Austria and Switzerland


Hi everyone

I am trying to plan my trip to Austria and Switzerland late spring and I am running into some problems and could really use some help.

A bit about us I travel alone with my two boys ages 12 and 15. We usually drive but this trip is a NO car trip due to a medical issue, so we are only going to be relying on trains and buses.

We are from a large city and I have this theory that since we are in the grind of NY everyday we love to escape to nature. Not to say we don’t love them but I wanted this trip to be a wonderful outdoor experience. We are also a fan of the smaller towns and villages.


My plan was to to fly into Salzburg I could just as easily fly in Vienna and then go to Salzburg but I wasnt sure if I should skip Vienna and begin in Salzburg. … and head west
Seeing the beauty of Austria and Switzerland in
the month that we have.


I’m not sure where to base ourselves out of.
And I am totally lost when it comes to Switzerland
I have gotten many books but I still cant figure it out.
I know we would like to go to Gimmelwald and that it is a
9 hour train ride from Salzburg, but I am sure there are places to visit on the way. And I dont know where to fly out of

If anyone out there would be kind enough to help me organize this in some way that seems doable I would be so VERY grateful -


Salzburg… so we stay here as a base ?? How many days ?
Hallstatt Salt Mine Tour
Königssee


Garmisch-Partenkirchen
Mittenwald

Hohenwerfen Castle
Werfen Ice Cave

Fussen
Neuschwanstein Castles
Zugspitze.


Gimmelwald
Wengen
Interlaken

Wengen is a great base for your family - Gimmelwald is neat but way too remote - assume you'll have several days there and Wengen is well situated for doing excursions via public transit of mountain trains and aerial gondolas going off in all directions - I'd suggest with a month you add Lucerne to your Swiss list - great base for few days on a lovely lake - great boat rides to several places of interest. Then take scenic Golden Pass train to Interlaken and head for the hills - not many reasons to stay in Interlaken.

But from Wengen you can easily day trip down to Interlaken and take lovely boat rides on either lake bookending Interlaken or take Jungfraujoch train to Europe's highest train station and a world of perpetual snow - walk to glaciers - and for an easy but lovely hike - from Wengen take cable car to The Mannlichen and do the easy few-mile stroll on wide gently descending trail to Kleine Scheidegg from which you can get a train back to Wengen. Fantastic walk - most popular in area - great front views of glacier-girdled Jungfrau Massif and for miles around.

Trains are great - investigate Berner Oberland Railpass good on many conveyances in Lucerne and Interlaken-Wengen-Jungfrau areas - buy locally - kids that age I believe get a free Family Pass so they never pay a cent for any public transit as long as parent has a pass or ticket. Lots of good info on Swiss and Austrian trains and in Jungfrau Region check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.sbb.ch; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

OK here are a few ideas, i think your boys would love Wengen, which is near Grindelwald. There is a lift right in the small village that takes one up to the Mannlichen, which is a lovely plateau for hiking. It i

it the wrong key and it went before I had completed my note. Anyway the Mannlichen is an awesome area, you do not say when this trip is planned. You can just go up the lift and look around or go out to hike, in a pretty safe area. Wengen is a small charming village, with the Jungfrau and Monch mtns over the village, awesome sights if you get a hotel room with view of it. Also I personally would start in Vienna, with so much to see there, with the Spanish Riding School with the Lippizaner stalions, next to the Hapsburg Palace, need tickets for the show way ahead or just see training sessions. There also is the Hapsburg Palace that might be of interest too.

in Salzburg your kids would probably enjoy Schloss Hellbrunn with its trick fountains and the fortress.

Gimmelwald -is a remote farming hamlet that makes a nice visit just for the out in the middle of nowhere atmosphere surrounded by awesome views of high Alps. Great excursion would go from Wengen down by train to Lauterbrunnen and then cableway up cliff to Grutschalp and mountain train along cliff's edge to Murren - nice town to poke around and then take long long cableway to The Schilthorn and Piz Gloria - the famous revolving restaurant on it (Schilthorn and Piz Gloria were where many scenes of James Bond's On Her Majesty's Secret Service were filmed - see that film perhaps before going) and then take cableway back down to Gimmelwald - maybe have a meal at the local hotel/restaurant and then take thrilling cableway back down to Lauterbrunnen Valley and Stechelberg - hop postal bus back to Lauterbrunnen, perhaps visiting famous Trummelbach Falls just outside Lauterbrunnen - water cascade roaring down chutes inside a mountain - walkways let you see it inside - then take train Lauterbrunnen up to Wengen - a GREAT day out and all covered by a railp pass except cable to Schilthorn 50% off.

Your boys would probably enjoy the toboggan/luge near Neuschwanstein. You can google it.

And in the Jungfrau region they can ride the awesome zip line:

https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/grinde...t/first-flyer/

Any ideas of timing and days ...

should I add Vienna ?? how many days

Salzburg do I use this as a base for how many days /???

Do I stay near Neuschwanstein or Garmisch-Partenkirchen and for how long to see this area??

