With a climate and landscape that lends itself to year-round tourism, it's easy to see why Switzerland is one of Europe's most popular holiday destinations. Unspoilt icy summits, sparkling lakes, rolling emerald valleys, sleepy mountain hamlets-in magical Switzerland touring options abound.
Switzerland is made up of four different regions, each of which is distinguishable through its own unique language (German, French, Italian and Romansch). Each of these regions has its own distinctive atmosphere too. For the ultimate Switzerland car hire experience, be sure to include a trip to the stunning Bernese Oberland Alpine region in your itinerary. Here the triple peaks of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau provide excellent scope for winter and summer sporting activities. Travelling through the Bernese Oberland you'll encounter all that is quintessentially Swiss-glistening glaciers, plunging waterfalls, cute wooden chalets, jangling cowbells and edelweiss meadows. The beauty of a hire car is that it allows you to drink in all of the scenery at your leisure, stopping off whenever and wherever you like for a spot of sightseeing. A picnic at a mountain pass or the perfect photo opportunity are just two options that probably wouldn't be possible without your own mode of transport. That's all before reaching the dizzying heights of the region's world-class winter ski resorts of Gstaad, Grindelwald and Interlaken. Here snowy fun gets underway from November until the onset of spring. Meanwhile, summer sees the countryside transformed into a hikers paradise, where 50,000 km of picturesque mountain and forest trails provide challenges at every level.
Switzerland is home to some of the world's cleanest and most desirable cities. Visiting any of the country's major cities, you'll be blown away by the mix of charming medieval architecture and modern cutting edge design. As everyone knows, Switzerland has precision down to a fine art. Simply walking around pretty Lucerne or stunning Geneva provides a lesson in how to get the balance between the traditional and the innovative just right. You'll find there's always plenty of room for parties too. Geneva offers a pretty backdrop for lively events like December's L'Escalade chocolate extravaganza, while Lucerne plays host to a week of annual merriness and mayhem during February's Fasnacht carnival. Meanwhile, dynamic Zurich is something of a creative hub, a city famous for its avant-garde galleries, exciting music festivals and vibrant nightlife. Attractive towns and cities worth including in your Swiss itinerary include Lausanne, Vevey, Basel and St Moritz.
In terms of thrilling sporting attractions, stunning cities and dramatic scenery, Switzerland has it all. Hiring a car in Switzerland allows you to shape your own Swiss adventure-take the traditional scenic Alpine route or enjoy the hustle and bustle of the vibrant cities, in Switzerland car hire lets you explore any route that takes your fancy.
With the ever rising prices and poor links contained in the public transport system in England, car hire is becoming an evermore realistic option for travel. A recent survey has come to the conclusion that the connectivity of the transport network is not up to scratch, seemingly trains do not connect well enough with buses making travel stressful and time consuming. Subsequently car hire has become a popular option as it allows the traveller to take the direct route in comfort and at their leisure.
This view of public transport in England is not a new phenomenon, for many years the English have complained about their trains and buses but it seems as modernity increases so does the demand for a reliable public transport network. The issue of reliability is a major one, passengers are forever being told that a train is either late or cancelled, meaning for people that need to arrive at their destination punctually car hire is the only option.
For families touring England a hire car is the only feasible way of getting around, having to lug suitcases on to the platform, on to the train then onto a bus is hardly the ideal start to a holiday. A hire car allows stress free travel and ensures you arrive for your holiday ready to relax and enjoy yourself. A trip on the public transportation network just leaves everyone drained by the time of arrival.
The price of public transport makes car hire services an increasingly appealing option for travellers. The cost of buying tickets for a party of four is extortionate; especially when travelling any real distance. A far more cost effective method for four adults to travel around England is to put money together and hire a car, the train is just too expensive.
Train companies claim that prices must be raised to improve services; a recent price increase saw a jump of eleven percent for some passengers. This extra money in many cases seems to be wasted on such things as station decor and re-branding of the company; surely the money would be better spent putting more trains on.
If entering rural England; which is strongly advisable for any tourist, car hire is a necessity. In many parts of England rail links are non existent while buses are irregular and anything but direct. It is preferable not to traipse on public transport when traversing the beautiful scenery of the English countryside when you can hire a car and take time to stop for fine lunches in the quintessential English villages.
The reason the train network is so strained is due to its Victorian infrastructure. The majority of the system was built a hundred years ago and that is beginning to tell. The system was never intended to deal with the volumes of passengers that it now faces. More investment is needed in the system but privatisation has left this course of action as unrealistic; the drive for profit negates any desire to totally overhaul the dilapidated network.
Car hire will become evermore popular travellers due to the privatised nature of the public transport system. The fact that you can use numerous companies during a journey means that often the service you receive from each company varies greatly. Without a uniform set of principles it is seemingly down to luck if you get a good company or a bad. That is not to say that the national railway was any better, but as it was not private, the pressure was reduced.
In England, the travelling public have forever complained about the state of their railway and bus links. Car hire will be increasingly utilised as a cost effective alternative when travelling in groups. If the poor connectivity between bus and rail companies continues public transport will be used less and less, and the car will become dominant. In a culture where we are supposed to use public transport instead of driving, the transport companies are doing little to coax people from their cars.
Both Fiona Hiliard & Thomas Pretty are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Fiona Hiliard has sinced written about articles on various topics from Car Rental, Travel and Leisure and Portugal Holiday. Fiona writes for Argus Rentals and . Fiona Hiliard's top article generates over 49500 views. to your Favourites.
Thomas Pretty has sinced written about articles on various topics from Formula One, Debts Loans and Interior Design. Travel expert Thomas Pretty has been on many driving holidays and advocates the use of Budget's services over the public trans. Thomas Pretty's top article generates over 1500000 views. to your Favourites.