Travel from Germany to Switzerland
 

We will be taking a trip in April 2017 to Germany and would like to take quick trip maybe 1 night to Switzerland. The majority or our stay will be Heidelberg and Munich areas. Any suggestions I was hoping small quaint town with Alp Views?

Heidelberg to anywhere in Switzerland with Alps view will not be a quick trip. If you are using a train, look at the travel time using www.bahn.com. Look at a topography map of the area, for example by choosing "Terrain" option of google map. The high mountains in Switzerland is on the south side. You are coming from the north side of the country.

Depending on when you mean by April, mid April to mid May is between the ski and the hiking season. Many hotels are closed, mountain transports are out for maintenance, and hiking paths are either still covered in snow or not dry enough. The accommodation in "quaint small towns" are more likely to be closed off season. The larger ones located in transport hub towns are more likely to be open.

Don't bother, it takes four hours each way just to get to a place like Luzern on a fast train line, from where you can, on a good day, go up on Rigi or Pilatus, which is another few hours up and back down. They are not small quaint villages but mountains with major lookouts onto the "real" alps.

To really get into the mountains for a "small quaint" place, you'd spend much more time each way.

Instead, explore the surroundings of Heidelberg, places like Speyer, Heilbronn, etc.

Why not Munich - Switzerland - Heidelberg?
The bus ride from Munich to Chur or Zurich takes about 4 hrs and costs about 20 EUR. The bus ride from Chur to Flims (winter sport center and mountain village) takes less than 30 min; up to Arosa, it would be 1 hr.
If it must not be Switzerland, go from Munich to the alpine village of Garmisch Partenkirchen: the bus ride lasts 1 1/4 hr and costs 6 EUR OW.
Zurich - Heidelberg by bus lasts 5 hrs and costs 15 EUR; the train is 1 hr faster, standard train fare 90 EUR.

Thank you all very much. Is there any German border town that we could take a day trip in. Possibly Freiburg to Interlaken? Any ideas

IMO you really need to go to a site such as www.bahn.de, select the "USA" version and input originations and destinations so YOU can see, first-hand, how long a rail trip will take.

What is your definition of a "day trip" in terms of hours spent? None of US know that and believe me, we ARE trying to help you with this. Now, help us.

"Is there any German border town that we could take a day trip in. Possibly Freiburg to Interlaken?"

You can visit the Alps for a day/night from Munich.

Berchtesgaden and the Königssee:

http://images.fotocommunity.de/bilde...366c66aa75.jpg

http://images.summitpost.org/original/598068.JPG

http://www.berchtesgadener-land.com/...-lockstein.jpg

http://images.summitpost.org/original/598068.JPG

There are other places too.

I was going to suggest, Garmisch and Berchtesgaden too. Or Mittenwald. Not Swiss, but definitely ALPS.

How about a day trip from Munich to Garmisch-Partenkirchen and a trip up to the Zugspitz, Germany's highest mountain? Easily done from Munich.

http://zugspitze.de/en/winter/mountain/zugspitze

Another option that makes more sense: Fly into Zürich (ZRH), visit the quaint and pretty village/town of Appenzell and go up on the nearby Säntis (https://saentisbahn.ch/en), train to Heidelberg and environs, fly home from Frankfurt.

Thanks to all for the help