Yes we did. We traveled, for FUN, to Europe during Covid. And I don’t regret a second of it, despite additional prep time and a few anxious moments. Read on…
Munich – Salzburg – Munich – Stuttgart – Heidelberg – Rothenburg – Reims – Disneyland – Paris
Getting out of LAX was actually the toughest part of our vacation. Since Steve had Covid in July and tested positive for a ton of antibodies, he didn’t get vaccinated yet. Instead, following the protocols from http://www.de.usembassy.gov during Nov 2021, he took a negative Covid test within 72 hours of the flight for entry into Germany.
Thankfully, we arrived at the airport 2 hours early for our LA-Munich direct flight, because I spent the first hour arguing with the Lufthansa check-in officer. We were escalated to a supervisor who said that Steve had to be vaccinated or have a specific doctor’s note from his hospital to show proof of recovery in order to get through German customs. I showed her the embassy website, Lufthansa’s own travel-ready website, United’s travel-ready website, recent articles written on the subject…all proof to the contrary. She kept insisting that we’d need to reschedule our trip and come back when he had a doctor’s note. She showed me Lufthansa’s internal protocol, which echoed her message, but was in conflict with public information. I held my ground. Eventually, she threw up her hands and said we could travel at our own risk! We practically ran through security and to our gate. I prayed the entire 11 hour flight that I and my Internet sources were right!
At Munich customs, the officer checked my vaccination card and I showed him Steve’s negative test. He said, “have a great vacation.” And, I was SO GRATEFUL I hadn’t rescheduled our entire 10 day trip based on information from Lufthansa at LAX! The kids (5 and 6) didn’t even need a negative Covid test to enter Germany, by the way. And, no masks required for kids under 8 years old indoors.
In Nov 2021 there were 3 Covid options for entry to hotels, restaurants, Deutsche Bahn (DB train), museums, and Christmas markets in Germany: negative Covid test within 72 hours, proof of vaccination OR proof of recovery from Covid within the last 6 months. Schnelltests (rapid tests) were available for free at pharmacies and some grocery stores throughout Germany, but Steve found that his hospital discharge receipt was accepted as proof of recovery. He had a snapshot of it on his phone and would point out the date he checked in to the hospital, that he tested positive for Covid and date checked out. I didn’t have to get the green pass most Germans have on their phones…just showed my vaccination card.
I had arranged a car and driver for us through our hotel, the Mandarin Oriental Munich. http://www.mandarinoriental.com. We could have taken the UBahn train from the airport, but I thought after a long flight, we might just want “easy.” I’m glad I did despite the expense: $185 Euro for one-way, 30 minute ride to our hotel.
Hotels in Germany… don’t be fooled by family hotels. I spent 2 hours online trying to find a Munich hotel with a room to accommodate 2 adults and 2 kids. I was directed to janky (is that a word?) looking 2-star-ish hotels with extra fold out couches or twin beds. Nothing “nice.” And still pretty expensive…
I finally decided to book 2 hotel rooms, 2 people each, for our family…and found more availability, bigger beds and actually better pricing at higher end hotels. I cashed in some American Express points to pay for half of our stay at the Mandarin Oriental Munich. Could have found a lower priced hotel, but I splurged here for 3 nights because we were staying with friends in Stuttgart for free the next 3 nights…plus I had those AMEX points!
What we LOVED about the Mandarin Oriental: location (the famous Hofbrauhaus is right behind it and Marienplatz, Munich DB train stop and the Viktualienmarkt are a 5 minute walk away), the beds were SO comfortable, the included breakfast was a feast, they had little slippers/robes/toys for the girls and the service in general was awesome. Outside of the price, there wasn’t anything NOT to love.
After checking in to the hotel, we walked directly to Marienplatz hoping to see the famous Christmas markets. We found instead wooden boxes with pictures promising pretzels and sweets and brats on the outside…but were told they would be carried away soon. No traditional Munich Christmas market during Covid. 2 years in a row. We grabbed to-go gluhwein (warm red or white wine) from a nearby restaurant, watched the girls discuss Christmas ornaments with a very kind German shop owner on their own and looked for a cab stand.
We took a cab to our 5:30PM dinner reservation at Wirthaus in der Au and felt so American when we arrived. http://www.wirthausinderau.de We were the first patrons. The place looked deserted. The locals don’t arrive until 8:30PM! We hadn’t realized yet that German food is meat and potatoes. I got one sausage dish and it looked the same as Steve’s, but with a different name. This restaurant is known for their dumplings so we ordered the sampler platter of 4…very hearty dumplings! One was each was actually enough. Girls ate bread with butter. We got them spaetzle but they didn’t like the gravy sauce on it. Steve and I ate that too so we didn’t look rude. We were stuffed and in need of exercise after the long flight and buckets of meat, dumplings and potatoes.
We walked back to the hotel from the restaurant for 30 minutes and felt totally safe. I love exploring a city this way! We walked by museums and shopping areas and basically got our bearings. I had my Google map up the whole time to make sure we weren’t completely off the radar. And the walk helped tire us out. Jet lag is my nemesis!
