Switzerland apparel

Certainly! No one will care what you are wearing. :-)

No problem - I exclusively wear yoga pants and athletic attire, even when going out to eat and have never had an issue. We don't eat at Michelin 5 star restaurants, but we have eaten at places that cost around 100+ chf per person and seen many people in hiking type attire.

Your attire is fine. Your chosen mode of transportation however might not be. Coming to Switzerland and not using public transport is like going to Paris and not having at least a look at the Eifel tower...

As Americans we default to renting cars. Don't do it, the trains are better than you can imagine. Same in Austria.

Absolutely agree about using the excellent Swiss transportation system. We can go anywhere by train, bus, or boat so easily. We wake up, eat breakfast and decide what to take that morning.

I do have a clothing comment. Last few weeks (April/May), we were in a few regions between Geneva and Zurich, and I almost never saw a guy wearing an American-style baseball cap (or any other hat). And I was looking for them.

Self drive is a fun way to travel. Don't let the train mafia force you to conform to their thinking. Trains are fantastic; I love them for inter-city travel. But Switzerland, where so many of the things you'll want to see are villages, lakes, alpine passes and meadows, only a car will let you stop wherever you feel like it, for as long as you feel like it, and not be tied to certain stops on a certain schedule.

If you do drive, make sure that you are completely aware of the insurance and road rules for every canton you plan to go to. The Swiss are very strict on compliance and there is no leeway given for unknowing foreign drivers. After hearing some stories from Swiss acquaintances, I’d choose to stick to trains.

Zero problems in six years going there. Not sure where previous poster gets her information but Swiss road travel is covered by federal law, not canton (Road Traffic Act).

Thanks for the replies, everyone! As a note, we opted for car vs. public transit for the reason someone suggested upthread; we want to be able to stop at interesting things along the way, or take little side trips as they may present themselves. The driving rules look to be the same as US (except for the warning triangles...assume car rental co will have those in the car?)

Looking forward to our adventures!

Swiss and Austrians in general wear more formal and elegant attire, particularly in their capital cities. However, if you don't go to fancy places, you should be fine. Just don't wear cheap flip flops or garments with holes.

I agree that you are wasting your time on renting a car. Switzerland is not car friendly. In fact, some places such as Zermatt have banned cars. Parking is expensive and may be hard to find.