Stockholm has a reputation for being one of the least car dependent cities in Europe, and the city centre is easy to get around using buses, underground trains, trams, and indeed better still, ferries.
Outside the city, there are plenty of options to explore by car, but the cost is prohibitive.
There also some great train routes, including on the Stockholm suburban network, which operate to some superb coastal or inland forested areas.
Verdict – a car is certainly useful, but by no means needed.
Helsinki is a city of endless architectural treasures. For the gold standard in urban design, head to the district of Tapiola, where tall-ish apartment blocks blend seamlessly in and out of the forest – an area rated as having the highest standard of living anywhere in the world.
To get outside Helsinki, and explore the great lakes area, a car is great – but there are also plenty of fantastic trips that can be done by train, or indeed on water.
The Massachusetts state capital is perhaps best known for its educational institutions, and Harvard University is even situated in the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Boston also developed the first, and still one of the best, underground systems in the USA, so is there any need to hire a car there?
Why hire a car in Boston?
Leaf fall — New England is most famous for its autumn leaves, and Boston is the main gateway for this. Although new England leave fall bus tours are available, this really is the kind of excursion that is best done in the car.
Cape Cod — a car is best for Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard on Cape Cod.
LimiTed although the famous ‘T’ (MBTA) network is generally excellent for getting round Boston itself, it becomes much more limited outside the central city area. The lines don’t always intersect with each other, so you often have to change twice, whereas journey to the west of the city on the Green line can be tortuously slow, as this route has so many stops, and it divides into five separate fingers, so you can sometimes wait a very long time for your train. Suburban trains operate in two separate north and south stations, but there are no direct Metro link between, and many routes only have limited hours of operation.
New Hampshire/Salem?
Why not?
Ride the ‘T’ – despite having some limitations as mentioned above, MBTA (Massachusetts-bay Transit Association) does offer a comprehensive network of routes within and around the city of Boston.
Whale watching tours — take a whale watching trip from Boston harbour, and this will be one of your most memorable experiences of a visit to Boston. No car needed.
Big dig — Boston’s infamous ‘big dig’ has ended up being one of the most expensive engineering projects in US history, but it has finally buried a waterfront elevated highway which strangled access from the city to its coastal shores. Now visitors to the city can enjoy a network of links parks, whilst the cars whiz around in tunnels below. This is definitely one to appreciate on 2 feet, not from behind the steering wheel.
Quincy — take the T out to Quincy, Massachusetts, birthplace of John Quincy Adams, and home to the famous Quincy library, rated as one of America’s favourite buildings.
Conclusion – whilst public transport in Boston itself is perfectly adequate, you will almost certainly want to leave the city, and although you can venture out by bus or train, a hire car will definitely be best for this. This is especially so during the leaf fall season.
Bologna is perhaps most famous for its sauce than for being a major tourist draw, and considering how many of Italy’s great cities lie within a short journey from Bologna, this is hardly surprising. So using Bologna as a base, what is the best way of getting around?
Why hire a car Bologna?
Get out — many people travelling around northern Italy overlook Bologna completely, and this is a great shame, as the city of redbrick towers certainly warrants a visit, althoughm we doubt you will want to spend more than a day or two here.
Why not?
Bologna Milan Venice triangle
Florence
Pisa and Lucca.
Conclusion — Bologna is such a major railway junction that the chances are that you can get where you need to buy train.
Birmingham sits at the heart of the English Midlands, with a strong mix of both industrial and traditional tourist attractions. Like any reasonable sized European city, there’s no need to hire a car in Birmingham if you are just visiting the city centre, but the chances are that you are almost certainly travelling beyond this area, so what is the best way of getting around?
Why hire a car in Birmingham?
Cotswolds
Peak District
Wales and West
New Street
Shakespeare country
Why not?
International gateway
Severn Valley Railway
Matlock and Heights of Abraham
Aberystwyth
Coventry
Conclusion
Verdict — yes
Note — this advice is based around flying into Birmingham airport (BHX). East Midlands is an alternative airport for the area, but it has much poorer public transport connections.
The Basque city of Bilbao is known for one big draw, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, designed by the architect Frank Gehry and rated by Time Magazine as the building of the 20th century. Whilst this building is truly dramatic, Bilbao is some distance from other major Spanish cities, so if you are going to come this far, you might as well spend a few days here and visit other locations nearby. Can you do this using public transport, or do you need a hire car?
