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What's the best way to travel to Switzerland from Singapore?

Western Europe Travel Questions...?

  • Hi, Inexperienced 23 year old male from Australia heading to England, Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland soon. Travelling for 1 month. Flying into and out of London. Rough (emphasis on ROUGH) route. England (9days) then onto the Netherlands (4 days) then onto Germany (10 days) then onto Switzerland (5 days) then back to London for day or two. As you can see, I haven't decided exactly where time will be spent other than country wise. Will be doing it the usual way for someone my age on the cheap:backpack, staying in hostels, trains and/or buses to get around, a bit or drinking, cheap foods (fast food) most of the time. Usual young backpacker style trip. Questions: Do I need to get any visa's in advance for the mentioned countries or do you just show up with the appropriate paperwork? How much should I budget for the trip for the month? I'm thinking (without any real basis) $1000AUD a week...$4000AUD for the month? Hard to say I know since everyone is defferent, but would like to hear from people who have recently done this and hear how much they spent...it can only help not hinder to know this. For me, money isn't really an issue (I can afford it whether cheap of otherwise) but I'll still be trying to save money and minimize spending wherever I can since I want to go onto Canada for a working holiday afterwards so long as I don't spend too much whilst in Europe. Otherwise will just have to visit USA and Canada and not do working holiday. Is it worth buying a Eurail ticket (BeNeLux - Germany - Switzerland) or buying each leg separately? Want to hike in the Swiss Alps. I like the look of Lauterbrenen and would like to do a 1 - 2 day hike. Should we decide on a hike before we leave or get to the area and then decide? Do we need to book accommodations in advance? If so, how far in advance? Preferably, it would be nice to not have to book until 4-5 days in advance as it would give us more freedom instead of being locked in and having to follow a strict timetable. Whats the best way to access my money whilst over there? I have a NAB Visa Debit card. Is this going to be usable Im not going to need an actual credit card am I? Can Visa Debit card be used with atm's? And if so, how does that work? Does it display balance in AUD? Do you specify withdrawal amount in AUD or local currency? Or should I just exchange money at banks or airport or whatever? As you can see I'm not really versed in the whole accessing money thing so any and all help would be much appreciated. Thats all Im thinking of at the moment. If you can answer any of these questions to any degree that would be much appreciated. Look forward to seeing the responses. Thanks

  • Answer:

    Hi John, your itinerary looks good to me. For travelling I would use the train since it is the main mode of transportation and the least expensive as well. The Euro Rail pass is probably your best bet. You have the choice of different rail passes, like for all of Europe, a certain number of countries, etc. Make sure you research all of them in order not to buy the wrong one and pay too much. Keep in mind that Switzerland is by far the most expensive country you are going to visit, prices are sky high compared to the rest of Europe (London is also very expensive). You can get pretty inexpensive food in supermarkets, and some of them also have relatively cheap cafeterias. Stay away from McDonalds, Burger King and fast food chains like that because the food makes you sick and you get fat (don't wanna disappoint the pretty girls in Europe). Regarding how to access money, your best bet is using your Visa Debit card since they work pretty much everywhere. Maybe you wanna take a few traveller cheques (just in case). Since you will be staying in hostels most of the time I am sure AUD 1000/week is enough money. For Switzerland you might wanna book your accomodation a few days in advance to be on the safe side. Peak season in Europe starts about middle of June. Have a great trip. P.S. A valid passport will be enough for a.m. countries.

John at Yahoo! Answers Visit the source

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You will probably need a visa for the UK and a Schengen visa for most of the rest of Europe (including Switzerland). Your debit card should work with ATMs if it is associated with Visa, Access, Maestro etc, but do bring a credit card too for emergencies and do check with your bank. You will find Euros most useful, although the UK and Switzerland have their own currencies. There are some good hostels throughout Holland, Germany and Switzerland, particularly the Swiss Hostels. In London I recommend the Clink near Kings Cross. Book your accommodation as far in advance as you can unless you intend to camp. You will find few decent places unbooked in the peak holiday periods, sometimes even months in advance. Bear in mind that London gets very busy and very expensive if you don't find accommodation quickly but it's a top place. You might want to join the Hostel International scheme to get discounts etc. Do get a rail pass. Research this carefully, you can save yourself a fortune with the right pass. There are all sorts of deals based on numbers of days you want to travel in a set period, which countries you want to visit, your age etc. Lauterbrunnen is fine, nearby Grindelwald is probably better and has a good hostel right in the centre and brilliant hiking right under the Eiger. Splash out on the Jungfraujoch train, it is spectacular. I reckon you can budget on $50 a night for budget accommodation and $50 a day for food and drink (assuming you buy in supermarkets as well as in bars and cafes) very roughly throughout Europe. Then it is just souvenirs, travel, entrance fees and big nights out. Museums and galleries are free in the UK and often free on selected days or evenings throughout Europe.

nicoatridge

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