Trip Optimizer?

I'm a little lost. You are asking about transportation options without really giving the information that people would need. What are points A,B, C? When are you hoping to travel?

If you feel that you would get the information you need for $50, why not do that?

Drop off fees for car rentals in a different country are usually very expensive.

we go to Europe every year and the train is always easier. Plus, you don't have to deal with parking. We buy our train tickets VERY early - sometimes at the 6mo out mark and that way, we can go 1st class as they're cheap then. It really depends on where all you are going, but-- for us, the train is always easier, less stressful, and cheaper.

Yes, it a huge problem to rent a car in one country and drop the car off in another country! You will pay a large drop fee. We were quoted 1000€ drop charge one time.

We are a family of 4 who typically rent cars. It makes sense for a group, and we like exploring with more freedom.

BUT car rental rates have been triple the normal rates. Even more in some places. Not to mention the price of gas. Something to consider.

If you are going from city center to city center, a car will be a hassle. Traffic, one way streets, parking, etc can be a headache. And a car can’t even go some places in Switzerland, like villages only accessibly by train/gondola. More details on your itinerary would be helpful.

Have you used www.rome2rio.com? It tells you the different transportation options between cities and how much they cost. Switzerland in particular has an excellent train system. We never wished we had a car there one minute.

Hi everyone! Thanks for the help! Per the request, here is what I’m interested in doing currently. We have 3 weeks but I know this will be a crunch and so some things will have to come off. We are most interested in the quaint little towns, beautiful views and getting away (we have 6 kids and it’s just the two of us this trip) in addition to some WW2 history. So, while I don’t want a frenzied pace I also don’t want to miss anything beautiful or historic as we may never get back. Some of the cities I include may be a quick drop in for a while we will stay over night in others-I welcome thoughts on that as well. So, this is still early in the game, but we fly into Prague and out of Zurich. I may forgo the first two and start in Munich if needed and Como seems like a big time commitment that might take too much away but it looks amazing! Here are the areas of interest so far which I will build an itinerary from. I tried to put them in order, but will modify if there are other ideas. We travel in May if that makes a difference. Here we go so far:

Prague
Cesky Krumlov (stop on the trip to Salzburg)
Salzburg
Berchtesgaden (Eagle’s Nest-trip from Salzburg)
Hallstatt (trip from Salzburg)
Munich (not planning long-priority is Dachau)
Dachau-day trip from Munich
Fussen-Neuschwanstein Castle
Get to Chur to travel Bernina Express route to Lake Como
Lake Como-which area?
Zermatt
Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwqld, Interlaken ((have no idea where to stay in order to visit this region, what to prioritize, if I should pick one and do day trips etc. This part is still a jumbled mess while I wait for guide books to arrive-all ideas welcome on suggestions
Thun (stop on the trip to Bern)
Bern
Lucerne
Zurich (don’t plan much time here currently. Fly out from here.

Like I said, I know it’s a lot. I’ll -robably make a separate post for help, but welcome any thoughts regarding transportation. Will trains work for all? Would a car make more sense? Sounds like a drop of in another country would be brutal, so maybe just rent a car in Switzerland if needed?

Thanks again! I truly appreciate the help to make this trip special for my wife who has put up with me for 30 years! :)

Thanks Shoe! Any help on choosing favorites from my long list?

a train from Munich to Dachau is VERY easy. IF you want an amazing tour - I HIGHLY recommend bighattours.com -- you will learn and see so much more, plus - he takes the train there with you from Munich which makes the trip much more easy. He is an American who has lived in Munich for many years. He adds so much to the trip and also has walking tours of Munich also - check out his website.

I'd use the train as much as possible - parking in most of those towns is VERY hard and a rental thru several countries is very expensive. Also remember, less is more when traveling in Europe. It takes LOTS of time to change cities.

And if you want WW2 history -- Nuremberg is amazing and close to Munich -- PM me if you need a tour guide.

for a 3 week trip that needs to be special ... pay a travel agent. CN Traveler and Travel & Leisure have lists of upscale agents, and Amex Platinum has them too. They will help you plan the exact trip you want, at the level you want.

It looks like you have about 15 places and about 20 days to do it. You want to ask yourself if you want to spend the majority of your time traveling from place to place. If you read these forums very often, you'll see we veterans of travel overwhelmingly advise more time in fewer places. Or, put another way, do you want to check items off a list (and it all becomes a blur) or ENJOY a select number of places?

For example, you have 3 castles in your list. You really only need one. So I'd keep Krumlov but skip Thun and Fussen. (Fussen is an all-day trip just to see one castle, and it can get crowded.)

Also, trying to get Bernina Express and Como in there is time-consuming. (Bernina Express is great, but in my mind it doesn't compare to WALKING in the Alps. The former gives you 15 seconds of a variety of views, but walking allows you to spend as much time as you wish viewing scenes, plus time to take pictures.)

So my advice is take out Chur/Como and also Zermatt. (Long time to get there, Matterhorn may or may not be covered in clouds.)

Bern is OK (I'd skip it), but doesn't compare to what you'll see in the Alps, so spend at least 3 days in Lauterbrunnen (which is the transportation hub of that area). On a clear day, the must-do hike there is Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, tho there may be snow on there still in May.

More: we liked Hallstatt. It is beautiful, but it is an all-day affair to get there and back via trains. That one is 50-50 in my mind.
Also from Salzburg, there are tours to Eagles Nest and Sound of Music. Also an interesting tour to Werfen to visit Eisriesenwelt.at . If you like to do things cheaper on your own, there is a bus that leaves the Salzburg train station (on street across parking lot) that goes to Berchtesgaden. I believe there is a regular bus route to Dachau from Munich (very inexpensive).