Why hire a car in Bilbao?
Junk junk? — whatever praise may be lavished on the building, modern art isn’t to everyone’s taste, and some people will want to dismiss the Guggenheim Bilbao as just a twisted metal warehouse full of junk. Either way, we still think the building is far more memorable than its contents, and even though it should be fully appreciated against a bright blue sky and when lit up at twilight, you will still want to move on sooner or later, and Bilbao simply does not have enough in the city itself to justify more than a day trip.
Wineries — Bilbao isn’t just a city of architecture, there are also two spectacular wineries which are both worth a visit, whether you appreciate plonk or not. Ciudad del Vino Gehry & ……
Northern Pyrenees — drive towards the double National Park of the Northern Pyrenees, heading towards Lourdes in France.
Picos De Europa — head west to explore the fantastic Picos De Europa. Take the cable car from Fuente De to enjoy a spectacular, but hair-raising cliff edge path.
Pamplona — Pamplona is perhaps most famous for its annual running of the bulls, but it’s still worth a visit at any time. Going by train from Bilbao to Pamplona involves a circuitous route, it is much quicker to drive.
Why not?
Architour — when it comes to architecture, Bilbao really isn’t just a one hit wonder. An architectural tour of the city starts were it should do when you arrive at the airport. Calatrava’s ultramodern bird shaped terminal might not be practical for some of the airlines that use it, but it is a beautiful creation for the first-time visitor. Head into the city, and you can visit another one of Calatrava’s seemingly off-balanced creations, the xxxx bridge. This is near to the Guggenheim Museum, and it is certainly worth taking the short walk along the Neviron river to appreciate both.
Casco Viejo – like any Spanish city, Bilbao has an impressive historic district — nice, but the postcards home will all be of the Guggenheim.
Bilbao Metro — Carornocar.com can declare a biased and when it comes to transport structures, but the Bilbao Metro, designed by British architect Norman Foster, really is truly impressive. The underground stations are true monuments to simplicity, and whereas Moscow might be famous for its lavish works of art, Bilbao’s modest system has much more in common with that of Washington DC. Locals seem to agree with this too, and the delightful steel and glass entrance canopies have been affectionately named Fosteritos (and no, you can’t eat them). Even the font and their system logo have been carefully designed, and no doubt were this a system for a larger city like Madrid, it would be an international style icon like the London tube roundel.
Northern coast — why not hire a bike and head out of the city on the Metro towards the impressive north coast, where you’ll see many fine merchants’ mansions.
Guernica — best known for Picasso’s Spanish Civil War painting, Guernica can be easily reached by train from Bilbao. Why not continue to the delightful fishing village of Bermeo?
Basque cities — take the narrow gauge coastal line towards delightful San Sebastian, and even on to Biarritz in neighbouring France. From here you can take the scenic route up the Nive valley to St Jean-Pied-de-Port
Santander — another scenic train route is to take the narrow gauge FEVE towards Santander, where you will enjoy Green Spain at its best.
The Wineries of Rioja can be visited by bus tours – but if you want to visit by public transport, it is much harder. Bodega Ysios is outside . The Racimo Train is a tourist road train that follows two routes out of Laguardia (Biasteri), including one route which takes in Ysios – but you will still need to get to Biasteri, which is around 10 miles northwest of Logrono. Marques De Riscal is on the edge of Elciego, also a similar distance from Logrono, about 5 miles southwest of Ysios.
Conclusion — there is clearly much more to enjoy here than just the world-famous Guggenheim Museum, but this can be done perfectly well without a car. Considering that many of Bilbao’s transport facilities are impressive features of architecture in their own right, it is certainly best to appreciate a little bit more of this city on foot and by Metro before instantly heading for the car keys. A hire car will of course give you more flexibility outside of the city, but there are equally many enjoyable and scenic train routes which can be taken.
Since reunification, the German government and private investors have poured in billions of euros in investment, both to create a reunited city, and to move the majority of the German government buildings. There’s also be substantial investment in transport infrastructure, so is there any need to get a hire car for a visit to Berlin?
Why hire car in Berlin?
Neustrelitz – There are also numerous parks around Neustrelitz, also to the north of Berlin, although again there are several train routes heading through this area as well.
