jabez

We will have a car.
i understand the arguments for training, but with 4 of us, the costs of trains is quite a bit more.
Looking for a good driving itineray and where to best spend our nights.
I hate to rush through a country, but welcome your suggestions. Thanks.

jabez

ttt

Dukey

I'll only suggest this much:

Have you included the costs of fuel, possibly insurance, any required road permit(s) and any potential drop charges in the comparison of rail vs. rental car?

Dukey

Are any of the passengers children under the age of 16? Possible railpass?

ira

Hi J,

Lake Constance is on your route.

W9London

Try

http://www.rac.co.uk/web/routeplanner/

(make sure you unclick the boxes limiting the serch to UK).

367miles.

The drive along Lac Leman is pleasant. You can stop in Lausanne. If you have one day to spare, you might want divert at Bern and visit Thun.

PalenQ

Swiss pass at $165 or so for 4 straight days and like Dukey hints at any kid with their parents under 16 gets a free pass.

So if kids under 16 $320 for all you Swiss travels border to border then rent car for Germany and just buy ticket from Swiss border to Munich

Swiss passes cover everything - boat rides on Lake Geneva, Interlaken lakes, city trams, buses, all trains except a few to mountain tops and gondolas (and 50% off on these)

To me a car in Switzerland is little fun - congested roads unless you're on autoroute and then you see little.

jabez

Thanks for the replies.
4 Adults.$165x4=$660.

4 days of car=$285 (all in).I believe the sticker is $35-$40.
Figure about $110 for gas.
The difference makes it only an additional $115 per couple.I'll find out if there's a savings for the drop charge.

The idea that the pass covers other things is tempting,but we would still need a train to Munich.I'm not sure if Swisspass covers that.
The "congested roads " concerns me. I assume that this means the most scenic routes.
I like the "freedom" of a car,if the cost is the same. If,however, the car is somewhat "useless" (like in Rome or Florence), then maybeI'll need to rethink.
I suppose one option is to stay in France and leave the car in St. Moritz and then train to Munich.
I was thinking that a few days in Swizerland might be nice in June.

TuckH

With a rental starting in Geneva, the sticker will likely be on the car (it was with ours).

I suggest Chamonix (Mont Blanc), then into Switzerland via the Rhone Valley with side trips up one or more of the feeder valleys (Herens, Anniviers, Matter, Saas) and then eastward.

Larryincolorado

Somehow I can't imagine that $285 gets you a very big car for 4 days. Small European cars often don't have trunks large enough for luggage for 4 adults. It is no fun riding for hours with a large suitcase in your lap (I know people who have had to do that because the suitcase wouldn't fit in the trunk). Check the car (not just the one you want to rent, but all in that class) to see if the trunks are large enough. Maybe take your suitcases to a dealer to make a trial fit.

As long as a Swiss pass will get you to the border at, say, St. Margrethen, you need point-point tickets (about €10 pP) to Lindau. In Lindau you can buy a Bayern-Ticket for €27 which will cover all four of you on regional trains to Munich. According to the schedule on Bahn.de, regional trains take less than an hour longer to Munich than the fastest (EC) connections.

I you have some time, you could go to Kempten and pick up what is called the Ausserfernbahn. This is a rail route that goes through the Austrian Tirol via Reutte to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Very scenic. Although it goes through Austria, the rail line is run by DB and, therefore, the Bayern-Ticket is valid there. The €27 Bayern-Ticket would still cover all four of you from Lindau to Munich via Reutte and GaP.

TuckH

We had a VW Golf compact wagon ($711 for 21 days), 3 adults and quite a bit of luggage, all in the rear compartment.

jabez

Our car is for 21 days as well. There are many tricks on getting some good rates on rental cars to Europe.
This October one of Ira's tips saved me at least $200 on a rental car in Italy.
Thanks Ira!

We travel often to Europe for holiday,mostly Italy. I also travel often for business. I often rent cars.
We know that we will need a good size rental. The ladies do like to shop.
We start our trip in Paris and move west and south. We had planned on going to Megeve as a segment of the trip.
Originally,we had planned to also leave from Paris, but Delta only offered Munich within the time frame we wanted (4 BE Skymiles peak-season tickets are getting tougher and tougher to get).
This seemed like a good way to see an area that I've been able to glance at for a day years ago.
If the car is goung to be a burden, then we'll train it. If not, it still will probably be cheaper and offer some freedom.
Is it best to get train tickets before you arrive?
I was thinking of leaving these 4 days somewhat open. I've read that bad weather in Switzerland that time of year really hurts the views. If I'm "open",I can always go to "plan B" and take a different route.
I appreciate the advice.