Renting a car good idea for tourist?

Hi all,

I live in India and am planning to visit switzerland in September.

I am thinking of renting a car and driving around and would like to know whether it will be a good idea or not.

I will mainly use the car to get to various cities and in the cities i will use public transport or taxis.

Now in India we have Left hand drive and I have a few questions:

1.Is there a way to get a day's training or head up info on learning the traffic rules in switzerland (Zurich).

2. Are the highways scenic and is the traffic heavy or light(Zurich to Geneva)?

3. I am thinking of renting a BMW 1series as i am 24 years old and cant rent anything better is this a good idea?

4. The rental company is eliterent.com as I have read horrible reviews of Europcar and avis.So has anyone heard of eliterent rental company?

I am new to this forum so please bare with me for any mistakes i may have made.

I have been to switzerland a few times earlier and have loved the country.

Thanks all in advance

If you plan to visit mostly the cities, I suggest using the train to travel between cities.

You could get one of the passes offered by Swiss Travel System which cover public transportation all over Switzerland.

If all you are doing is using the car to drive between cities then I would seriously consider taking the train option. The autoroute between Geneva and Zurich goes straight up the plateau and is not very scenic. It can also be very congested as it is a main route south for many Germans, Dutch and Belgian tourists, though September would be less congested than August. I drive that route frequently but also take the train out of preference if I don't need the luggage space. The train service between Swiss cities is excellent and very frequent on clean, comfortable carriages. If you want to go to the italian speaking part, Ticino, then train is by far the less stressful way from Zurich to Lugano. Trains also give you the best of what scenery is on offer and more often than not timetables are integrated with the smaller regional companies which can take you into the mountains etc. You could buy a half price railcard which is excellent value. I've never used Elite so can't comment but then again I only had good experiences with Europcar. Remember most Swiss cities are small and you can easily get round the historic centres on foot so even taxis are not necessary.

Let me join those suggesting travel by rail. For an excellent analysis of the discount offers for tourists see ChrsW's excellent post Travel Passes for Visitors .

Well,

The train option sounds good too but I am a little keen on driving.

But again if the highways don't offer scenic views and are too congested then its a bummer.

Only problem with train might be luggage or am i wrong ?

Cheers

I would also go the train route, the system in Switzerland is excellent and you will see a lot more of the country from a train than you will from driving on the highways.

Why would luggage be a problem on the train?

Train is best for a single person visiting cities and major tourist attractions.

I agree with the other posters. With an extensive rail network, this is the best way to travel. They are as scenic, if not more so, than driving, and certainly more relaxing. I have had no problems with luggage. There has always been plenty of space. I haven't travelled on the main commuter routes in rush hour so I cannot say what they are like. I understand that they can be quite busy.

You can have your luggage sent on separately if you prefer:

http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...isegepaeck.htm

As an International visitor, the Swiss Pass is probably your best option:

http://www.swisstravelsystem.ch/Tickets.16.0.html?&L=2

Plus, in general, driving in switzerland takes way more than going by train. Let alone finding a parking place, the cost of the parking, the very likely possibility of fines if you are not familiar with the traffic laws... ecc ecc ecc...

Just looked out of curiosity: Google Maps and SBB timetable show identical times for driving and train from Zurich to Geneva, 2hrs 43mins.

The train will take that long and you can have a meal and drink on board. Driving could take longer with fuel stop, break, traffic delays etc. plus all the other problems mentioned.

I agree with the others that the train is the way to go, luggage wont be a problem if you can carry it, there is always enough space.

For the car - the rental agency you mention looks super expensive (2-3x the price with limited km). I always use Europcar and have never had a problem, not sure what you have heard...But maybe I am just cheap and can't imagine paying for anything with the word elite in the name!

you might find you need to be 25 to rent with certain companies - do check.

I'd do the train. You see more, you see nicer things and you get to relax. Plus the Swiss roads don't need yet another car on them

Thanks for the input all. I agree with you all and will b taking the train as that ways I wont have to worry about getting fined or getting the car wrecked.

Maybe on my next visit I might consider renting an elite car(Lol)

But thanks again everyone.You all were very helpful