Switzerland/Austria/Germany itinerary help

PJ,

It would take me some time with a map to get some idea which of your proposed Itineraries might be best, but a few thoughts come to mind.....

• As you'll be in Salzburg for several days, I'd plan to include Hallstatt regardless of which Itinerary you choose.
• You're covering a fair distance with each Itinerary, so that seems a bit ambitious for an 8 day time frame. You'll be seeing most of Europe through a windshield instead of enjoying the destinations. This seems like more of a "blitz" trip than a "leisurely drive".
• It would be a good idea for each driver listed on the rental form to have an International Driver's Permit which is used in conjunction with your home D.L.
• You MUST obtain a highway tax vignette for driving in Austria. This is easily obtained at border points. DON'T forget as penalties can be severe! According to Wikipedia, "A €240 fine with an additional obligatory payment of a substitute toll are charged to travelers without a valid vignette, and unpaid fines lead to penalties between €300 and €3,000. Furthermore, the vehicle may be confiscated from foreigners to guarantee payment of the penalty."
• II believe an environmental sticker is also required for some places in Germany.
• A vignette is also required in Switzerland, but since you'll be renting the car there that should be provided.

You can easily get to most of the spots on your list using well planned rail trips. I assume the eight days is actual "time on the the ground", and doesn't include travel days?

Hopefully the others will have additional comments.

You need to learn some geography. As the other poster stated, check you maps.

Option A makes not sense in going to Innsbruck, then into Italy, the going to Salzburg.

If you insist on Luzern, which is nice, you are going south from Zurich, away from Innsbruck, but you could do that and backtrack on your way to Austria.

Suggest Innsbruck, the Salzburg, Munich, then Augsburg, down to Oberammergau and to Garmisch. From there you could go back to Innsbruck or on to Switzerland by another route.

Plan A works best I think, but definitely no time to consider including Munich.

Luzern (2 nights)
Innsbruck (1 night)
Salzburg (3 nights) with day trip to Hallstatt
Fussen (1 night)
Zurich (1 night)

I agree that this plan is far too ambitious. You would spend most of your time in traffic, rather than enjoying the destinations. Decide which towns are more interesting to you and stick to them. Less is more in your case.