Germany Road Trip - with a child
Discussion
I know there's some good threads on here about road trips in Germany and I've been reading one from a couple of years ago which contained similar stuff to what I'm looking at, which was very useful. Apart from fuel prices (!) not sure if much has changed since then.
Basically I want to take the 911 back to it's homeland - I've been wanting to do another Euro road trip for some time but most of my 'car' friends are busy with family stuff these days and I'm not sure how long I'm going to have the car so I thought I'd just crack on and take my 8 year old son instead!
The basic plan is:
Tunnel to Calais and on to Reims to have a look at the old race track, maybe stay there for the night to break the journey
Up to Nurburgring for a couple of laps and look around there, it's been about 10 years since I've last been there, tourist sessions only seem to be from about 5pm in July, does that sound right or have I misread? Maybe stay there two nights so we have a full day.
Down to Cochem and up the river road to Koblenz, continue to follow the river and head down to Heidelberg, have a look around the castle and stay there for the night.
Continue down to the Black Forest and drive some of the roads down there, Schwarzwaldhochstrasse etc., via Triberg, Titisee etc. and stay a night somewhere in the region.
Head over to Stuttgart and do the Porsche museum. I was hoping to do the factory tour but it looks like they either don't do it that time of year or it's fully booked. I assume spaces are very limited and it books months in advance so more likely the latter, as there's no availability until September!
My wife will join us in Stuttgart for the weekend, is there enough to see and do there to make that worthwhile or are we better off hanging around the Black Forest area. We like a city break but apart from the obvious Porsche connection, Stuttgart has never been on my radar.
Drive back to the Tunnel via Strasbourg and Reims again (my wife would like to visit the city).
My main concern is it's a lot of driving with an 8 year old, around 1,700 miles based on the route I've put together. Any tips on how to keep him occupied on days when we might be driving 2-300 miles? I've tried to limit the daily mileage as far as possible but it's a long way, and I've planned the extra day around Nurburgring so we've got a day off and also a couple of days in Stuttgart. He's normally on his Switch or iPad but I'd rather he wasn't all the time when there's so much to see! He likes car stuff but might lose interest here and there, I'm definitely projecting my car love onto him
He's very keen to experience the Nurburgring and the Autobahn.
Anything that maybe isn't worth it so sack off or should definitely be added?
Cheers!
Basically I want to take the 911 back to it's homeland - I've been wanting to do another Euro road trip for some time but most of my 'car' friends are busy with family stuff these days and I'm not sure how long I'm going to have the car so I thought I'd just crack on and take my 8 year old son instead!
The basic plan is:
Tunnel to Calais and on to Reims to have a look at the old race track, maybe stay there for the night to break the journey
Up to Nurburgring for a couple of laps and look around there, it's been about 10 years since I've last been there, tourist sessions only seem to be from about 5pm in July, does that sound right or have I misread? Maybe stay there two nights so we have a full day.
Down to Cochem and up the river road to Koblenz, continue to follow the river and head down to Heidelberg, have a look around the castle and stay there for the night.
Continue down to the Black Forest and drive some of the roads down there, Schwarzwaldhochstrasse etc., via Triberg, Titisee etc. and stay a night somewhere in the region.
Head over to Stuttgart and do the Porsche museum. I was hoping to do the factory tour but it looks like they either don't do it that time of year or it's fully booked. I assume spaces are very limited and it books months in advance so more likely the latter, as there's no availability until September!
My wife will join us in Stuttgart for the weekend, is there enough to see and do there to make that worthwhile or are we better off hanging around the Black Forest area. We like a city break but apart from the obvious Porsche connection, Stuttgart has never been on my radar.
Drive back to the Tunnel via Strasbourg and Reims again (my wife would like to visit the city).
My main concern is it's a lot of driving with an 8 year old, around 1,700 miles based on the route I've put together. Any tips on how to keep him occupied on days when we might be driving 2-300 miles? I've tried to limit the daily mileage as far as possible but it's a long way, and I've planned the extra day around Nurburgring so we've got a day off and also a couple of days in Stuttgart. He's normally on his Switch or iPad but I'd rather he wasn't all the time when there's so much to see! He likes car stuff but might lose interest here and there, I'm definitely projecting my car love onto him
He's very keen to experience the Nurburgring and the Autobahn.Anything that maybe isn't worth it so sack off or should definitely be added?
Cheers!
But you have to ask how much he's going to enjoy it...Soloman Dodd said:
Buy a German road atlas and tell your son that he's the navigator.
He gets involved in the trip and improves his map reading skills.
Great idea, unless they get carsick from reading or screen time...He gets involved in the trip and improves his map reading skills.
Without a wife or another passenger in the car it might be difficult to keep them entertained, maybe try to do the bulk of the motorway/boring miles at night and he can just sleep.
When you’re in Stuttgart there’s also the Mercedes museum which is fantastic. The Porsche museum is a couple of hours, I could have spent a whole day at Mercedes.
