Rail pass vs car? (Germany, Austria, Switzerland)

Your travel is too limited to justify railpasses. You can do your Germany and Salzburg travel legs for under 60€ total. 2 adults can travel from Munich to Füssen to Salzburg for 58€ total on a Bayern Ticket daypass - one for each leg at 29€: http://www.munich-touristinfo.de/Bavaria-Ticket.htm You can find cheap advance-sale P2P tickets from Salzburg (or maybe Munich) to Switzerland and back for your travel dates (when are they?) here: http://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/query.exe/en Don't know your travel dates, but I just checked Aug. 15 for fun, and there are 39€ tickets from Munich to Interlaken, a major BO destination.

Hi Gloria. I agree with Russ, do not buy a rail pass. I love trains, but given your itinerary, I would probably rent a car; it gives so much flexibility and freedom. If you rent for a week, rates can be reasonable. Take a look online for Avis or Hertz to get an idea of cost. Enjoy your trip.

For what you have proposed, a rental car would not add very much in terms of convenience. I second Russ's recommendation for advanced ticket purchases. Rail passes these days are pretty much nothing more than a shake-down of the gullible. However, for a relatively short trip of only 10 days, I think your limited time would be better served not going far out of your way to visit the Berner Oberland. As attractive as the region might be, you'll chew up the better part of two whole days going to and from there. The towering peaks of the Hohe Tauern range are in your backyard from Salzburg and Füssen. Going all the way to and from the Berner Oberland won't add enough to justify the considerable expenditure of your valuable vacation time.

Of all of the places you might want a rental car - Munich, Salzburg and Mürren are definitely NOT on the list. Mürren is a wonderful Alpine Village and part of it's splendour is the absence of cars. You'll have to pay the daily charge for that rental car while it stays parked in the Lauterbrunnen Parking Garage. Yes, it's kind of handy to have a car for Neuschwanstein, but it's not necessary. The Bavarian Ticket is absolutely the way to go. Munich has a wonderful transport system which connects the airport seamlessly straight to the Marienplatz old town center...can't get much better than that. Public transport will get you anywhere you need to go in Munich easily.

Thank you for all your comments! This trip was scheduled at the last minute. We are going the 2nd week of June, therefore we don't have a lot of time to plan. So with the limited planning time...would it be better to do the individual train tickets or a rental car?

4 people just told you a rental car makes less sense. If you think a rental car makes more sense for you then get one. Have you ever been to Europe? Do you know that the European network of trains actually DO get you to where you want to go. It's not like the USA where rail is virtually useless and only a "novel" idea.

Gloria: I've been to all of the places on your itinerary, and, if it were me, I would definitely not rent a car. Tim mentioned the Bayern Ticket...that's your best bet for Munich, the castles, and Salzburg (cheap and covers both of you for all public transportation in a day...there are rules...look online). Otherwise, buy point-to-point tickets as you go if there's no price advantage for pre-purchase this late in the game. FYI...Swiss trains are expensive, but they're really great. Don't get me wrong about driving, I've rented cars in France, Bavaria, and Austria, but it really wouldn't make any sense at all for your itinerary. If you were spending all of your time in the countryside of Bavaria or the lakes in Austria, a car would make a lot more sense. There are just too many cons and zero pros for your itinerary. The train will take you everywhere with no stress. BTW, I agree with everyone else about rail passes...a total rip-off...don't do it. Go to http://www.bahn.com/i/view/index.shtml for all the train info you'll ever need. Good luck!

Hi, Everywhere you have listed within the 10 days can be reached by train with frequent connections, definitely as others have pointed out no need for rental car, especially since you're not going out to villages. As for a rail pass I wouldn't get one either, not with this itinerary. It's too regional. If you were zipping from Salzburg to Leipzig, Munich to Rostock and Lübeck, etc., and had 30-40 days, then I would get a Pass but with your present itnerary, the point to point tickets are good enough.