North-east coast headed to Germany is a highly scenic, but often overlooked north-east coast — there are several different national parks on and around the island of Rugen. –. However, even this can be done by train — several lines around Germany’s version of Bergen are particularly scenic.
Car City — car lovers will want to head towards Volkswagen’s Autostadt (car city) in Wolfsburg, which features the dramatic Phaeno cultural centre, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, and featured in the film the International. However, even this most auto-friendly facility is still actually much easier to get to by train, as it is on the only dedicated high-speed rail route out of Berlin.
Tropical islands paradise — for something completely different, head out to Brand, where a never used blimp factory has been converted into Europe’s largest indoor leisure complex, complete with sandy beaches and palm trees. Forget about the Caribbean, you can have it all under one roof just outside Berlin. Although there is a shuttle bus linking Tropical Islands with a nearby railway station, it is easier to get here if you already have a hire car.
And why not?
Superlative station — stations don’t get any better than Berlin’s stunning new Hauptbahnhof, or Grand Central Station. This isn’t just somewhere to change trains, it is both a stunning engineering feat with upper-level tracks flying over the lower level in true Metropolis style, and also a major shopping and eating destination in its own right. As with any great architecture, it has its detractors — some locals hate it, saying the lifts are overcrowded and the platforms are windswept, but as a visitor you can just gawp at the roof, without having to worry about these impracticalities. Appreciating Berlin Hauptbahnhof isn’t just about the structure, the station used to be in no man’s land, and a new underground link has been built through to Potsdammer Platz, making the station a true representation of reunification core from east to west and north to south. Berlin Hauptbahnhof also right next to Germany’s impressive new government buildings, and the Reichstag building, with its stunning new dome, designed by British architect Norman Foster.
U2 tour –U2′s iconic album Achtung Baby and subsequent Zoo TV tour was recorded in Berlin, and it sums up much of the mood at the time of reunification. Starting with the title track Zoo Station (which has since lost its main station buzz to the new Hauptbahnhof), you are already on the rail network, although of course the best way of exploring the Berlin of this time must surely be to take a tour in one of East Berlin’s famous Trabant cars, although this isn’t the sort of thing you pick up at the car rental desk at Schoenfeld airport.
Elevation — between Berlin’s Zoo Station and Ostbahnhof, the railway line runs on an elevated viaduct, giving you extensive views of the city, new and old. As introductions go, this one is a must.
Light and dark — Berlin’s renaissance means that there are plenty of impressive new buildings to look at, even if they aren’t all occupied. Berlin also has an equally impressive collection of imposing historical buildings, but this is also a city with a dark past. You will undoubtedly find that there is much more to Berlin than the glossy postcard pictures, and it is easy to spend more time in the city than you might have otherwise had budgeted for. Whereas there are many places which offer a good mix of places to see within in the city, and places worth visiting outside which are best to drive to, Berlin has more to offer within.
Dresden. Coventry’s twin city did exactly the opposite of her British counterpart, rebuilding the historic centre brick by brick, and it looks superb. The one building that has been modernised is the city’s central station, which has been remodelled by Norman Foster (see above). Whilst Dresden is well worth a visit in its own right, there are also a number of scenic routes are available from the city, including the Labe Valley towards Prague and tourist routes to Dippoldiswalde and Radeburg.
Local network — an extensive network of local and regional trains operates both within Berlin and out to surrounding towns and cities.
Poland — Berlin is also the gateway to western Poland, and cities such as Poznan and Szczecin are both within easy reach of the German capital by train.
Conclusion — Berlin is so much more of a city to stay in than it is a base to get out and explore other areas, and even if you do want to get out of the city, it might well be just as easy to get out and about by train, especially as the network of local, regional and long-distance train services from Berlin really is excellent, even compared to other German cities. This leaves little reason to justify getting a hire car, unless you want to head towards the scenic coastal areas to the north-east.
Verdict — strong no
Note — flights to Berlin currently operate into Tegel and Schoenfeld airports. These will be united on one single site, the new Berlin Brandt airport, which opens in June 2012. This brand-new facility, which is on a site adjacent to Schoenfeld airport, will open up more flights into Berlin, and will also offer local and regional rail connections from a station underneath the terminal building.
