A good base in Switzerland

Daytrips into the countryside and mountains (alps?). Why not just STAY in the alps??? Choose Murren, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen and you'll be right in the middle of the stunning alps at your front door.

Also - have you ever heard of cross border drop charges for rental vehicles? They can be astronomical.

Paul:

Where exactly in the mountains do you want to be, see etc? FYI get ready for "Sticker Shock" on the prices in Switzerland!

Thanks so much, sounds good.
Re "cross border drop charges for rental vehicles?" - yeah, learning about those now!...

Tim is right about being in the alps.

If you want good pics of trains in the alps, I would recommend the trails of Grutschalp to Murren, and Kleine Scheidegg to Wengernalp. Both trails are fairly close to the tracks and you could position yourself to get the train plus mountains in the background. (Trains are about every 30 min.)

You can see the area here:

http://ontheworldmap.com/switzerland/ski/jungfrau/jungfrau-summer-map.jpg

Tim, Ed, Shoe - thank you, thank you, this is so helpful.

So yes, I think I would love to get into the Alps and do one of the trails next to the tracks!
I see what Ed meant by sticker shock though! Would there be a more moderately priced location a 1.5hr - 2hr drive from those Alps locations?

I also suggest Lauterbrunnen, but I'd dump the car and take the train. Find a station in Italy close to a border with car rental return. I think a car would be a hassle in most areas of Switzerland plus, in much of the area, cars can't be used anyway. You might also check Luzern. We loved it there and from there you can do day trips into the mountains or to Bern. A day trip to Lauterbrunnen may also be possible from Luzern.

Additionally, I took a high speed train from Geneva to Paris, in the evening. You won't need or want a car in Paris either.

You do not need a car. It is an unnecessary expense. Go to Rome, take the train to Switzerland, the on to Paris. All so easy! The Lauterbrunnen area cannot be beat for scenery, mountain trains, gondola lifts, and hiking. 3 or 4 night sthere is a dream.

Is this the kind of picture you want to take?
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/rhaetian-railways-landwasser-viaduct.html

paul

I agree with Laurel and the others. Using the trains will be a much easier, faster and more efficient travel method. The transit network in Switzerland is exceptional and integrates trains, buses and other transportation. The high speed trains travel at up to 300 km/h so will be much quicker than any car!

If renting a car in Italy, you'd also have to obtain a Highway Tax Vignette when entering Switzerland. You'd need an International Driver's Permit which is compulsory for driving in Italy and highly recommended in France. You'd also have to contend with the ZTL (limited traffic) areas in Italy (hefty fines for EACH pass through one!). If you need a car to get to specific photo sites in Switzerland, rent one for a few days in Switzerland and then take the high speed TGV from Basel to Paris.

Using the Lauterbrunnen area as a "good base" should allow lots of photo op's within easy day trip range. In addition to trains, there are lots of mountain lifts in that area, and you could also perhaps take a trip on the boats from Interlaken - http://www.interlaken.ch/en/cruises-lake-thun-and-lake-brienz.html . For an unusual photo op, you could try a tandem Paragliding trip from Mürren. Be sure to check your travel medical insurance before embarking on that, as that type of activity may be excluded.

Have a look at Chalet Fontana in Murren. Lovely place. We rented the stand alone apartment attached. Murren is stunning. Car free village in the mountains.

Such good info - forcing me to re-think! (Sam...yes, that's exactly the kind of shot I'd like!) Driving is looking more and more of a hassle for sure. (Trains were looking way too expensive, but now I relook at it, it's not so bad.)

If you're in Switzerland for four days have a look at their four day rail pass. Passes in Switzerland have always made more sense for us. It will also provide many deductions on other transportation in the mountains as well as boats.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/leisure-holidays/travel-in-switzerland/international-guests/swiss-travel-pass.html

We got an Airbnb in Lauterbrunnen for a great price. Went to the Co-op, picked up some food , ate breakfast and lunch up on the mountain. Prices are steep but you can manage and it is so worth it!
We bought the Bernese Oberland pass and it served us well

There's a place called Habkern that's a few miles from Lauterbrunnen, and there's an apartment on vrbo there that looks quite reasonable. Without a car though, I'm wondering if that would be limiting. There's a bus stop close by and if that runs regularly and late that could work...

Habkern is kind of the wrong direction from Lauterbrunnen. The Lauterbrunnen Valley is at the heart of the area much beloved by many of us, with Muerren on one cliff and Wengen on the other. This is where the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau reign over the landscape with amazing views, hikes, gondolas, and mountain trains. In the valley the Post Bus will take you where you want to go and then you have lifts and trains to everywhere else. We like this apartment a lot. https://www.vrbo.com/1207898ha Or try https://www.interhome.com/switzerland/bernese-oberland/lauterbrunnen/.

I just want to thank everyone who chimed in on this post. Really...thank you so much! We stayed 3 nights in the Alps in Wengen and were completely blown away. We stayed in this chalet - (https://www.vrbo.com/2161104ha?unitId=2288091 which was really nice. We also did not end up getting a car but used trains for all travel within Europe, and that worked out extremely well. Finally, this was a very rich location for rail photography (and photography in general of course.) So again, thank you.

So glad you came back with your followup. I'm also glad you asked questions, received answers and you actually "took the advice" that was offered. So many times people come here, ask for advice and then totally ignore it because the advice they received wasn't the "answer" they wanted.

Paul, glad your trip turned out great. Love the place you stayed at in Wengen.