Hey all,
I'm taking my elderly parents on a three-week Europe trip this summer. We plan to revisit Switzerland to see Appenzell and Zermatt, which we missed last time, and possibly revisit Grindelwald. We want to go to Paris and Nice in France, and to Vienna, Salzburg, Hallstatt, and Innsbruck in Austria.
I'm figuring out our entry/exit points:
Option 1: Fly into Vienna → Salzburg → Hallstatt → Innsbruck → train to Zurich → Appenzell → Zermatt → train to Paris → train to Nice → Fly out of Nice.
Pros: No regional flights, minimal long train rides. Regional flight might waste a day (leaving for the airport 3 hours early, checking in bags, and then bags pick up etc.)
Cons: No direct flights for us to Vienna or from Nice (layovers in Zurich/Germany).
Since my parents and I are traveling separately to and from Europe, I'd prefer a direct flight at least for the start, but it’s not a dealbreaker.
Option 2: Fly into Zurich → Appenzell → Zermatt → train to Paris → train to Nice → Fly to Vienna → Salzburg → Hallstatt → Innsbruck → Train to Munich → Fly out of Munich.
Pros: Direct flights in/out of Europe.
Cons: Requires a regional flight & an extra day in Munich. Maybe visit Neuschwanstein from Innsbruck a day before and head to Munich in the evening and take flight back next day?
Option 3: Fly into Paris → train to Zurich → Appenzell → Zermatt → train to Innsbruck → Hallstatt → Salzburg → Fly out of Vienna.
Cons: Adding Nice complicates the route unless there’s a scenic train from Nice to Switzerland (via Milan/Como?).
Would love your thoughts—thank you!