The Northern Ireland peace process has brought about a significant rise in the number of tourists visiting Belfast. As with most European cities, the main attractions in Belfast itself are easy to walk to, so what about places to visit beyond the city?
Why hire a car in Belfast?
Limited lines — look at any major city in England or central Scotland, and you will usually see a network of rail lines fanning out, including local and long-distance services. There are only four railway lines heading out of Belfast, two of which only provide suburban connections to Larne and Bangor respectively. A regional service operates as far as Derry (Londonderry), whereas the enterprise service continues down to Dublin.
Giants Causeway — this is surely the most impressive natural feature on the Emerald Isle, and is only a short drive from Belfast. However, bus trips are available, so there is no need to get a hire car just to visit Giants Causeway.
Inland — the railway routes in Northern Ireland generally stay close to the coast, so to go anywhere inland, especially to visit the various points of interest around Lough Neah, you will need a rental car, or you will have to rely on slow bus services.
Blue Stack mountains — head across into Co Donegal for some superb scenery on Ireland’s Northwest coast, again, well beyond the reach of scheduled services.
Poor public transport — although Northern Ireland has seen a lot of investment in recent years, little of this has gone on to public transport services, apart from upgrades to the railway fleet (Translink). No new lines have been built, and unlike many cities in northern England, there is no form of tram in Belfast. The city remains car dependent, and it has relatively few good routes to explore by bike.
Why not?
There are few reasons not to get a hire car in Belfast, unless you just want to stay in Belfast itself, or perhaps take the train to Derry (Londonderry).
Coastal routes — the train hugs the coast in many areas, offering some good scenic views, especially between Coleraine and Derry (Londonderry), and South of Newry most of the way to Dublin.
Celtic cousins — instead of just visiting Northern Ireland, why not combine the trip to Belfast with a visit to Glasgow, or even tack on Edinburgh and Dublin at each end? This is an easy rail trip, with plenty of flights available from throughout Europe at either end if you extend to the Scottish and Irish capitals. The train south of Ayr towards Stranraer is particularly scenic, and you also get to include a short ferry crossing on the Irish Sea.
Conclusion — public transport options in and around Belfast are relatively limited, and the best attractions are landscapes rather than cities. This makes our verdict lean heavily towards recommending getting a hire car.
Verdict — yes (strong)
Note — it is easy to pick up a hire car at either Belfast International or Belfast George Best city airport. If you don’t plan on getting a hire car, you’re better off flying into Belfast city airport, which is much closer to central Belfast. You can even take a short walk to nearby Sydenham station to start early rail journeys within Northern Ireland, although for just getting to the city centre, it is quicker to take a taxi or shuttle bus. Belfast city airport is a wider network of domestic flights from the rest of the UK, whereas Belfast International has more flights from mainland Europe.
Is anywhere more iconic of Switzerland’s obsession with clockwork precision timed trains than Zürich’s Grand Central Station (Hauptbahnhof)? So why would anyone even consider hiring a car in Zürich?
(Read our advice below before booking Swiss Rail passes)
Why hire a car in Zürich?
Costly trains — trains in Switzerland, and particularly in and around Zürich might well be superb, but they can also be outrageously expensive. Even though car hire at Zürich airport is not cheap either, sharing a car with a group of people might work out cheaper than going by train.
Train booking hell – the trains might be great, but finding the best deal is a complete nightmare (see below). You might find it easier just to book a car!
Scenic drives — the trains may be excellent, but they are, as Jeremy Clarkson might say, a bit pedestrian. Hit the A3 out of Zürich, and you will soon be heading into Switzerland’s finest driving country. For many (but not all, as some of the rail routes are away from any roads) of the train routes listed below, it might be just as (or almost as, ed) secenic to take the car – and you have the usuals of exploring at your own pace and going off the beaten track.
Stelvio — of all the roads in Europe, the Stelvio pass was rated by Top Gear as the best driving experience. To enjoy this at its fullest, drive to Davos and then continue to Zernez, before going through the Ofen Pass to Sluderno. The Stelvio Pass is actually in neighbouring Italy en route S38 towards Bormio. From here, you can head back through the La Schera tunnel, or through the Bernina Pass, taking a similar route to the Bernina railway line.
Why not?
