<< unless you come up with some way of flying in/out of the same city on the same day during an 11 day trip, it's impossible not to be there twice >>

You can book flights that originate in one city and terminate in another city. It's call multi-city tickets when you book on line. Airlines do it all the time. It's not mandatory that you fly into one location and home from that same location.

<< I appreciate the advice, but not the suggestion that we're idiots. >>

You asked if the plan was crazy therefore you had some idea already that it was a crazy plan. People here are giving you advice, not calling you an idiot.

We're just trying to make sure that you have all the facts. After all, you didn't know about multiple destination airline tickets. There may be other things you don't know about but can learn.

Aramis,

Wow - many thanks for taking the time to make helpful suggestions, and for your kindness. It is greatly appreciated.

OK, you and others have convinced me that a car is a bad idea -one that I shared yet allowed certain members of my family to sell to me. While I know this would take me 2 hours out of my way (round trip), what if we did this:

1 July - arrive Zurich, train to either Berne or Lucerne for the night
2 July - Berne or Lucerne
3 July - Berne/Lucerne to Munich
4 July - Munich
5 July - Munich
6 July - Munich to Prague
7 July - Prague
8 July - Prague
9 July - Prague to Salzburg
10 July - Salzburg
11 July - Salzburg to Zurich

Thank you for the advice regarding train bookings. I'll compare PTP fares and determine if its best to go that route or a pass.

Again, I appreciate all of your help and look forward to your thoughts on this itinerary. Venice will have to wait.

Adrienne,

Multi-city tickets would have cost me a couple of thousand dollars more. In any case, since my flights are booked it's a moot point.

Thanks.

<<Multi-city tickets would have cost me a couple of thousand dollars more>>

I very much doubt that. It's almost always just about the same or a little bit more. You were probably looking at separate one-way tickets, which is an entirely different thing and could indeed cost a bundle more. The phrasing on airline websites is almost always "multi-city."

Including Prague in favour of Venice actually makes this more challenging from a travel time perspective. The fastest train times are shown below)

1 July - arrive Zurich, train to either Berne or Lucerne for the night (1:00/1:15 hours)
2 July - Berne or Lucerne
3 July - Berne/Lucerne to Munich (6:00/5:40 hours)
4 July - Munich
5 July - Munich
6 July - Munich to Prague (6:00 hours)
7 July - Prague
8 July - Prague
9 July - Prague to Salzburg (6.50 hours)
10 July - Salzburg
11 July - Salzburg to Zurich (6.50 hours)

That is something north of 26 hours of train time, on the fastest trains.

No, I was not. Thanks, though. You can continue to argue if you'd like, however. If that makes you feel good, enjoy.

I was wrong. Just checked. I actually saved myself $2500 going in/out of the same city. Thanks.

I too doubt that !
It was probaly about the same if done correctly.

"<i>Multi-city tickets would have cost me a couple of thousand dollars more. In any case, since my flights are booked it's a moot point.</i>

W/ did you actually <i>look</i> for open jaw, or did you by any chance look for 2 one-way tickets? I have never (ever) booked open jaws that were that much more expensive. Usually they are about the same or even a little less. Unless you picked some really unusual city pairs.

Even when they do cost a little more, they are usually more economical because it saves the cost/hassle of returning to the arrival city.

Multi-destination tickets are not more - they are 1/2 of the RT price to each destination. It sounds like you looked at 2 one-way tickets instead of a multi-destination ticket.

And you did admit up front that the plan was crazy - did yuo expect everyone to tell you how great they are.

Sorry if you don;t like responses that disagree with your ideas - even if they are from someone who has done more than 100 trips to europe - and knows at least a little bit about it and specifically driving trips.

If you are traveling by train I suggest you go at once to bahn.de to get full information on trains schedules based on your itinerary (this has the schedules for ALL of europe - although only fares on trips that originate in Germany).

>>>Adrienne,
Multi-city tickets would have cost me a couple of thousand dollars more. In any case, since my flights are booked it's a moot point.<<<
>>>I was wrong. Just checked. I actually saved myself $2500 going in/out of the same city. Thanks.<<<

Absolutely no way. If the flight to Zurich is $1000 round trip and a flight to Munich as $1200 round trip then a flight to Zurich and home from Munich will run about $1100. Most of us book open jaw tickets (multi-city function on websites, not two one-way tickets which are very expensive).

