Car travel in Switzerland vs. rail travel
Oct 5th, 2017, 05:43 PM
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Car travel in Switzerland vs. rail travel
My 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren (16, 17,18) will be in Europe for 10 nights
in July 2018. They will be on a strict budget. They will be flying on AWARD MILES,
Flight will be into Munich. Open jaw with flights home from either Zurich or Munich. or other?
Rent a 5 passenger car or wagon for transportation. (cheaper than 5 rail tickets and also more convenient for the Tyrol area.)
This is a tentative plan:
Munich 2 nights
Tyrol area - 2 nights -(Oberramagau, Neuchwenstein, Linderhof, Ettal)
Salzburg - 1 night
Zermatt - 2 nights
Berner Oberland 2 nights (Lauterbrunnen Valley)
1 night at hotel near airport (Zurich or Munich)
Is this totally insane? We have been advised that the drop charge in Zurich would be 200+ euros.
Or should they drive back to the Munich airport to fly home?
MAIN QUESTION: In the Lauterbrunnen Valley area how useful will the car be? To really enjoy the LV must they also buy a lot of rail tickets?
When visiting Switzerland should they skip either LV or Zermatt? If so, which destination should be eliminated?
I know this is a very ambitious schedule. Thank you to all of you who are so willing to advise and help.
We want this trip to go smoothly and appreciate your time and interest.
in July 2018. They will be on a strict budget. They will be flying on AWARD MILES,
Flight will be into Munich. Open jaw with flights home from either Zurich or Munich. or other?
Rent a 5 passenger car or wagon for transportation. (cheaper than 5 rail tickets and also more convenient for the Tyrol area.)
This is a tentative plan:
Munich 2 nights
Tyrol area - 2 nights -(Oberramagau, Neuchwenstein, Linderhof, Ettal)
Salzburg - 1 night
Zermatt - 2 nights
Berner Oberland 2 nights (Lauterbrunnen Valley)
1 night at hotel near airport (Zurich or Munich)
Is this totally insane? We have been advised that the drop charge in Zurich would be 200+ euros.
Or should they drive back to the Munich airport to fly home?
MAIN QUESTION: In the Lauterbrunnen Valley area how useful will the car be? To really enjoy the LV must they also buy a lot of rail tickets?
When visiting Switzerland should they skip either LV or Zermatt? If so, which destination should be eliminated?
I know this is a very ambitious schedule. Thank you to all of you who are so willing to advise and help.
We want this trip to go smoothly and appreciate your time and interest.
Oct 5th, 2017, 06:32 PM
#2
If they are on a strict budget they should not be visiting Switzerland. Stick to Austria and either the French Alps or the Italian Dolomites. Actually, with only that much time, stick to Austria - go to Innsbruck.
Oct 5th, 2017, 08:20 PM
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What thursdaysd said. PLUS trying to drive with jet lag is a recipe for disaster – a seriously bad idea!
(Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to oneself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing anyone can do will prevent the microsleeps (which one might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter one's other constraints and no matter one's prior experience! Please be patient with me if you think I’m being overly adamant, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were too confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of cause célèbre for me….)
As for your specific question: Having a car in the Lauterbrunnen Valley would not serve any useful purpose.
(Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to oneself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing anyone can do will prevent the microsleeps (which one might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter one's other constraints and no matter one's prior experience! Please be patient with me if you think I’m being overly adamant, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were too confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of cause célèbre for me….)
As for your specific question: Having a car in the Lauterbrunnen Valley would not serve any useful purpose.
Oct 5th, 2017, 08:23 PM
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Oh ... and if they do go to Switzerland, despite the costs, would any of them willingly give up the chance to actually SEE that spectacular scenery, when the Swiss rail / bus / etc. system is so extremely easy and convenient?
Oct 5th, 2017, 08:25 PM
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Hi nannibray,
The car would only be a convenience for the Tyrol area -- the rest of the time, it will be inconvenient and expensive (remember to factor in the high cost of gas and hotel charges for parking). And Zermatt is car-free, so they will be forced to park the car in Täsch and take the train the rest of the way. For the rest of it --
Munich is a huge city, with city traffic, including pedestrians, busses, trams, bicycles, and lots of other cars -- most Americans are not used to the plethora of various moving objects that share the road with cars. In addition, parking is hard to find and expensive, and streets are narrow and winding. It is really tons easier to navigate by tram or Ubahn or taxi. The MVV has fares to cover transport for the day for a group of 5 adults -- if I'm reading it correctly, it looks like the fare would be 12,60 per day for the group.
