itspat

We plan to leave Salzburg and head to Switzerland. Starting east to west, our first point of interest would be Appenzell. We are not necessarily planning to go through Zürich, unless necessary. We will have a Swiss Pass. In Austria, we are planning to fly directly into Salzburg, and just use local transport or our own two legs to get around the town, no other major travel passes.

What would you recommend as the most logical, economical, efficient, etc., way to get from Salzburg to Appenzell? Looking on Google, it looks like there are at least four stops involved. Just wanted to see what you could recommend. From Appenzell, we would like to continue heading west toward Lucerne, Berner Oberland, Lausanne and Geneva, etc. We are not necessarily married to the idea of Appenzell, but we have just heard so many good things about the area and would like to check it out if possible.

Thanks.

asps

The direct trains Salzburg-Zuerich stop in Buchs where with a couple of connection through St. Gallen you get to Appenzell. It is not fast but I cannot think a faster way. Even by car you would drive roughly the same itinerary in the same time.

greg

For trains, use train trip planners instead of google.
www.bahn.com is easier to use than www.sbb.ch.
You will find various routes taking different amount of time traveling through different countries. Looks like you need minimum of three trains (2 changes) with a few connections taking less than six hours.
Use "Salzburg Hbf". Be sure to check the route visually by clicking "show map". This protects you from unknowingly using similarly spelled destinations.