JJtravellers

We are flying from Barcelona to Geneva to start our 2 week trip. It is all new to us, so we are hoping for your advise.

*Should we stay in Geneva or take the train to Montreux for the first night?

*We are planning to take the Golden Pass Rail to Interlaken and stay for 2 to 3 nights.
I understand we will have to change trains in Zweissman?
What activities should we plan here?

*Next stop can be anywhere

*We want to end up in Germany via the Black Forest/Baden Baden and end up in Frankfurt or Munich.

*Wondering if visiting Austria is even possible,

*We are hoping to take trains, but I understand driving in Germany is ok?

*What would you do with 2 weeks?
Thanks everyone.

bettyk

No. 1 - check out this recent post.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-get-a-map.cfm

No. 2 - As far as staying in Geneva or take the train to Montreux the first night - what time do you arrive in Geneva?

No. 3 - What activities should we plan here (Interlaken)? Why are you going there if you don't know what there is to do?

No. 4 - Why the Black Forest/Baden Baden? Not the best part of Germany IMO. I would much prefer the Bodensee area.

With just 2 weeeks, I would not try to do Austria. I would spend a week in Switzerland and then a week in Germany, either of which you could easily spend your entire 2 weeks.

JJtravellers

Thanks for the link.
As to our question about Interlaken…I will do some research
I guess I may be a bit premature in asking for your help.

bettyk

JJtravellers, people on Fodor's are always happy to help. You just need to have a better idea of where you want to go and why. If we think there is a better place than one you've picked out, we will tell you.

swandav2000

Hi JJtravellers,

I have a bit of input for you as you are making your plans --

Yes, I personally think it would be a good idea to move to Montreux upon arrival in Geneva -- there's a train station at the airport, and it's a short (60-80 minute) ride. Unless you particularly like staying in cities, Montreux should be a better bet -- it's more quiet and smaller, etc. I assume you'd want to see Chillon castle while in the area, and it sits just outside of Montreux. Plus, Montreux is the start point for the Golden Pass route to Interlaken.

Yes, you have to change trains in Zweisimmen because the size of the train tracks changes there.

I dislike staying only one night in places -- it eats up waaaay too much time with the chores of packing up and checking out, then checking in and unpacking again. Also, I don't think you can see much with just a few half days in a place. For those reasons, I would plan for at least three nights at each stop.

So, you could spend 2 or 3 nights in Montreux, then 3 nights in the Interlaken area (maybe a car-free village in the mountains), then 2 or 3 nights in Luzern. From Luzern, you can continue your trip to Austria or Germany, as you wish.

Yes, it's ok to drive in Germany -- but why, for goodness' sake? Trains run very well in Germany, and you would be helping to preserve the beauty by limiting your carbon emissions.

As you continue to think and plan for your trip, it would also be helpful to know what time of year this will be.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Cowboy1968

Do not rent cars across borders. That usually incurs a steep extra fee.
If your route thru Germany takes you away from the rail lines, you can easily just rent a car for a few days (one ways don't cost extra), and get back on the rail when it suits you. Example: pick up in Weil am Rhein, and drop off in Karlsruhe or Stuttgart.

The Black Forest is pretty huge. Some parts are scenic, some are okay. I find it somewhat dull. At least I would not fly many miles to see it. The scenic part is more the Southern region near Switzerland, around the town of Titisee.

There are some worthwhile palaces and castles on the German side, and especially further north when you get to Karlsruhe and Rastatt or go bit further east towards Stuttgart and Ludwigsburg.
http://www.schloss-rastatt.de/en/pal...me/268159.html
http://www.schloss-favorite.de/en/pa...me/268299.html
http://www.schloss-ludwigsburg.de/en...me/267924.html

That route down the Rhine valley can make sense, though, if you don't stick only to the German side but also go over the river into Alsace. That would add another flavor to your trip: vineyards, wineries, fine cuisine, more castles like Koenigsbourg. The upper Rhine Valley between Freiburg and Karlsruhe (incl. Both sides of the border) also has one of the finest, sunniest climates in Germany.

Going to Austria would just add more mountains and took you off far from your route when you need to end your trip in Frankfurt.
If you were leaving from Munich, then it will not only be possible but hart to avoid to go thru Austria. At least thru Western Austria.

JJtravellers

Thank you S and Cowboy…your insight is just what I needed in this planning stage.

We will be traveling in early May…a transatlantic cruise from Miami to Barcelona…then flying to Geneva to start our trip.

So…Montreux it will be for the first two nights. We will see Chillon Castle.
Then onto the Golden Pass Rail to Interlaken for 3 nights…still researching

For Germany...Looks like now we will stay in Berchtesgaden so we will get to see Austria.

Maybe rent a car here.

We will fly out of Munich to Los Angeles or maybe continue on to Venice?

Is there a direct train from Munich or Salzburg to Venice?

Again…everything is still in the planning stages and your help is greatly appreciated.

swandav2000

Hi again,

You can find all the train schedules for your trip at the German rail site at

www.bahn.com

But basically, there is one direct (0 changes) train every day, and it takes 6h39. It leaves München at 11.31 and arrives in Venice at 18.10

There are two more direct trains, and they are night trains. However, one of them arrives at 03.11, so that is out. The other one leaves München at 23.40 and arrives at 08.34, and I would give serious consideration to doing something like that. I've taken night trains, and they are a lot of fun -- if you splurge and get a private cabin with toilet and shower. You can bring in a gourmet picnic, including wine and champage if you want, and imagine you're in a 1940s movie. It's a great way to travel.

Have fun as you plan!

s

JJtravellers

Thank you again, S!
A night train sounds like fun and may be just the ticket!

Cowboy1968

When you are based in Berchtesgaden, you don't want to go back to Munich to catch any train.
The fastest daytime connections from nearby Salzburg go via Villach where you need to change to a long-distance bus. Wouldn't be my firt choice.
An alternative could be the direct night train from Salzburg, but as it is not that far to Venice, you will have to wait till 1.30am to catch it. And it will arrive in Venice already at 8.30am, so you won't have many hours to sleep or any evening hours on the train for dinner.
The 23:40 night train from Munich will take you all way back to Salzburg (but does not stop there) so you spend hours to go back and forth to where you started. Not very economical.
The distance between Munich or Salzburg is just too short to have a meaningful "night train experience" which had you board somewhere at dinner time, have dinner and drinks on the train and a leisurely breakfast on the train before you arrived at your destination.
If you are looking for such an experience, you could take the 18:30 sleeper from Munich (the one the would dump you in Venice at 3.11am), but sleep through the night until you get to Rome at around 9am.

Another option would be one of the daytime connections from Salzburg with a change in Innsbruck. Those will take you all way by rail, and thru a more scenic scenery than the Villach connection which is more tunnels than vistas. Plus the boring bus ride thru the NE Italian flatlands.

Cowboy1968

Second last paragraph should read
The distance between Munich or Salzburg <b>and Venice</b>...

choelashan

To make your mind a bit mix: Why don't you think to go to Portofino and Cinque Terre region as you go to Geneva.