I just looked at tickets for your exact dates from my city r/t Zurich and it was $1566. Open jaw tickets into Zurich and out of Munich are $1585. A $19 difference. You would spend way more than that on transport backtracking not to mention a travel day wasted (you only have 11 days on the ground and one will be wasted backtracking to Zurich).

We're not arguing, and it doesn't make us feel good that you messed up, as we are actually trying to help you though you don't seem to want it, but you did. I checked ticket prices, too, and NO WAY it would have cost you an extra $2,000. The problem is not on our end, but on yours.

My ticket to Zurich was FAR less than $1,566. Thanks for playing.

"We're not arguing, and it doesn't make us feel good that you messed up, as we are actually trying to help you though you don't seem to want it, but you did. I checked ticket prices, too, and NO WAY it would have cost you an extra $2,000. The problem is not on our end, but on yours."

LOL. Messed up? Yes, I messed up taking a wonderful trip to Europe. Indeed, something's messed up here...

>>>tomsiff on Mar 16, 13 at 10:48pm
My ticket to Zurich was FAR less than $1,566. Thanks for playing.<<<

You don't comprehend what is being said and it's because you are an inexperienced traveler. Those are current prices from my city. List your city and I'll pull those prices and show you they are similar (bet you aren't brave enough!).

You could have bought $700 tickets from your city. Doesn't mean at the exact same time you purchased that tickets to Munich wouldn't have been similar. They are never thousands different-usually within a hundred. You just didn't know how to properly search since you didn't understand open jaw. Last year I booked into Zurich and out of Rome. Zurich r/t would have been $900. Zurich/Rome was $930. I could not have traveled back to Zurich for $30. I also scheduled my flights where my transfer in Amsterdam was 12 hours so I hopped the train and went into the city for the day before catching my flight on to Zurich.

>>>LOL. Messed up? Yes, I messed up taking a wonderful trip to Europe. Indeed, something's messed up here...<<<

You did mess up, but too late to do anything about it now. Your stuck backtracking and now talking about paying for flights from Zurich to Prague.

It's messed up when you think you know more about Europe trips than St Cirq (owns a house in France) and Bob (people hire him to plan their trips). Pretty funny.

People here are trying to teach you so next trip, you won't waste your short vacation time backtracking.

How about a cheap flight to venice (since flying became an option) and train to munich (nighttrain available/but also very scenic at daytime, train passes by verona, bolzano, innsbruck and crosses the alpes at brennero pass.
In Innsbruck, you could also change trains to both, Salzburg (east) or Zürich (west)
Trains to and from Prague are still quite slow, while the scenery is, while alright, not the same as a train ride cross the alpes.

This is one of the most pathetic threads you 'teachers" of travel have ever strung together. Your inability to practice the offering of guidance over administering the pleasure of scolding is stunning.

It is not "help" when it is delivered like it is here. Those of you who do it will no doubt continue to plead such but it is really just a thinly veiled attempt to flaunt what you perceive to be your superiority.

Arimis, not to add to the heat rather than the light but the OP asked for advice on what he termed a "crazy" trip. It IS a crazy trip and much more complicated and expensive than it needed to be. You are not helping by bashing those who have tried to get through to the OP with help. But who is surprised?

Oh, I am quite sure that pointing out that there are people whose primary purpose is to help and not to try and achieve self aggrandizement is helpful to this OP and others who are subject to these kinds of churlish responses.

How does berating someone for a perceived error, already made, help? Is the goal to teach him not to "mess up" next time? That is what you think people come here for?

Just one more self deluded "we are only trying to help" comment.

>>>Is the goal to teach him not to "mess up" next time? That is what you think people come here for?<<<

Why shouldn't it be to keep him from messing up next time? He clearly didn't comprehend multi-city/open jaw or he wouldn't be saying it costs thousands more. When you post a question (Is this crazy?) asking for opinions, you shouldn't be shocked to get them. It would be silly for everyone to tell him his trip/ideas are wonderful when they aren't even practical. Everyone that searches Fodor's in the future will also learn and not make the same mistakes.