Munich to Murren in June. Car or Train? Family of four on first trip.

many thanks for the feedback, glad our remarks proved helpful so far.

I do have one question. Looking at the Rail Europe passes - do they cover all trains?
There are so many separate train websites and I am not sure what is covered if we get a Rail Europe pass.

I'd say it covers 99% of the trains there are. of the remaining, some will give a discount to passholders (as meckerdv indicated), some none. however of the trains 'included', a couple demand a steep surcharge (e.g. Thalys, Eurostar), which will turn these specific trips into bad deals. Eurail used to have a comprehensive chapter on what trains require what fees, yet I either I cannot find it any longer or they pulled it because it left a bad impression. the info is still there, but now you need to sift through the individual train catgories (which you're expected to tell apart...): www.eurail.com/europe-by-train/high-speed-trains

consider sharing with us a rough draft of your overall itinerary, this would make it easier for us to comment. btw, another good source: www.seat61.com/Railpass-and-Eurail-pass-guide.htm

Hi Chrissie,
Because your itinerary includes getting from Interlaaken to Murren (a private train line) and to Lauterbrunnen
and possibly the Schilthorn gondola- the Eurail pass gives a 25 percent discount on
these transport costs. (The ride just from Lauterbrunnen to Murren can cost about10CHF) If you travel to roundtrip to Lucerne from Interlaaken while in Switzerland, and back to Paris by train ( and certainly Liechtenstein, if that is still a consideration) be sure to add up the cost of these fares- they are really costly without some sort of pass be it a Eurail Pass, a Swiss Family Card, or Half-Fare card etc.
The eurail Pass has a supplement of about 25 euros for the Lyria train (TGV )
ride from Switzerland to Paris, whether the ride originates from Interlaaken,
Bern or Basel.

As Nautiker says- until you finalize your itinerary, it's not possible to say what will save you the most money.

Be sure to shop Eurail prices at Eurail.com as sometimes they are less expensive through Eurail.com rather than RailEurope.com.

I don't know if you were aware of the impressive castle called Schloss Thun. It was built in the 1200's and is on Lake Thun between Interlaaken and Bern, about a half-mile walk from the train station at Thun. If you're not absolutely
set on the Bavarian castles- the castles around Salzburg- Hohensalzburg Fortress
(In Salzburg)and Hohenwerfen Castle , where portions of the Sound of Music were filmed( 45 minutes outside Salzburg) could really simplify your itinerary subbing in for the 8-hour roundtrip to Fussen.

Kenko is right: there are tons of very impressive castles (fortresses and palaces) along the Salzburg - Switzerland - Paris itinerary, like (in and around Switzerland only)
Hohenems, Werdenberg, Rapperswil, Sargans, Wartensee, Wartenberg, Meersburg, Arenenberg, Hohenklingen, Munot, Kyburg, Habsburg, Lenzburg, Hallwil, Wildegg, Aarburg, Neu Bechburg, Burgdorf, Jegenstorf, Thun, Oberhofen, Spiez, Laupen, Muenchenwiler, Bulle, Estavayer, Gruyeres, Neuchatel, Grandson, Yverdon, Joux (Pontarlier), Belfort, Besancon, Andelot, Dijon, Saint Bernard, Arcelot, and dozens of others which are private properties and cannot be visited.
But that will not change the fact that Americans usually want to see only Versailles, Neuschwanstein and Chillon, and nothing else!

Thanks for this info! I am pretty sure we will take a train from Interlaken to Bern and hang there for a while then take the TGV on to Paris. Do you think Thun is worth a stop before Bern?

The drive to Interlaken: I wasn't planning on stopping through Liechtenstein, but thought it might be fun to drive through on our way. I really want to see Lucerne. That is the main reason I wanted to take a car instead of train. From what I read, the drive is only 4.5 hours and the train ride is 7 or 8. I wanted to take that time to visit Lucerne.

I am adding a full itinerary to this post. We will be on vacation for a full month and will be getting train passes - maybe select passes for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France. Now I just have to determine exactly what those passes will cover.

I am so thankful for this forum. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to add your knowledge!

I would first like to say that I am extremely grateful for everyone's input. Thank you so much for adding your knowledge to our trip!

Full disclosure - this is our full itinerary.

It's busy, and we have two kids (15,8) so we need to make sure we get enough sleep. That's why we will spend a night in Interlaken on our way to Murren. We plan to travel with backpacks and be as mobile as possible.

There are four days of major train riding if we don't rent a car. June 13, 15, 16, 20th. I don't think I can handle watching the clock for point to point tickets. If we get a 5 day Eurail Select Pass for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France it will cost the family $1230. Rail Europe is $1104. Besides cost, is there a big difference in provider?

Europe 2016
June 8-July 7

June 8: JFK to Munich: 8:45PM – 1:30PM on June 9th.
June 9th: Munich
June 10th: Munich

June 11th: Munich
June 12th: Munich
June 13th: Train to Salzburg (2 hours).

June 14th: Bob’s Special Tours – Sound of Music/Hallstatt Tour.

June 15th: Salzburg to Fussen
June 16th: See Neuschwansten. To Interlaken (will be late. Can’t make it to Murren)
June 17th: Murren. Drop luggage at hotel in Murren
June 18th: Murren
June 19th: Murren

June 20th: Back to Interlaken. Interlaken to Bern. Bern to Paris 5 hours.

June 21st: Paris.

June 22nd: Paris.

June 23rd: Paris.
June 24th: Paris.
June 25th: Rent car and drive to Amboise. Visit Chambord and Chiverny this day on the way.
June 26th: Visit the other two chateaus this day. Chanonceau
June 27th: Visit DaVinci’s home. Drive back to Paris -2 hours (or drop car and take train).
Train to London 2.5 hours.
June 28th: London.
June 29th: London.
June 30th: London.
July 1st: To Reykjavik 1:10-3:30.
July 2nd: Iceland.
July 3rd: Iceland.
July 4th: Iceland.
July 5th: Flying KEV to JFK. Leaving at 10:30AM.

My husband found a hotel in Murren that he fell in love with and we have already booked it. No turning back now. I agree that Lauterbrunnen would have been more cost effective, but we can't get our money back for the hotel. I was reading that a Swiss Pass might give 25-50% off as well.

You are right about the hidden fees of the car rental. We will have to really weigh that against being able to have time to see Lucerne. The time saved by driving a car from Fussen to Interlaken (looks like 4 hours difference) will free us up to see Lucerne. There isn't another way to fit it into our schedule. I am planning to look into travel insurance and hopefully that will help with the car insurance.

Thanks so much!

Kenko and you have had very helpful information! You are right. We are definitely seeing Versailles and Neuschwanstein. You will be happy to know that even though Chillon is beautiful, it is not on our itinerary. :) I was just looking at Thun, and am considering taking a train from Interlaken to Thun and then to Bern and on to Paris. Thun looks beautiful! That is the problem - we want to see it all.

Hi Chrissie- Well, Murren is awesome, the views over the Lauterbrunnen Valley to the Eiger, Munch and Jungfrau are spectacular. ( watch the old Clint Eastwood movie "The Eiger Sanction" for a preview of the mountains.)
I think you should look into one of the Swiss Train passes- the gondola rides will and train rides from Interlaaken into the mountain towns will get expensive without a Family Card or something. If you go the Schilthorn- a Swiss Train Pass will save you even more.
For car rentals- check the reputable site "CarRentals.com". ( it used to be CarHire3000). It is a broker for the major car rental firms and discounts rentals and wraps insurance coverage into the price.
Have a great trip!