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Germany, Switzerland & France Christmas Road Trip on a Cheap Budget
Germany, Switzerland & France Christmas Road Trip on a Cheap Budget
11D all-in with our 21 month old son (from Singapore) for less than SGD$2,400 (US$1,780)!
Published by admin on 15 Dec 2024
•Last Updated on 17 Dec 2024
South Germany, Switzerland, Austria & Southeast France Places-of-interest
BACKGROUND
A free & easy holiday from 26 November to 7 December 2024. Price includes return flights between Singapore and Zurich. We travelled through south Germany and Switzerland, stayed in airbnbs, and had a great Christmas experience as best we could with a baby! Highlights include:
Visited many iconic attractions such as Neuschwanstein Castle, Insel Mainau Christmas Garden and Lake Blausee
Visited fairytale towns such as Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Colmar, Iseltwald, Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen
Visited seven Christmas Markets in three countries (Munich, Rothenburg, Colmar, Strausbourg, Interlaken and two in Basel)
Sampled lots of affordable, tasty German and European food
PREPARATION, FLIGHTS & CAR RENTAL
I enjoy planning holidays and roadtrips. This time was different, with a hotel stay near Zurich airport the first night, and 2 airbnbs (one in southeast Germany, another southwest Germany) which we did daily road trips from.
Total Flight Cost: S$890 (US$660) per pax (including one check-in luggage and baby ticket)
An International Driving Permit (IDP) is not required for English-speaking countries to drive in Europe. We booked our rental car from Green Motion through edreams. Take note the pick up point may not be at the airport but a hotel close-by (shuttle bus or taxi/uber is necessary to reach there). Baby carriers for car rides are recommended but not strictly enforced.
Total Car Rental Cost: S$356 (US$275) for 11 days
We got wifi from our local airport operator Changi Recommends (E-SIM with Unlimited Data, 1GB High-Speed per day) at S$24.90 (US$18.50).
Total Wifi Roaming Cost: S$24.90 (US$18.50) for 15 days
It is also recommended to book a travel insurance package.
Travel Insurance: S$77 (US$58) for 2 adults and 1 baby
FLYING OFF & STOPOVERS
We withdrew cash from the airport money exchange (€500 and CHF100 each) and set off on Air France.
First leg from Singapore with a stopover in Paris was a gruelling 15 hours with Jake being restless when awake (letting him watch phone videos was one of the few ways to keep him busy).
TOUCHDOWN: ZURICH
Second leg flight from Paris to Zurich was an hour. We reached around 10:30 PM and took an airport taxi (paid in Euros) to the Ibis Hotel Zurich Airport for a night as we could not pick up the rental car at such a late hour. The hotel charged a city tax of CHF 7 for our room.
Ibis Budget Hotel near Zurich Airport
Airport Taxi & First Night Hotel Cost: €20 (US$21) + S$127 (US$100) +CHF7 (US$8)
DAY 1:
We had a hotel buffet breakfast (CHF12 per pax), checked out and took a local tram to Holiday Inn Express Zurich Airport (CHF5.60 for 2 adults) to pick up our rental car.
Then off on a 3 hour drive to our first airbnb near Munich, stopping at an Aldi for snacks and groceries (supermarkets, airbnbs and petrol on the German side are generally cheaper). Finished with a Macdonald’s dinner.
Total Day 1 Cost: CHF12x2 + CHF5.60 + CHF7 + €18 = US$61 for 2 pax
AIRBNB
We selected affordable airbnbs with a large low bed, kitchen, big living space, en suite toilet and easy parking for our baby.
L: Grimoldsreid Airbnb Bedroom & Living Area | R: Grenzach-Wyhlen Airbnb
Total Airbnb Cost: S$381+S$574=S$955 (S$478 or US$356 per pax) for 10 Nights
DAY 2–4: SOUTHEAST GERMANY
Thus began our road trips around Southeast Germany. This included Neuschwanstein castle, which we have been before and now only went to St Mary’s bridge for panoramic views. Best to spend an hour or so for lunch or sightseeing around the village as parking is fixed at €12 for up to 6 hours.
Neuschwanstein Castle from St Mary’s Bridge
We also drove to Zugspitze mountain not far from the castle (1.5 hour drive). However, the ticket to the summit was expensive at €66 and we decided to pass, especially as it was getting dark.
Zugspitze viewed from the base of mountain
Lake Blausee — Blausee Restaurant — Trout & Veal Dinner
Zurich Airport — Air Restaurant — Poulet Lunch
Other times we ate Macs or bought groceries from supermarkets (Coop, Lidl and Aldi; also great for buying chocolate souvenirs!) to make breakfasts or dinners to save money, time and for convenience.
CHRISTMAS MARKETS
From Top L-R: Munich Marienplatz, Rothenburg, Colmar, Strasbourg, Interlaken Kursaal Park, Basel Munsterplatz
During both legs of our trip, we visited several Christmas markets:
Munich — Marienplatz — Münchner Christkindlmarkt — Parking is very difficult to find (we parked at Karlsplatz which is extremelynarrow lanes, NOT SUITABLE for medium or big cars). This is a huge, bustling and touristy market, definitely a must-see. We didn’t have time for the Christmas Village market/Weihnachtsdorfs im Kaiserhof der Residenz (fairytale theme), Pink Christmas (LGBTQ theme), Bogenhausen Christmas forest market (set in a nearby forest, car access only), all of which are also recommended.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber — Old Town —Reiterlesmarkt — Several large parking lots but also difficult to secure a space. The market here is extremely crowded on weekends, and its uneven cobblestones roads make it very difficult for baby strollers or wheelchairs to move around.
