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Austria to Switzerland over Christmas

Posted by (Adelaide) on

Hi all.

So hopefully we will be doing a trip in December this year and will have around 4 weeks.

We want to leave the hot aussie summer and go for the cold, brisk weather of Europe. My girlfriend has never seen snow!

Anyway, this is the plan we have up to now:

Prague 2 nights
Vienna 2 nights
Hallstatt 1 night
Salzburg 2 nights
Innsbruck 2 nights
Lucerne 2 nights (staying one night at Villa Honegg and one night a place called Chateau Gutsch)
Interlaken 1 or 2 nights
Grindelwald 1 night
Bern 2 nights
Then end in Zurich for a few nights.

Does this sound way to optimistic and are some of these places so close to each other that it isn't actually worth checking out of the accommodation and staying at the next town?

I guess this will then determine what transport is used.

Cheers all.

Jonno.

Posted by
20072 posts

Well you certainly seem to like pulling up stakes and moving along. I only count 18 nights here, so I think you could spend a little more time at each place.

Comments:

  1. Train would be the way to go.

  2. I can see why only one night at Villa Honegg. $800 a night. You can rent a car for a couple of days to get there. Maybe a nice Ferrari to fit in.

  3. Innsbruck? Meh!

  4. Interlaken 1 or 2 nights, then a night in Grindelwald. Just do 3 nights in Grindelwald and be done with it. They are too close together to change lodgings.

  5. Zurich? Meh, again. Better to spend the last days at Chateau Guetch and take a train from Luzern straight to the airport. It is only 1 hour away on a direct train.

Posted by
8437 posts

Distances on the map are deceiving. Every time you change location, you lose 1/2 to a whole day of time in transit. So two nights somewhere great like Salzburg, is really only 1 1/2 days at best. One night is just enough to say you were there, but not enough to actually be there. Cut back the number of places. Make your last stop Luzern from where you can take the train direct to the Zurich Airport easily enough.

Posted by
11315 posts

Everywhere on your list should be at least 3 nights except Hallstatt and Innsbruck. As mentioned above, combine Grindelwald and Interlaken. (I would stay in Lauterbrunnen or Muerren instead of either Grindelwald or Interlaken.)

Bern, meh, and Zurich deserves no more than one night before a flight.

If you really have 4 weeks, add nights to these places and SLOW DOWN.

Posted by
12 posts

Thanks for all the info people.

Which place would you suggest for staying over Christmas / new year?

Posted by
5697 posts

We like New Years Eve in Vienna, Christmas in Salzburg.
Many Christmas markets close down on the 24th, so make sure you see them before then.

(By the way -- we love Innsbruck so "meh" is not everyone's opinion.)

Posted by
12 posts

So, after looking at peoples suggestions, and having the time to actually sit down and respond, I've come up with this:

ADL-PRG Depart 12/12/18

Prague 3

Vienna 3

Hallstatt (Heritage Hotel) 1

Salzburg 3

Innsbruck 3 (this covers being in one place for Christmas)

Lucerne (Honegg) 1

Lucerne (Chateau Gutsch) 2

Interlaken / Grindelwald 4 (this covers being in one place for NYE)

Zurich 2

tbc

tbc

ZUR - ADL

The tbc's we haven't decided on yet, but latest we can depart europe is the 9th Jan. So need to fill a few days in at the end.

What people think?

Jonno.

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