Help deciding between train and car
 

We are planning a trip to Switzerland and Germany for May 2009. After visiting family in Biel, we are heading to Bavaria for 9-10 days. We have never rented a car before, as we have always been with family in Switzerland. Either they have driven or we have all taken the train to various destinations.

We are undecided about the best way to go in Germany. We will be flying back home from Munich.

Here are my questions:
Should we take the train from Biel to Germany? And then get a car? Any suggestions on what city? We are heading to Neuschwanstein and Mittenwald for 1-2 days.

From Mittenwald, how are the train connections over toward Berchtesgaden?

How would the cost of the train tickets stack up against the car rental and especially gas?

If we do get the car, should we drop it off somewhere else and then take the train into Munich?

Thank you for any suggestions.

How many are you?

More people = take the car. Fewer people = take the train.

There will be 3 of us.

For your type itinerary i'd do the car - and take the Bavarian Alpine Strasse from Lindau area via Obertsdorf to Fussen (Neuschwanstein) and then the same road skirting the Alps to Garmisch - then to Mittenwald

Mittenwald and Garmisch have great rail links to Munich if you want to return the car before the big city

or hop back on the Bavarian Alpine Strasse from Garmisch and drive over to Berchtesgaden, which however is easy to reach by train from Mittenwald - hop train to nearby Innsbruck then a mainline train to Rosenheim then a regional train to Berchtsgaden - about two hours i would think

but again the Bavarain Alpine Road is much nicer - from B'gaden hop the train back to Munich


rent it in Lindau and take the train there from Biel - drop offs in the same country often free - from another country could be steep fee.

Trains will get you to Fussen and Mittenwald by a circuitous route but the scenic road is much nicer IMO

Cars are hassle: insurance, availability, fuel, parking.

Trains are freedom: get on the train, have a beer and watch the scenery, read a book.

For many years, we have bought train passes to get from base to base, and rented cars for a day or two to explore the region. Many big cities don't even require the car, because of the territory served by the rail network. For an example, see http://www.vrsinfo.de/download/1_9_1...mt_deutsch.pdf

If you use regional passes, local transport by S-Bahn and bus is included in the tariff.

Hello again!

My thoughts are opposite of Robespierre, as I find that a car gives us much more freedom. I think it just depends on what you are after though. If you just want to stay in one area with little moving around, or moving around between larger towns with train stations, trains work great. If we are taking a trip that involves mostly larger cities, we will take the train to each destination. But when we are in the countryside we prefer to visit smaller towns not always on the train route so we find cars easier.

Tracy

Er, didn't you notice? My approach uses both cars <i>and</i> trains, each in its most logical and cost-effective role.

In most European capitals, a car is a liability, not an asset. For brief forays into the hinterland, they're fine.

Thanks everyone -
I guess now I need to see which one is more cost effective.

www.bahn.de German rail web thingy will give you are the costs for the train trips

and if you use the 29 euro Bavarian Pass for up to five adults i think it will be even cheaper - 15 euros a person per day of unlimited train, bus travel in all of Bavaria

The Bayern-Ticket is 27&euro; if bought from a ticket machine and 29&euro; if bought at a ticket window. The one price is good for up to five people traveling together.

Robespierre, I stand corrected. I read your post too quickly. My apologies!

We had done both car and train in the past and it worked out well. Some places work better by train and some work better by car. Especially when your city-country-city hopping the car usually only makes sense for the country portion and even that depends on what you are after. I personally usually prefer a car but I know that others prefer trains. It just depends on your personal travel style.

Tracy

Yes, city-to-city = train, countryside and small towns = car.

But also, we found Switzerland = train (and bus and boat), Germany = car.

Switzerland is so well-connected by public transportation that you're almost cheating yourself -- or at least the driver -- if you take a car.

Whereas, outside the big cities, the German highways are great and there are many scenic routes: the Romantic Road, the Castle Road, the Fairy Tale Road, and so on.

So if we got the Bayern ticket (good for 3 people) each day at 27 Euro, and we needed it for approx. 9 days, that's 243 Euro ($377). And if I'm understanding correctly, that covers buses as well? Or is there a ticket you can buy that covers longer periods of time for a better price? I didn't see that on the website.

It looks like a car rental would be about $300-$400 for that time period, not including gas.

Does that sound right?

In my personal opinion it is always better to rely on public transport when possible, the hassle of renting/driving/parking has never been worth it for me.

The Bayern-Ticket can be used on all local trains (Interregio-Express, Regional-Express, Regionalbahn, S-Bahn) and the entire transport system in Bavaria as well as the M&uuml;nchner Verkehrsbund (MVV) and Verkehrsverbund N&uuml;rnberg (VGN), Augsburger Verkehrs- und Tarifverbundes (AVV) and many more. That includes buses.

For a zoomable map of the area covered by the Bayern-Ticket go here: http://tinyurl.com/5hkuqu.

can also i believe be used in Austria on trains Reutte-Garmisch (for those going between Fussen and Garmisch or Innsbruck by train)

The Bayern Ticket is good for the Reutte-Garmisch section of Austrian rail served by German rail trains.

But it is NOT good for going from Mittenwald to Innsbruck and then further on to Kufstein to get back on German rail's tracks and then to Rosenheim.

Actually Mittenwald-Berchtesgaden is quite a tiresome connection. You either pay extra for Austrian rail for the Mittenwald-Innsbruck-Kufstein leg (and transfer 3 times), or go from Mittenwald to Munich, transfer for a Salzburg train to Freilassing, transfer again for Berchtesgaden.

If I had to choose, I would take the train from Biel to either Lindau or Konstanz in Germany (whatever is better accessible by train), then rent a car one-way to Berchtesgaden for x days and go as you please in between. Finally, take the train from Berchtesgaden to Munich, and use public transportation if you plan to stay in Munich before your return flight.

Cowboy is likely right.
The public transport system of southern Bavaria is built like the spokes of a wheel: Munich is the hub and pretty much any important destination in the countryside will have a good connection to Munich. But along the &quot;wheel rim&quot;, the connections are not nearly as good - often an infrequent local bus if any at all. So to travel along the foothills of the Alps you will be better off driving (parking is rarely a problem in smaller towns/villages in comparison to cities). When based in Munich, for most purposes the public transport is equal or better to take then a car.

Well, Bavaria was a kingdom and all roads/tracks were built to go to the capital, just like in France.

Why would anybody want to go somewhere else anyway? :D

I ditto altamiro's take and this is why i, a train addict, suggested a car for the places the OP wanted to go- fussen, mittenwald and Berchestgaden - a great scenic road meanders along between them at the foot of the Bavarian Alps

but to take trains would mean taking circuitous routes and then only being able to see these cities and not the glorious scenery along the Bavarian Alpine Strasee (name?)