There are too many outstanding rail routes which can be taken from Zürich to mention them all, so here are a few highlights:
Value train tickets — Swiss rail tickets can seem outrageously expensive, but there are numerous ways to get a better deal. Firstly, you can book in advance on some of the trunk routes, just like advance purchase tickets on British trains – although the value tickets are only on sale on selected routes, no more than 15 days in advance, and often you can only get fares on direct train services. Unfortunately, although Switzerland may have many Brunel accolites, the fares manual and website have come firmly from the stable of Brittas.
Travel passes – The best option for travelling around is to get one of the Swiss travel system passes. These provide unlimited travel on a set number of days, and this includes all mainline rail services, together with lake cruises and connecting buses. However, you will still have to pay for some mountain railways and cable cars, although you will at least get a partial discount. Note that due to currency fluctuations, the cost of even these passes has risen sharply – I last bought one in 2007 for around £100, now you will only see £5 change from £200! Note – if you have an unlimited train pass, you may find cheaper flights to Geneva or Basel instead of Zurich.
Pass discounts. At the time of writing, a 30% discount offer is available for Swiss flexi-passes, although this expires at the end of November 2011. Worth keeping an eye out for future offers (we will try and update when we hear anything).
Regional Passes – if you don’t fancy travelling around the whole country, you can get a regional pass to cover a smaller area. However, these aren’t cheap either – for example the Bernese Oberland pass comes in at a whopping £170 for 3 days travel in 7 (half price on other days) – and you still only get 50% off the Jungfrau and Schilthorn excursions. This is what happens when there is no other way of getting there – and however costly, these routes are truly priceless!
Mountain add-ons. Add a mountain railway ticket at the time of booking a Swiss Rail pass, and the cost is just about bearable – £25 for Murren or £27 for Schilthorn. The Jungfrau line doesn’t even get a mention – you will need your own Swiss bank account to pay for that one (£128 day return from Interlaken).
Jungfraujoch discount – discounts are available with most passes, and you may be able to start your ticket from Kleine Scheidegg, and get an early or late ticket to pay a lot less – potentially as little as £32, if you accept the restrictions. Either way, good luck trying to drive a car to the ‘Top of Europe!’.
Swiss transfer ticket – Another option if you’re just travelling between the airport and one destination is to get the Swiss transfer ticket, which gives you free train travel anywhere in the country on the day you arrive and on the day of your return journey. This must be bought outside the country, and currently costs £95.
Relative cost — car hire in Switzerland is more expensive than any other country in Europe, apart from Scandinavia. There are no bargain car hire deals at Zürich airport to be had, just expensive and even more expensive, and you still need to pay for petrol. So, even if you think the Swiss trains are expensive, car hire is unlikely to be much of a cheaper option, unless three or more people are travelling together.
Famous resorts — the world-famous resort of St Moritz, Davos and Klosters are within easy and stunningly scenic train ride from Zürich. Slightly lesser known is Arosa, home of the Tschuggen Grand spa resort, where stunning modern architecture meets an equally impressive alpine backdrop.
Glacier Express — Clarkson might be right about this one, it is the slowest intercity train in the world, but why would you want to go fast, when the views are so impressive at every turn? This runs from Zermatt to St Moritz, taking in the world-famous Landwasser viaduct on the way.
Just incase the Glacier express isn’t enough, you can continue onward from St Moritz on the Bernina line into Italy and along the shores of Lake Como, terminating in either Bergamo or Milan. The flight home from here might even be slightly cheaper — or do it the other way round, so you don’t miss out on your duty-free allowance which is available on flights from Switzerland. This route takes in the amazing Brusio Spiral Viaduct.
Better connections – Compared to Geneva, Zürich airport has better connections to the Bernese Oberland and Zermatt, although Bern is closer still. Needless to say, the railway routes here are superb too, and there are many places where you can’t even take a car — see our separate Bern page for more details.
Cento Valli – A personal favourite Swiss rail route is the Cento Valli, it literally 100 valleys line between law Carno Locarno at the top of Lake Maggiore, and the Italian town of Domodossola. This can be done as part of a long circuit from Zürich — the main lines on either side are superb too, although it is actually closer to Milan. See our Milan page for other scenic rail routes in southern Switzerland and Lombardy.
Southern Germany — Zürich isn’t just Gateway to some of Switzerland’s finest scenery, there are also a whole host of scenic lines to explore in south-west Germany, especially around the Upper Donau nature park. There are also various scenic routes around Lake Constance to the North East of Zürich.
