Road trip - Switzerland/ Germany/ Austria

Sounds like a great trip. I've done something similar a couple of times. I will say though that I park the car in Lauterbrunnen and stay up in Murren and forget about day trips unless the weather is very bad. It just depends what you're looking to do. There's days and days and days of outdoor activities in and around Lauterbrunnen.

2-3 weeks is fantastic. If it was me I'd slow it down and really soak up a place. One week in Lauterbrunnen/Murren/etc is NOT too long as most everyone will attest.

Zermatt is a bit of a drive, but not impossible for a day trip.

Fussen, Oberammergau and the Tyrol are all great and have a ton of stuff to do. If you're driving out that way Lichtenstein is worth a visit. Really great hikes, and the views around Vaduz are great.

The Mosel is fantastic, particularly Beilstein and Burg Eltz. It's a bit of haul out that way though.

As for renting a car I've always had good deals with Hertz out of Zurich. However, I've also seen the prices be quite high. With everything going on now and into the future who knows what'll be best. I have a trip planned to Switzerland this fall (if all goes well) and I'm renting out of Zurich with Hertz. I've had good success with Europcar and Budget as well.

Have a great trip.

If you rent a car in Germany it will not have the mandatory Swiss or Austrian road tax vignette attached to the windscreen. That will cost you CHF40 in Switzerland and at least €10 in Austria.

If you rent the car in Switzerland it will have the Swiss vignette already but perhaps the rental might be more.... you will have to check your options

In 2017 we did a similar trip in 20 days. Flew into/from Zurich, rented a car on arrival, and drove a big loop. First night was below Neuschwenstein with a stop in Vaduz on the way, then 3 nights in Munich, 1 in Salzburg, 2 in Slovenia, 2 in Croatia, 1 in Venice, 3 in Kandersteg, Switzerland, 2 in Montreux with a stop in Gruyeres and Chillon Castle, 4 in Wengen (Murren, Gimmelwald, Kleine Scheidegg, etc.), and the last night in Zurich with a stop in Lucerne along the way. We didn't go to Zermatt because I thought it was too far out of the way - in your case it may not be.

Back in December we visited the Alsace region in France (based in Colmar) and drove through the Black Forest. Loved Colmar but didn't see much in the BF except hills and trees; however, the BF is on the way up to the Rhine/Mosel valleys. If you only have 2 weeks I would probably either go north into Germany or east toward Austria; otherwise you may spend too much time driving for the length of your trip.

Thanks for your insights!
I had that concern about the vignettes, so I will have to compare the rental prices, considering I will have to pay extra for the vignettes. If I visit Vaduz do I need a vignette?

Regarding the route, I´m sure I want Switzerland and Salzburg, so I have to figure out if I can include Alsace/Black forest without extremely long drives.

Has anyone visited Alsace/Black forest? how many days do you recommend?

I'm planning to visit the Alsace/Black forest area as part of my trip to Switzerland (hopefully) next year. Basel Switzerland would be a good base to see both. Take a look at places such as Colmar, Strasbourg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Gengenbach to get an idea of how many days you'd like to spend on the area. 2-4 days maybe. Switzerland is small, so you can get from Basel to your next Swiss city within a few hours.

Have a great trip!!!

Will you be driving at all on what the Swiss call motorways, those indicated with a green coloured sign or an icon of an automobile, or on any Austrian motorways? If so you will need the appropriate Vignette. , But if not you will not.

For example the little road around Lake Thun and Lake Brienz and onwards to Meiringen and over the mountains to Luzern via Brünig Pass requires a vignette. Only one lane each way and a solid yellow line between lanes all the way from the bottom of the hill to Lucerne so no passing for over half a hour yet it is covered by the vignette. I followed a slow bus the whole distance a couple of years ago.

You will almost certainly need them.

When we were there our rental car had the swiss vignette but purchased one after we crossed over into Austria.