A road trip through Switzerland and Austria

We packed up the car and headed for a two week summer camping Road Trip to the alpine Switzerland and Austria, hitting France and Germany on the way.

We had a brilliant time in the mountains and lakes of Switzerland and rural Austria.

Find out where we went and how much it cost in our itinerary below.

Itinerary

Day 1: The Cotswolds to Strasbourg, France

Day 2: Exploring Strasbourg

Day 3: Strasbourg to Interlaken (via Kayserberg)

Day 4: Interlaken (Fronalpstock Ridge Hike)

Day 5: Interlaken (Lake Thun)

Day 6: Interlaken ( Oschininsee Hike)

Day 7: Interlaken ( Lake Brienz)

Day 8: Interlaken to Austria ( via Innsbruck)

Day 9: Austria ( Styria)

Day 10: Austria ( Gurktal Alps)

Day 11: Austria (Hallstat)

Day 12: Austria (Styria)

Day 13: Austria to Heidelberg, Germany ( via Berchesgaden)

Day 14: Heidelberg to the UK

Total cost: Read here to see a breakdown of our costs, and what the final figure was for two weeks touring the alps.

Day 1: The Cotswolds, UK to Strasbourg, France

We began our day far too early – We left home at 2 am for the 4 hour drive to Dover! We had been planning on leaving at 3am, but we were advised to get there 2 hours before sailing because, summer holidays.

Our ferry set sail at 8am. I chose the early ferry, so we would have lots of time to reach our destination in France, but in hindsight, this was just too early – we spent the whole day exhausted!

We have made this crossing many times and always jiggle in about to try and find the best way/ timings. We can cross this schedule of our list. We still need to work out the best timings for a ferry crossing for our family for our next euro trip.

When we got to Dover, the queues were already huge, at 6 in the morning! I’m glad we went on the safe side and left 2 hours to get through border checks and passport control, otherwise we probably would have missed the crossing

The ferry journey was smooth and uneventful, although there were armed guards with machine guns which was crazy and made me feel nervous as though something was about to kick off.

I think maybe because in the UK, we are not used to seeing automatic weapons out in the open. The kids thought it was really cool, though! That’s boys for you.

James did ask one of them, and they told him it was a government trial to increase security in sea crossings, because they are a weak link in the transport system.

We drove all day, stopping at services when required for a leg stretch or to use the toilet. I had packed all our food for the day as a picnic, to save money and also as service station food is usually junk!

We were beyond exhausted when we got to Starsbourg at 7pm! 17 hours of travel. James always says we will be fine – he likes to do it all in one go rather than stop and start. As he does all the driving overseas, he gets the final say. I think it’s too much, the kids seem happy and don’t complain or moan but we are all shattered the next day.

We checked in to the Ibis Hotel near Gard du Strasbourg and settled in for the night. It was a really nice location, comfortable room, and only £77 per night for all 4 of us, which I thought was excellent value!

Day 2: Strasbourg

We had the full day to explore Strasbourg, the capital of the Alsace region. We have visited Colmar and the surrounding villages of the Alsace many times so we were very excited to see this famous city.

It was forecast to rain all day (which it did). Also, after the long drive the day before, we were all tired, so we had a long lie in and had breakfast in bed – coffee and crossaint, pain au chocolate and pain suiss from the boulangerie downstairs. Of course, the food was excellent, and the bakery’s of France remain one of my top reasons for visiting the country! I don’t know how they make everything so delicious, but I am here for it.

When we made it outside, first stop was the famous cathedral. We were a short walk from our hotel, and passed through the lovely streets, squares, and historic buildings admiring ot all as we went

The Cathedral and the square it is set in was beyond impressive. When we went inside we all marvelled at the stained glass and the astronomical clock. It was quite busy.We lit a candle for loved ones, which we do in every church we visit.

The astronomical clock in Strasbourg Cathedral

There are lots of trinket and souvenir shops here so we brought a magnet and Christmas decoration for the collection, and then made our way to the other ” must see” area in the city – Petite France.

The picturesque canals of Petite France are lined with colourful timber houses, window boxes full of flowers and lots of shops, cafes and restaurants which are impossible quaint and very photogenic! We loved walking around the streets here taking it all in, but it was getting more busy and the kids were getting restless. We took some nice pictures and then crossed a delightful footbridge over the canal to a lovely playground in the centre of the historic area. The boys let off some steam, and we just soaked our surroundings in.

After a long while playing in the park for the boys, we slowly made our way back to the hotel, stopping for the kids to have a ride on the carousel on the way. I love how every town in France has one of these rides – the kids adore it, and they are so ornate and interesting to look at.

The beautiful childrens carousel in Strasbourg

We relaxed at the hotel for a few hours and then innthe evening, walked in to the nearest restaurant we could find that didn’t look to posh for the kids, haha, and got Tartr Flambee, a regional speciality. It’s a bit like a pizza with creamy sauce instead of a tomato base and the Munster cheese (also from the region). As with most food in Framce, it was lovely. Bellies full, we went back for a good night’s sleep.

For more on the Alsace, including what we got up to with our kids in Colmar and the surrounding villages, read our family guide to the Alsace region here.

Day 3: Strasbourg to Interlaken ( via Kayserberg)

Kayserberg is a village that has long been on my list to visit in the Alsace region.

It’s under an hour from Strasbourg and was on the way to our next destination, so we squeezed in a stop on the road trip to finally see this beautiful village of France.

We have a rule to get places as early as possible – we have learnt that it is always better and less rammed with people, especially a popular location in peak tourist season. We got here for about 8:30 am – before the coaches and a lot of other tourists.

It meant we had no trouble getting a car parking space in the nearest car park, we could walk around without feeling crowded and take pictures, etc, without lots of other people in them.

I really dislike feeling overwhelmed with crowds, especially when looking after small kids, so that is the main reason.

We got pastries and coffee from the boulangerie, and it’s great that no matter how early we are, we always find a bakery that is open for our breakfast!