Heading to Europe from April to May of 2018 with my wife and 2 daughters (24,26) and I was wondering how best to get from place to place. We are starting in Zurich Switzerland (3 days), travel to Munich Germany (4 days) then Salzburg Austria (3 days) then to Vienna Austria (5 days). I was looking at a "Select" train pass, but was wondering if there were better alternatives. Thanks.
Rick
Train is the easiest way to move from city to city on your itinerary. I think it's doubtful that a rail pass would save you money, though it's possible something would be worthwhile for your time in Switzerland, where fares (along with everything else) tend to be very high.
I'll be the first to tell you that, unless you have a special reason to go there (family, for example), Zurich is not a place to spend your Swiss time.
Acraven is right about Zurich. Not much there, especially compared to the other cities mentioned. Much better to use your time around Salzburg, for example, where you can easily get to Berchtesgaden (Hitler's Hideout), Salt mines, Sound of Music tour, or the Eisreisenwelt (Google image it) near Werfen. Also, on you way to Vienna from Salzburg, try stopping at Abbey at Melk. (Google image "Melk Abbey". It's walking distance from the train stop.)
I agree with the others, there are better alternatives to Zürich. You could also consider going directly from Zürich airport to Lucerne and spending a few days there while you get over get jet lag. It's a beautiful city and while there you can take a cruise on the lake, visit the fantastic Museum of Transport, see the famous Lion of Lucerne (which was mentioned by Mark Twain) or visit Mt. Pilatus or Rigi.
I'd suggest having a look at the Man In Seat 61 website, as there's a lot of information there that will help you to decide whether a rail pass is the best option for your circumstances. You can check rail schedules for all of Europe using the Bahn.de website.
If you haven't travelled by rail in Europe, you may find this helpful - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3AxtbifeoBY .
The best way is by train. Rail passes are a waste of $$ especially on this route. For example, Munich to Salzburg can be done with a Bayern ticket where all four of you can make this journey for about 30 Euro (total!). You buy this ticket at the station on the day of travel. Salzburg to Vienna is best done on the Westbahn train, where you buy your tickets on the train from the conductor. High speed, nice double decker with free wifi. Tickets are 26.50 Euro per person.
One note regarding buying tickets on the Westbahn train from the Conductor. You'll need a proper Chip & PIN credit card or cash. They don't accept the old fashioned magnetic stripe credit cards.
Thanks for the replies. Currently we are locked into Zurich but are only there 3 days (one full day). So it sounds like individual train tickets is the way to go. The "select" eurail pass was going to be $700.00 after 20% discount for the 4 of us. I'm going to check out the seat 61 website. Thanks.
Rick
Ken is right about Seat61 and for comparison you can go to www.skyscanner.com to look at one-way budget airline tickets. Both air and trains (at least the major routes) will be cheapest if you purchase as soon as possible. If you really want the best results you can't avoid the work of researching point-to-point train tickets first. Only then can you know the value of a pass.
I also encourage using a multi-city search function so you can fly into one city and home from another.
Thanks Southam. We already have our plane tickets, flying out of Toronto as opposed to US and save $800. I just have to drive 2.5 hours to Toronto but it's worth it.
I just started looking at Seat61 website but it looks like point to point trains are a lot cheaper than Eurail Select pass. Got to dig a little deeper to be sure (there sure is a ton of info there). Thanks.
Rick
Train is best.
Zurich is not a great tourist destination. Also, I could cut your days in Salzburg to three and Vienna to four.
Your original post only implied three days of train travel, although you might not have mentioned some planned side trips, which could be cheap on short train rides or more expensive on Swiss mountain lifts. Select Passes start at 4 travel days in 2 countries or 5 travel days in 3 countries. You pay more for the extra country coverage but your plan barely touches each country. Your relatively compact trip plan is not unusual in this region, but the pass is not really designed for that. Emily has pointed out a couple of cheap ticket options and pre-booking the longer ride from Zurich to Munich is another.
Munich to Salzburg can be done with a Bayern ticket where all four of you can make this journey for about 30 Euro (total!).
Only children up to 15 years travel for free on a Bayern Ticket. So, the price for the family of the OP would be €25 + €6 each additional traveller = €43.
Yes, we are looking at 3 days of train travel among 3 countries. I've been looking at the "seat61" website and it looks like point to point travel is cheaper than the eurail pass. Some of the routes are not open yet as there are 60, 90, 120 day windows. I also see that regional trains are cheaper (Munich to Salzburg) and add only 30 minutes to your travel time (1.5 versus 2 hours). It also appears that second class is not that much different than first class (unlike the airlines) at half the price. Thanks.
Rick
(Munich to Salzburg)
Use the Westbahn. Much more frequent than others and cheap, and uses a Bayern Ticket.
Thank you, I'll look into that.
Rick
Apparently Westbahn offers reduced prices for 60+ (buy tickets ahead at a tabac or online) -- will try this later this month for Salzburg to Vienna.
Tickets aren't available for that leg of the trip yet.Thanks.
Rick
