1 night Austria, then to Switzerland: best route

Hi, planning to fly from Boston next September and want to visit Austria (1 night each in Salzburg & Hallstatt) then spend the rest of the trip in Switzerland (Wengen, Lucerne, Zermatt and maybe Tirano or Montreux) . I’m looking for suggestions on the most efficient route. Should we fly into Munich and take a train to Salzburg and then Hallstatt? Is it faster to rent a car from Munich to Austria, and then to Switzerland? Once in Switzerland we’d turn in the car and take advantage of train/bus travel. Return home we’d fly out of either Geneva or Zurich, depending on where our trip wraps up. Appreciate any suggestions. Thank you!

Hi Keatamax and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!

How many days do you have for Switzerland?

Sorry, I cannot really help with the Austrian part of your journey, I am not familiar with it as this is a forum, where we are specialized in the Swiss holidays. (Maybe other forum members have more experiences regarding Austria and will share it with you soon.)

But, if you are coming to Switzerland from Austria, I recommend this informative page for you: www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/austria.

In Switzerland it is a good idea to travel by train, we have an amazing rail system, there is no need to rent a car here. Learn more about train travel in Switzerland: www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/howtotravel).

If you tell us more about how many days you have here in Switzerland I can help you more regarding the Swiss itinerary.

Take care,

Ildiko

MySwissAlps.com recommends reading these:

• Jungfrau region: www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion
• Lake Lucerne region: www.myswissalps.com/lakelucerne
• Zermatt: www.myswissalps.com/zermatt
• Bernina Express: www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress
• Montreux: www.myswissalps.com/montreux

It might be worth considering the Eurail Austria pass, or indeed the Eurail global pass, as that would cover Germany, Austria and Switzerland .

Austria's public transport system is similar to Switzerland - efficient and co-ordinated, so Munchen - Salzburg and Salzburg - Halstatt are convenient railway journeys.

From Halstatt to Switzerland, I recommend you aim to connect into the Railjet express services that link Wien (Vienna) to Zurich. Hallstatt to Zurich is possible in one day, and all the routes you traverse will be scenic through Alpine or pre-Alpine landscape. You can leave Hallstatt at 09.20 change at Attnang Puchheim and Salzburg, and from Salzburg take train RJX162 to arrive in Zurich at 17.20.

Yes, that is a great idea from 1960man.

Keatamax, you can find the validity map of the Eurail Global Pass here: www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass/validity.

Ildiko

If you do come from Salzburg on RJX162 you do not have to go all the way to Zurich. You will actually arrive in Switzerland at Buchs SG, and the next station is Sargans.

If you stopped at Buchs SG and stayed in a hotel there (probably cheaper than Zurich) you would be close to both the Appenzell Alps (one of my favourite parts of Switzerland) and Leichstenstein.

Sargans is the junction with the railway to Chur, gateway to Graubunden - my other most favourite region of Switzerland, and from Chur you are on the RhB railway network which goes to Davos, St Moritz, Tirano etc

Thank you all for your replies!

Ildiko I think we will have 7-8 days in Switzerland.

Hi Keatamax,

7-8 days is a nice time span to visit the destinations you mentioned. I suggest you start off with this practical planning guide: www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/doityourself. You can use the links Ildikó provided to learn about each region, the activities you can do there and the accommodation you can stay in.

If you want to experience lots of train traveling, this sample itineray may give you some inspiration: www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/doityourself/sampleitineraries/ultimateswissscenictrains. It includes most of the destinations on your list. You can tweak it until it matches your wishes.

Let us know if you need further info, we're happy to help.