The next day I’d planned a day trip to Salzburg, Austria. Home of Mozart and the Sound of Music…emphasis on Sound of Music for our daughters. I pre-booked through Radius Tours (a Rick Steves’ recommendation). http://www.radiustours.com Steve almost missed the train to Salzburg because his phone had his “Covid recovery status” on it and he left his phone in the hotel room. To board the train and enter Austria, vaccination, proof of recovery or a negative Covid test were required. He raced to the hotel and back and made it just in time.
Salzburg is a quaint charming town. I was surprised at the clothes displayed in many of the shops…fashionable, with a definite Austrian undertone. Very chic. I was so tempted to buy! Our guide gave us some fun facts as we walked into the city center, then left us on our own to explore the city for a few hours.
The biggest attraction, besides Sound of Music sites, is the Fortress. We hiked up and took the funicular down. No tour…just walked around. The girls loved the marionette museum. I thought it was a little creepy, but outside of the Fortress views, one of the more entertaining parts of the the experience. There really isn’t much to do up there…
The highlight was the Christmas Market. We ate brats and sauerkraut and cold pretzels and drank gluhwein. There were handcrafted ornaments and music boxes to buy, candles and nativity scenes…so much to see. And, of course, open spaces for the girls to run around and explore. To enter Christmas markets, again, proof of vaccination, negative Covid test or proof of recovery was required.
The girls love the Sound of Music, but we didn’t track the sites where it was filmed. There are special tours for that if you’re interested.
We trained back to Munich, grabbed pizza for dinner at Marienplatz and called it a night!
The next day was Saturday and our friends drove from Stuttgart to meet us. We started our day at the Hofbrauhaus listening to the oompah band, then walked to a park near a river and finished at the Viktualienmarkt where we grabbed hummus, Baba ghanoush, cheese and salami to bring back to our hotel room for dinner. They have 3 boys who are 5, 2 and 3 months old and combined with our 5 and 6 year old, our activities of the day were perfectly catered to the kids’ desires. They drove back that evening.
On Sunday morning, we took the DB train (pre-booked and pre-paid on the DBTrain app on my phone) to Stuttgart, where we stayed for 3 nights at our friends’ home on the Army base there. While in Stuttgart, we took day trips to Heidelberg (see the castle and Christmas market) and to Rothenburg (Christmas capital of Bavaria and home to the torture museum, a must see). Tip: if you’re driving in Bavaria (the southern region of GermanY), expect traffic. Lots of it. When there is an accident on the road, the involved parties aren’t permitted to move their cars to the side of the road until the police arrive. Stopped traffic is the norm. Maddening…yes. I prefer the train!
On Wednesday, we took the train to Reims, France at 6AM out of Stuttgart. We had an hour 1/2 stop at Gare de Est in Paris, then we were off to the Champagne region. Our hotel was a cheap Holiday Inn Express. http://www.ihg.com Best part was the price and location. We explored Reims on foot (don’t miss the Reims Cathedral) and found another park for the girls to play.
Getting a cab in Reims is a chore. No stands. We had to hustle back to our hotel where the concierge called several cab companies to check availability. 10 minute wait made us late for the 3PM Veuve Cliquot tour I pre-booked and they didn’t wait for us…which was a blessing because I didn’t realize I’d booked a tour in French not English. We drank some champagne for an hour and went on the English speaking tour at 4PM instead. I let the girls video our entire tour which, while their cinematography skills are stomach churning to watch, kept them engaged throughout the hour long tour through the underground caves of the widow Cliquot. http://www.veuvecliquot.com
Our friends were supposed to join us on the tour, but because they left late and drove from Stuttgart and the traffic was horrendous, they arrived at 10PM that night instead of 3PM.
We ate dinner at 6:30PM at L’Alambic because it was close to the hotel. http://www.restaurant-lalambic.fr No reservation required as we were the first to arrive at the restaurant when it opened. We ate in the cave underground. So cool. The girls didn’t like anything on the menu. Kids’ menu was beef or fish! Adults did price fixed meals. I was wishing we’d gone with something more simple for dinner. My favorite part of the restaurant was conversing with the woman who owns it. She was friendly, enthusiastic about her cuisine and very proud of surviving the Covid lockdown.
The next morning, we left early on the train heading for Disneyland Paris. http://www.disneylandparis.com It’s about an hour to travel from Reims Maison Blan to Marne La Val Ches, the Disneyland train station. I pre-booked EVERYTHING for our trip. For this train, I had to go to http://www.sncf-connect.com since we were traveling in France not Germany. In Nov 2021, a Disneyland reservation and ticket were required. I also booked Disneyland Newport Bay Club hotel for one night. Be sure to download the Disneyland Paris app!
When you arrive at the Disneyland train station and you’re staying at a hotel there, ride up the escalator and check in at the window to the right. There will be a long line of people to the left. Go right. Pay whatever it is to check into your hotel room and have your bags delivered to your hotel room. The $20 or so is totally worth avoiding a trip back to the train station to pick up bags after a day at Disney!
