Car vs Train in Switzerland
 

We are planning a 3-5 stay in Switzerland next summer and are weighting the options between getting around by train or renting a car. Are there issues with parking if driving? What has worked well for you in your experience?

There are issues with parking with driving anywhere in the world if you are in a big city, of course. And not in some rural area.

It depends what you want to do, and your itinerary, that's what I'd say. Switzerland has one of the best train systems in the world. If you want a car just to get between cities, I'd say no.

I am not sure there are any more "issues" in Switzerland when renting a car than there are in any other European country.

There are obviously insurance charges unless you choose to have your credit card cover those; fuel charges, parking fees, and sometimes there might even be a "size of the vehicle" issue depending on exactly where you plan to drive.

There are actually people who have never been ON a train and I can understand why they might be reluctant to use public transport.

I have usually used the rail and bus systems in Switzerland. What I gave up in supposed "flexibility" I re-gained in terms of relaxation and peace of mind but your concerns and needs may be entirely different than my own.

It depends somewhat on where you are going - to the Alpine regions that most first-time travelers are want to do or cities and non-mountainous parts of the country.

Most folks want to go to the Alpine Wonderland areas - tops IME of which is the Jungfrau Region around Interlaken - where the dreamy picture perhaps of Switzerland etched in your minds' eyes will be fulfilled:

Glacier-girdled peaks soaring thousands of feet above lush cow-doted meadows - toy-like mountain trains and thrilling aerial cable ways going off in all directions - hiking trails for all degrees of experience and energies - neat family-run hotels and guesthouses with balconies with views of the rugged snow-capped peaks, etc.

And in these areas cars are a no-go - must be parked on the edges of towns and cannot even go to many Alpine places only accessible by foot, train or cable ways - so if going to this type of place - and perfect place for 3-5 days - so many varied things to do - a car is useless and trains so so great.

In general Swiss trains go everywhere and are amongst the finest rail system in the world.

For lots of great info on Swiss trains check these IMO suerb sources: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com.

with 3-5 days I would just base in one area like the Jungfrau Region - the perfect area to fulfill the dreamy picture many of us have of Switzerland but which you can only experience in a handful of places.

There are picturesque small towns in Switzerland closed to cars. Whereas Swiss public transportation is superb. Trains, buses and boats, not to speak of gondolas and trams, are all scheduled to link up, so public transportation is efficient also. And the driver gets to enjoy the magnificent views instead of keeping his eyes peeled to the twisty road.

Depending on where you want to go, a Swiss pass may make sense. It covers most trains, buses and boats, and includes a discount on privately owned lines, like the train to Jungfraujoch. Switzerland is an expensive place and the pass is not cheap. My husband calculated it out in an Excel spreadsheet two times before he concluded the pass was a better deal.

For details on the Swiss pass, look at www.swiss-pass.ch/en/. Also check out seat61.com and Rick Steves: http://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tip...nd-rail-passes

There are also passes which are exclusive to certain areas such as the Jungfrau region where the SwissPass, as stated above, only gets you a discount. Even the trip up from Montreux to Rochers de Naye requires a supplement if all you have is a SwissPass. One nice thing about it is that it is accepted on the local transport systems in many Swiss towns and cities.

Hi tpalmer48,

I'm one who thinks that the decision doesn't really rest on what you intend to do or where you want to go; I think the train is the way to go -- period! Here's why --

First, using the train will add a layer of European adventure. Unless you live in Europe, this will be a unique experience; you can take a road trip almsot anywhere in the world, but using a working rail system is still pretty rare.

Using the train gives you prime people-watching time. You get to see the fashionistas coming back from a spree in Milan or Paris, the matrons coming back from shopping, the grandparents out hiking. You get to see how families interact with one another, how teens treat the elderly, and how businessmen and businesswomen dress and treat their clients on the phone. You won't be isolated inside your private bubble.

It's easier to relax while travelling on the train. You can read, nap, chat, eat, listen to music, have some wine or coffee, and enjoy the scenery slipping by. No worries about tiny winding streets or getting lost.

And finally, using the trains is more green (yaay!), and you may be pretty happy that you are helping to conserve the beauty you came over to see. I live in Bavaria, and scientists are saying that all of our glaciers will be gone in 30 years, and indeed the evidence is clear already. I often travel to Montreux, and the summer smog over Lake Geneva is getting more and more dirty and more and more brown.

If this would be your first time using the train system, rest assured it is very easy. Just become familiar with the train schedules using the Swiss rail site at

www.sbb.ch

Then, just get to the right track number at the right time!

Have fun as you plan!

s

any recommendations for a "hub" from which we could take day trips by train and return to our room in the evening? Or is that an impossibility?

Well the Berner Oberland's Jungfrau Region is great for that - base in say Grindelwald and day trip to many places well within an hour or so - take boats around either lake bookending Interlaken - a day out stopping, getting back on, etc.

