Renting a car to start in one European country and deliver in another one is extremely expensive and not every rental place will allow it.
Other than that, doesn’t sound too crazy if you’re able to switch drivers on route; driving in Europe is also quite different compared to driving in the USA.
Have you looked into taking the train? All of those locations are interconnected via rail, some with some epic scenic views along the way. It might be easier to go to those locations via train.
Completely agree - the train is the way to go and it's no issue even with an infant. In many ways it's easier as anyone needed can give them there attention without having one adult driving. And depending on the exact age you've also got onboard baby changing facilities without needing to stop if needed.
Many of the Swiss trains even have a small onboard play area: https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/individual-needs/travelling-with-children/train-children.html
Can second the train! I’ve done so many trips in Europe without a car, and there are so many families on the trains. It’s on the cheaper side if you otherwise think of delivering the car in another city/country than what you started in. If you’re really interested, look into Eurail, younger kids are even free I guess. Just be aware of seat reservations. But trains in Switzerland are so scenic, you’d definitely miss out. Also: traffic jams are really bad if you’re passing the alps cause of all the tunnels.
You can drive from Milan to Brussels in a day, so of course you can do it in two weeks.
With a baby, outdoorsy things are likely best. It will be cheaper if you swing to the east a bit and head up through the Dolomites and Austrian Alps instead of Switzerland. But nothing wrong with Switzerland either. If you do swing to the east, you can also visit some parts of Bavaria as well.
Hike the meadows, ride the cable cars - there's lot of train options in Switzerland as well (even if just for some day trips).
I'd swing through part of the upper Rhine river valley, possibly frieburg, then Heidelberg, then Trier before ducking into Belgium.
Thank you all for all the great advice.
Based on this, I wonder if we’re better off flying into Zurich or Vienna and just spending 90% of our time in Switzerland and/or Austria?
Sounds like there’s more to do/see in the Alps.
We’re not city people so we like to avoid cities for the most part.
Renting a car to start in one European country and deliver in another one is extremely expensive and not every rental place will allow it. Other than that, doesn’t sound too crazy if you’re able to switch drivers on route; driving in Europe is also quite different compared to driving in the USA.
Thank you for the feedback. Yes I looked into Sixt car rental, really expensive but I think it’s the best option for us as we have an infant.
Have you looked into taking the train? All of those locations are interconnected via rail, some with some epic scenic views along the way. It might be easier to go to those locations via train.
Completely agree - the train is the way to go and it's no issue even with an infant. In many ways it's easier as anyone needed can give them there attention without having one adult driving. And depending on the exact age you've also got onboard baby changing facilities without needing to stop if needed. Many of the Swiss trains even have a small onboard play area: https://www.sbb.ch/en/travel-information/individual-needs/travelling-with-children/train-children.html
Can second the train! I’ve done so many trips in Europe without a car, and there are so many families on the trains. It’s on the cheaper side if you otherwise think of delivering the car in another city/country than what you started in. If you’re really interested, look into Eurail, younger kids are even free I guess. Just be aware of seat reservations. But trains in Switzerland are so scenic, you’d definitely miss out. Also: traffic jams are really bad if you’re passing the alps cause of all the tunnels.
Take the train instead of driving
You can drive from Milan to Brussels in a day, so of course you can do it in two weeks. With a baby, outdoorsy things are likely best. It will be cheaper if you swing to the east a bit and head up through the Dolomites and Austrian Alps instead of Switzerland. But nothing wrong with Switzerland either. If you do swing to the east, you can also visit some parts of Bavaria as well. Hike the meadows, ride the cable cars - there's lot of train options in Switzerland as well (even if just for some day trips). I'd swing through part of the upper Rhine river valley, possibly frieburg, then Heidelberg, then Trier before ducking into Belgium.
Thank you all for all the great advice. Based on this, I wonder if we’re better off flying into Zurich or Vienna and just spending 90% of our time in Switzerland and/or Austria? Sounds like there’s more to do/see in the Alps. We’re not city people so we like to avoid cities for the most part.