Colmar — Old Town — Several large parking lots, not so hard to secure a space. The cluster of six markets around the charming city center is sprawling with stalls. Took a ride on the Ferris Wheel (€10 per adult).
Strasbourg — Grande-Île (Old Town) Island —Christkindelsmärik — Very complex roads and heavy traffic, recommended to park at Centre historique Petite France Parking (€3). Also very big and crowded market, with an iconic large Christmas tree.
Interlaken — Kursaal Park — Christmas Market Interlaken — Parking is easy at the Kursaal parking lot behind the casino. But this market was small and the least impressive.
Basel — Barfüsserplatz & Münsterplatz — Complex roads with tram cars, pedestrians, cyclists, odd road signage and many speed cameras. So be careful when driving there. Both markets are lively and interesting, considered some of the best in Switzerland.
DAY 5–10: FRANCE & SWITZERLAND
Drove to our second airbnb at Grenzach-Wyhlen on the fifth day. From there, we visited Christmas markets like Basel next door, Strasbourg, Colmar and other Swiss attractions. There are places like Black Forest and Insel Mainau a couple hours drive from here too but we ran out of time.
On hindsight, it would have been much better to stay in Switzerland, near many main attractions and towns.
INSEL MAINAU CHRISTMAS GARDEN
Insel Mainau Christmas Garden Trail
This is a beautiful flower garden island with an amazing light show walking trail during winter. Highly recommended and a top highlight of our trip!
Insel Mainau Main Square
SWITZERLAND
Went into Switzerland for a couple days worth of road trips:
Sigriswil — Panorama Bridge — Also from Crash Landing On You (CLOY) TV show.
Sigriswil Panorama Bridge on 2 Different Days
Iseltwald — Piano Pier — Another breathtaking CLOY attraction overlooking Lake Brienz. Went here two years ago when Jess was pregnant with Jake, now you must pay CHF 5 per pax to enter, shocking!
Iseltwald Piano Pier: Summer 2022 & Winter 2024
Lake Blausee — Very beautiful lake, shame it wasn’t as pretty as we came quite late at dusk (the light show at night was underwhelming). Highly recommended to come here during the day, especially in spring or autumn.
Lake Blausee
Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald — Would have liked to spend more time there touring the villages, and going to Grindelwald First for photos and hopefully snow/snowfall, but ran out of time.
Drove to Holiday Inn in Zurich to return the rental car and took a shuttle bus to Zurich Airport (CHF10 per adult). Had a delicious poulet lunch in Air Restaurant (CHF20) and also bought souvenirs in the airport shops.
Then took the long flight back via KLM, and returned exhausted and with a bout of jet lag. But it had its moments!
COST BREAKDOWN
Costs include a baby flight ticket (10% of adult fare) and higher costs due to baby stuff (need a bigger airbnb with spare bed/cot, extra luggage for baby milk bottles/formula milk tins/food pouches/etc., lots of driving to save on airbnb relocation hassle, buying baby food and snacks):
Flight: S$890 (US$660) per pax (including one check-in luggage and baby ticket)
Hotel & Airbnb: S$64 (US$50) + S$478 (US$356) per pax for 10 Nights
Car Rental: S$178 (US$138) per pax
**Fuel: €290 OR S$415 in total for 3000 km (S$200 / US$120 per pax)
**Food & Misc. Expenses: S$600 (US$440) per pax (Including souvenirs)
TOTAL: S$2,400 (US$1,780) per pax
** Doing a round tour road trip (and not backtracking), plus booking flights, accommodation and car way in advance, while not splurging on expensive meals/gifts will save you much more, probably all-in about S$2,000 — 2,200 (US$1,490 — 1,630) per pax.
IN CONCLUSION…
Travelling to Germany for a winter wonderland and Christmas Market road trip isn’t as expensive as we thought, even with late bookings.
We couldn’t maximise our time at Christmas markets or attractions because driving ate up lots of time and caring for the baby also created many delays (had sleep-ins due to feeding/caring Jake at night).
Petrol cost was also high because of travelling back and forth between attractions and our airbnb. If you travel light (as we did pre-baby), best to book multiple accommo so to not repeat your routes.
Our candy and chocolate souvenirs
There are many famous spots and attractions to visit which we did not have time or was unsuitable (most are listed on the map at top of page):
Baden-Baden — Spa resort town not suitable for babies.
Baiersbronn — Gastronomy location a bit too far from our airbnb (Michellin restaurants do not allow babies too).
Black Forest— Scenic drives, and Aussichtsplattform Ellbachseeblick viewpoint is said to have great views, but quite far from our airbnb and early winter scenery probably isn’t great.
Europa Park — Famous theme park near Strasbourg but we did not think was suitable for babies and amusement parks were not on our agenda.
Alpsee Bergwelt — Another amusement park we had no time for.
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