We’ve been so fortunate to take so many family vacations together.  We’ve dragged our kids all over: Mexico, Hawaii, Cruises, and more.  Each one was uniquely different because of our location and our children’s ages.  So, with our well-traveled 10 and 12 year olds in tow, we set our sights on a European vacation!  Read here on how we chose to pack for 12 days in a small carryon backpack each!

FRANKFURT, GERMANY

• Day 1 – Fly from Denver to Frankfurt.  This is a non-stop flight that United offers!  We left on a red eye from Denver and arrived in Frankfurt the following morning.  We probably caught a few hours of shut eye on the way over, but honestly the free movies are just too tempting for all of us.  Not to mention the dinner and breakfast: the kids were excited to eat meals on a plane for the first time!  We then quickly caught an ICE train from the airport to Cologne that takes just over an hour.

COLOGNE, GERMANY

• Day 2 – Arrive in Cologne.  We arrived in Cologne bleary eyed and starting to feel the effects of no sleep.  Luckily, our hotel had been alerted to our early arrival and had a room ready for us!  We said we wouldn’t do this, but maybe just a quick nap couldn’t hurt? We set an alarm for two hours and later forced ourselves to get up for a little sightseeing and dinner!  Right outside our hotel is the magnificent Cathedral built in 1248 that survived many wars and the bombing during WWII.

Cologne Cathedral

Inside Cologne Cathedral

Next, we set out to find a brewery famous for the unique beer, Kolsch, that is brewed only in Cologne!  We settled on Früh Brewery after our hotel recommended it and we ended our day with the fruity beverage served in petite glasses!

Kolsch beer

THE RHINE, GERMANY

• Day 3 – The Rhine area.  We awoke and found ourselves surprisingly refreshed and feeling like we might be on some sort of schedule.  We had to wake up the kids but they didn’t seem any harder to get out of bed than a school morning.  Next, we rented a car and headed out of the big city, towards farmland, to visit my husband’s family.  We were surprised to find it easy to drive in Germany (no speed limits on the Autobahn – the kids LOVED this) and our car was equipped with a navigation system which they nicely programmed for us in English.  After a visit and lunch with family, we met up with old friends for dinner on the Rhine river.  It was here they were first introduced to a new favorite drink: apfelschorle or apple soda!  The waitress cleverly served it to them in beer glasses so they wouldn’t feel left out!

Drinking apfelschorle by the Rhine

After saying our goodbyes to old friends, we made our way to our hotel on the Rhine River and settled in the for evening.

MUNICH, GERMANY

• Day 4 – The Rhine and Munich.  I think one of my favorite things about Europe is the included breakfast at most hotels.  Granted, you aren’t going to find scrambled eggs and toast, but after you get used to the bologna/cheese, boiled eggs, and Muesli fare, it is pure heaven to wake up to a ready made breakfast just steps from your room.  After checking out, we toured our first German castle, Burg Rheinfels.  This 700 year old castle is in ruins, but we all enjoyed wandering around the maze-like walls and the impressive view of the Rhine River.

Burg Rheinfels

View of Rhine River from Burg Rheinfels

After a quick rental car return (We hope we returned it? The German directions are a bit unclear), we boarded the next train to Munich.  The kids settled in for the 3 hour journey and we found it to be an easy trip.  We had reserved a private compartment and after a little bit of reading and snacks from the dining car, we arrived in Munich.  Our hotel was a short walk from the train station.  We even had time to learn how to use the S-Bahn (subway) to get to dinner at the famous Hofbrauhaus.

Giant beers and pretzels at Hofbrauhaus

• Day 5 – Castle Neuschwanstein.  Again, we awoke expecting to feel jetlagged, but somehow we all managed to arrive without any symptoms, miraculously.  This is a great thing because we had a long travel day by train, by bus, and by foot to arrive at the famous Castle Neuschwanstein.  We had reserved tickets before our trip so we needed to keep to a schedule to make our assigned time.  As complicated as this sounded, we actually just ended up needing to follow the crowds and we arrived at this over-the-top castle built by a mad king.  The kids loved the fairy tale rooms and the tour was short and sweet enough to keep them entertained.

Mad King Ludwig’s Castle Neuschwanstein

After some short hikes around the castle and the obligatory snacks, we retraced our steps back to the hotel in Munich for the night.

INNSBRUCK, AUSTRIA

• Day 6 – Munich and the trip to Austria.  In the morning, we booked a last minute bike tour around Munich.  Munich is an incredibly bike friendly city and a natural way to visit is by bike.  An American tour guide took our group around the famous sites (surfing the river, Nazi headquarters, ancient museums and churches) in Munich for 3 hours, stopping at the famous Chinese Biergarten for a rest.

Surfing the river in Munich

After a whirlwind tour of Munich, we caught a train to Innsbruck, Austria.  Initially we had thought we might take the night train (sleeping on the train) to Venice, Italy straight through.  After much consideration, we decided 4 people in a tiny train compartment was not as romantic as it seemed and we made a short stop overnight in Austria to complete our journey to Italy instead.

