I would like to know which Swiss town is closest to Munchen if you are only able to travel via rail

The shortest route from Munich into Switzerland ( or vice versa ) is Munich - Lindau ( last stop in Germany ) - Bregenz ( Austria ) - St. Margrethen ( first stop in Switzerland ). It is served by several EuroCity trains per day and by some local trains as well. <BR> <BR>Hope that helps. <BR> <BR>Regards, Jochen

Presuming you'd like to do more than set foot in Switzerland to "collect countries": <BR> <BR>Zuerich: 4-6 hours <BR>Luzern: 6-6:30 <BR>Berner Oberland: 8 hours <BR> <BR>Rome Switzerland Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com <BR> <BR>

Thank you both! Don't worry Ed, I am spending two weeks in Switzerland. <BR> <BR>Jochen, what I actually wanted to know is the absolute cheapest way to get to Switzerland. Our South African Rand is taking a terrible beating, so I was thinking of taking the Happy Weekend ticket to Konstanz (DM 35 for two of us) and short trip to Stein the next day. Will your option be cheaper?

Dear Louise: <BR> <BR>Depending on the "Stein" you are going to, any of the border stations my be handiest: St. Margrethen, Konstanz or Schaffhausen. <BR> <BR>If, as I suppose, you will be going to Stein am Rhein, Schaffhausen will be nearest. As Schaffhausen is on the German and Swiss Rail Networks, you could reach it from Munich on your Happy Weekend ticket and connect to a Swiss train for Stein am Rhein (26 Minutes east of Schaffhausen as compared to 40 Minutes west of Constance or 1 1/2 hours west of St. Margrethen). <BR> <BR>Hope this helps, enjoy your trip <BR> <BR>Phil.

<BR>Louise, <BR> <BR>I assume that you want to know the cheapest way to reach Swiss territory because you have a Swiss Pass or something like that for your travel in Switzerland. Crossing the Swiss border at Konstanz or Schaffhausen may be slightly cheaper IF you can use the Happy weekend ticket since the St. Margrethen route goes through Austria where the Happy weekend ticket is not valid. You would need an additional point-to-point ticket from Lindau to St. Margrethen. For a regular ticket, this route should be cheaper since it is shorter. In any case, the optimum route depends on your further plans for your Switzerland trip. <BR> <BR>Happy travels ! <BR> <BR>Regards, Jochen <BR> <BR>