Traveling OW from Salzburg, Austria to Basel, Switzerland

What is OW?

The problem is crossing the border in a rental car. You will pay a huge drop fee whether you drop the car in Zurich or Basel.

The train is as low as 34 euros per person. The journey has one change in Zurich, and the total travel time is 6.5 hours, for departures at 9:56 am or 11:56 am. This was for a random December date I checked (Dec. 8) but should be the same on other dates. This is a “Sparpreis” (discount) and is non-refundable, and good only on a particular train.

You can buy this ticket on either OEBB (Austrian rail) or Trainline.eu. The later is easier to use, and it is the same price.

OW = One Way

Take the train , especially in winter, and leave the driving to them. December days are short on sunshine so book a late afternoon departure and catch some naps on board. Many train cars offer a 2x2 facing each other seats ing arrangement with a table betwen you. Researving these seats could facilitate conversation, a place to eat or play cards. Check out The Man in Seat 61 website to facilitate your train knowledge.
https://www.seat61.com/

Take a look at skyscanner.com which covers smaller Europe flights. Salzburg to Basel or Munich to Basel are both available, for around $400 each.
Or, try Flixbus.com with rates around $30 each, about 6 hrs.

You can go by rail from Salzburg to Basel with a single train change in Zurich from Track 8 to track 14 in 14 minutes, or take 40 minutes if you like. Shouldn't be more than 80 EUR per person if you buy advance nonrefundable tickets. Departures every 2 hours.

WOW. Thanks for the great replies and wonderful, useful information!!! Indeed OW=one way. Sorry. The suggestions for other sites using trains appear to be great! Good thing I'm looking 2 months into the future - train fares appear to be fairly reasonable. Lots of trains between the 2 cities (via Zurich) seems idea. Again, thanks to all for the suggestions!!!
If we want to be seated together/adjacent - do you think the small extra fee is worth it for this service?

Sure. I forget what the Austrian seat reservation fee is. Maybe 3 or 4 EUR per person.

Looking at the Swiss rail website, www.sbb.ch/en, it is 287 CHF for 4 people over 59 for December 6. Since right now 1 CHF equals just about 1 USD, that is $72 pp.

Checking on the Austrian website, www.oebb.at, it is 161 EUR for 4 people, for December 6 for the same trains, about $48 per person plus 3 EUR per person for seat reservations, coming to about $51 per person.

I use December 6, because schedules will be adjusted on December 9, so schedules from that day on will be adjusted and are not published yet. It will be a few days before you can buy these if your travel date is after December 8.

Also, if you want to have a relaxed longer transfer in Zurich there were a number of Christmas market booths in the station last December -- and an excellent Nordsee fish restaurant.

Buy your train tickets now if you want the lower fares. There are limited tickets in each price category and once they are sold, they’re gone. Don’t wait. Use oebb.at.

Go by train. The scenery between Salzburg and Zuerich is meant to be pretty good in itself.

How are you getting to Salzburg? You didn't mention a cruise, but some river cruises gather in Zurich and use a proprietary bus to Basel. I agree that advance-purchase (non-changeable, non-refundable) train is likely the best. You don't say explicitly, but I get the idea that luggage handling is part of your dilemma. I am a heavy packer myself, but I would still suggest that you try to moderate your bag size (and quantity) so that you will be comfortable doing your own porterage. Has this group traveled to Europe or on trains before?

Personally, I find one suitcase and a big carry-on (I mean under the seat comfort bag, not a real suitcase #2) are plenty to handle (age 67.) So I'll take one 24" bag before two 20" carry-on's. If your airline charges for the second international bag, that may dissuade you from having "two bags" anyway.

I would find a 6+ hour car trip tedious, drop-charges aside. This is a big jump to make in a trip. I liked Salzburg fine (a big Mozart fan ... ) but couldn't you find a better place to visit for this particular itinerary? Why Basel? Do you want to see Lucerne or Strasbourg or Besancon or Frankfurt or Geneva? Are Christmas Markets a major part of the trip?

There are no direct flights from Salzburg to Basel. One-way car hire would be expensive. I too would recommend the train. Look up times and prices and buy tickets on either the ÖBB (Austrian Railways) website: https://www.oebb.at/ or the SBB (Swiss Railways) one: https://www.sbb.ch/en/
Trainline does not sell Swiss Rail tickets.
The route goes longways through the Alps, you will see lots of snow in December.

