Switzerland, Austria, Germany
Jan 9th, 2006, 09:38 AM
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Switzerland, Austria, Germany
My wife and I are taking our first trip to Europe in April. We are booked to arrive in Zurich on April 8th. We depart from Munich on April 20th. The planning of an itinerary is difficult as I do not know the area. We thought we would spend a few days in each country but have no idea as to the best itinerary and places to see. We're planning to travel by rental car. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Jan 9th, 2006, 10:01 AM
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Karen Brown's Inns and Itineraries books on Switzerland, Ausria and Germany would be an excellent starting point. See her website www.karenbrown.com as well. Husband and I did a similar trip, and used her guidebooks as a starting point for our travel research.
Jan 9th, 2006, 06:37 PM
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I think I would like the flexibility of the car and have planned for the drop charge. Just wondering where we should go. If you can only travel to these areas once...what would be the most important places to experience?
Jan 9th, 2006, 07:24 PM
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MN;
Zurich is not that interesting a place but you can certainly spend the day there will you get your Europe legs. You should be aware that is not in the Alps -it's about 45 minutes north of them.
If you want a little of all three countries, then you could travel east from Zurich towards Asutria, stopping in small towns along the way and ending up at Innsbruck, and then head north to Munich allowing you to visit Ludwig's castles (if you must), Mittenwald, and Oberammergau along the way.
I'm not sure if you like to move every day or so - you say it is your first trip so maybe you don't even really know the answer - but I find it a total drag and a draining experience. I like to park myself for about three days, or more, in an area and do day trips. You could do that in Zurich and visit Konstanz, Meersburg (great town) and other Bodensee towns, then move to Innsbruck via Bregrenz and use that for exploring Hall and other Austrian villages, even Ludwig's castles, before moving to Munich for three and perhaps visitng Berchtesgaden, Salzburg from there.
I would not miss Meersburg, Hall, and Salzburg, as smaller sites away from your main centre, if you like that idea.
Zurich is very expensive and you should consider the rental car idea. There is no drop charge for rentals within Germany, and it is only about 1:15 by train to get to Konstanz (it straddles the border) from Zurich. You can train there, pick up your rental, and then take the rest of the trip at your leisure, dropping the car back in Munich. I expect the drop charages will be hundreds of dollars - money much better spent on Hotels, food and beer!.
Have fun.
Zurich is not that interesting a place but you can certainly spend the day there will you get your Europe legs. You should be aware that is not in the Alps -it's about 45 minutes north of them.
If you want a little of all three countries, then you could travel east from Zurich towards Asutria, stopping in small towns along the way and ending up at Innsbruck, and then head north to Munich allowing you to visit Ludwig's castles (if you must), Mittenwald, and Oberammergau along the way.
I'm not sure if you like to move every day or so - you say it is your first trip so maybe you don't even really know the answer - but I find it a total drag and a draining experience. I like to park myself for about three days, or more, in an area and do day trips. You could do that in Zurich and visit Konstanz, Meersburg (great town) and other Bodensee towns, then move to Innsbruck via Bregrenz and use that for exploring Hall and other Austrian villages, even Ludwig's castles, before moving to Munich for three and perhaps visitng Berchtesgaden, Salzburg from there.
I would not miss Meersburg, Hall, and Salzburg, as smaller sites away from your main centre, if you like that idea.
Zurich is very expensive and you should consider the rental car idea. There is no drop charge for rentals within Germany, and it is only about 1:15 by train to get to Konstanz (it straddles the border) from Zurich. You can train there, pick up your rental, and then take the rest of the trip at your leisure, dropping the car back in Munich. I expect the drop charages will be hundreds of dollars - money much better spent on Hotels, food and beer!.
Have fun.
Jan 9th, 2006, 08:00 PM
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I lived in Switzerland for 4 years until this past summer and can tell you that April is not a great month weather-wise there, it is not spring yet and winter is over so you don't have the lovely snow and can do winter sports. It tends to be cold and rainy. Ferries are not running on the lake. The worst is that fog is quite typical so if you go to the mountains you generally cannot see much. You will find much the same in Austria and Germany. Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate. com. If you can postpone the trip to mid-May you will find better weather conditions, although in the Alp areas it will still be melting and foggy until you get into later May. If you only want to concentrate on lowland areas and cities like Zurich and Salzburg, then you are OK, albeit it is not such great weather to walk around the cities in, IMO, and no spring flowers or trees. The cities and countryside are so beautiful that IMO it is a shame not to see them when they are at their best. Also, much as I love Zurich, to not see the glorious Alps and countryside of Switzerland would be a bit of a wasted trip. Really, if you can only go once, then not to see the Alps at their best is to really miss the essence of Switzerland, IMO.
You are also planning to travel during Easter 2006 (April 16) which may make hotels more expensive and more crowded. Trains and highways will also be a bit more crowded. Finally, some restaurants and museums will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as Easter is a significant holiday in Europe. This is another reason to postpone the trip.
I agree that you would not want a car in Zurich if you don't plan to go to the mountain areas (and you can easily get to those areas by train as well so you don't really need a car). As noted above you can train over to the German side of Lake Constance (also called the Bodensee) to collect a car if you want. Gas is about US$6 a gallon, so bear that in mind when comapring cost and convenience versus the train.
Mapquest Europe is a very useful site for planning routes and giving mileage and approximate travel times.
Finally, three countries in less than 2 weeks might be pretty ambitious, IMO. You might want to cut it down to 2 countries.
You are also planning to travel during Easter 2006 (April 16) which may make hotels more expensive and more crowded. Trains and highways will also be a bit more crowded. Finally, some restaurants and museums will be closed on Good Friday, Easter Sunday and Easter Monday as Easter is a significant holiday in Europe. This is another reason to postpone the trip.
I agree that you would not want a car in Zurich if you don't plan to go to the mountain areas (and you can easily get to those areas by train as well so you don't really need a car). As noted above you can train over to the German side of Lake Constance (also called the Bodensee) to collect a car if you want. Gas is about US$6 a gallon, so bear that in mind when comapring cost and convenience versus the train.
Mapquest Europe is a very useful site for planning routes and giving mileage and approximate travel times.
Finally, three countries in less than 2 weeks might be pretty ambitious, IMO. You might want to cut it down to 2 countries.
