help on Paris-Switzerland-Germany itinerary

I don't know about the cost of train vs. plane from paris to Switzerland. But you can get to either Bern or Zurich in 4/5 hours from Paris-Est by TGV. Going to Bern will place you closer to the Berner Oberland and shave an hour or a bit more off your travel time to Interlaken, Lauterbrunne, or wherever you wish to go.

Swiss train schedules are at www.rail.ch (for English)

The apartment at Chalet Fontana in Mürren is an ideal place to stay with a family.

Your ideas for Germany look perfect for teens. Be sure to allow time to explore the ruined castle near Reutte---my kids loved that one.

Thanks so much Lola and Kent. Your ideas and tips are so helpful. I tried Ricks' recommended Seattle travel agent who was not at all helpful (are there any REAL agents left who know stuff you can't find on your own?) and am reminded once again that the greatest advice comes from this board! I'm really liking the itinerary, too. And trying to make it a teen-friendly trip so appreciate the confirmation!

The plane/train Paris to Switzerland looks like a wash cost-wise. Think we'll take the train to Bern and skip Appenzell for more Rhine time.

My current dilemmas: How can I get the most cost-effective car rental for Germany on this itinerary? What are best logistics for where to end on my swiss pass and rent a car, returning it in Frankfurt? (Assuming I'd eat up my savings training us to Frankfurt and doing a loop for the same place car return?) Also, any advice on plane fares? They're $1380 open jaw SAN-CDG-leave Frankfrut now. Better in Jan? I will scour the travel boards next!

We flew from Miami to Zurich by way of Paris on Air France. We left out of Stuttgart. We like that airport as it is small and easy to get about and often use it. We took the train from Zurich to Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen. If I did it over, I would rent a car for one day from Zurich to Interlaken and get the train pass for the rest of the week. The train passes are for 6 days. Individual segments are quiet expensive. On the day before we left Switzerland we rented the car and took it to the hotel to pack our luggage and left the first thing the next day. It was a one day drive to Rutte where we stayed at the Hotel Beck. It was the nicest small hotel we stayed in. The town was very small, but a good place to fan out. We just drove straight to Dinkelsbulh and then to Harburg. Castle Harburg is a great value and we love it. The food is good. We have been To Rothenburg many times, but this time it rained and rained the whole time we were there. I changed 4 times in one day.

Thanks for the tips Mary Joe. Wasn't it expensive though to rent a car in Switzerland and drop off in Germany? The travel agent quoted me a $400 surcharge for a 3 day rental!

You just need to get into Germany to rent your car without the drip fee. My kids did this in reverse, dropping the car in Freiburg. But since your goal is Reutte, you might want to travel farther on the train within Switzerland, especialy if you are using a pass. maybe Friedrichshafen? boat passage from Romanshorn should be covered on a Swiss Pass. Or you could go to Lindau.

Chris,
I can tell you that if you plan far enough in advance which it looks like you're doing, you can find really cheap train fares from Paris to Bern on most days of the week. I seem to recall it being around 25 euros if booked well in advance.

Hi Chris,

My wife and I are flying into Zurich in September and flying home from Munich. I rented a car (pick up at Zurich Airport) for the entire 2 weeks for $668. Of that, $148 is for the drop off in Munich. I didn't think that was too costly.

Mike

Hi Chris
Have you thought about flying into Paris then taking the fast train to Franfurt(3.5 hours) and renting a car in Frankfurt. Driving to Switzerland and southern Germany then returning to Frankfurt for the flight home? Last September My wife and I rented a car in Frankfurt drove to the Rhine then to the black forest. From there to Reutte and the castles and over to Munch and eventually through Salzberg,Hallstatt, Melk and Vienna and spent one night in Rothenburg before flying out of Frankfurt. Eleven days car rental was only $735. If your credit card will cover the insurance on the rental car that will help keep cost down. And staying in small family run hotels will help keep cost low also.
Have fun ,George

Thanks all. It looks like a round trip 7 day car from/to Frankfurt would save us at least $300 or so over the Swiss rail pass for 4 and 3 day car rental. More if our credit card does cover the car insurance. (Definitely be checking into that George!)

It's always tricky trying to balance cost with value. For instance, it seems like taking some of the Swiss rail journeys is sort of part of the Switzerland experience (do you agree?) so maybe we would do that anyway, eating up our car savings.

Last May, my husband and I had a 7 hour layover in London Gatwick airport between the Denmark and Prague legs of our trip. We used the time to take the train into London and have tea a the Orangerie at Kensington Palace. The RT train tix from Stansted for 2 to the city made it a pretty expensive tea, but such a memorable experience! I try to always think about Rick's advice on what's worth the money. For us, getting to have tea in London vs. seeing only the airport was money well spent.

Chris
Some credit card companys will cover damage to your rental car at no extra charge if you use that card to pay for the car . Just be sure the card will pay for theft and loss of use as well as collision damage to the car. The car rental company will usally charge $20 to $25 a day for their collision damage waver so savings can really add up. Ask for a diesel powered car they get really good fuel milage and diesel is avalible at all fuel stops . Diesel cost less per liter than gasoline so that saves even more.

George