They can take the regional train to Salzburg using the Bavaria Ticket, which would cost 49€ for all 5 of them. Then in Salzburg, again, it is a big city with all the big city traffic problems -- finding parking, paying for parking, navigating narrow streets, getting lost, etc. Again, far easier to navigate by bus or train.
In the Berner Oberland, yes, a car won't be very useful. The prettiest villages (imo) are car-free, and of course all of the mountaintops are, so most if not all of the travel will be done by train anyway.
And Zermatt, as I noted above, is a car-free town.
Two of the best reasons to ditch the car are, one, that travelling by train is far more fun, especially for people who haven't done it much. It's prime people-watching time, so you have a unique chance to catch a glimpse into another culture -- you can see how families interact, what businessmen/women are reading, how retired couples spend a day hiking together, etc. They won't be isolated inside a private bubble, and it will be an added "European Adventure" on top of their European adventure. The second reason is that it is more green (yaaay). It's such an easy and fun way to reduce the carbon footprint for a few days, so it seems a shame not to take advantage of it.
I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and I don't have a car. I am retired, living on a budget, and I get around Bavaria and into Switzerland easily and fairly often.
Have fun as you plan!
s
The car would only be a convenience for the Tyrol area -- the rest of the time, it will be inconvenient and expensive (remember to factor in the high cost of gas and hotel charges for parking). And Zermatt is car-free, so they will be forced to park the car in Täsch and take the train the rest of the way. For the rest of it --
Munich is a huge city, with city traffic, including pedestrians, busses, trams, bicycles, and lots of other cars -- most Americans are not used to the plethora of various moving objects that share the road with cars. In addition, parking is hard to find and expensive, and streets are narrow and winding. It is really tons easier to navigate by tram or Ubahn or taxi. The MVV has fares to cover transport for the day for a group of 5 adults -- if I'm reading it correctly, it looks like the fare would be 12,60 per day for the group.
They can take the regional train to Salzburg using the Bavaria Ticket, which would cost 49€ for all 5 of them. Then in Salzburg, again, it is a big city with all the big city traffic problems -- finding parking, paying for parking, navigating narrow streets, getting lost, etc. Again, far easier to navigate by bus or train.
In the Berner Oberland, yes, a car won't be very useful. The prettiest villages (imo) are car-free, and of course all of the mountaintops are, so most if not all of the travel will be done by train anyway.
And Zermatt, as I noted above, is a car-free town.
Two of the best reasons to ditch the car are, one, that travelling by train is far more fun, especially for people who haven't done it much. It's prime people-watching time, so you have a unique chance to catch a glimpse into another culture -- you can see how families interact, what businessmen/women are reading, how retired couples spend a day hiking together, etc. They won't be isolated inside a private bubble, and it will be an added "European Adventure" on top of their European adventure. The second reason is that it is more green (yaaay). It's such an easy and fun way to reduce the carbon footprint for a few days, so it seems a shame not to take advantage of it.
I live in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and I don't have a car. I am retired, living on a budget, and I get around Bavaria and into Switzerland easily and fairly often.
Have fun as you plan!
s
Oct 6th, 2017, 12:53 AM
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For mountains and glaciers, drive from Neuschwanstein/Wieskirhce/Oberammergau/Ettal (all in Germany, BTW) to Garmisch - Mittenwald - Seefeld - Telfs - Oetztal - Soelden. Take then the Oetztaler Glacier road up to the glaciers. Drive then from Soelden over the Timmelsjoch to Meran and into to Schnals Valley, where you take the cableway to the highest mountain hotel of the Alps, at an altitude of 10600 ft. Continue then to Glurns, the tiniest walled city of Europe, enter Switzerland, visit the Unesco World Heritage monastery of Mustair and go on to Umbrail Pass - Stelvio Pass (9050 ft). Drive then down to Bormio and via Foscagno Pass - Livigno (tax free shopping) - Livigno Pass to Bernina Pass and take the cableway to Diavolezza/Pers Glacier.
Continue to Pontresina/St. Moritz - Zuoz - Susch - Davos - Landquart - motorway - Bregenz - Munich.
Continue to Pontresina/St. Moritz - Zuoz - Susch - Davos - Landquart - motorway - Bregenz - Munich.
