Apres_Londee

Hi all,

I'm planning a trip in April to the UK, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy. Just hit our first snag and need your advice.

Switzerland is to be a scenic "drive by" on this trip- we were going to drive south from the Black Forest to Basel, drop off the car, spend the night, and then take the train to Florence the next morning.

But now we've learned our dates coincide with "Basel World" (Au Violon is already booked solid because of it) and I'm thinking it would better to spend the night in Berne instead.

So, we drive from the Black Forest to Berne. Any opinions on the easiest/smoothest way to return the rental car?

Drop off the car at the Berne/Belp Airport and take a taxi into the city?

Or drive into Berne and drop off the car downtown? (Autoeurope gives the address as 22 Laupen Str.)

I'm off to scour the board for hotel rec's- I've gotten so much great info here already

Tia!

bob_brown

Bern is a fairly small city, particularly for a national capital, and we found our way around without a map.

If you had a diagram of where the rental office is located, I think you would be just as well off dropping the car there as anywhere else. Often Avis and Hertz have rental offices fairly close to railroad stations. In Interlaken, we have talked the rental agent into driving us to the train station after dropping the car. Both Hertz and Avis have accommodated us that way.

Bern is a pleasant city to visit in my opinion. Many of the shops along the main street are "arcade style." By that I mean that there is a walkway under cover but open to the street. We were there on a rainy day and were able to poke around the shops without getting wet!!

Apres_Londee

Thanks, Bob. I think heading into town to drop off the car makes sense, then, so we won't have too much running around to do between the rental place, hotel, and train station. More time to spend in the city, less time in another airport.

Jean

I recommend the Belle Epoque Hotel in Berne.

Apres_Londee

The Belle Epoque looks lovely, Jean, thank you. I'll send them an email and keep my fingers crossed.

brookwood

I might add that in Interlaken, the Avis man came and fetched us at Interlaken Ost.

For those of you returning a car in Interlaken, neither Hertz nor Avis is all that close to one of the two train stations. The Avis agency is fairly close to Interlaken West, but the Hertz agency is on a street in the middle of town about equidistance from either station.

Last year we simply walked from Interlaken Ost to the Hertz agenccy to get our car, but we our luggage was in our apartment so we had nothing of consequence to carry.