I am trying to decide between driving my rental car from Salburg to Lake Lucerne. My kids want to do a train trip but it looks like 7 hours on the train and $798 for two adults and two 10 year olds. Google maps says it is less than 5 hours by car, the gas would be about $100, and the car would be $100. Would the tolls make up that much cost? Is the train really worth doing?
Posted by
OP
Houston, TX, United States
11 posts
Thanks Lola, that website has much lower fares than Rail Europe! Thanks for the great work!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17249 posts
Charles, where did you get the train prices? Also, how long will you stay in Brunnen/ Switzerland, and where do you go from there? Your kids will travel free in Switzerland if you and your wife get passes of some type and you request a free Family Card. Or buy a 30 CHF Junior Card for the kids if the adults don't want to buy passes. But a pass, such as the Half-Fare Card, will allow you to use the lake boats and ride the mountain train or cablecar up Rigi at a discount. And there are probably family discounts on the Austrian portion of the trip, but I didn't check for those.
Posted by
OP
Houston, TX, United States
11 posts
We are in Brunnen for two nights and then flying out of Basel, which is about a 90 minute drive. I got the prices form Rail Europe and I would like to use the boats and the Riga railway, either way.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17249 posts
Then I think would want some type of Swiss pass for the adults, maybe the Half-Fare Card or Swiss Card, and Family card which will allow the children to travel for free, including the Rigi cogwheel train and the boat. Thosese RailEurope fares are not accurate even if you do not buy passes. The Swiss rail site ( rail.ch) shows the full fare ( for adults) as 119 CHF with no pass reduction. A Swiss pass reduction would cut that down substantially. Hopefully someone who knows how to use the Austrian rail site OEBB can figure out if there are discounts there for a family traveling with young children. Also, when younpriced the car rental, did it figure in the drop fee for returning it to a different country? This can be substantial. And you will need a Vignette for Switzerland (40 CHf I think they cost) and possibly something for Austria as well, depending on the type of road you take.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17249 posts
Here are the adult prices for the whole journey Salzburg to Brunnen on rail.ch: Regular fare, 119 CHF; Special Offer 54 CHF With Swiss Card or Transit Ticket, regular fare 55 CHF; Special Offer 36 CHF I did not check fares with the Half Fare card. That is for the two adults. With a Family Card the kids travel free from Sargans on, so you just need to add the child fare for the Austrian portion.