Oct 6th, 2017, 01:27 AM
#7
They could save money in Switzerland by staying in apartments [not very convenient if only staying 2 nights in one place though] and eating in, and by not going to the tourist centres of Zermatt and The Berner Oberland. However if they do go, there is a Jungfrau rail pass that would cover the Berner Oberland bit, or they could get swiss rail half price cards - it's worth reading the info about the various passes carefully as some look expensive but give free travel for children. [the 18 year old will count as an adult]
overall, i think that they are dodging around too much; there are lots of activities in Switzerland [and Austria] that the kids/young adults might enjoy, but they are not staying long enough in any one place to have the chance to do them. If they are determined to do Switzerland then IMO they should choose one area or the other; a friend's DD spent a week in a log cabin in Interlaken with a child a bit younger than these and they had a great time.
overall, i think that they are dodging around too much; there are lots of activities in Switzerland [and Austria] that the kids/young adults might enjoy, but they are not staying long enough in any one place to have the chance to do them. If they are determined to do Switzerland then IMO they should choose one area or the other; a friend's DD spent a week in a log cabin in Interlaken with a child a bit younger than these and they had a great time.
Oct 6th, 2017, 09:30 AM
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Thank you everyone. I agree with kja about driving with jet lag. They would take the U Bahn into Munich and not rent a car until leaving Munich.
neckervd...your itinerary sounds very interesting. How many days to do this drive? Would there be an overnight in St. Moritz? I have a large atlas of Germany/Austria/Switzerland but it is at one of the daughters' house. I will
see her this weekend, will get the atlas and then study the route.
This sounds like just a quick "dip" into Switzerland without entailing train travel and ending back in Munich for the potential flight home . Will there be little towns or villages along the way to get the Swiss flavor?
One of the daughters has been to Zermatt and the Berner Oberland and loved both! Rightly so. But for her to see a different area of Switzerland might be appealing to her.
swandav..will check out the Bavaria ticket to Salzburg.
neckervd...your itinerary sounds very interesting. How many days to do this drive? Would there be an overnight in St. Moritz? I have a large atlas of Germany/Austria/Switzerland but it is at one of the daughters' house. I will
see her this weekend, will get the atlas and then study the route.
This sounds like just a quick "dip" into Switzerland without entailing train travel and ending back in Munich for the potential flight home . Will there be little towns or villages along the way to get the Swiss flavor?
One of the daughters has been to Zermatt and the Berner Oberland and loved both! Rightly so. But for her to see a different area of Switzerland might be appealing to her.
swandav..will check out the Bavaria ticket to Salzburg.
Oct 6th, 2017, 11:38 AM
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Yes consider trains in Switzerland and Bavarai as swandav has shown Bavaria Pass cheaper than renting and driving and in Swiss Alpine regions cars must be parked out of town center - at a rather steep fee - as they cannot go beyond the parking lots usually. For lots on Swiss trains (and youthpasses for those under 28) check www.sbb.ch; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
If not going to Alpine areas then car makes sense for a group of five.
If not going to Alpine areas then car makes sense for a group of five.
Oct 6th, 2017, 03:17 PM
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Glad to know that driving with jet lag is not being considered!
If pursuing neckervd's itinerary, I would not stay in St. Moritz itself. I enjoyed Pontresina, and there are other options in the area.
If pursuing neckervd's itinerary, I would not stay in St. Moritz itself. I enjoyed Pontresina, and there are other options in the area.
Oct 7th, 2017, 12:28 AM
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" I have a large atlas of Germany/Austria/Switzerland but it is at one of the daughters' house.."
..or load down Google maps (austria map)and zoom in. You may also have a look at http://map.geo.admin.ch/?lang=en
Places to stay: almost any place in Engadin Valley is scenic:
Pontresina, Segl Maria, Zuoz, S-chanf, Guarda.....
https://www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/sommer/en/
https://www.graubuenden.ch/en/discov...-moritz-summer
South Tiyrol:
http://www.grawand.com/en/hotel/
https://www.merano-suedtirol.it/en/m...lture/castles/
..or load down Google maps (austria map)and zoom in. You may also have a look at http://map.geo.admin.ch/?lang=en
Places to stay: almost any place in Engadin Valley is scenic:
Pontresina, Segl Maria, Zuoz, S-chanf, Guarda.....
https://www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/sommer/en/
https://www.graubuenden.ch/en/discov...-moritz-summer
South Tiyrol:
http://www.grawand.com/en/hotel/
https://www.merano-suedtirol.it/en/m...lture/castles/
