Which is the best, fastest method of travel? I see that driving is faster by 4 plus hours but can you rent a car and drive it without costly fees for crossing the borders? I have read horror stories about these fees. Is there any way to know what fees there are beforehand?
Thanks in advance. Other options that would be ideal are an overnight train. Anyone have experience or can point me in the right direction? I am not having success.
You are too close for an overnight train. If you could get to Innsbruck, you could get a night train to Zurich, but you would be boarding at either 4:30 or 4:50 am. Not much point, eh?
Yes, the rental agency you use should quote drop-off fees. On the other hand, are you coming back Germany way where you could drop it afterward? And where are you starting from?
Our main objectives are the area of Fussen and surrounding in Germany and then head to Gimmelwald area in Switzerland. We will not return to Germany after. This is a segment of a much bigger trip...London for a couple of days then to Paris for a couple of days. From there we will go to Colmar, France for a night and then cross the border into Germany and rent a car. Drive through Black Forest and then to Fussen where we plan to stay for a few nights and explore. From there we want to go to Switzerland and have narrowed our scope to the Gimmelwald area. Since the trip from Fussen to Gimmelwald is so long we are looking for transportation options that either go overnight or we were considering renting a car. We don't want to burn a day on trains if we can help it.
So from Colmar, take a train to Basel, Switzerland and rent your car there. Then it is a short jog north to the Black Forest and back on track.
That's brilliant. Thank you.
Füssen to Gimmelwald is not easy by train, because the rail line heads north from Füssen to Munich, not east-west.
"but can you rent a car and drive it without costly fees for crossing the borders?" - the problem is not crossing the border, that is normally not an issue. The surcharge is if you rent a car in one country and return it in another.
I agree the best option is to get a train from Colmar to Basel, rent a car there, and use it to drive to Füssen and back to Switzerland, returning it in Switzerland (Interlaken?) before your stay in Gimmelwald.
Overnight trains are few and for longer distances, and do not serve small towns like Füssen
Another reason to rent in Switzerland, your car comes with a Swiss vignette (toll sticker), which you would need to purchase if you entered with a car from another country. On that note, if going from Fuessen to Stechelberg (parking lot to get to Gimmelwald), you will have to cut through Austria. Austria also requires a vignette to drive on superhighways. So buy one (cheap for a short term one), or figure out how to navigate through on secondary roads.
I see both Hertz and Europecar have locations a block or two from Basel SBB station.
You really didn't say how long you are staying in Switzerland. If it is only a day or two IMO I wouldn't focus on Gimmelwald. It is interesting to see if you are in the Bernese-Oberland for awhile, but it is highly overrated (sorry RS) for a quick visit. A better place to visit is Wengen or Grindlewald. You will get a better and broader experience of the Alps. Just my opinion for a quick visit to the area. Enjoy your trip.
Thanks so much for all of the help!
So this is part of a 17 day trip to Europe. We start with 2 days in london. Then considering the ferry to Normandy overnight. Drive through Normandy area and toward Paris. Drop the car before we hit the city and train into Paris. Paris for 2 nights. Then train to colmar. A night in colmar. Then train to basil to rent a car. Then stay in fussen as home base while traveling around this area. Day trips to castles, munich, zugspitze and explore the surrounding area. Likely 3-4 days here. Then to gimmelwald area for another 3-4 days. Not sure where we will stay yet. Day trip to see matterhorn mixed in. Then overnight train to Rome for 2 days and then fly out.
I didn't do all the math yet but we have some flexibility in there. We tend to gravitate toward no plans and figuring it out as we go. Not sure how well that will go.
Any and all advice welcome....oh and doing this with 2 kids. :)
I see both Hertz and Europecar have locations a block or two from Basel SBB station.
Sam, I live in Basel and I have no idea what that means. Basel doesn't have blocks (very few European cities do).
Both Europcar and Hertz are in Nauenstrasse about 400 metres from the front entrance of Basel SBB station. This is about as close as they could be, as the square and roads in front of the station are pedestrianised or restricted access.
Ah, but then an American would know exactly what I meant, a block being a distance of 300 to 400 feet. Oops, I meant to say 90 to 120 meters.
Sam, If you are going to use obscure system of units, I prefer the FFFF system: Furlong, Firkin, Fortnight and Fahrenheit. Speed, for example, being measured if Furlongs per Fortnight. ☺
Are street grid sizes always the same in North America? Glasgow and Barcelona are the two cities I know with grid patterns. What I remember of Barcelona is it being hard to cross the road, as they are 4-6 lanes wide, and one way (alternate streets going in opposite directions). And easy to get confused as all streets are the same shape.
@defuscofamily, sorry for taking your post off-topic. I hope now you have a workable plan now and have a nice time.
gimmelwald area ... Then overnight train to Rome
Have you looked into that bit yet? How did you intend to route that? I'm not aware of any night trains close to that route...
Again logistically possible, but practicality is doubtful. The only night train would be the Italian night train from Milan to Rome. you would have to leave Lauterbrunnen at 6:30 pm and travel to Milan, arriving at Milano Centrale station about 10:30 pm, then take a taxi or Metro to Milano Porta Garibaldi station for an 11:17 night train to Rome Tiburtina station at 7:17 am the next morning. That is over 12 hours.
Better would be a day train leaving Lauterbrunnen at 1:02 pm with connections at Interlaken Ost, Spiez, Milano Centrale, getting you to Rome Termini at 10 pm and spend a comfortable night in a hotel rather than a rockin' and rollin' night train couchette. 7 hours travel time.
You guys are right. Looks like a quick flight might be best...
not necessarily so.
The train (most of the connections are at the beginning, and need to be made regardless of flying or taking the train to Rome) is 7 hours and a bit.
The plane is 2:40 from Lauterbrunnen, 90-120 check in, hour flight or so, hour from FCO touchdown to Termini = about 6:40. All the hassle and security theatre of flying to save 20 minutes?
