We're senior citizens who are getting off a cruise ship in Venice on May 15, 2020. We're thinking about renting a car and driving through Switzerland and Austria before flying home from Basel. I have several questions about this.
1. About how long will this take as we sightsee our way through these countries?
2. What is the weather like in May?
3. What route should we plan to take?
4. What "must see" highlights should we plan to see?
I welcome any and all recommendations regarding this trip. I'm not against a tour but haven't found any on the date we need.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Problem 1: Renting a car in one country (Italy) and returning it in another (Switzerland) usually incurs a large surcharge.
Driving into different countries and returning the car in the same country you picked it up is a lot cheaper.
A possible solution is to do part or all of the trip by train; or fly home from Milan.
Problem 2: Basel only has (with one exception) flights to Europe, Middle East and North Africa. If you live further than that, you would need to change. A better option might be to fly home from Zürich or Geneva.
Answers:
Q1) As long as a piece of string. You can spend as long as you like on this.
Q2) Nice, getting warm.Even warmer south of the Alps in Italy. The high passes over the Alps are closed by snow mostly November to May. If you time it right you can drive over a pass just after it opens; walls of snow on both sides.
Q3+Q4) It would take a whole book to list everything. What are you interested in? Old towns, history, museums, countryside?
I suggest you buy some guide books (local second hand book shop or junk sale), do some reading and pick out what you fancy.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16893 posts
It's best to pick up and return a car within the same country to avoid pretty high drop-off fees. This can help determine where you use train and where car.
Trains serve many destinations, so don't necessarily assume that you have to drive. For instance, trains route from Venice up through Bolzano and Brennero to Innsbruck, which is a logical change point to take the scenic, west-bound, direct RailJet service to Zurich. Within Switzerland, public transport of all kinds is well connected. You can also take trains from Venice to Switzerland that don't go through Austria at all, usually with a connection in Milan.
Rail maps online can help you get an overview. Looking Up Train Schedules and Routes Online gives you the Deutsche Bahn train schedule link and tips for using it to see examples of actual connection times. Try a current, summer date, since most service is similar regardless of season.
Posted by
New Zealand
51 posts
We have twice travelled from Venice to Bern after a cruise. Both times we took the monorail from the cruise port to Piazzale Roma for Santa Lucia station. From there we had one train ticket Venice/Milan/Bern. Very easy.
Posted by
Boulder, Colorado, USA
437 posts
If you want to see the countryside and explore more than the highways then it makes sense to drive.
You can play with ViaMichelin (app or website) to see distance, time and costs. The fastest route is via Milan and it’s just under 7 hours but there’s seriously gorgeous scenery if you drive across Austria and Switzerland!! You can easily spend days or weeks depending on your route and how often you stop. If fast is your goal take the train. A map, guidebooks and the RS website (see Austria and Switzerland) can help identify your options.
The drop off fee may be worth the price when compared to looping back to the starting country. Ask AutoEurope for an exact quote.
Enjoy the planning and the trip!