Munich train station

We arrived in Innsbruck, Austria around dinnertime and immediately regretted not having more time to spend in Austria.  This gorgeous country is now on my list to visit for more than a night!

Innsbruck’s golden roof

Innsbruck is a glamorous little ski town that hosted the 1976 Winter Olympics.  You couldn’t pick a more perfect town to feel as if you are in your own little Sound of Music.

VENICE, ITALY

• Day 7 – Arrival in Venice.  We finished another heavenly little breakfast and arrived at the train station for the longest train journey of our trip: 6 hours.  By now, our little European travelers had mastered the train and were actually looking forward to a quiet journey in a little reserved compartment.  This train actually ended up costing a bit more as it is considered a scenic train over the famous Brenner pass.  We arrived in Venice late afternoon.  Venice is everything you have seen in pictures.  You can hardly believe the place is real and you suddenly find yourself thinking it is perhaps some sort of amusement park.  You can hardly believe it is a real place where real people live.  How can a city function with canals in lieu of roads?

We had been warned that it would be hard to navigate Venice.  I consider myself to be pretty good with a map and had scoffed at the idea.  However, once my hotel posted a video with directions from the dock, I started to get a bit nervous that perhaps this was something I should take more seriously.  I made everyone in my family watch the video before we left and we were grateful we had.  I am not sure how we would have navigated the tiny alleys otherwise!

• Day 8 – Venice.  On a vacation like this, it is nice to have a day you are not rushing off to the next adventure.  Our day in Venice was spent relaxing and seeing the sites at a leisurely pace.  We had a quiet morning at St. Mark’s square visiting the cathedral before the throngs of tourists arrived.  Quickly, Venice was transformed from a quiet, charming village into bustling tourist trap.  After a few hours of fighting crowds and heat, we retreated for a nap.  Later, we emerged to find gelato, the Rialto bridge, and a gondola ride.  I know people say it is touristy and expensive, but I have to say, it was one of my favorite experiences of the trip.

Venetian Gondola

Venetian Gondolier

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

• Day 9 – Arrival in Vernazza, Cinque Terre.  Late the night before, we received an email from our hotel manager in the Cinque Terre: the trains were planning to strike the next day.  He was unsure that we would make it all the way to Cinque Terre.  Trains on strike? What was he talking about? Apparently, if you are looking to travel by train on Friday in Italy, you are risking a strike.  This was a common theme in Italy that we were to learn about the hard way.  We knew this: the main trains would run early morning and evening so the residents could get to/from work, but the regional trains would not all be running.  After that, it was anybody’s guess.  Our plan to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the way to the Cinque Terre suddenly seemed like a terrible idea.  We were up early and hopped on whatever train we could find going the direction of the Cinque Terre.  Once, the train we were on went on strike and we had to jump off and onto another train quickly.  Somehow, we arrived safely in Vernazza and our hotel manager was waiting for us at the train station to lead us to our apartment.  Here, we congratulated ourselves again on packing light as the steps up to apartment are narrow and steep!

Steps to our Cinque Terre apartment

• Day 10 – Exploring the Cinque Terre.  We slept in late to enjoy our relaxing beach day in Italy.   We took a boat to Corniglia in the morning and then hiked through vineyard lined trails on the edge of a steep cliff back to Vernazza.  After the hot hike, we made our way down to the beach…the frigid water felt amazing after our hike!  In Cinque Terre, the vineyards are only produced for local use.  The area is known for sardines, focaccia bread, and limoncello so we made sure to sample the local fare and just enjoy a vacation day from our vacation!

Hiking the Cinque Terre

ROME, ITALY

• Day 11 – Arrival in Rome.  The train to Rome was 4 hours, but seemed easy after our efforts to get to the Cinque Terre in the first place!  We arrived in the late afternoon to our hotel and had the most amazing dinner of our whole trip.  Rome surprised us all. I am not sure what we expected, but the city we found was one we all fell in love with.  Yes, it is a bustling city with rules meant to be bent, but the history and architecture made it different from any city we had ever known.  We enjoyed a late drink from the rooftop bar of our hotel overlooking the Pantheon!

Pantheon from the rooftop bar

• Day 12 – Rome in a day.  Ok it is impossible to do Rome in a day…especially at the end of a whirlwind trip with two kids in tow.  There is so much more to see in Rome, but I’m sorry to say we only made it to the Coliseum and the Roman Forum.  Instead of seeing all the sites, we ended up visiting one main site and just enjoying the day in Rome.  Someday, we will be back to do it all! I didn’t expect to fall in love with Rome!
  

  The Coliseum

  My final thoughts: What a wonderful opportunity to give your kids the experience of Europe. This was our favorite family trip to date and we can’t wait to go back.  When I asked my family what their favorite locations were, they all agreed Munich and the Cinque Terre were their favorites.  When I asked my daughter why she felt this was her favorite vacation, she said “It is amazing to see the world is different, but also the same for other people”.   That, I believe, is the reason why we travel!