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Trains throughout Austria/Day trips

Posted by (Honeoye Falls, New York, USA) on

Hi all. I'll be flying in to Zurich from NYC in early May. I plan on taking the train from Zurich to Salzburg (the day I land) and basing myself in Salzburg for 5 days. I'd like to do day trips, by train, to: Munich, Hallstatt, & Vienna. My question is: Should I get some type of train pass or just pay point to point?
After the 5 days I will be headed back to Switzerland and finishing up in the Bernese Oberland area. I fly back to NYC from Zurich. Thanks for any and all input, I'm traveling solo and open to all suggestions!

Sue

Posted by
16895 posts

I would get a pass for a nice combination of flexibility, ease, and price. You don't need Germany on the pass. If you use regional trains for the daytrip to Munich, you can use an all-day Bayern ticket or other local offer. Also, adding a third country forces you to buy a 1st class pass, if you're 28 or older. Local offers exist in Austria, too, but I like the hop-on flexibility of the pass, and 5 days is the current "minimum" with the Eurail extra-day offer.

A 5-day Select Pass for Austria-Switzerland currently costs $280 in 2nd class and would cover:

  • Zurich-Salzburg (following your flight arrival)

  • Salzburg-Hallstatt roundtrip

  • Salzburg-Vienna roundtrip

  • Salzburg-Interlaken

  • Interlaken-Zurich

  • 25% discounts on transport around the B.O. (past Interlaken)

None of these trains requires seat reservations, although you could make one for a longer distance for 3-4 euros.

Posted by
19295 posts

Before I committed to a rail pass, I would figure the cost of travel using point-point tickets, regional passes, and advance purchase Savings Fare tickets, but you have to do the math. Since 2000, I have not found a rail pass to be economically effective.

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