End of June Austria/Switzerland/Germany Itinerary input please
Dec 23rd, 2019, 10:21 PM
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End of June Austria/Switzerland/Germany Itinerary input please
I am attempting to please everyone in our group with this crazy itinerary. I realize it’s a super fast pace but was working with these “must-see’s”: Salzburg sights (yes, SOM tour), sone kind of live music event, Bavaria, castle(s), Swiss alps. We like quaint towns, a little bit of big city, art, some light walking (wide age range), music, picturesque scenery, and good food! Last summer we did a 5 week US National Park road trip and learned that we like a pretty fast pace - 1 or 2 nights in a place then move on. I decided to leave Vienna for another time and was going to leave Switzerland out because of its high cost but kept being told of the magnificence of its alps which my daughter and I have had our heart set on seeing. I also wanted to visit Berchtesgaden/Konigsee but cut it out due to time. I’m constricted to the arrival Date (not the city) and departure date and city.
I also sketched out an alternative route through Switzerland which took us by train chur to zermatt instead of Murren. Then on to Geneva and Barcelona.
Any suggestions? Comments?
June 23 Fly Helsinki to Munich pick up car 7:00 drive to salz (3 nights)
24 Salzburg
25 salz Lake District/Hallstatt
26 salz to neuschwanstein castle stay in hopfen am see (1 night)
27 Drive hopfen am see to German border singen? return car/ take train to Murren Switzerland (2 nights)
28 murren
29 PM Murren to Geneva 4 hours by train. Geneva (1 night)
30 fly Geneva to Barcelona 1.5 hours (2 nights)
7/1 Barcelona
July 2 fly home
I also sketched out an alternative route through Switzerland which took us by train chur to zermatt instead of Murren. Then on to Geneva and Barcelona.
Any suggestions? Comments?
June 23 Fly Helsinki to Munich pick up car 7:00 drive to salz (3 nights)
24 Salzburg
25 salz Lake District/Hallstatt
26 salz to neuschwanstein castle stay in hopfen am see (1 night)
27 Drive hopfen am see to German border singen? return car/ take train to Murren Switzerland (2 nights)
28 murren
29 PM Murren to Geneva 4 hours by train. Geneva (1 night)
30 fly Geneva to Barcelona 1.5 hours (2 nights)
7/1 Barcelona
July 2 fly home
Last edited by Justine_Cook; Dec 23rd, 2019 at 10:29 PM.
Dec 23rd, 2019, 11:16 PM
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"I realize it’s a super fast pace"
I think pretty much everyone on this forum agrees with you, but that's what you want to do, right?
It looks doable. Enjoyable? It surely beats working.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with keeping alive this great American tradition called European vacation.
Merry Christmas!
I think pretty much everyone on this forum agrees with you, but that's what you want to do, right?
It looks doable. Enjoyable? It surely beats working.
Hey, there's nothing wrong with keeping alive this great American tradition called European vacation.
Merry Christmas!
Dec 23rd, 2019, 11:32 PM
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People have differing opinions about where to stay in the Bernese Oberland, but FWIW, I far preferred Wengen to Mürren. And with just 2 nights there, the extra time it takes to get to Mürren (in comparison to either Wengen or Lauterbrunnen) would seem a costly choice.
Consider advance bookings for anything you deem a priority in Barcelona.
Consider waiting to pick up your rental car until you are ready to leave Salzburg, particularly if you will have crossed multiple time zones in getting to Munich: Driving without giving yourselves even a day to acclimate to a different time zone is just as dangerous, for yourselves and anyone else on the road, as driving drunk and there is NOTHING you can do to prevent the microsleeps that are the apparent culprit and that many people don't even notice.
Consider advance bookings for anything you deem a priority in Barcelona.
Consider waiting to pick up your rental car until you are ready to leave Salzburg, particularly if you will have crossed multiple time zones in getting to Munich: Driving without giving yourselves even a day to acclimate to a different time zone is just as dangerous, for yourselves and anyone else on the road, as driving drunk and there is NOTHING you can do to prevent the microsleeps that are the apparent culprit and that many people don't even notice.
Dec 24th, 2019, 12:44 AM
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Keep your car until the end and leave Switzerland at Basel-Mulhouse-Freiburg airport instead of Geneva. Drop off your car in a German town close to the airport, like Loerrach, Weil am Rhein or even Freiburg and reach the airport by airport bus.
Direct flights from Basel to Barcelona take 1 h 40 min; fares start at 35 EUR/pax (for June 30th).
If you want to see Swiss mountains and glaciers, there is no need to drive up to Lauterbrunnen (Muerren). The glaciers of Bernina Diavolezza would be much closer.
Intinerary: Fuessen - Fernpass - Imst - Landeck - Scuol - Pontresina - Diavolezza - St. Moritz - Chur - Zurich - Basel.
I suppose you know that you could do the whole trip by public transport as well:
Munich airport - Salzburg by train (2 hrs 20 min)
Salzburg - Hallstatt by bus and connecting train (2 hrs)
Salzburg - Füssen by train (4 hrs)
Füssen - Zurich by train (5 hrs)
Direct flights from Basel to Barcelona take 1 h 40 min; fares start at 35 EUR/pax (for June 30th).
