Switzerland or Amsterdam/Brussels/Cologne

I took the Amsterdam-Cologne-Bachrach-Munich trip twice in two years. The roads from Brussels to Amsterdam and south are all autobahn, and just fine. No the road trip is not bad, and driving up the Rhine River Valley is very interesting. I would suggest driving as far as Bacharach as there are something like 40 castles along the river in 40 miles. You can get reasonably priced rooms outside any large cities. Inside the large cities may take a little internet work, however. One good website for great accommodations in the Rhine and Mosel River area is Bavaria Ben at http://www.bensbauernhof.com/
I find Belgium a little reserved for my tastes, and am more comfortable in the Netherlands. Budget flights from Ireland to Amsterdam are also inexpensive.

1. Your first criterion would seem to rule out Switzerland. 2. The distances aren't very far, but traffic can be hellish between Brussels and Amsterdam. Amsterdam is also not a great place to bring a car. All three cities are connected by direct high speed rail lines. 3. If it hasn't closed permanently yet, the toddler may enjoy MiniEurope in Brussels, and the Dutch National Rail Museum in Utrecht.

Thanks Nigel, that was very helpful!

1. Well for a low budget choice I wouldn't drive. Or more accurately, park. Parking and driving in Amsterdam is only for the brave and rich. Driving in Brussels can be "interesting". Belgian roads don't always have all the potholes repaired, good signage, or drivers who respect line markings. I drive in Belgium a lot because it is between where I start and where I want to go. I speak from experience. Oh, and a few (OK - many) Belgians don't know where the turn indicator is in their cars. Parking in Cologne can be expensive. Watch out for the one way streets in Amsterdam and Brussels. 2. Not too hard, see answer number 1. 3. eh? 4. ned a bit more help here before I can help with specifics.

"We're interested in sight-seeing and countryside type of stuff" So why focus on 3 major cities - especially with a car? None of these places is especially child-friendly. You can fly Ryanair cheaply from DUB to Brussels-Charleroi (which is well outside Brussels.) Get your car there and tour some smaller places - Bruges is wonderful. Gent too. Dinant and Namur are nice. Head north to Kinderdijk, Delft, Marken, Volendam, Monnickendam, and Zaanse Schans (north of Amsterdam.) Daytrip into A'dam (maybe by train) for a day. Some of the Belgian and Dutch beach towns are nice for an outing. Maybe make a stop in Brussels on the return to Charleroi. Mechelen is a lovely town on the way. That's more than enough driving for a week. If you want to see Germany, go there instead, but not in addition.

Hi! Thanks for all the responses! I saw a few mentions of Switzerland being expensive ( of course, yes!) but wouldn't the other route be equally expensive? Also just to rephrase my earlier question... We don't plan to navigate around Amsterdam with our car...probably use it only on the outskirts..now, that said does the itinerary sound more doable?

Regarding the last post - parking and driving in the "outskirts" of Amsterdam can be fun and challenging. Parking can be a challenge. For example, Haarlem is 15 minutes away from Amsterdam Centraal by train. Parking anywhere near the station on the street you would need to be very, very lucky. Parking in the parking garage can be a challenge. Not a few times I have found it full and had to park quite a long way away and hoof it. Most suburban NS stations have very small carparks (and large cycle parking lots). You have been vague about Switzerland. Where in Switzerland are you intending to go? It is the size of Massachusetts and New Jersey combined but with mountains and lakes to make travel between towns and cities more interesting. How will you get there from your previous stop in Ireland, and how will you get back? Why are you returning to Ireland? Why don't you save money and fly open jaws (or multi-city) and return to the west coast from continental Europe?

Budget friendly option and Switzerland simply do not go together. Wonderful scenery, but incredibly expensive.

I agree with the other posts regarding the high cost of Switzerland and traveling via train in lieu of a car. You might want to go straight to Amsterdam rather than stay in Brussels. In fact, why not fly from Dublin to Amsterdamunless you've already purchased your air fare? See Amsterdam for a few days, maybe a day trip to Haarlem or Utrecht, then a train to Cologne. Train along the Rhine (or maybe drive) ending in Wiesbaden/Frankfurt, fly from Frankfurt back to Dublin. The trip would be pretty much stress-free (as compared to driving)and your child can move around a bit rather than be in a car seat.