Cologne to Switzerland

5 days isn't much time for what you have proposed. Especially because you want to mix Autobahn driving (trust me, not as fun as it sounds, especially around Köln!) with rail travel. To answer some specific questions, there is a Köln-Bonn airport, but coming from the western half of the US, it would probably be easier just to fly into Frankfurt and take the train from there to Köln. To get from Köln to the Interlaken area, there are direct trains originating in Frankfurt to Interlaken Ost. The quickest option would probably be to catch a train to Mannheim, then change trains there to the direct ICE to Interlaken. A rail pass will almost certainly be a waste of money.

Thanks for the replies. I think flying in to Frankfurt sounds like a good idea, then taking a train to Cologne. Do I understand that it would be cheaper to just take the train point to point instead of buying a train pass? Also, I've read that Murren might be a good place to base ourselves in Switzerland, as it seems Interlaken is a busy tourist town. Please forgive my ignorance, but I'm learning and will continue to research. Thanks again.

You can fly from Albuquerque to Duesseldorf on Air France with one connection in Atlanta. Do not buy railpasses. If you book ASAP (up to 92 days allowed) on the German Rail site, you can get a Europa-Spezial Schweiz discount fare for Koeln-Interlaken Ost.

Right, so those prior posts can get our OP to Europe, can we assume that you will fly home from Switzerland or do you need to schlepp all the way back to northern/central Germany? With such a short time-frame I sure hope its open jaws. As highlighted above, the autobahn may be less than expected. The area around Koeln is very congested so its unlikely your hubby can get up to speed there (is that what he's looking for, why he wants to Autobahn?). The A5 towards Switzerland can be one fun filled adventure after another. The road is mostly only two lanes in each direction. Yes, there are parts with no speed limit but there are also many parts with speed restrictions. And one lane is full of trucks going slowly, and the other is full of Audis, Mercedes, BMWs (and me in my not at all souped up but very comfortable at 175 kph Honda) all going too fast (except me). Until you are comfortable with looking both forwards but also in your mirrors all the time, indicating and changing lanes frequently - always ready to move out of the way for something coming up at warp speed (you won't expect just how fast they do come up) who has his phasers set to stun (you can see that is the case by the flashing headlights), but most importantly you MUST be always prepared to go from warp speed to impulse or even a complete stop instantly (you then hope that the cars and trucks behind have also realized that the autobahn has come to a complete screeching halt with no warning (yes- NO warning) and often for no obvious reason. The distance between cars traveling at warp speed can be very close indeed, often forming a train. ... continued

continued ... Get to know the expression, Stau. Pray when it is on the radio or roadside signs that its not in the direction you want to go. Because of all that, Germany has some of the worst car accidents on autobahns I have ever seen. I'd never seen such completely crushed cars as a couple I saw over the past few years - one in traffic, one into the trees, one into a bridge. Make sure that if he goes for it that the car has tyres with the right speed rating. All that being said, if wants to go for it let him go for it. Just with eyes open (physically as well as philosophically) Be aware that with your tight times that it will slow you down. In case you wonder - I do speak with the voice of experience. Happy planning

We will want to fly home from Switzerland so won't be going back to Germany. As for the autobahn, I absolutely don't want to use it and am frankly afraid of it for all the reasons you mentioned Nigel. So I'm going to try to talk him out of it. It's not like he's a speed freak or anything, just that he's heard of it and wants to try it. I think it would be scary and probably boring. Since we have a limited amount of time, I can't see wasting any of it in traffic! Thanks for the helpful tips.