Hi all,
My partner and myself are planning for a trip to Switzerland and Austria in Dec/Jan, hopefully for at least 14 days. Few things had came up unanswered despite massive research on the internet. (Infact, it got more confusing )
1. Shld we drive or just take trains? Which is a better choice? We prefers driving for its convenience but really worried about the driving condition during winter.

2. We are thinking of going to Switzerland first before proceeding to Austria to complete the trip. However, it seems that Austria have greater festive atmosphere then switzerland. Is that perception right? Which city shld we spend in Austria? Salzburg or Innsbruck?

3. What's the average cost for the hotels? Switzerland is famed for its high cost, but unfortunately we are touring on a tight budget. So would it be possible to stay in a decent hotel for less than US$70 a night?

4. Was looking at the various tour packages during winter and it's all ski packages. Does that mean sight-seeing is minimal or not conducive during winter?

5. Some suggested in the forum that Lausanne, Lauterbrannen, Interlaken, Wegen, Lucerne are the places to go during summer. But does it applies to winter too? Which are the must-go cities during the cold winter season?

Sorry for the many questions. Hopefully some kind souls out there can help to answer all my doubts. Thanks a million!

I'm sorry. I don't have the answers to your questions.

I'm just curious how you picked your thread title. It seems a little "empty" or "void" of meaning.

Oops.... i forgot to put in a subject title.

Hi fOsh,

I hope I can give you some help --

1. In MY opinion, trains are always a better choice, but of course I can't answer for you. If you prefer driving, then you ought to drive! The roads will be clear though you may be routed through tunnels rather than over passes, and you may be driving slower than you wanted to.

2. A regular poster here, "SloJan," used to live in Luzern and loved the atmosphere of the city during the holidays. I haven't really been to either Switzerland or Austria over the holidays, but I've heard that Switzerland does have a good holiday cheer. I'm going myself this Christmas to Gstaad. Maybe do a text search here for "Christmas" in both the Switzerland and Austria topics to see what comes up. I liked both Salzburg & Innsbruck, but of course Innsbruck will be closer to the snowy mountains.

3. Is your hotel budget $70 per person (as most hotels state their rates) or per room? It will be hard but not impossible to find a hotel for $70 for two. You may want to look at www.bnb.ch or www.rooms.ch for some budget places. Alternately, you can rent an apartment for a week, which is usually cheaper than a hotel; check at www.interhome.com.

4. Yes, most wintertime packages to Switzerland and Austria are ski packages -- that's because that's what most folks do there. But there is some touring & sight seeing going on. In fact, the one and only time I was in Salzburg was in January -- very cold. I didn't ski but went around to look at the sights. Bear in mind, though, that you'll get cold and will probably be hopping into cafes and restaurants and museums and shops regularly to warm up. One idea might be to take a tour of Christmas markets.

5. In winter, the alpine villages of Wengen, Grindelwald, & Muerren really shine. It's spectacular there with the mountains and the chalets covered in snow. Just perfect. Luzern would also be nice, and, as I noted, SloJan loves Luzern in the winter. Lausanne isn't in the mountains, and it's warmer there by Lake Geneva (not so warm that you forget it's winter), so it doesn't have that snowy-chalet-Swiss feel you may expect. So Lausanne may not be such a great place for a winter destination (unless you just happen to love the Lake Geneva area!). I think you should consider either one of the alpine villages (Wengen, Grindelwald, or Muerren) and Luzern to see in the winter.

Let me know if I can help further.

s

I'm not an expert on all your points but my 2 cents on what I am familiar with:
1. Trains (and buses) go everywhere and you don't have to worry about parking or losing a day if you should have a fender-bender or mechanical problems. However, in my experience trains work best if you're going to be using one city as your "base" for several days; otherwise you get tired of minding your luggage all the time.
3. I've done extensive hotel searches for my coming October trip and you'll be challenged on your $70 budget. Most everything I looked at in the 2- to 3-star range started around 120 CHF for two people. Major cities like Zurich are considerably more expensive (I'm paying more for a 2-star there than for a 3-star in Solothurn). The official Swiss tourism site at www.myswitzerland.com has some good links for lodging information (click on "Accommodation" in left navigation on the home page). I discovered booking through one of these sites was considerably cheaper than the rates the same hotels quoted on the phone--even when I had a local friend do the calling.

I know of a few spots in the Vevey and Montreux area that are that budget (>$70USD). But I don't know you'd consider them "decent hotels". More the youth hostel off the main town square, a B&B in the Old Town district, a pensione backing on the train tracks, rooms over an Italian restaurant. All quite sweet but it's hard to judge what other people might like. $100USD was the lowest I found in person for a stylish but old 3-star hotel in town there.

As mentioned above I'm sure the major cities are even more expensive (Zurich and Geneva).

You might look at the Minotel chain of hotels. They often have a stay 3 for 2 pay deal that would put them well within your budget. We've stayed at one of their affiliates a couple of times and enjoyed it.

Priceline may be an option for an inexpensive hotel room in some cities. See http://www.biddingfortravel.com and http://www.betterbidding.com .

Also check out http://www.accorhotels.com . The Ibis brand and if available the Etap and Formule1 brands are quite cheap.

Check this site in case it has deals: http://www.hrs.de

$70 a night for a double or twin room would be tough in the big Swiss cities. Easier to do in Austria and Bavaria if you are willing to drop Switzerland.

As mentioned above, Minotels and like chains are a good option for more expensive cities (although they don't always have nice central locations), but hurry because they will book up quickly.