Switzerland or Austria for first Europe visit?

Zurich is great.  Spend a day exploring the old city

Great connections with the train station below the airport.  Car rentals and gas are super expensive so train is way to go.

Rent skis just bring your boots.  There are s9me big chains like inter sport where you can switch skis even up on the hill.  Pay extra for the damage waiver on the skis.

Another resort to consider is Davos.  It’s a huge region with 5 ski areas.  

Sounds like Switzerland it is.  Pulling together all these recommendations, great stuff guys.

I have airbnb in zermatt and also stayed in a nice hotel..

car rentals are similar to here...gas isn't a issue since the cars get good mileage

Just found out the day my kid is headed to Zermatt for 3 weeks this summer for training.  Looks like  a great camp.

I have skied there in the summer. Only think I can say , it was great..Also the hiking and MTB are unreal..

For the train vs. rental car question: if you’re staying at one big ski region the entire time, it makes sense to catch the train and Zurich airport has a great setup, plus you get all the landscape and relaxation benefits during the ride. Some Swiss ski villages, like Zermatt, are car-free, so that takes care of your decision right there. OTOH, if you want to maximize your flexibility on where and when you ski (including the possibility to ski several hours on arrival and departure day depending on your flights), a car is really helpful just like in the States.

I don’t agree with the comment above that rental cars are a ripoff in Europe; in fact, I often find that it’s cheaper over there. My recent rental from Zurich, a roomy Peugeot AWD sportwagon, was $250 all-in for eight days and gas was $78 for 580 miles of driving (more expensive than here but hardly a dealbreaker). As reasonable as that was, rentals for my southern France trip were almost a quarter cheaper than Zurich. All the cars I’ve rented in Zurich came with GPS (no need to pay the ridiculous per-day fee), the Swiss Autobahn sticker (which covers tolls), and snow tires in winter.

A few caveat emptors:
If you don’t drive a stick, request an automatic in your rental reservation. Most cars are manual transmission over there.

Parking lots at many Swiss ski areas charge $5-8 a day; only the small local’s areas sometimes offer free parking. The reasoning is that people who take public transport to go skiing shouldn’t be charged for those who drive, which makes sense, and that the parking lots are owned by the municipalities, not the ski areas. Parking is generally free in other Alps countries.

If you’ve never driven in the Alps -- over high-altitude mountain passes or especially on very narrow, steep, switchbacked roads with little to no guardrails keeping you from plummeting over the side -- it’s often a whole different ballgame over there. Comparatively: driving to ski areas in the States, even out west, is laughably easy. You can view it as part of the experience or something you don't want to deal with!

Having just made the trip through Zurich airport to Zermatt utilizing the train system.....it’s super easy.  For me, after four days of getting around Europe, the Zurich to Visp train journey was a welcome 2+ hours to just sit.  The train from Visp to Zermatt....wow.  It was pretty cool.

James sure knows how to explore the off the beaten track places, and that’s cool.  However, we just got here and Zermatt is pretty fascinating!

Is this your one-day visit?

Two day.....yeah.  We are going to explore around tomorrow, then our daughter meets up with us tomorrow night and we’ll all ski together Friday, then home Saturday.  Already inspired to plan a dedicated Swiss ski vacation!

Ahhh more decisions! This is a tough one (train vs car),  thinking trains to make it easier, cars do add stress, but at the expense of missing out potentially on some sites.   Hmmm.......a bigger resort, and find transportation to the key sites to see perhaps....still looking....keep it coming guys.

This thread delivers.

What do you have in mind as far as “key sights” that you would need a car to drive to?

The reason Zermatt and Chur appeal to me is specifically because they are car free.  Yes, there are sights to see but they are all walkable in those towns.  Heck, after the fam hit the sack last night I wandered for a couple of hours, hitting a couple different bars.  The whole town of Zermatt is an attraction!  Going to see the Old Village today.  Outside of that, and shopping and eating, there isn’t much other than the spectacular scenery around you in every direction.  Chur might give more of a James feel, being the oldest town in Switzerland.  Old Town, Cathedral St. Maria, St. Martin’s Church, the Bishop’s Castle and parts of the old wall, Ratisches Museum....all walkable.  You wouldn’t get the ‘James channels Anthony Bourdain’ experience of tiny towns off the beaten track where the mayor gives you a personal tour, as Zermatt and Chur are considered large Swiss mountain towns.  Of course large is relative as you can walk completely across town in 20 something minutes.

With skiing the foucus, and the requisite apres of hot tub, food, and booze, and with limited rest days, how much time is there to drive around?

James’ trips are fascinating, but it seems he places an equal (or more) focus on the culture around the skiing.  That’s a great thing!  From a skiing perspective though....having been to some great places and not having enough time to do them justice....lately I’m in to giving an area/region sufficient ski days to see most of it.

There are so many choices though, and Swiss ski towns and  regions it’s got to be daunting choosing!

I agree with JTG in regards to no need for a car in Zermatt. It's a real pain since you have to park in Tasch and train up..

The train from Geneva is very convenient, also look into skiing Saas Fe . I heard very good things..

Going to Rome in June then driving around to various towns and cities..Should be interesting..

Defiantly would prefer not having a car. Good options thanks for sharing.  Agree after ski hot tub food it’s lights out.  Am sure could arrange a tour on off days like just one day to see some UNESCO sites.

JTG4eva! wrote

James’ trips are fascinating, but it seems he places an equal (or more) focus on the culture around the skiing.  

Maybe my TRs give that impression -- the cultural photos and explanations are added as color but it's very much on the periphery time-wise, like 5%. My trips are absolutely skiing-focused; in fact, when the wife comes along a recurring gripe is "can't we do something that's not skiing?" On this recent visit, we had two down days due to poor visibility so she got her wish; we even walked by the Hooters in Interlaken! Damn, deleted that pic.

I guess I could have found a better way to say that.  It seems with a lot of the smaller/off the beaten track places you select the cultural stuff is more intertwined.....making it seem like a greater focus is placed on that than actually is!  

This awaits....

hope you got to enjoy a similar lunch and setting

Nice!

Rosti Land. No egg on top?