Because of the direct Frankfurt to Austin connection, I think this will be your best option for the trans Atlantic flight. It’s also convenient that the flight out of Frankfurt doesn’t leave until 10 am:
https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/LLEqxxiMg8nRX9BM8
Looking at the direct flights from Menorca, you can tackle Germany via a northeastern route via Hannover or a southern route through Basel or Stuttgart. The southern path is somewhat nicer for wrangling kids because the flights depart Menorca around 10 am instead of 8:30 am, but I will include notes on both below.
There are a couple of routes into southern Germany. The Basel option might be the best because it involves the least backtracking, and there is a lot to do there with the kids. You can also fly directly to Munich, but I left that out because of our conversation and the fact that it departs at 9 am.
EasyJet to Basel on August 6th
https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/WWmfjBvYhEb9SeV96
TUI to Stuttgart on August 7th
https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/xGS5eUSWxb1sbhCC6
A few potential stops stand out to me on this route. Once we choose a direction, we can lock in dates based on availability and preference.
I’m not sure if you visited here on your trip to Switzerland, but it’s right on the border of Germany with convenient access to rail lines. It’s also a nice place to relax after flying and spend a couple of days exploring with the kids.
Stuttgart is more of a standard mid-size German city, known for its large American Air Force base. There is enough to fill a day here while you decompress from flying, but I would move on after that. Nearby Tübingen is a charming town to walk around if you don’t make it to Alsace in France and want to add another day in the area.
Konstanz or Constance is a large lake between Switzerland and Germany. Konstanz is the largest town with the most activities, but there are smaller places where you can lounge lakeside.
Strasbourg is actually in France if you want to hit three countries on this leg of the trip! I love the cute Alsation houses reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast along the Rhine River. The highlight here is walking in local towns, and nearby Colmar is also an option for something smaller than Strasbourg.
Heidelberg is a charming city with the benefit of being only an hour’s train ride from Frankfurt, so that you can spend a little time here as your last stop.
Hanover is the closest you can get to Berlin directly. It’s only 1-2 hours by train, which isn’t bad, but the flight departs at 8:20 am.
TUI to Hanover on August 7th
https://www.google.com/travel/flights/s/jHUs1e4YLeQAsdzX6
Berlin is a big city, but the central park area is great for kids with the biggest zoo in Germany, and there are lots of city amenities like museums, etc.
Leipzig is a historic city with plenty of cultural offerings. The art museums and symphonies are some of its best attractions so that it might work best as a stopover destination for the family en route to Saxon Switzerland National Park.
As you know, I love visiting National Parks, and this one looks great for hiking etc.
Karlovy takes you into the Czech Republic, which will be slightly more exotic than Germany. The town is known for its mineral hot springs; some tap water is naturally hot. People actually take tap water tours of the town to sample the different springs.
This wasn’t on the list, but it’s worth considering a stop in Nuremberg to break up the long train ride to Frankfurt (it’s about 2.5 hours by train). It’s a medieval city with lots of history, a castle, and some toy-based theme parks. Wurzburg will get you closer to Frankfurt (1hr), but while it has cool architecture, there isn’t as much to do with kids.
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