If you are travelling by train (both Munich airport --> Salzburg and Salzburg --> Basel), you will need to carry all your own bags through the station, onto the train and store them near your seat on the train. Make sure you do not overpack.

Basel has a nice Christmas Market, info here: https://www.basel.com/en/Christmas-in-Basel
Curious, where are you going after Basel and how are you getting there?

Edit: The annual train timetable change is 2nd Sunday in December (9th December 2018). If you are travelling after this date, trains may not be available yet, don't panic, just wait a bit.

rhs5010, just a note: "One Way" is an American-English term that you won't find in looking at European rail websites. The European-English term is "single" as opposed to "return", which is "round-trip" in American. I forget the term in German, but it can confuse things if you need help on the road.

The only way to do it more cheaply by station wagon or van is by renting in Freilassing (Wednesday afternoon in your case, allowing for an early Thursday getaway) and dropping off in Freiburg. It's about 6 hours, add an hour or more if you want a slightly more scenic route. Regular bus service from Freiburg to EuroAirport. Not sure it's worth the hassle, your call?

Again, THANKS to everyone for their helpful information, advice, links, etc. for this trip!!! I considered the bus and train (car with drop-off in different country was ruled out due to exorbitant cost) and considered 2nd class, 1st class and Business Class (which is apparently highest class). Actually found booking with trainline.eu to be quite easy (a new site for me) and also the seat61.com to be quite informative (plus it had a Arlberg Pass scenery video to tempt even further). I actually booked seats and tried to put on my CC, but was denied - due to fraud control. This BECAUSE I was buying in USA for a product originating in Austria (or Europe). Had to call CC fraud to "unlock" or clear the fraud issue. By the time I got through with the unlock, my train seats were gone. Went back to repurchase, and price had now gone up!!! Ugh Waited about 2 hours, repurchased at about $20 higher cost, per person.
We are flying USA to MUC and will take a Bayern Ticket (regional Bavaria ticket, a great deal for up to 5 persons - E25.00 for 1, E6.00 for each additional person up to 5 persons) from airport to Salzburg = E43.00 for the 4 of us. They can be purchased locally, i.e. at train station in MUC airport. We hope to recover from jet lag & see the Christmas Markets in Salzburg and see/experience the Krampus! (2 have seen before, 2 haven't seen this - quite exciting to see). Then off to Basel, more markets before taking a Rhine cruise. The train between Salz-Basel should be relaxing, and quite scenic. We will have had time to recover from the jet-lag by then. Baggage/assume we'll each have a small carry-on and a medium "wheelie" size bag. Not a concern. Two of us are fairly well traveled, two not. Trainline.eu was easier to navigate than the OEBB.at site unless one is quite fluent in German. (2nd page appeared only in German, after 1st was in Eng.) By the way OW is common for one way (one direction) travel in US airline travel vs RT meaning round trip (out and back). Different terminology in different industries and parts of the world.

In German one way is "Einfach" whereas for return or round trip in "American" I use "hin und zurück" when talking to a counter staff person.

Or, if you want to use the nouns instead, I use "Hinfahrt" and "Rückfahrt"...the journey coming back

Einfach in English translates to “easy” or “simple.” Not “one-way.”

It sounds like you're happy with the train, but I see that Hertz and some Euro car rental agencies have offices in Weil am Rhein, which is practically part of Basel. (Not really.)

You say "Einfach" to a OeBB staff person at the counter, I can vouch that you'll get a one way ticket as opposed to a round trip one.

The usual German term is "Einzelfahrt".

Fred, maybe you can vouch that happened, but Einfach in no way means one-way. You perhaps had an OeBB worker who inferred what you meant...

@ Emily...In this context when buying a transportation ticket, when you're standing in front of the ticket counter telling the staff person you want a ticket from, say from Leoben to Vienna, 2nd class and you say " einfach," then the word means "one-way. " That's exactly how the staff person will understand it.

A grammar book with a dialogue on how to buy a train ticket in Germany will use the word in this context. Yes, the word otherwise means "simple."

In this context when buying a transportation ticket, when you're standing in front of the ticket counter telling the staff person you want a ticket from, say from Leoben to Vienna, 2nd class and you say " einfach," then the word means "one-way. " That's exactly how the staff person will understand it.

Yes, at least in the legalese of the DB is "einfache Fahrt" a standard expression, and "einfach" is the usual abbreviation of it. I don't even know what I should say other than e.g. "München, einfach".

two Germanic countries divided by a (nearly) common language?

