Does this sound sensible? We're planning a short trip next July, landing in Geneva with our 14 and 17 YO daughters. The plan is Bern and Murten, one night; then the Oberland area, staying in Gimmenwald for 3 nights; but where to go next? I thought we'd head to Neuschwanstein and Salzburg for 3 nights. Or should we head to Munich? We want to fly to London from either Salzburg or Munich, but I'm really having trouble figuring out the best plan once we leave the Oberland area. Is it too much to think we could do Neuschwanstein- Salzburg- and then Munich?? How much time is really needed? We plan to rent a car. Any advice from experienced travelers MUCH appreciated. We're new at this. Thank you!
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
The plan is Bern and Murren, one night; then the Oberland area, staying in Gimmenwald for 3 nights
Julia, Mürren and Gimmelwald (spelling) are both in the Berner Oberland. They are only a short walk apart, and the only other way to gte from one to the other is by cable car, as neither has road access. See zoomable map here: https://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en&bgLayer=pk&resolution=20&X=635660&Y=155640
Stay in one or the other, no need to split time between the two.
Bern is doable as a day trip from Mürren / Gimmelwald. Or you can do it on your way from Geneva, as you have to go through Bern, there are luggage lockers in Bern station.
To get to Neuschwanstein castle from Switzerland by train, you need to go north to Munich, then south again to Füssen (the town next door to Neuschwanstein). There is no direct route by train.
Or, you could take a train to Salzburg, there are regular (every 2 hours) trains from Zürich to Salzburg, and then pick up a hire car to see Neuschwanstein. Salzburg to Munich is an easy train ride. Or skip Munich, use the extra time for car touring, and fly back from Salzburg.
Posted by
OP
Bethesda
22 posts
Sorry, I just updated my post; I should have said Bern and Murten, not Murren. Also, we were planning on renting car for the duration of the trip. Bad idea?
Posted by
Northern Minnesota
768 posts
We just stayed in Murren for 4 nights and 2 nights in Lauterbrunnen. We passed through Gimmenwald. There really isn't much there besides the beautiful scenery. You might want to base your stay in the Oberland area to Lauterbrunnen. It was more accessible to the entire area.
Posted by
Houston, TX
487 posts
The problem with renting a car for the duration of the trip is that you mostly likely will pay a hefty drop fee to rent the car in one country and return it to a different country. Someone has to go retrieve the car and you will be charged for that service. If you really need a car in one area it would work better to cross the border and then rent the car for a smaller portion of the trip where it is needed. Trains in all of these locations are great and cars can be a hassle in the larger cities and not very useful in places like Gimmelwald where cars are not allowed. When pricing cars versus trains remember to include higher fuel costs, Austria will need a vignette sticker, parking fees and the higher drop fee.
If you need more information on trains, this is a great site: www.seat61.com
Posted by
Sacramento, CA
687 posts
For the Overland area, I highly recommend staying in Lauterbrunnen. You can easily get to mountains on both sides of the valley from there, and there are more restaurant options. Gimmelwald was unimpressive in our opinion. It's fine to walk through it, but I definitely would not stay overnight there, particularly with teenagers.