HLS2002

In August, we (a family of three, including an energetic toddler) plan to be in the heart of Europe for a week, flying into WAW and out of PRG. Does anyone have any advice for a road trip? I was thinking of heading down to KRK quickly, renting a car, and then driving around Slovakia: Štrbské Pleso in the High Tatras, probably staying at the Kempinski, taking in some world heritage at Vlkolínec, and then heading east to see Levoča and Spišský Hrad, maybe spending a night in Košice. The caves at Domica seemed potentially interesting for a couple of hours the next day, and then we would make our way west to Prague, maybe spending a night at Trenčín and another somewhere in Bohemia before returning the car at Ruzyne.

Besides suggestions as to different places to explore, I’m particularly interested in observations about the driving. Are the Google Maps estimates reliable in your experiences? I expect I'll have a Škoda Superb. The distance isn’t discouraging on its face, but it may depend whether I’m looking at bucolic, scenic drives versus harrowing dances with aggressive trucks--and getting a boot on the car in every town when I don’t understand the parking rules. Without the little one in a car seat, I probably would do this differently, maybe using more mass transit and doing real hiking in one place instead of driving to many sites.