Thanks so much everyone. I am taking very serious note about all of the suggestions. Show, that info was invaluable and will really impact my finalized itinerary. We will look into the tour guide and definitely skip the cars. I'm feeling excited snd less overwhelmed. Any suggestions on places to stay or eat based on a revised itinerary, especially in Lauterbrunnen? This is so helpful! Also, is there a shorter route on Bernina Express or regional trains that is still worthwhile? My wife would like to do it and maybe there is a compromise that doesn't take us as far as Como or way off route?

Brent, is your wife more interested in the scenery or the sort of whole experience of being on the named train? The meals, the tilted wine glass, the air conditioning, and the whole experience?

That would help mould the advice...

I love scenic trains but prefer to use the local trains which go the same place with a very different experience, and I very much enjoyed the Bernina line (I did the length of the line out and back in one day from and to Chur, and then explored all around the Engadin in the next couple of days).

I also really like lake Como.

Are you thinking of cutting lake Como? Where had you been looking to stay there?

Hi Nigel. My wife isnt too concerned about a swanky experience, but we have both heard that line is beautiful. We would both be ok with a regional train for sure. I think I may cut Lake Como although it looks gorgeous. Trying to determine what to take off the plate so we aren't running from one spot to the next. I didnt have a specific place in mind for Como. Hadn't done that research yet. That is the hardest one to cut if needed, though. Welcome any advice. Show gave me a lot of solid things to think about.

Another option to cut something would be to fly into Munich instead of Prague, but I'm torn on that too. Prague seems awesome. Any thoughts on that, anyone?

Prague is great, but it does "stretch" your trip. If you come back to Europe, you could include Prague in a more northerly or easterly itinerary, including the likes of Berlin, Dresden, Krakow, Vienna...

So you could head straight to Salzburg upon landing in Munich, and start from there.
A 20-night itinerary could look like this:

Salzburg 4 nights
- Hallstatt day trip
- Berchtesgaden day trip

Munich 2 nights
- Dachau

Füssen 1 night

Pontresina 2 nights
- Engadine valley is beautiful, and you need a stopover between Füssen and Lake Como anyway.

Varenna (lake Como) 3 nights

Bernese Oberland 4 nights

Luzern 3 nights

Zürich 1 night

I left out Zermatt because it adds travel time.

Balso has made a sensible itinerary suggestion. While still fast-paced, it is feasible. I wonder, though, what time of year you are going. Did I miss that info?

Hi. We are visiting in May. Bardo, thanks for the suggestions. I hadn’t considered Pontresina. Looks beautiful. Thanks for a specific location in Como too. Help me understand why not fly into Munich and start there vs going to Salzburg first? Is the Bernina express train route in that journey somewhere we could pick up as part of getting between destinations? I love this forum! Thanks again!

I like balso's suggestion too.

The Bernina line would be how you get to and from Pontresina.

Füssen to Chur, via a variety of possible routes and connections.

Chur to Pontresina - Bernina route

Pontresina to end of the line at Tirano - the rest of the Bernina route

Tirano to Varenna on Lake Como (a beautiful small town with ferries to other possible venues) either by train direct or partly by replacement bus during the construction.

Starting in Munich or starting in Salzburg makes little difference, you can flip the two in my suggested route.
I suggested Salzburg first because since "day 1" is a jetlagged mess anyway, I prefer to use it to get to my furthest destination, and Salzburg is not that hard to reach from Munich airport. Salzburg is also more relaxed than Munich (and Dachau...), so it is perhaps easier to recover there.

And thanks to the other posters for providing clarifications 😊.

The only good thing about Neuchweinstein Castle was our stay in Fussen. It's not a real(defensive) castle, but a 19th century palace. Unless one of you is set on seeing the Castle, I wouldn't waste my time.

Thank you all. And Balso, I apologize for the autocorrect error with your name.
Where do you recommend as base camp in the BO? We are not super healthy, avid hikers, but would love some nice, less strenuous ones, especially with views. We really want to relax and enjoy the ambiance of BO. How do we decide between Murren, Gimmelwald and Lautterbrunnen for our base camp for a few nights? Thanks!

No need for an apology, it's just a forum username!
Gimmelwald is really tiny, and quite far down below Mürren: it would not be my choice.
Lauterbrunnen is in the valley: it is cute and convenient, but not the best for "Berner Oberland ambiance", in my opinion.
So, to me, it is between Mürren, and Wengen, which you did not mention. Wengen is quite a bit larger and a bit more "central", but with perhaps a hair less charm than Mürren, and the view, while great, is not as ubiquitous as in Mürren.

Great! Thank you. Sounds like Murren is a great place for a base. Doesn't sound too difficult to explore the other areas. Will definitely check out Wengen too. I think there is an ice cave there?

There is no ice cave in Wengen itself, but there is the "Ice Palace" at Jungfraujoch above Wengen. Jungfraujoch is impressive, but it is a very expensive excursion, and the 3,400 metres elevation is uncomfortable for some people. You will be able to decide locally.

By the way, I edited my previous post which got autocorrected. Gimmelwald is below Mürren.

No ice cave in Wengen. I believe you are thinking of the one near Werfen, which is near Salzburg.

Its website is here: https://www.eisriesenwelt.at/en

Thank you, yes, I meant Werfen. Not sure if the ice cave is worth a day trip or if I will just relax in Salzburg. This forum is amazing! Thank you all!