BMW European Delivery and Itinerary From Como to Munich

I'm a little confused. I thought the idea of the program was to pick up the car, drive it while in Europe, and then BMW would have it shipped home for you. Wouldn't you want to take the train to Munich, pick up the car, then visit the sights in Bavaria?

Thanks, it does look confusing.

My question really pertains to choosing a train or rental car from Como to Munich (one way)... after picking up our BMW in Munich we'll make side trips to Austria and Nuremberg, Rothenburg. I was just reading a post that crossing the alps in late May (even late June) can be sketchy with potentially poor visibility. That in mind, I'm leaning toward public transit between Como and Munich... does that help clarify a bit?

Hi alpinehills. Travel from Lugano to Munich is easy either by train (about 7 hours with connection in Zurich) or by car. By car it is pretty much freeway the whole way. Note that dropping a car in a different country usually involves a big drop fee. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks Bob!

If you run into a big rainstorm in the Alps you are right that visibility can deteriorate.

But then again, that can happen at home, too.

I've been driving in Switzerland for years, often in May and June, and never had problems with visibility.

It is true that I don't attempt any pass roads which are closed, and that visibility, no matter the weather, is pretty good in Swiss tunnels. They are well lit, with excellent lit line markings.

Thanks Nigel - good to hear practical experience! By "visibility" I mean "ability to see the majestic alpine peaks." That said, I agree - and I live among some pretty lofty peaks here in Utah - weather changes quickly in the mountains; there are no guarantees. Regardless, the experience will be memorable! Cheers

The best way to see the peaks is to ditch the car and get out into them, somewhere like Muerren.

There are villages up quite high, linked by a fabulous train and cable car system (but where cars are prohibited) with the most incredible views, unlike you have likely seen before.

If you are seeing through the windows of a car, you are not in the mountains, IMHO.

Of course, through the windows of a bright and shiny beemer would improve things somewhat.

Some may quail, but Lauterbrunnen - by definition - is at the base of a valley.

By the way - taking up from above - if you are collecting a brand new shiny beemer, why aren't you driving that instead of a selection of rental cars? Just being nosey and trying to understand....

Again, great insight Nigel.

I'm not planning on driving the shiny new Beemer in France. And at this point, I think I've decided to cut out Italy... too many stops. Even after living in Europe and many return trips, I always try to see too much at one go. As for the direction of travel, the logistics from SLC to CDG, then MUC to SLC are better than the other way around (better times, days, stops etc).

Certainly getting out and doing some hiking is in order, provided it's decently good weather. This particular leg of the trip is all about DRIVING though. Giving that machine a workout before returning home while taking in the sights.

Thanks again.

There are several possible itineraries between Como and Munich, some of them scenic but not overly so (the Alpine most dramatic peaks are concentrated in some areas like Dolomites).

But: a first issue is that it is generally very expensive to hire a car in a country and return it in another one - somebody will have to do the opposite drive and you will have to pay for it. A second, minor, issue, is that driving on motorways in Switzerland and Austria requires two highway stickers and the Swiss one is pretty expensive. Fuel is cheaper in Austria than in Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

If you do not consider flying from MXP or taking trains (with changes in Milan and Verona or, more expensive but more scenic, through Zurich), here are a few possible ideas:

1. the shortest path between Como and Munich is through the St. Moritz and the Engadine valley, then Landeck, Garmisch and Munich. In spite of being the shortest it will be the longer to drive as the Engadine road is fairly slow driving and some sections are narrow (but not scary)

2. a scenic and easy itinerary is Como - Lugano - St. Bernardino tunnel - Chur - Feldkirch - Arlberg tunnel - Landeck - from here you can either drive through Garmisch or trough Innsbruck (this second choice allows an itinerary entirely on highways).

3. variation to no.2: instead of St. Bernardino, drive around the Como lake, Chiavenna and the dramatic Splugen pass, then rejoin the above itinerary near Chur. The Splugen pass is not an easy drive and may be closed for snow even late in spring

4. variation to no.2: at Chur, instead of turning east to Arlberg, go north to Bregenz, then drive through Memmingen and the Bavarian lowlands. Some sections are not on highways.

5. Como - Milan - Verona - Brenner - Innsbruck - Munich

Itineraries no.1 and no.3 are not recommended in bad weather.

Have told BMW that you'd want to pickup a car and ship a brand new car directly to the U.S.?
Are there any additional taxes and/or tariffs on new cars being exported to the U.S.? Will the delivered price of the car be higher since it's new--instead of being "used."
If you want a new BMW and not have the enjoyment of driving it throughout your trip in Europe, why don't you buy one at home? You can probably get the same price if you're a hard negotiator in price Remember, those cars have a very large markup, and your local dealer has a lot of "window sticker" room to negotiate the price from. BMW's European Delivery program is not the best such delivery program in the auto world anyway.

Thanks for the incredibly helpful input, Lachera! Given the input I've had thus far, we're simplifying this trip and saving Northern Italy for another day. It's easy to try and cram too much into a trip and wind up with not enough time to enjoy any single place.

David - I would refer you to the Bimmerfest forums or BMW's own ED website for additional detail. Lots of great info to be found there!