We (family of 4, w/2 teens), are spending three+ weeks (work+vacation) in Switzerland during July. We plan to travel to Rome, Berlin and Vienna on one-or-the-other of the weekends. The options are planes, trains and automobiles! Which one would be the best value from your experiences?
We like the flexibility that car touring offers - have used it to travel other parts of the world but I hear Europe is quite different - fuel, parking, car restrictions, etc.
Trains appear to be good, would you recommend EuroRail pass or point-to-point (say from Zurich).
Air (EasyJet) appears to be cheaper than trains - but the reviews are not encouraging. Your experiences would be helpful in our decision. Thank you!
Posted by
Chicago
8220 posts
All of your destinations are too far to drive or take the train to (8 hours or more each way) for just a weekend trip.
Easy Jet is an excellent airline to use in my experience, the most recent flight I took was Amsterdam to Geneva about 3 weeks ago. Even the airlines you have experienced flying with have not so encouraging reviews if you look for them.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Cade, So you will be based in Zürich for work, and want to do weekends in Rome, Berlin and Vienna
All of these are too far away to do as weekends by train, they all take most of the day by train, as soon as you arrive it would be time to come back.
Your best option is to fly. I would actually recommend Easyjet. Nothing wrong with them. They are a one-class cut-price airline. Buy online and early (2-3 months before departure) is very cheap. Just print out your boarding card and turn up at the airport. You pay extra for checked-in bags, for a weekend you can just have a hand bag. There is a size limit for cabin bags, and it is only one item, both strictly enforced, Other than that, nothing to note.
Also check flights from Basel. It is a cheaper airport and has more flights by Easyjet and other cut-price airlines.
Yes you could hire a car for some weekends instead. Again Rome, Berlin and Vienna are way too far to drive for a weekend. And you cannot drive or park in in any big city in Europe, especially Zürich.
Trains appear to be good, would you recommend EuroRail pass or point-to-point (say from Zurich).
Yes, one weekend for exploring at least a bit of Switzerland. This could be by car or better by train. A Eurail pass is something sold to North Americans who don't want to work out how to buy tickets direct from the rail companies. If you want to go somewhere in Switzerland - my recommendation is your first free day do a day-trip to Luzern - Just go down to your local station (many different stations in Zürich) and buy a ticket to Luzern.
All rail routes in Switzerland have at least one train per hour (often two). It is a "turn-up-and-go" service.
Posted by
Green Bay
21274 posts
Yes, its 8 1/2 hours to Berlin, 8 hours to Vienna, and 7 hours to Rome by train. Car would not be any faster, and for Rome, at least, quite a bit slower. Fly.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
On reflection (and no slight on the poster intended), I think we have a case of the kid in the sweet shop, whose eyes are bigger than their stomach.
Cade, is this perhaps your first trip to Europe? Have you suddenly been offered these 3 weeks in Zürich, expenses paid, and want to take advantage of this opportunity?
You have picked three big names (Rome, Berlin, Vienna), possibly as they are very well known. Europe is a lot bigger than you think, and places to see are a lot more common than you think. Rather than wasting your weekends on travelling half way across a continent, I would use the time to explore places 1-3 hours from Zürich. Switzerland (obviously), the Alps, Alsace, Bavaria (perfect for a weekend by car), northern Italy, Paris (4½ hours from Zürich by train).
If you give us some feed-back, we can offer more suggestions.