In December Nick, Ryan, Mel, and I spent Christmas in Salzburg with Nick’s family.

We haven’t spent Christmas with Nick’s family since we moved to the UK from Australia in March 2017, so it was fantastic to spend Christmas with family again. Plus, it was a great way for Nick’s family to escape the heat that comes from having Christmas in Australia.

For this trip Nick suggested that we drive to Salzburg, as having a car available for the three weeks we’d be away would be super handy. But the idea of driving almost half way across Europe with a two year old did not sound ideal. So to make it doable, we stayed overnight in some locations on our way to and from Salzburg, and stopped for a few hours at some other locations.

THE START OF OUR ROAD TRIP

The first time we took our car on holidays was when we went to Belgium, which meant it was also our first time taking the ferry overseas.

I can officially say I’m converted to ferry travel. You can sit comfortably, use your phone, walk around, take anything you want with you, and you’re not limited to 100mls of liquids. Plus, Ryan gets to play and move around.

First stop – Overnight in Gent, Belgium

After getting off the ferry in Calais, we drove to Gent. As we went to Gent on our trip to Belgium, we didn’t need to check out the sites, so this stop was purely about checking into our hotel, eating a burger at the hotel restaurant, and then chilling out in our room.

Second stop – Day stop Liège,Belgium

To break up the drive to our next overnight location, we stopped for a couple of hours in Liège, Belgium.

One of the things I was most excited for during this trip was visiting Christmas markets, and Liège was the first place where we did this.

We spent a couple of hours walking around the streets near Les Galeries Saint-Lambert, and stumbled upon a few blown up snowmen, which Ryan loved.

We finally came across our first Christmas market in the main part of the city, which comprised of stalls selling food and alcohol, an ice skating rink, and even a ferris wheel.

Third stop – Overnight in Mainz, Germany

I loved Mainz, maybe because we spent the night there on the way to and from Salzburg, so we were able to eat, relax, and check the city out.

We stayed in the same hotel both times, and went to a nearby restaurant called Vapiano for dinner twice, as we loved it so much. It was Italian and had a kids play area, so Nick and I could eat in peace.

As we entered the restaurant we were given a card, which you use to order your food. When you leave the restaurant the total of your bill comes up on the card. It was a fantastic system, as it meant we could order whenever we wanted, as many times as we wanted without having to wait.

The first time we had dinner here I ordered Ryan a kid’s pizza, which was cooked in the shape of a rabbit and was huge! Nick and I could have shared it. Needless to say Ryan only ate a few bites, so Nick and I had to finish it.

On our second trip to Mainz after leaving Salzburg, we walked to Marktplatz. It was such a gorgeous area. The roads were paved, and the buildings were very traditional in appearance. I was constantly telling Nick to look at things, as he has the tendency to walk ahead very fast and miss a lot.

We stopped for breakfast at a café called Wilma Wunder, which looked like a pub from the outside, but inside its décor was colourful, and filled with light and plants – I loved it.

Nick had his usual eggs benedict, and I had avocado and salmon on a muffin. Ryan ate a little bit of each.

Fourth stop – Overnight in Munich, Germany

Munich was the stop I was most excited for, as it’s where we were meeting Mel, and it’s where I heard the best European Christmas market is held.

It was a four and a half hour drive from Mainz to Munich, so by the time we reached Munich it was 3pm, a great time to check into our hotel and then head straight to Marienplatz, the centre of Munich, and the location of the famous Christkindlmarkt (Christmas Market).

Marienplatz was massive. The sun was shining (even though it was so cold!), and Christkindlmarkt was full of people. There were stalls full of sausages, mulled wine, gingerbread, crafts, chocolates, and heaps more.

We even checked out the smaller Residenz Christmas Market, which had a live band.

Once we explored the stalls we went off to find dinner, but first we stopped at a department store to look at the Christmas windows, which Ryan for some reason thought would be good enough to lick!

For dinner we were on the hunt for a good schnitzel. Even though I eat schnitzel a lot, I couldn’t come to Germany and not have one. We found a restaurant called Schnitzelwirth, and as it had schnitzel in the name, the schnitzel was bound to be good – and it was. I had a massive schnitzel, and I ate all of it.

After dinner it was time to head back to our hotel and get ready for our two hour drive to Salzburg.

FINAL THOUGHTS

I loved how we planned our drive to and from Salzburg. Stopping regularly, and eating our way through a few cities was ideal.

In total we drove just under 24 hours during this road trip with a toddler – crazy!!

My highlight was Mainz. I think I loved it so much because we stopped there twice, allowing us to find a good restaurant, and take a walk through the charming main square.

One place I’d love to revisit is Munich. Mel did a walking tour as she was there the day before us, and she said it has a lot to offer outside of Marienplatz. Plus, there’s a lot of history that I’d love to learn about.

What are your favourite European road trip locations?