PalenQ

I'm glad to hear Lauterbrunnen is a good choice, thanks for the links, Suga. Will I need a car in and around Salzburg?>

well ditch it in Interlaken before going to Lauterbrunnen as in that town cars are not allowed to go past it into the hinterlands and you have to pay a lot to park it in the parking garages/lots.

And in Salzburg you do not need a car either even if you want to go to the ballyhooed, justly, Sound of Music country in the gorgeous Lake District - gems like St Wolfgang, etc are readily accesible by frequent postal buses from Salzburg in just over an hour. Spend the day floating around the lake or taking buses between lakeside towns or ride the thrilling mountain railway up from St Wolfgang and bus back to Salzburg.

PalenQ

Will I need a car in and around Salzburg? Maybe we ditch the car when we leave Lauterbrunnen and switch to train at that point.>

Why not drive to Salzburg - if you are coming back to Switzerland to avoid drop-off charges in another country - or drive to a town near the Austrian border - saving some on train fare perhaps as trains in Switzerland can like anything be very pricey.

flygirl

Hi

You really don't need a car for any of this. Switzerland you definitely do not, and the Austria portion sounds like you will be in Salzburg and Vienna only... you can hire a driver to take you to Melk Abbey if that is something you want to do.

PalenQ

you can hire a driver to take you to Melk Abbey if that is something you want to do>

Well since Melk is on a main train line no need to hire a car for that. Lots of trains from Vienna or Salzburg take you to a short stroll from the Abbey.

I agree with flygirl - your itinerary does not need and trains make more sense since in places like the Jungfrau Region driving is so limited.

PalenQ

And I assume we'd fly from somewhere in Switzerland to Vienna.>

Train service between Zurich and Vienna via Salzburg has been beefed up with the start of the Winter Timetables this week. Whereas before there were only a few direct trains now the spiffy and faster Railjet trains will link these three cities much more frequently and faster.

Alice9

SUPPOSE we do have a car in Switzerland (as I said, my husband is a big proponent of driving, although I have brought up the idea of not doing that this trip) - and wanted to do a scenic drive from Lauterbrunnen to Salzburg with a 1 night stop on the way. Does such a drive exist?

Alice

Michael

Yes. There is a scenic drive in Austria. Take Silvettra Hochstraße (I believe that this is the right name)--road number 188-- which goes from Bludenz to Schruns, Gaschum, etc. and stay overnight in Innsbruck.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7622926792957/

bobthenavigator

Will a

bobthenavigator

Sorry, big thumb !
Meant to ask if a drop charge of perhaps 300E get his attention?

PalenQ

300 euros? I do wonder why these carges are so exorbitant in this situation - are there never anyone renting cars in Austria to drive to Switzerland?

I mean it would be like if you rented a car in Ohio and returned it in Pennsylvania you would have an extra $450 or so drop-off charge?

So much for the European Union i guess.

Mimar

It's not just that the trains are so good in Switzerland. They connect with the busses and the boats, also very good. The postal busses go deep into the mountains. All this allows you to enjoy the scenery without having to pay attention to the road.

And several of the prettiest towns in Switzerland are carfree.

If you can't pry his fingers off the steering wheel, maybe you can find some compromise, driving part of the time.

bobthenavigator

Merely a guess, but think about it.
Someone has to return the car to Zurich--maybe 20E/hour for his time, plus petrol, plus tolls, plus train fare back home.

Alice9

I think a 300 euro drop off fee would get his attention. That's VERY high. We've done lots of open jaw traveling, flying in somewhere and picking up a car, flying home somewhere else, dropping off the car. Nothing remotely like that as a penalty! Is it because it's two countries? If that's the case, I like the suggestion of dropping off the car somewhere close to the Austrian border and THEN switching to trains.

And I've done a little reading and see that the pass includes all modes of transportation in Switzerland, so it might be more cost effective.

Also, I didn't see anyone suggest a scenic drive IN Switzerland, starting in the Berner Oberland and ending somewhere near Salzburg. I'd be happy to overnight somewhere along the way.

Thanks for all this information, you guys are (consistently) great.

Alice

Michael

If you like the high Alps, from Interlaken go over the Grimsel pass and from there go to Andermatt. From Andermatt follow the beginnings of the Rhine down toward St. Moritz and Austria. This picture was taken in the Grimsel pass area:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca/...7622927438333/

bobthenavigator

Always best to train in CH. Get the car in Innsbruck.

Alice9

GORGEOUS picture, Michael. My husband is all about driving over passes.

I think I'm going to concentrate on airfare and lodging and let him start thinking about the car/train issue, seems like a good split.

Generally, I like to have my airfare locked down in January, is that still a good plan? I like to have flexible dates, so I can't book accommodations until that's settled. I'm scared to even LOOK at the prices.

Alice

Michael

I made a mistake in terms of directions: it should be Andermatt to Chur.