Others areas in Switzerland I should see ???

I cant even begin to say how grateful I am for all the help .. I had a brain injury and at certain
times it is very hard organize facts

many thanks

For Switzerland I'd just do Lucerne and Interlaken areas - you have similar Salt Mine tours just outside of Salzburg - Hallstatt is great for seeing high Alps but too far for a day trip from Salzburg but a wonderful place to stay a few nights. The Sound of Music Country - a k a Austrian Lake District is a good day trip by postal bus from Salzburg - much of the film was filmed there.

Elizabeth, one thought is you could fly into Zurich , spend a night or so, chocolate shops on most corners /good fondue/nice city, and train down to Wengen/Gimmelwald, and then maybe down to Zermatt before heading over to Vienna or Salzburg, and fly back out of Vienna or Salzburg or vice versa. Others could explain train route better as I was headed back to Zurich. Zermatt while more touristy, has a great scenic tram ride up to the Gorgergaut, and has the Matterhorn over the village. There is a nice small undergound museum in Zermatt which I think your boys would find interesting along with the church next door and the graveyard with the axes of the mtn climbers on the graves. One boy from NYC age 16 there as I recall, fell while climbing. Salzburg also has the marionette theater, and above the salt mine as I recall, is Hitlers, Eagles Nest, am I correct on this? I like flying in one city and working ones way over to my departure city, seems to make it easier to me, and you see more of the countries. Trains are great in Switzerland, check out Swiss Rail Pass.

Trains are great in Switzerland, check out Swiss Rail Pass.>

Yes if traveling to places outside Lucerne and Interlaken areas - in those areas Berner Oberland Pass may be a better deal and cover more but look into each.

Hi elizabeth -

Have you considered flying into Munich and out of Zurich (open jaw)? Or vice versa? I suspect you'll find the airfares lower than flying into Salzburg.

From Munich, Salzburg is a 90 minute train ride away, and covered by the Bayern ticket, which is a good deal - up to five persons can travel on one ticket. Details here:

Munich Tourist Information

Garmisch is also easily reached by train from Munich. From Garmisch, you can access the Zugspitz. Details here;
https://zugspitze.de/en/summer

You can also get to Mittenwald easily by train from Munich and to Fussen and Neuschwanstein Castle via train/bus or if you prefer, you can take an organized (very long day) bus tour that leaves from near the Munich main station.

From Munich you can train (or bus or fly) into Switzerland. We took the bus from Munich to Chur last summer for the first time and really enjoyed it. Painless and inexpensive.

Switzerland would be a logical place to head after Garmisch via Innsbruck - about 6 hours or so - to Lucerne but still long train ride so may want to fly.

I personally liked Vienna, and it would certainly be worth to spend a day or two, some time in the Wachau Valley, then onto Salzburg( a day is enough, or more, for day trips), some time in the Lake District. Now I don't have much experience with the Alpine areas of Austria, so can't say much about that. Assuming you have around 18-20 days in Switzerland, I would spend a few days in Lucerne area(Fronalpstock is a nice mountain to visit, other than the popular ones), a few more in Bernese Oberland, a few in Valais, and if possible a little time around Engadin, and maybe Montreux-Gruyers if you find time.
Do have a look at my TR's, I did a few hikes in BE and Valais, and would definitely go back again.
https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...2/switzerland/

https://ashwinbahulkar.wordpress.com...ia-and-prague/

If going around Switzerland like ashwinb suggests the be sure to get a Swiss Travel Pass. And each of those areas is vastly different from the others.

I would focus on the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland and consider Thun as a base. A bit less overrun than Interlaken, but right on the lake, right on the major rail line, quick into to the mountains and quick to Bern or Lucerne too.

I don't believe you say when you would be going, which could be a decisive factor.

If you aren't looking for time in cities, I'm not sure why you are considering Vienna. I loved it, and could easily have used more than the 5 days I gave, it but isn't a place I think of for outdoor actives, small town moments, or scenery.

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful ideas in my trip report on a month in Switzerland:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...thanks-983126/

Hi elizabethG,

For the Bavarian portion of your trip, yes, Garmisch would work very well. You can get to Füssen (for the castles) in about 1h30 or 2h15 with 1 or 0 changes. You can get to Mittenwald in about 20 or 30 minutes by either bus or train. And you can get to the Zugspitze by cog wheel train in about 1h30, and I always like to return to Garmisch by Eibsee bus.

You can verify these journeys and check the timing at the German rail site

www.bahn.com

Have fun as you plan!

s

For when in "late Spring" is the holiday proposed? For example, the Schafbergbahn in the Salzkammergut does not begin seasonal operation until the middle of May, when the hiking Hütte open. You may find similar issues with lifts and funiculars elsewhere.

We left Vienna to the tourists and headed to the alps for nine days of outdoor activities just last month. While we were thrilled to be out of the city, you might find that you "need" a little "city-bathing" break from the nature. Or not. But if you do, Salzburg or Munich would be suitable; I wouldn't necessarily give up extra time for Vienna.