transportation

As everyone else will tell you, eight days is too short to go "around Switzerland, then Germany, and then Amsterdam." You will be spending most all of your time on the road or the rail and not really get to see and enjoy much of anything.

First off, with that general information it is difficult to suggest anything. If hitting major cities, then a car is of marginal value. If sticking to the country side, then a car could be useful. A car has all the problem you mention plus traffic fines for violating local traffic laws which sometimes is very easy to do. You mentioned one city and two large countries. What is a gold train pass? Haven't heard of that before. You really need to refine your travel plans extensively before anyone can or will attempt to answer your question.

Chris, As the others have mentioned, the information you've provided is somewhat vague, so it's difficult to make suggestions. It would help to have a more detailed idea of your trip. For example: > Where are you flying inbound and outbound? > What cities do you want to visit in Switzerland and Germany before going to Amsterdam? > How many days are you planning to spend in each location? > What sights are you planning to see in each location? > Does your eight days include your two travel days? > What time of year will this trip be taking place? More information would really be helpful. Cheers!

Joan is right. My husband and I spent a week in Amsterdam alone in April and it still wasn't enough time for us. If you want to see anything other than the landscape or do anything other than ride or drive, you need to focus on a smaller area. I recommend that you attack an itinerary from 2 directions. Decide what you want to see and do, AND Google map the directions between the options. You will get a ballpark idea of driving time and distance and if you click on the train, you will also get an idea of the route(s) and time via train. The results of both lines of research will influence each other and hopefully you will end up with a memorable trip, in a good way. Of course the weather and the season when you are going will also be big factors in those choices. I'm not sure where Preston is, but from what I can tell all the areas you list are between 47 and 50 degrees of latitude. Why would you care? Very long summer days, very short winter days. Here's more info on how we travelers are often surprised about where we are when we are in Europe: http://www.priceoftravel.com/1063/107-world-cities-by-latitude-things-line-up-in-surprising-ways/. It's an old posting, but I don't think the cities have moved.

I think it is Idaho so he should be familiar with northern weather.

I agree with the other replies. If you only have 8 days, you REALLY have to pare down your plans. You asked if would do better with a car or a rail pass. Often these days, the answer is neither (particular on a short trip covering multiple countries). The lowest train prices are for those who buy advance tickets on the Internet. If you can accept non-exchangeable and non-refundable tickets (or tickets that have significant restrictions on these actions), you can save a fortune over train passes, which have become a bad deal for most people, and over last minute train tickets. An example to show the possible savings. When my mother and I went from Berlin to Dresden and back, full fare was €38 per person, but advance tickets were €19 for one and €29 for two. So, on this single round trip we saved €94! More about this subject ("Should You Buy A Rail Pass?") here, from the rail specialist The Man In Seat 61: http://tinyurl.com/bkw4u6c However, if you're spending time in Switzerland, a Swiss Pass or a Swiss Half-Fare card can be a good deal. Once you post more details about your itinerary, others here can help you with this.

I agree that 8 days is not enough time, but that's all that our jobs will allow right now. We arrive in Amsterdam on Sept 16th. We fly out immediately to Zurich. We planned on staying one night in Zurich then heading to Bern for the day. We will either stay there one night or head up to Lucerne for 2 nights. We'll then head up to Fussen and spend the night and then go to Rothenburg for 2 nights. We'll then head North towards Amsterdam. We only want one night in Amsterdam and we fly out the morning of Sept 24. Is the 8 day 2 country rail pass for around $500 per person our best deal?

As long as you are seeing parts of Switzerland and Germany that are adjacent, then going to Amsterdam to leave, I don't see that much problem with your itinerary, but if you are trying to go far enough for a rail pass to work, I think you are doing too much traveling. In other words, north western Switzerland (Zurich, Berner Oberland, Lake Constance, Basel, and the Schwarzwald, no problem; Geneve and Hamberg, maybe a problem. A car in Switzerland is totally worthless. In Germany, it's not much better. These countries have very good rail transportation, but if you just want to spend money ...

I'm thinking a 6 day 2 country rail pass for Switzerland and Germany for $443 is the way to go. Then buy a point to point pass to get us back to Amsterdam. What do you think of that?

Chris, it would so helpful if you'd answer those important questions; otherwise we are really throwing darts in the dark. Guessing will give some help; answering based on facts will give so much better answers.

I can give you a couple of general observations. A rail pass is about the worst deal possible these days (maybe not if you qualify for a steep discount). Point to point on rail is much cheaper than a day on a pass on all but the longest legs - and those become torture so avoid them. A rental car is likely cheaper than four rail tickets, with a couple of caveats: You have to drive, which is a hassle you can skip by training. Training from city center to city center is much more convenient than driving. Picking up a car in one country and dropping in another usually adds a considerable cost to your trip. Dropping in one country, crossing the border, and picking up a car on the other side is the best way to avoid this - especially since your rental will be for a daily rate rather than a weekly or monthly rate. Rental cars in Europe don't carry much luggage. If you can't travel light, you will pay a large premium for a car that carries a big load. On the other hand, if you can't travel light, lugging bags to and from stations, and on and off trains, can be miserable too. A rental car become the best option when you plan to make stops along the way (you can start and stop at will without waiting for connections), or when you need to get to towns/sights that offer limited train service (again lots of potential time lost to connections).