It seems everyone on here is very kind and helpful and so I've decided to post as well. I have not yet booked our summer holiday to Germany/Salzburg. I am hoping to use miles to fly over (from Chicago). I have been reading and reading and it appears that if I book an open jaw flight, I might get a cheaper flight, if I decide to use currency vs. miles. Does anybody have any thoughts on this? Also, because we are 2 adults, 3 small children, renting a car is probably the most economical choice. However, I was hoping we could take a train from one point to another to give them that experience, without it being ridiculously expensive. We definitely will see the "main" castles in Germany but too many will bore the children (7, 7 and nearly 5 at the time). We will also try to book hotels that fall within the Starwood Preferred Guest program to save on costs as well. However, if there is the "one" hotel we should stay at, and it is not SPG, please let me know. :) Back to flights, we would have enough points for 5 economy flights but seriously considering trying to get business class seats. International flights with kids are much easier when they sleep! Thanks in advance for your advice!
Posted by
Hendersonville, TN
98 posts
Lori,
We are doing much of the same next summer. Our family, 2 adults & 2 kids (14 and 7), will base in Salzburg for a week at Haus am Moos. It's a B&B but also has an apartment with 2 bedrooms, kitchen and enough space for all of us. We will fly into and out of Munich. I don't like to change hotels every couple of nights so we will do day trips to Berchtesgaden, Werfen, Salzkammergut and Zell am See to drive the Grosseglockner.
When we arrive in MUC we will train to Freilassing to pick up a car for the week. We love European train travel plus this gives me a chance to rest longer before driving. After our week in Salzburg we will spend 2 nights in Munich to see the sites.
We find this kind of more relaxed travel the best for our family.
Posted by
Atlanta
1357 posts
DEFINITELY do a farmhouse stay with your kids. It'll be the best vacation you've ever had. If you search online for "bauernhof urlaub", you'll come across some websites with farmhouses listed on them. You can get a 2 BR apartment, have your own kitchen, and the kids get to play with cows, horses, and chickens. Many have small playgrounds or push carts, too. We stayed at one outside of Salzburg 4 years ago with our son, then 3, and it was the best. There's lots of other kids running around, they don't speak English, but they don't seem to mind the language barrier.
We found that most towns had playgrounds, which made for a great afternoon break. And ice cream. Plan for lots of ice cream.
Posted by
OP
Chicago, IL, USA
138 posts
Well I am certainly gaining more ideas than I thought I would; thank you!
We stayed at a place called Villa Pia on the Tuscany border a couple of summers ago and it was wonderful, however a week there was too long. Can you stay at these farms for less than a week? Since you've been to more of these farms, any other suggestions on where to stay is appreciated too. I have an additional question: Germany seems large to me and I was wondering which are the MUST SEES you would recommend in the lower parts (we're not doing the top half, just bottom). In Austria, we were doing the sound of music tour, mozart stuff but that's all we've considered so far.
Posted by
Atlanta
1357 posts
You can stay at the farmhouses for less than a week. Unlike other places, in Germany and Austria, you can rent apartments by the day.
Where you stay depends on how much hopping around you want to do. The farmhouse we stayed in was near St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut region of Austria, just outside of Salzburg. Lots of lakes and mountains and hiking. There's plenty of good places to stay in Bavaria, too.
If you're going to Salzburg, make sure to see the fortress there, and Hellbrun castle. Hellbrun has a fun water fountain tour and an awesome playground.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19095 posts
Many of the small towns that would make a trip like this worthwhile are on regional train lines and bus routes.
For €28 a day (currently, probably a bit higher in 2010) you can buy a Bayern-Ticket, which gives you unlimited use of the regional trains and regional buses all day long (after 9 AM workdays) in Bavaria. Other German states, Laender, have similar offers. €28 will buy you maybe 5 gal of fuel, not to mention the cost of daily rental for a car big enough for all of you, and luggage.
Also, for economical accommodations, stay in small towns and look at their website, usually www .townname.de. Look under Unterkünfte (accommodations) and Ferienwohnungen (vacation apartments). Unlike hotel rooms, which are rarely for more than 2 persons, Ferienwohnungen will have 1 or 2 bedrooms, plus a sleeper in the living room. Plus, they will have a cooking area if you want to economize on meal costs.