If you want a car-themed hotel try Motorworld:
https://motorworld.de/region-stuttgart/
The rooms are themed, we had the LM24 room
Then not too far from Stuttgart is the pair of Technik museums at Sinsheim and Speyer, both wonderful:
https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/
The old town in Heidelberg is said to be one of the prettiest in Germany if you want to stay nearby, then you’re also close to Hockenheim…
If you want a car-themed hotel try Motorworld:
https://motorworld.de/region-stuttgart/
The rooms are themed, we had the LM24 room
Then not too far from Stuttgart is the pair of Technik museums at Sinsheim and Speyer, both wonderful:
https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/
The old town in Heidelberg is said to be one of the prettiest in Germany if you want to stay nearby, then you’re also close to Hockenheim…
Both of our kids have been squeezed in the back of the 911 on multiple German/European Road trips - the youngest lost his first tooth when we were on the Autobahn. They were both quite happy with a movie to watch on the boring bits.
Key thing is to find enough things to break the journey up, that appeal to an 8 year old.
In the black Forrest near Todtnau there is now this....
https://www.hochschwarzwald.de/en/tours/von-der-fe...
There is also a toboggon run there as well (or whatever you call a toboggon run that's not got snow!)
Key thing is to find enough things to break the journey up, that appeal to an 8 year old.
In the black Forrest near Todtnau there is now this....
https://www.hochschwarzwald.de/en/tours/von-der-fe...
There is also a toboggon run there as well (or whatever you call a toboggon run that's not got snow!)
nvubu said:
Stay at accommodation that has a pool - my two would couldn't wait to get into a pool at that age.
Public swimming pools in Germany are so much better than here in the UK. The ones I have been to have proper diving pools, sauna/steam rooms slides etc etc. Fildorado in Filderstadt-Bonlanden - Link
Panoramabad in Freudenstadt - Link
Were two we visited when we were in the Black Forest.
languagetimothy said:
will your kid be allowed in the car with you at the Ring? if not, where are you going to leave him?
As far as I can tell there's no lower age limit for passengers in your own car. Whether it's a good idea or not, well that's another matter! If that turns out not to be the case then we'll have to make do with a bit of spectating and looking around the area as I won't be leaving him anywhere.Thanks for all the other input, theme parks and swimming definitely good ideas to look into further.
generationx said:
When you re in Stuttgart there s also the Mercedes museum which is fantastic. The Porsche museum is a couple of hours, I could have spent a whole day at Mercedes.
If you want a car-themed hotel try Motorworld:
https://motorworld.de/region-stuttgart/
The rooms are themed, we had the LM24 room
Then not too far from Stuttgart is the pair of Technik museums at Sinsheim and Speyer, both wonderful:
https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/
The old town in Heidelberg is said to be one of the prettiest in Germany if you want to stay nearby, then you re also close to Hockenheim
What he said. Mercedes Museum is very nice. Sinsheim too. And cool for an 8 year old. If you want a car-themed hotel try Motorworld:
https://motorworld.de/region-stuttgart/
The rooms are themed, we had the LM24 room
Then not too far from Stuttgart is the pair of Technik museums at Sinsheim and Speyer, both wonderful:
https://sinsheim.technik-museum.de/
The old town in Heidelberg is said to be one of the prettiest in Germany if you want to stay nearby, then you re also close to Hockenheim
Stuttgart itself isn't very pretty.
A different trip to yours but over the easter holidays we drove to Italy and back with my two boys aged 5 and 8 (sadly not in a Porsche). Stayed 2 nights in France, 3 nights in Switzerland, 3 nights in Italy and 1 night in France on the way back up. Only the first and last day of the trip involved more than 5 hours in the car and we found that by starting early in the day and stopping every 2 -3 hours in a playpark or somewhere to run around with a football made it perfectly doable for the kids. We found quite a good one in Reims in a big park near the train station and let them run off some steam there!
When we were on a long run they would watch a film on the tablet but quite often they were happy just looking out of the windows and chatting about what they could see and what we had already done.
Just do it, you will have a great time and even if your boy is bored for parts of the journey he will look back on it fondly and forget all about the long hours on motorways.
When we were on a long run they would watch a film on the tablet but quite often they were happy just looking out of the windows and chatting about what they could see and what we had already done.
Just do it, you will have a great time and even if your boy is bored for parts of the journey he will look back on it fondly and forget all about the long hours on motorways.
I can't really add more to what others have said.
Travelling with kids isn't really that hard - they do have there moments - but like others - have a hotel with a pool so they have something to look forward to.
As others have said - would recommend the merc museum, you can buy a double ticket - or get money off the other if visitng same day (did a few years ago).
Enjoy - although don't teach him yellow car no return - that does get tiresome!
Travelling with kids isn't really that hard - they do have there moments - but like others - have a hotel with a pool so they have something to look forward to.
As others have said - would recommend the merc museum, you can buy a double ticket - or get money off the other if visitng same day (did a few years ago).
Enjoy - although don't teach him yellow car no return - that does get tiresome!
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