BRIEF

Chris and his wife (www.abritandasouthener.com) have 10 days at the end of December 2014 to travel through Austria, Switzerland, Germany and Italy on a 5 day rail pass. Restrictions are that they fly into Heathrow on December 21st, and they want to spend a few days in Manchester with family before flying back to the states on January 3rd, 2015. Architecture and trains in Switzerland are high on their list. They are on a budget.

THINGS TO FACTOR IN:

It is the busiest time of the year in the mountains, so flights and accommodation must be booked ahead (no room for spontaneity). Best to book the flights first and then work it out from there.
it will be crowded and a minefield of public holidays and weekends to navigate. Note that these countries, especially urban areas pretty much grind to a halt. Possible basing themselves in a couple of locations and explore from there. I strongly suggest Innsbruck as it is affordable and central.
Whilst it is a stunning time of the year, in the cities it can be gloomy and bitterly cold. Even though you want to see as much as possible it is no fun walking around outside for long periods of time.
I would contemplate spending a few days in Ski Resorts and Alpine Areas.
Italy is a stretch, almost out of the way. Verona and Venice are accessible, but doing a return trip would take two travel days, unless you took a day trip from Innsbruck to Bolzano.
Switzerland is very very expensive.

A POSSIBLE ITINERARY

1) London to Geneva - Booking the flights is tough at this time of the year, but I did find this one, which will give you sufficient time with your family as well. Innsbruck is a wonderful departure point as it is accessible,

2) Zermatt - I would have this as a starting point, and stay here one night. If it is Swiss scenery you want then you cannot go wrong with a view of the Matterhorn. It is also the starting point for The Glacier Express, which is almost a must do. It transfers you in style to St. Moritz. It is 7 hours duration, and you will want to do it in daylight. I am not sure if you want to ski or not, but the resorts are great even if you don't ski. Zermatt has it all: the dogs, the mountains. the chocolate: you name it (or should I say St Bernards, The Matterhorn and Toblerone)?

3) St Moritz . Another hugely popular ski destination, and also super expensive. It is a rather large and developed town and there are many activities on the frozen lake during winter, such as Cricket, Polo and Horse racing, but that is not until January. When I have stayed here I stayed in the Youth Hostel (The Jungendherberge): it is not a typical hostel and it is the best that you are going to get price wise. Also, as St Moritz is located in the Engadine Valley it is likely to be sunny.

Innsbruck, the capital of Tirol, Austria.

4) Innsbruck - To get from St Moritz to Innsbruck is simple on the train, with two changes (at Chur and Sargans). But it still takes six hours. I would suggest basing yourself in Innsbruck for a few days at least as it is affordable, and not only is the town itself stunning with a rich history, there are plenty of day trips that you could make from there. For example, you could go to one of the surrounding ski resorts for a Christmas Lunch. If you like this option, I can tell you more about it and make some suggestions. Innsbruck is also a major hub: you can easily go to Italy and Germany from here. You could also do a day trip to Bolzano in South Tirol from here, thus only using one day travel.

5) Vienna - the architecture, galleries and culture of Vienna are really unmissable. There is so much to do there, whether it be go to galleries, listen to music or sit in Coffee houses. The decadence is breathtaking. Gustav Klimt and Sacher Torte are perfect for a rainy day!!

6) Munich - Munich is more expensive, but it is worth seeing. If you make it here, it is worth considering visits to Dachau (something I feel everyone needs to do once in their life), or Neuschwanstein, which is the Disney Castle. Two hours from Munich I think. Munich is only four hours from Vienna.

Then back to Innsbruck where you would fly out of, possibly after a day at The Aqua Dome.

Geneva - St Moritz, St Moritz - Innsbruck, Innsbruck - Vienna, Vienna -Munich, Munich - Innsbruck.

For train timetables, I find www.sbb.ch is the most user friendly.

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