We are planning a two week trip this summer. A rental car will be about $2k pick up in Geneva and drop off in Nice France.
We will fly into Geneva, go to Bern then Grindelwald for a few days, then St. Mortiz, then Lake Como, then Nice France. The driving distances don't look too bad. We are a party of 4 adults and it seems like we might save some money and time by renting a car and driving versus using the trains.
My questions: Are the roads scary? I get a bit afraid of heights when driving over mountain passes. My husband would drive and
he's fine driving in the mountains
Will the views be as good driving in a car versus riding a train? The Glacier Express sounds beautiful.
Thank you.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Did you factor in insurance, parking, tolls, petrol? Will your car hold 4 people as well as all the luggage for 4 people? Does the $2k include the cross border drop fee? What activities/destinations do you plan to do in Switzerland? I love Switzerland and definitely the wonderful Swiss Transport System which includes trains, boats, gondolas, funiculars, buses is half the fun of Swiss Travel.
You can purchase 1st class 8 day Swiss Passes on RailEurope right now with a 20% discount sale.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
I hope your quote for car cost includes the surcharge for dropping off in a different country. That can be steep.
You haven't listed any places in Switzerland that are car-free, good.
The main roads (autoroutes/Autobahn) aren't scary, just busy. One advantage of going by road is you can go "over-the-top" where the trains can't go, using the mountain passes which are only open from May to November. For example, from Grindelwald to St Moritz, you can go over the Grimselpass and the Furkapass. the driver will not appreciate this as (s)he will have to keep watching the road, but it will be good for the passengers.
I suggest you go to https://www.youtube.com/ and look up "Grimselpass" and "Furkapass".
Have you included the cost of fuel and tolls in your budgeting? If you have a Swiss car it will already have a Swiss toll Vignette on it. You will have to pay tolls on most autoroutes in France.
https://www.viamichelin.com/ is a site for looking up road routes which gives you times, and estimated costs (fuel + tolls). The times given are optimistic, they assume you don't stop for anything, add 25%.
Check all your hotels have parking, this is not always so in cities.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1862 posts
If you fly into Geneva, you can pick up a car on the French side of the airport and avoid having to pay a "drop off in a different country" fee.
Posted by
Florida
1450 posts
There are no views but one for the unfortunate person who has to drive.