Vienna to Alsace-Lorraine Best Route

I'd suggest the train since it sounds like you only have a few days for this? Train Vienna to Strasbourg, then to Colmar (or rent a car for the days in France), then a train to Zurich. If you rent a car you probably should try to return it in the same country to avoid the extra fees of returning it in a different country.

Sarah, just note it will take a whole day to get to Strasbourg from Vienna, and half of one to get back to Zürich, so hopefully you're accounting for that time in your itinerary.

Vienna to Strasbourg is long. Train has two changes--Munich and Stuttgart and takes 9 hours.
Euroline bus is faster and cheaper--7:30 hours, but goes only 3 times a week.
Flights all need a transfer somewhere but land in Strasbourg eventually. They take anywhere from 4-12 hours depending on the connection.
Use rome2rio.com and skyscanner.com to see what I found. Bon voyage.

Thanks all! Yeah the journey is not ideal but I am with someone in Vienna and then they leave and then I am meeting someone 4 days later in Zurich before heading to the Alps and then Bavaria. If I weren't going to Bavaria after the Alps I would stop along that way instead. I was looking to head out on a Tuesday but it looks like the bus only runs MWF. I will have to check again as I get closer.

Your best route from Vienna to Strasbourg may just be a combo of flight and train. You can fly non-stop from Vienna to Stuttgart pretty fast and cheap (when purchased ahead of time) and then take the train from there to Strasbourg (about 2 hrs). Biggest issue is getting from where you are in Vienna to the airport and then from the Stuttgart airport to the train. I'm not familiar with the best way to do that. Something to check into.

With only four days at your disposal you don't have the luxury of time for a leisurely journey.
Also, with Strasbourg from Vienna, you are overshooting your final destination of Zurich. I would consider a total rethink.
2 nights in each of Salzburg and Innsbruck.
4 nights in Prague/Budapest and fly to Zurich.
Visit Alsace perhaps with your friend from Zurich.

Yeah the route is not the best but I will actually be visiting Salzburg before Vienna and after Bavaria will be going to Prague for a while. The plan of flying into Struttgart and then the train or going to Budapest for a few days might work. Thanks!

Night train could be an option. Vienna to Frankfurt (Sued) to Frankfurt Hbf to Strasbourg. 1 hour for breakfast at Frankfurt Hbf.

Hi,

If you do take the night train option, it'll be the night ride and half the day, depending how you tailor the rides. Take the EN night train Wien Hbf to Munich, here you have a choice of going to Frankfurt, change at Offenburg, then the S-Bahn to Strasbourg. You'll arrive before 2 pm, or you can the southerly route instead. In the summer there is, however, a Vienna -Frankfurt direct connection.

I'd definitely spend those 4 nights then in Budapest. Fly to Zurich to meet your friend. Strasbourg is approx 2.5hrs by train from Zurich via Basel.