Two? I count three. German in Switzerland has at least as as many differences with German-German as does British and US English. And I'm not talking about dialect, I mean official German as used in laws, government forms and signs.

• Switzerland doesn't use the ß, just "ss". So street names are all xxxxxstrasse, not xxxxxstraße.
• SBB sells "Billette" (click for photo, the 4 languages are German, French, Italian, English, DB sells "Fahrkarten" (click for photo)
• In Swiss stations you wait on a "Perron", In Germany on a "Bahnsteig" (=platform)
• In Switzerland you have a "Gipfeli" with your coffee, in Germany a "Hörnchen" (=croissant)
• In Germany you have a "Führerschein" (photo), In Switzerland a "Führerauswies" (photo), similar to the difference Driving Licence / Driver's License UK/US.

I could go on . . . .

two Germanic countries divided by a (nearly) common language?

In many instances yes, in the present one no. Quoting the "Sparschiene" FAQ of ÖBB:

"Sparschiene-Tickets gelten immer nur für eine einfache Fahrt."
(Sparschiene tickets are always valid for one single trip only)

Consult a handbook on Austrian idioms and expressions to see how different they are from a dictionary/handbook of German idioms and expressions. An example: Two Austrians told me they never of the word "pennen" as in the way inquire in the morning, "gut gepennt?" (slept well?) I thought maybe it's archaic, dropped out of usage as in the case of many of the 1960s' expressions in English.

Then a Berlin woman, who is Sprachwissenschaftlerin, told me otherwise that in Germany "pennen" is still used.

"I could go on." Very true, numerous, numerous examples if you dissect the usage as they appear in signs, printed announcements. Even the men's WC is indicated differently. In Germany you see on the tram or bus telling you to hang/hold on, the sign " Bitte, festhalten" In Vienna you'll see that it's put in the reflexive, "bitte, sich festzuhalten."

Two Austrians told me they never of the word "pennen"

Here in Bavaria, we don't either. That's a clear Prussianism (and even there it's a colloquialism, not something you would say to your boss).

Thanks for the regional information. I wouldn't use slang talking to the boss anyway as the word is "slang."

Still reading the information about travel and the resulting follow-up on word usage in different areas of German speaking central Europe. It IS quite interesting! It also reminds me of different word usages here in the States. One example: where I grew up (Wisconsin, upper mid-west) we used the word "pop" for a carbonated beverage. I moved to New England (Boston area) where the word "tonic" became the commonly used word referring to any carbonated beverage. However, Tonic (proper noun) also can refer to a particular bitter quinine carbonated beverage, frequently served with vodka or gin. A little confusing to someone from elsewhere? Now, living in the south-eastern part of the US, the word "soda" seems to be most commonly used term and perhaps most fairly describes all those sweet, carbonated, beverages some of us enjoy. The use of each isn't wrong, but is most easily understood in different geographic areas of the same language speaking country/area. I've learned a lesson for my German usage (studied only 2 years in college, eons ago) while traveling and hope we all have enjoyed the different ways to refer to travel in one direction without a return trip in German areas. What a Great, Informative, and fun forum!
I was surprised, after the fact, that there was NO inquiry about my mention of the Krampus in Salzburg. I thought this might open a whole new discussion. Cheers

Since you are seniors, Krampus won't be a big deal. Meant to scare (and therefore delight) little kids into being good (I guess).

I was going to post that this was an example of a thread that went badly off the rails. But no harm, no foul.

"That's clear Prussianism...." If one wanted to point that out in a person in Austria, ie that sort of partiality, they would say, "Der redet wie ein Piefke." ...not intended as a compliment unless the addressee takes it as such.

I think in Calif we say soda pop, never really thought it.

Um, we ONLY say soda in Califoirnia. Pop is for east of the Rockies.

Um, we ONLY say soda in Califoirnia. Pop is for east of the Rockies.

No one says "pop" for a soft drink in NYC or even the northeast.

Right, I meant the midwest although a portion of area between the rockies and the Missouri river doesn't consider itself the midwest. From what I understand the term varies on the east coast. But I never ever heard anyone from California refer to soda as "pop". That would be completely nutty.

I've heard in the South all soda is referred to as "Coke" but I don't know how accurate that is.

And we're officially way off the rails!

Large sandwiches in the states , known as heroes or submarines , are also called " wedges " , but only in Westchester County , New York .