Hey all, we're looking for recommendations for traveling to Germany then onto Ireland in June-July 2025. Well, really more focused on the Germany part as I've been to Ireland dozens of times and have family there. It will be Me, wife, 12 year old boy, 10 year old girl. Anyway here is the idea.

• One-way from San Antonio to Frankfurt on Condor around last week of June
• Spend 7-10 days driving around southern Germany making our way to Munich, probably drive into Austria for a day or two.
• Fly from Munich to Cork on Aer Lingus.
• Spend 2-3 weeks in Ireland visiting family from Cork to Sligo to Donegal
• One-way back from Dublin to SA through wherever

Alternative is to fly one-way to Munich then head towards Frankfurt and take Ryanair to Knock Airport in west of Ireland.


Questions.

• Has anyone flown Condor out of SA or anywhere else. Pros/Cons? It looks like one-way for about $750 if booking through Expedia or other sites but on Condor site it's twice that for One-Way. Maybe a glitch in their system.
• Any tips & tricks on Frankfurt or Munich airports
• Any tips & tricks on renting a car in Germany, round trip vs one-way? I've rented and driven in Ireland and Spain before without any issue.
• What to see in Germany and do in Germany for family of 4? My wife lived there for a couple of years working for DOD so she has a list (Idar-Oberstein, Garmisch, Neuschwanstein Castle, Eagles Nest). I'd also like to see some other WW2 historic sites and maybe car related stuff (Porsche, Merc, etc.)

We were thinking of getting hotels for a couple nights at a time and use as jumping off point to drive around area and see things instead of a new bed every night. Allow us to come to home base, walk to dinner and/or pub, and relax a bit. A hub and spoke sort of thing rather than go go go. I enjoy driving and will pull over all the time to take in the views and smell the roses.


Here is a general map of the area we want to see.

When we flew into Stuttgart about a year and a half ago, we rented a car though Sixt. One-way with a drop off in Sweden and that process was incredibly painless. Way easier and more pleasant than US major airport rentals IMO. We got a diesel VW SUV and I don't remember filling up more than 3 times over the course of a 2 week road trip.

As for stuff to do in that part of Germany, Stuttgart will definitely check the box for any car company tours. Added bonus if you still have DoD credentials, you can stay at the hotel on base in town to save some money.

We day tripped down to Hohenzollern castle and palace, which were both really great. That gets you a little south and gives you an option to wind through the countryside and see some small towns.

We ended up going little further north than your route, and if you have some flexibility, I'd consider going up to Bamberg and down to Munich through Nuremberg.

Bamberg hits way above its weight for stuff to do and is quintessential Bavarian charm (they claim the highest concentration of breweries in Germany). Nuremberg would check the mark on WW2 history for sure.

One thing that kind of surprised us was the autobahn. Parts were awesome (I'll never forget cruising by a cop at 120mph). But large sections drove like any interstate with truck traffic, construction, etc.

I've flown through Frankfurt and in/out of Munich before. I vaguely remember Munich being easier to navigate since it doesn't get all the Lufthansa hub international traffic. It's a bit outside the city but not bad.

Since you'll be close by I'd recommend driving through Alsace if you want to take a detour. Kids that age will think that all the little towns are really cool (Drive through Ribeauville and tell them it's what Belle's town from Beauty and the Beast was based on).
There's a restaurant in Bad-Durkheim that's in a giant wine barrel that is pretty cool too. Look up "Giant Cask".
Neuschwanstein is a definite must!

• One-way from San Antonio to Frankfurt on Condor around last week of June

Isn't Condor a seasonal thing out of SAT? I have never flown them. Out of IAH you can do direct to FRA or MUC. There is not much to see in Frankfurt. Munich to Vienna is a nice drive, or train.

• Fly from Munich to Cork on Aer Lingus.

I like that airline.

• Spend 2-3 weeks in Ireland visiting family from Cork to Sligo to Donegal

I was in Dublin for weeks on a project and never was able to get out and look around. Family came, they had a great time. Told me how great it was.

• One-way back from Dublin to SA through wherever.

Yep, DUB, DFW, SAT.

Thanks y'all. I'm adding these stops to my list.


@Urban, we've done DUB, DFW, SAT the last couple trips and it is very nice and easy. Way better than through Newark, Heathrow, and most other stops.