Buy tixs in advance or there & rental car help!

The ONLY advantage, especially in January, to purchasing tickets in advance is possibility of a discount but that locks you into a schedule with no refund tickets. Given the possibility of bad weather at that time of year I would avoid a set schedule. We always buy our tickets the day of or day before. We do miss some discount but it is very convenient. We rarely rent cars and when we do it is one of the locals at the cheapest prices. I would take all the insurance you can get because of the potential weather situations.

Also, be aware that if you rent a car in one country and drop it off in another, there may be a hefty drop fee. Do the math - it might make more sense to drop your Swiss car at the closest point to the border, cross via public transport, then re-rent in Germany.

Thanks for the great advice-- The more we think about it, although we like the freedom to roam around in a car, we will probably just go with rail passes, and skip the car rental. I suppose I should just wait until I get to Paris to get our rail passes, I'm just concerned language barriers will make it difficult. Either way, it's an adventure.

Michael, One point to note is the Railpasses are generally not available in Europe, so have to be purchased here. A Pass may or may not be the most cost effective option, especially as they don't include the reservation fees that are compulsory on some trains. For only a few trips, P-P tickets are usually better. You may wish to download the PDF Rail Guide (look in the lower right corner). Happy travels!

Also, Michael, even if you don't speak French or German travel is international. Everything is very well signed all along your route and most staff members you will encounter will (if approached politely) be able to speak more English than you can French or German. While a pass may seem an easy way out, you will almost certainly lose money. Luzern is a very large station. The narrow gauge tracks to Engelberg are right at one end. Clearly numbered and the big board clearly shows the platform number.

Considering the prospects for winter storms in mid-January, you probably made a good move in rethinking the idea of renting a car. In answer to your question about AutoEurope, it is sometimes the best choice, sometimes not. If and when you decide to rent a car, do price comparisons on kayak.com and decide for yourself. Sometimes it is cheaper to rent directly from the car rental firm, sometimes not. That is why it is best to do some comparisons before homing in a particular vendor. For a fuller discussion on this, use the search function at the top of the Helpline pages.

To where are you going in Germany when you leave Luzern? You can buy online tickets in advance from there to Munich from the German Rail (Bahn) website for as low as €39/p) (I just found them at €49/p at 10:10 on Jan 18). Once you get to Germany, advance purchase Sparpreis tickets are as low as €29/p on express trains. Most Länder (states) in Germany have all day passes (hop on/off) for regional trains in the Land for around €30 for up to five people. A rail pass probably won't pay in Germany. That €39 and up online fare from Luzern works to other German stations, such as Frankfurt, Hamburg, or Berlin. I also see a lower fare, €19, to Stuttgart and places south in Baden-Württemberg, but not Karlsruhe or Ulm.

Michael, snow in the areas you are driving (assuming you will not try to drive up a mountain 1000ft high on a closed road!) will be less than an issue there than in Illinois or other Middle West states. Don't let the "horrendous weather" put you off the road.