If you want to see Swiss mountains and glaciers, there is no need to drive up to Lauterbrunnen (Muerren). The glaciers of Bernina Diavolezza would be much closer.
Intinerary: Fuessen - Fernpass - Imst - Landeck - Scuol - Pontresina - Diavolezza - St. Moritz - Chur - Zurich - Basel.
I suppose you know that you could do the whole trip by public transport as well:
Munich airport - Salzburg by train (2 hrs 20 min)
Salzburg - Hallstatt by bus and connecting train (2 hrs)
Salzburg - Füssen by train (4 hrs)
Füssen - Zurich by train (5 hrs)
Dec 24th, 2019, 08:31 AM
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Thank you for your responses!
kja We will already have been in the time zone for some time already.
neckervd I will look at your itinerary suggestion. The locations I haven’t seen or read much about but we don’t necessarily like going to he most popular spots anyway. My thought was to pick up the car in germany and return to take advantage of Swiss train system but do you think since we have the car already we should just keep it the whole trip? Does it have to be either/or?
kja We will already have been in the time zone for some time already.
neckervd I will look at your itinerary suggestion. The locations I haven’t seen or read much about but we don’t necessarily like going to he most popular spots anyway. My thought was to pick up the car in germany and return to take advantage of Swiss train system but do you think since we have the car already we should just keep it the whole trip? Does it have to be either/or?
Dec 24th, 2019, 08:51 AM
#6
I understood you weren't coming from the US but the train from Munich airport to Salzburg is super easy and no stress. Can I ask why Barcelona? I would do more in Germany and Austria and have a hard time not stopping in Munich for a couple of nights if you have not already been. I just spent two nights and rethinking Regensburg and spending another day in Munich.
Dec 24th, 2019, 09:03 AM
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I understand that I won't need or want a car in Salzburg but thought I would want one to do day trips away from Salzburg. Also, we are a large group of us so a van makes sense (in my Californian brain). Thoughts?
Dec 24th, 2019, 09:48 AM
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A van will only work if it has enough room for all of you AND all your luggage. Large groups sometimes opt for 2 large cars, instead. But when public transportation is as easy as it is for the places you want to visit, rentals can simply add to the hassle rather than increasing the convenience.
Dec 24th, 2019, 11:35 AM
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Put your California brain to rest. The largest van you can rent will hold 9 people and very minimal luggage for anyone (like one small bag on your lap) and will be a huge pain to drive and park. Take public transportation. And forget Barcelona - that's an entirely different trip.
And you do know that you don't have to go to Switzerland to enjoy the Alps, right?
And you do know that you don't have to go to Switzerland to enjoy the Alps, right?
Dec 24th, 2019, 04:49 PM
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PS, I also responded on your other thread before realizing you'd started a second one.
Enjoy your trip!
Dec 25th, 2019, 06:39 AM
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TRAIN VERSUS CAR FOR YOUR SWISS LEGS
Panoramic trains through the Swiss Alps like
Bernina Express
Glacier Express
Centovalli Express
Golden Pass
Mont Blanc Express
Loetschberger
are phantastic and highly recommended.
They can be combined with side trips to glaciers (like Gornergrat, Mittelallalin, Kleinmatterhorn, Eggishorn, Plaine Morte, Glacier3000, Montenvers, Titilis....) or lakes (like cruises on Lake Lucerne, Lake Geneva, Rhine river, Lake Murten - Broye river - Lake Neuchatel - Thielle river - Lake Biel/Bienne - Aar river - Solothurn...).
People who do this kind of trips buy usually a Swiss Travel Pass in order to reduce the costs, as Swiss full fare tickets can get very expensive.
This solution wouldn't make sense for you, however, as you plan only to travel from Lake Constance (Lindau, Friedrichshafen, Konstanz, Singen or whatever) through the midlands to Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen and from there (again through the midlands) to Basel or so. For this itinerary, railway journeys are not more scenic than car rides, but much more expensive for sure,
Panoramic trains through the Swiss Alps like
Bernina Express
Glacier Express
Centovalli Express
Golden Pass
Mont Blanc Express
Loetschberger
are phantastic and highly recommended.
They can be combined with side trips to glaciers (like Gornergrat, Mittelallalin, Kleinmatterhorn, Eggishorn, Plaine Morte, Glacier3000, Montenvers, Titilis....) or lakes (like cruises on Lake Lucerne, Lake Geneva, Rhine river, Lake Murten - Broye river - Lake Neuchatel - Thielle river - Lake Biel/Bienne - Aar river - Solothurn...).
People who do this kind of trips buy usually a Swiss Travel Pass in order to reduce the costs, as Swiss full fare tickets can get very expensive.
This solution wouldn't make sense for you, however, as you plan only to travel from Lake Constance (Lindau, Friedrichshafen, Konstanz, Singen or whatever) through the midlands to Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen and from there (again through the midlands) to Basel or so. For this itinerary, railway journeys are not more scenic than car rides, but much more expensive for sure,
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