You could take a few-hour day trip to Lucerne via the Golden Pass scenic train route - up and over the Brunig Pass; the Jungfraujoch - train to the highest train station in Europe and to a Top of the World setting of glaciers you can walk to, ice grottoes, etc. Or to the Schilthorn - a remote outpost with a renown revolving hotel - made famous first in James Bond movie On Her Majesty's Service that was in part filmed here (on Piz Gloria as the restaurant building is called) and on and on and on --- Ballenberg Open-Air Museum overlooking Lake Brienz - one of the finest outdoor museums of traditional ways of farming and crafts, and on and on and om.

Count me in for the SBB system too; it is superb, so convenient and dependable. We got SwissPass 2d class, very comfy. We used it for 10 days last September and agree with the points made by Swandav2000 above. We did:
Zurich-Lucerne-Interlaken-Zermatt-Montreux-Geneva. While in Interlaken explored the Jungfrau easily for 3 sunny days, and from Montreux explored Lausanne & Vevey. For 3-5 days would base in either Lucerne or Interlaken, but we loved the Jungfrau area best for its alpine villages of Murren, Wengen & above.

A "layer of adventure"...that's one way of putting things, especially when suddenly your railroad car plunges down a ravine!

Well we always do a car if touring. (If on a business trip I just do plane and train if necessary - sometimes from Zurich to Basel.)

But if visiting a number of towns and villages we prefer to do so on our own schedule - and to stop wherever we want and just head off if we see seomthing in the distance we want to explore.

It's true that some of hte town up in the mountains - or even foothills - are not reachable by car. If you want to stay there train is probably a better bet. But we prefer stying i larger towns in the valleys and just ascend the mountains for the day at times. (And we really prefer larger places with more hotel and restaurant choices.)

IMO, one of the truly great things about Switzerland is its public transportation system -- efficient and comfortable and very very easy to use. I personally would not consider renting a car in that country unless I had a very specific interest that I was absolutely sure I could not accommodate with public transportation, and even then, I would give the matter some serious consideration because it really is MUCH easier to enjoy the scenery if you aren't trying to drive at the same time.

agreed agreed. the trains are amazing and can be counted on to be on time. go by train and make it a real vacation from responsibilities!

You never mentioned what you want to see/do in Switzerland. That would be helpful for suggesting a base.

I also prefer to stay longer in one base and do excursions from there, but don't expect to see the whole country from one base.

Hi again,

Yes, using the hub-and-spoke method is a great way to explore a region! The hardest part, naturally, will be deciding which region you want to explore.

It would be good for us to know how many days you have for this trip, and where/how you are entering & departing Switzerland. It would also be helpful if you could tell us if you've heard about anything or seen photos of anything that you'd like to see -- are you interested in mighty mountain peaks or rolling foothills or lakes or cows or museums or city life? That will help you narrow down which region to explore.

s

Well we always do a car if touring. Visiting a number of towns and villages we prefer to do so on our own schedule - and to stop wherever we want and just head off if we see seomthing in the distance we want to explore.>

Yes that is great for non-Alpine Switzerland but not possible in the iconic Alpine areas like the Jungfrau Region or Zermatt, etc.

Plus the OP has 3-5 days - short term car rentals can cost as much as a week I understand - then you have to buy the tag needed to use the autobahns (side roads are free but can take forever in this tortuous terrain - the freeway vignettes cost about $50 flat fee for a year or so (not sure of details) but that and expensive few-day car rental adds up and if going to Alpine areas a car is useless so it all depends for Switzerland where you go - non-Alpine Switzerland is neat but that is not the dreamy Alpine Wonderland like the Jungfrau many dream of seeing and in those areas public transports are superb and the only way to get around, save by foot. Cars are not an option and must be parked in expensive parking lots once there.

Well we've been up the Jungfrau as well as Pilatus and seen a lot of the villages in that area: besides Lucern and Interlaken, Brienz, Thun and driven to Gruyere, Bern, Neuchatel and a bunch of others.

Granted we are not hikers - will walk miles in cities or flat ground - but as soon as anything starts getting more than a little steep you've lost me. And we both enjoy driving and have found plenty of places to stop and look at wherever we want. Granted it's fun to take the lake steamers but also fun to drive the roads on the edge of the lake and stop at whatever village or beauty spot you feel like.

Thank you all so much for you input and advice!! We are narrowing down our plans. We will fly into Geneva around June 20 and spend a couple of days there. I am a Presbyterian pastor and want to check out Calvin's footprints. Taking your advice, we are going to use the train system...definately planning a centerpeice trip to Interlaken/Jungfrau. From there traveling by train ending up in Zurich. Then taking the train through Germany to Berlin. Our destination is a Baltic cruise departing on June 29. Any further suggestions for scenic train tours after Jungfrau ending up in Zurich?

We found the trains very easy to use and reliable. I would highly recommend the train system. We trained from Zurich down to the lakes Ticino region and then down into Italy and back. It was a relaxing trip!