science oriented only it's for adults and everyone likes it. I don;t know anyone who is sorry they went there, even for a couple of hours. Great for a rainy or cold day. If you don't do it this time, do it next time.

rk, the first time we took my youngest to amsterdam and germany he was 11, and one of the highlights of our trip was Madurodam in den Haag. We did it as a day trip by train, and my son was enraptured. http://www.madurodam.com/ It looks like it opens for the year on April 1st. Another highlight for my son was exploring Castle Ruins. He didn't care so much for intact Castles, but the ruins were really fun because he was able to climb and explore. The best ruins we went to was Rheinfels (sp?) on the Rhine which is not too far from Frankfurt. I would really caution carefully choosing which WWII sites you visit. I made the mistake of underestimating the effect they would have on my then 11 year old whom we took to the Anne Frank House, and Dachau. We had read the Diary of Anne Frank prior to going, but talking to him about these visits a few years after I think they were more disturbing to him than I had realized at the time. When he was 13 we went to the museum in Nurnburg, and to Matthausen. At that age he was able to realize some benefit without being distressed.

I have to put in a vote for Frankfurt. As long as you have to go there anyway, why not spend a day or two. Berlin is very interesting, but Frankfurt has an Old World feel to it, since much of it was left standing after WWII. Madurodam is a great idea. I loved it - twice.

Any thoughts on the "Nuremberg for the Spring Festival" - it starts on April 7 and we will be en-route to Frankfurt from Munich on the 7th. Is it worth our time to spend a hour? Also I have seen a lot of videos about Hitlers Nuremberg camps, curious to check that place - any specific points of interest there as we make our way to Frankfurt? Thanks for all the inputs - really appreciate it.