When you walk out of the train station…there it is….Disneyland and Walt Disney Studios Park. Warning: Walt Disney Studios Park closes at 7PM. This is where the Ratatouille ride is located as well as Cars-themed rides and the Tower of Terror. The food kiosks are fabulous too with raclette and crepes. I wish I had made a reservation 2 months ahead at Bistro Chez Remy.
Disneyland Park closes at 9PM. The rides here are very similar to Disneyland Anaheim. Since it was 40 degrees though and “Covid,” the lines were short and we rode everything the kids wanted to…Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean (pirates speaking in French is awesome), Haunted Mansion, etc. Something new for us…Alice in Wonderland’s Curious Labyrinth. The kids enjoyed walking the maze and climbing to the top of the house.
We walked back to the hotel after Disneyland’s Christmas parade finished and the park was closing. I hadn’t been the most enthusiastic family member regarding this part of our trip, BUT I was very glad, afterwards, that I saw Disneyland. AND, as I write this, months later, it is STILL the highlight of our daughters’ vacation.
Newport Bay hotel has a ship-theme, adequate space for a family of four (2 double beds) and a great location. I’d stay there again if we go back to Disneyland Paris.
At 8AM the next morning, I had the girls up and taking the rapid Abbott BinaxNOW Covid tests I’d brought with me. http://www.emed.com These portable proctor-led tests are approved for re-entry to the United States, but require an iPad or computer with camera. iPhone isn’t supported. WiFi was excellent at the Newport Bay hotel, so I used the iPad to test and we were all negative, within 48 hours of our flight home.
I had the hotel order car service to take us from Disneyland to ACTUAL Paris and the driver was kid-friendly, had booster seats for the girls and the black minivan looked brand new. Very nice. We arrived at The Hotel Parister about an hour. http://www.paristerhotel.com This boutique hotel was a recommendation from a friend who lives in Paris and it surpassed expectations for the price! Located a block away from the Cadet stop on the Metro in the 9th Arrondissement, walking distance from Montemartre, near the Folies Bergeres. Our room was the Duplex Sauna with Spa Access. Our room had two levels with a queen bed on the first and second floors (girls claimed the loft bed of course) and a giant bathroom…and yes, a sauna, which Steve used to warm up our clothes.
After checking in, we immediately set off exploring and of course ran into a bakery around the corner on Rue Cadet and ordered 2 croissants, a brie sandwich, a curry sandwich and 2 cookies. Then, after finishing and loving all of that, went BACK into the bakery bought 1 more cookie and 2 more croissants! The girls decided they love “Paris food” as much as they hate “Germany food.”
We walked to the Sacre-Coeur…but the girls insisted we pay to take the funicular with the old people and people with small dogs instead of walking up the steps. The views from the top, the love locks on the fence and the sanctity and beauty of the church were appreciated even by my 5 and 6 year old. Inside the Sacre-Coeur we lit a candle for a friend currently battling cancer and also in gratitude for healing of my eye cancer in April 2021.
We then walked 5 minutes to Montmartre, which I knew the girls would love. Even though it was windy, cold and had started to rain a bit, the artists were still out, painting and drawing under umbrellas. We grabbed freshy made nutella crepes and headed to the Metro station below to get to the Louvre and Tuileries garden. Mapping our path on my phone using Google maps worked perfectly. It tells you when the next train arrives. Super slick!
We didn’t enter the Louvre because reservations were required in advance and, frankly, at 5 and 6, I’m pretty sure my daughters wouldn’t have lasted long there. They loved the Tuileries garden though…especially because a Christmas market had been set up AND there was a fabulous park. Yes, still freezing cold. But, we all had warm jackets and layers, and basically kept moving!
From Tuileries, we walked across the Pont de la Concorde and to a Metro station that would take us to the Eiffel Tower. We did not go up in the Tower this trip. I’ve done it before, but the weather on this day was dark and dreary. In fact, it started to rain, hard, as we took pictures in front of the Tower. This was another highlight for the girls as we definitely hyped the Tower prior to the trip. It didn’t disappoint. Despite the rain, they couldn’t get over how tall it was.
We jumped in an open cab because it really started to pour and headed to dinner at Bel Canto. http://www.lebelcanto.com I’d been here before and knew the girls would LOVE the waiter-turned-opera-singers. Literally, several times during dinner, the waiters and waitresses stop to perform the most beautiful music…right next to the patrons. A piano player plays music throughout the meal and during the performances. It is so different, so memorable. So expensive too. The only option was a price fixed meal, which was required…and the girls basically ate bread.
European parents must avoid introducing chicken tenders, pizza and mac and cheese! These are staples, sadly, in our daughters diets…not filet of beef, vegetables with onions, etc. No one starved on the trip, but we definitely spent serious money on untouched cuisine.
The morning was a blur as we had a 7AM pick up for the Charles de Gaulle airport. We showed our negative Covid tests and vaccination card and proof of recovery at United check in, got upgraded to Business Class and left Europe just as the Omicron variant was discovered in South Africa and Paris shut flights down from that region.
So glad we took the trip when we did. I have no idea when we’ll return or what travel to Europe will look like when we do! Hopefully, we will be able to travel abroad soon without the extra planning and stress Covid brings to the vacation…
We Don’t Sit Still 