>Phil & Ingo, thanks for the info about Quinten. As you can see, I know nothing about it, though I was wondering why I didn't see any roads leading to it on Google Map. I have emailed the owner to see if he can clarify the exact location of the apartment. If it's so remote, I don't think it'll work out for us.

You have a regular boat connection to the opposite lake shore which has a train station and a parking space. Still, I don't get the desire to go to Liechtenstein while there are so many nicer things closer to the Walensee.

If you want a nice place to stay in the area, consider Amden. Google pictures of it. I think it is one of the many undiscovered gems of Eastern Switzerland, at least for foreign tourists.

>Ingo, I'm still confused about the vignette. Where do we purchase this?

Pretty much anywhere - grocery shops, post offices, gas stations...

>And are you saying that there is no toll on the autobahns?

There is toll on the autobahns. It is 40 Fr per year flat fee. The vignette is the proof that you have paid the tolls.

>When I was googling driving directions, it indicates many of the highways are toll roads.

Which is absolutely correct. See above.

yk - there should be an area where you can send a message to the owners before you get to an actual booking. Definitely a good idea to contact the owner.

As I mentioned above, you can try the city name with ch or com. For example, Appenzell:
http://www.appenzell.info/de/unterku...rch&no_cache=1

I first went to appenzell.ch, then clicked on "advance search" under hotel search; then found the ferienwohnungen link.

Lots of properties in Appenzell. Several I quickly looked at had owner email addresses or websites.

Not sure if all the places you're interested in would have an English version.

altamiro, thanks for the clarification.

I'm back again with more questions (!)

1) The Quinten apt owner wrote back, and confirmed what you guys have told me. (Thank goodness there're so many knowledgable posters here!). We can park the car at Murg, then take the ferry across to Quinten. I looked at the schedule that Ingo posted, and it looks like there's a ferry every hour or so, and the trip takes 10-15 minutes. Not the end of the world I guess, but not entirely convenient either! But at least from Murg, it seems pretty easy to get on the A3?

2) In the meantime, on www.e-domizil.ch, I found another place. It is in the village of Unterterzen. What do you think? Perhaps it's not as quiant as Quiten, but at least it's more convenient? Here's the link:
http://www.en.e-domizil.ch/vacation-...d-switzerland/

It's also listed on interhome website, and has good reviews there.

So, has anyone booked a place via e-domizil? I read its FAQ section and it appears that we'll have to pay in full at time of booking. And then it says:
Kaution bar 300.00 CHF ( Vor Ort zu bezahlen. )
Does that mean we'll pay the landlord CHF 300 as a security deposit when we get the keys, then we get it back when we leave, assuming there's no damage?

I've never paid at time of booking. It's always been on arrival or even as late as departure date.

Wow, this thread has grown.

(Hi swisshiker, whassup? Suffering from Switzerland withdrawal? LOL)

Scatcat, yes, 50% for you and your son with Swiss Card.

Pal, I know it was 50% off with Swiss Pass up to Kleine Scheidegg last year. (Been in Wengen myself in fall last year.) It's quite a steep raise this year, especially considering that the standard fares are sky high. That's what I like about other mountain regins in Switzerland - mountain railways/cable cars are much cheaper elsewhere, sometimes even includes in Hotel rates (Upper Engadin, Davos/Klosters, Arosa e.g.).

Vignette issues should be covered by now. The rental car should come with one.

The apartment in Unterterzen looks very good. I would go for it. I have only rented through Interhome or owner directly (via tourist information of the respective town) so far and always paid upon arrival or when leaving. They never required deposit in cash. In Italy, yes, I had to pay deposit in cash and had trouble getting it back. If the same apartment is available through Interhome then why don't you give this a try?

As for the ferries to Quinten - yep, it sounds not too inconvenient. But if you get back from an excursion by car and miss the ferry by 5 minutes, then you have to wait 55 minutes ... also, for leaving in the morning - you have the pressure to catch the ferry at, say, 9 am or you'd have to wait another hour. Not my style.

I.

Thanks for all your help again!

I read the FAQs on e-domizil as well as interhome: the fact that we're booking < 1 month in advance requires us to pay the amount in full at time of booking.

Ingo, thanks for mentioning Interhome again. I looked at the Unterterzen listing on Interhome, and I realized that I can (at least I *think* I can) pay this in EUR instead of CHF. Because of the exchange rates, if we pay in EUR, we'll save about 17% when we convert to USD.

If it's not too much trouble, can you (Ingo and others) take a look at this other listing I found? This one is in Quarten, right next to Unterterzen:
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p26962

I have booked rental apartments through Interhome e.g. by phone. They asked for credit card info but didn't charge until I showed up in the apartment and phoned them again. What if you email them?

I hope you can pay in Euro and get the good deal because of exchange rates. You'll see.

I had a look at that apartment in Quarten. This is pretty good also. One person complained about bathroom and kitchen that both could be "equipped better, but they're clean". I don't know what specifically they refer to, but I guess they mean it might be outdated (see picture of the bathroom!).

Quarten is smaller than Unterterzen and a bit farther from the motorway exit. Windy, small roads lead there if I recall correctly (and guess right from google maps). I'd probably go for the apartment in Unterterzen.

Thanks Ingo! I thought the Swiss Card would work best for us.

The lady in the train station who sold us our first tickets talked us into the half-fare card (I don't remember the formal name - but I believe it was 99E for a month long card, and then everything was half off - everything). Long and short, it was even half fare for the Jungfraujoch.

Even though we were only in CH for 5 nights, that half fare card more than paid for itself. You also do not need to travel as a group, each can take their own card and use it alone. I think it even worked on the cable cars, IIRC.

A few years ago i had a Swiss Pass and got 50% off both the Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn conveyances (Swiss Pass now 25% off the uppermost parts of Jungfraujoch)

And i found that when i added up the two 50% off fares i paid it equaled what a several day Jungfraubahn Pass would have cost and that pass covered practically everything that moved above Interlaken in full

Thus would have been better than a Half Fare Card if only going to this area so check out the Jungfraubahn Pass IMO.

thanks for all this useful info.

Phil thank you for the rental car and toll road info. It is a big help as we are planning to rent a car.

I still need info on the tickets for Jungfrau. I am now even more confused - 50% -25 % off etc. I believe we are planning to drive to Grindelwald and then go to Jungfrau.