First-class trams — in Zürich, following abandoned plans to build an underground system, the trams are designed to operate at extremely high frequency, to integrate with other lines, and not to be hindered by traffic. This ‘Zurich model’ has been emulated in other cities that have since developed tram networks, with varying degrees of success. So if you have trams in your city that aren’t as good, blame it on Zurich – or at least attempts to emulate this model. Over 60% of journeys to work in Zurich are made by public transport, compared to less than 20% by car.
Even the hotels have their own trains — or at least the Dolder Grand, recently redesigned by British architect Norman Foster, has its own private train.
Lake cruises — take a cruise on Lake Zürich, another part of the integrated Swiss travel system.
Sunday shopping — Swiss law prevents Sunday trading, except for shops which are inside railway stations. Therefore, Swiss railways developed the ‘Railcity’ concept of turning their major stations into genuine destination shopping centres, featuring high-quality shops and eateries, rather than just having the overpriced convenience food and impulse shopping that most British railway stations have. Both Zürich Hauptbahnhof (Central) and Zürich airport stations are impeccably designed retail centres as well as being major interchange points.
Superb stations — whereas Zürich airport and Zürich Hauptbahnhof both impressive architectural feats in their own right, the big name station design is in Zürich’s secondary station of Stadelhofen. This is designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who also designed the new frontage to the main station in Lucerne.
Europe’s crossrails — from Zürich you take the fast ICN tilting train to Bern, Geneva and other major cities in Switzerland, the ‘train formerly known as Cisalpino’, now just Eurocity to Milan, the German ICE train to Stuttgart, Frankfurt and beyond, and the French TGV to Paris. Express trains are also available to Liechtenstein, and on through Innsbruck towards Vienna in Austria. Few other cities in Europe offer this kind of connectivity.
Genuine airport rail hub — even if you are not heading on one of Switzerland numerous scenic routes, Zürich airport is a genuine integrated rail hub, with services to numerous other Swiss cities, and not just to the centre of Zürich itself. For example, trains to Geneva start at Zürich airport, and direct services are also available to Basel, St Gallen and Romanshorn on the edge of Lake Constance.
Outstanding Service – you may not get a repeat of this, but I have never experienced anything quite like it: Arriving at St Moritz station for a train towards Zurich via Chur, I asked in broken German if I was by the right train. The platform attendant shook his head, then took me through the wrong train, on to the tracks, and then up onto the adjacent correct train. Had he directed me through the subway, I would have missed it, as it was literally one minute before departure and these trains always leave on time. I can’t possibly imagine anything like this happening in the UK.
Conclusion — clearly, this is a long list of superlatively scenic train journeys (with a price to match) which can be taken from Zürich, a list which is expanded further still on our Bern page for central Switzerland, and our Milan page for southern Switzerland. This list might be written by a rail enthusiast, but this is undoubtedly a part of the world where anyone will appreciate these are unmissable train rides. However, petrol heads will also believe that mountain scenery that makes a great train ride makes it even better drive, and there might well be some truth in that – as long as you are driving in areas that have through roads! So even though our recommendation is still to make the best possible use of the ruthlessly efficient Swiss travel system, the driving is amazing too, especially as drivers won’t experience quite the same level of mountain restrictions as there are around Bern (see Bern page).
Verdict – no (strong)
Prices quoted correct as of November 2011, subject to changes and currency volatility.
Note about booking Swiss Trains
Unfortunately, the Swiss Travel system website is notoriously complex to use. If you can find a reasonable deal using one of the passes above, then that might be your best bet. but if you just want a transfer to a resort, or between the main cities, an advance purchase ticket may be better value. These are only available upto 15 days before travel, and you may have to book two separate tickets to get the best deal.
For example, to travel between Zurich and St Moritz, you will change trains at Chur. It may be cheaper to book separate Zurich-Chur and Chur-St Moritz legs. In the case of Zermatt, you will change at Brig.
Here are a few sample journeys, based on the cheapest advance ticket(s) we could find:
From
To
Full fare
Transfer
Advance
Save
Zurich Airport
St Moritz
£103
£95
£36
£59
Zurich Airport
Zermatt
£165
£95
£64
£31
Zurich Airport
Geneva
£118
£95
£47
£48
Geneva Airport
Zermatt
£132
£95
£66
£29
Geneva Airport
Zurich
£118
£95
£47
£48
You cannot book these supersaver tickets through the Swiss Travel System, you will have to go direct to Swiss Railways (same organisation, different booking options). Then select home > tickets Switzerland (right hand side) > Offers Tickets Switzerland > Travel for less in Switzerland > Supersaver ticket – and be prepared for lots of frustration re-entering details. Remember that dates are like 20.11.2011, no slashes, and you will need to keep un-checking the half-fare box, otherwise be ready for an unpleasant surcharge once you get on board. It took me several attempts to get it to accept St Moritz, sometimes it doesn’t like ‘Zurich’, so you have to paste in ‘Zürich’ – basically, everything they can do to make the site user unfriendly, they have done – which is totally at odds with the system itself!
Happy hunting – and either way, however much you pay, it will be worth it!
Switzerland has a reputation for outstanding public transport, and there are clearly innumerable fantastic train rides which can be taken out of Zürich. However, Geneva is surrounded on three sides by French territory, and is also the gateway for many French ski resorts. So, are the train is as good as they are further east, or are you better off with a hire car?
Why hire a car in Geneva?
French connection — Geneva is mostly surrounded by French territory, but there is only one main rail line heading out of Geneva’s Cornavin station into France, so you will find it much easier to get around in a hire car. Note — there is an additional line to Annemasse, but you will have to cross over to the Eaux-Vives station to use this.
Changes — even if train services are available to a number of French ski resorts, you often have to transfer at least three times to get there. If you are carrying equipment, this is simply too much hassle.
Cost — it might be much easier to find cheap flights to Geneva compared to Zürich, but Geneva is some distance away from many major Swiss ski resorts. This can make train transfers expensive if you don’t have a discounted ticket (see below).
For walking holidays when resort transfer services are not so widely available, a car can often be a better option.
Why not?
Lakes and Mountains
Value
scenic routes — heading east out of Geneva, you can enjoy great views of Lake Geneva, all the way to Montreux. From here, you can continue across to Gstaad, and then on to either Bern or Interlaken, and the route is classed as scenic virtually all the way. Heading to any of the resorts above the Rhône valley, including Diablerets, Chamonix Mont Blanc, Verbier (bus from Martigny), and Crans-Montana, will also mean taking a scenic route virtually all the way.
Lowlands – even when out heading into the Alps, you can still take the scenic route to Basel via Neuchâtel.
Lake Geneva — if you have an unlimited pass, any of the ferries on Lake Geneva are included in the price.
direct trains — trains heading east to now Zan and on to Bern and Zürich starts at Geneva airport, so no change needed. For other destinations, regular trains are available between Geneva airport and the main Cornavin station..
Scenic French routes — heading west from Geneva, a venture south at Bellegarde for a range of scenic routes around Chambery. Even if you just want to get to the French ski resorts, the train will take you right up Val D’Isere to Bourg St Maurice for a mountain train transfer to Les Arcs.
Mont Blanc circuit — there are two ways of reaching Chamonix for Mont Blanc – or for just enjoying a superbly scenic train journey across two countries. The Swiss route runs clockwise around Lake Geneva before dropping south from Montreux to Martigny. From here, the Chamonix line climbs sharply up the valley before heading south west via Vallorcine. At Chamonix, you can take the mount on line to Montenvers. From Chamonix, head to La Roche sur Foron and change for a local train back to Geneva Eaux-Vives.
Resort shuttle transfers are also available as well is trains, and these will almost certainly work out better value compared to driving.
Summary — there are plenty of excellent train journeys which can be taken from Geneva, although much of the best stuff is further east, as listed on our Bern and Zürich pages. Someone who spent a long weekend traversing the rail routes around Geneva might come back saying they saw some interesting things, but they are never going to reach for the same superlatives that a visitor doing the same thing around Zürich might say. Maybe we are simply too spoilt for choice around Zürich, and even more so around Bern. So, when it comes to Geneva and we just revert back to the usual cliche that a hire car will give you more freedom and flexibility to enjoy the scenery at your own pace. And, if all you want to do is ferry yourself to and from different ski slopes or walking trails, then a car might possibly be better for that as well.
