8ish days Zurich to Como...

Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 10:45 AM
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8ish days Zurich to Como...

So I am flying in with my Mom to Zurich, and meeting the rest of my family in Como 8 days later.

Here is what I have on my list to do so far, but am looking for suggestions on spectacular drives, beautiful quaint towns, midevil villages and stunning lakes and mountains.

Zurich -> Luzern -> Bern -> Interlaken -> Lauterbrunnen or Murren -> Verzasca River -> Lugano

Maybe Gantrisch nature park.

Thanks.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 11:00 AM
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You got it all already - stay in Wengen for dreamy picture-postcard Alpine village.

Trains will be better -cars can't even get to Wengen or most Alpineareas -only toylike mountain trains and aerial gondolas and foot paths- for lots on trains check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com- do a boat ride on lovely Lake Lucerne -stay perhaps first days in Lucerne and do Bern as a day trip.

If driving the old Gotthard Pass spiraling road will fulfill any idea of a thrill ride -up and over the Alps not under them. But really your trip would be nice via trains IME.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 01:50 PM
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Good route.
As always in Switzerland, there are others.
Another good route:

Zürich -

Appenzell (read up on it, a remarkable and remarkably unspoiled town with the fabulous nearby Säntis - see https://saentisbahn.ch/en)

St. Gallen - lots to see: www.myswitzerland.com/en/st-gallen.html

Chur - to board the scenic train "Bernina Express" (running, at that point, the same route as its cousin the "Glacier Express" that then goes elsewhere) - see www.myswitzerland.com/en/st-gallen.html and www.seat61.com/BerninaExpress.htm

Stay in the St. Moritz region for a few nights, not necessarily St. Moritz itself but nearby, Sils Maria or thereabouts.

Then carry on with the Bernina Express through the best part yet, to Tirano on the Italian border where you switch to Italian trains that take you to Milan.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 04:10 PM
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In "8ish" days? Ambitious! Are you sure you can see / do everything you want in these places in that time frame?

You might want to consider using Switzerland's excellent public transportation system. That way, the driver can enjoy the scenery, too -- and with so much of your limited time in transit, it would seem to me an important consideration. JMO.

In a rare event, I'm going to disagree with michelhuebli -- although interesting, that route would, IMO, involve WAY too much time in transit for WAY too little time on the ground seeing places. Again, JMO.

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some helpful information in my trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...any-thanks.cfm
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 06:23 PM
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Why did you chose the Verzasca River? Where do you expect to stay there? I would assume Locarno, but you don't say that. Maybe Sonogno?
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 09:42 PM
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Not sure I follow kja's misgivings about the timing of my suggested route:

Here are the train times:

Zürich - Appenzell less than an hour. Get there by mid-morning, go up on Säntis, enjoy Appenzell. Stay the night.

Appenzell-St. Gallen 48 minutes. Sightsee in St. Gallen. Take evening train to Chur, 1h22m, stay the night in Chur.

Chur-St. Moritz area by scenic train, 1 day, stay the night.

St. Moritz-Tirano by scenic train, regular train to Milano or wherever down on the flat, 1 day

That's four days. OP has 8-ish days, so can stay longer in any of the above or do more in any of the above regions.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 09:51 PM
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IMO, taking the time to go to Chur without actually visiting any part of the Graubunden is too much time en route for the time on the ground. It basically means 2 or 3 days of sitting on a train. Yes, the scenery is astounding, but there is astounding scenery elsewhere in Switzerland that wouldn't take so much time to see. As already noted, just my opinion....
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 02:42 AM
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Spectacular drives:
all depends on the season. Between end June and mid October, you can usually drive over all alpine passes, like Interlaken - Grimsel Pass - Nufenen Pass - San Gotardo Pass - Oberalp Pass - Lucomagn Pass - Bellinzona - Como.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 09:43 AM
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you can usually drive over all alpine passes, like Interlaken - Grimsel Pass - Nufenen Pass - San Gotardo Pass - Oberalp Pass - Lucomagn Pass - Bellinzona - Como.>

How long would that take?
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 08:49 PM
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Man, looking at prices of goods in switzerland, it is so insane how costly it is.

It looks to be about 2x the price of italy, and 4-5x the price of some eastern euro countries. Sheesh. Well, can't take it with you when you die.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 09:48 PM
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Hi afj123,

Well, I'm retired and on a fixed income, and I visit Switzerland at least every other year, usually for two weeks. If I can do it, anyone can.

I live in Germany, and during one visit to Switzerland, I bought toilet paper for the apartment I was renting. I bought the exact same brand I use in Germany, and it was, yup, almost three times as much, even after doing the currency change.

Anyway, to economize, I usually eat my biggest meal at lunchtime, when restaurant meals are less than in the evening. And if I can find a fixed-price menu, all the better. Then, for my evening meal, I go to the supermarket and gather fresh bread, Swiss cheeses, dried ham, Swiss yogurts, Swiss chocolate, and some wine or water -- and there's my dinner for around 15 chf. I sit outside on a bench by a lake or a meadow and have a great meal with a priceless view.

Have fun as you plan!

s
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Old Feb 24th, 2017, 09:50 AM
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Cool, thanks.

Do you think Switzerland is as beautiful as some of the other highly touted Euro countries like Norway, Scotland, Croatia, Italy?
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Old Feb 24th, 2017, 10:11 AM
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It sure is - been on top of many people's lists for sightseeing for a couple of hundred years at least, even back in the days when only royalty and nobility were "tourists"- St. Moritz, Interlaken, Montreux, etc. etc. were targets even then. Now everybody goes and enjoys Switzerland, putting up with the somewhat elevated prices.

You pay, but you get quality, cleanliness, efficiency, and - above all - beauty in such abundance that brings in the visitors by the thousands.
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Old Feb 24th, 2017, 12:39 PM
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Do you think Switzerland is as beautiful as some of the other highly touted Euro countries like Norway, Scotland, Croatia, Italy?>

beauty is in the eye of the beholder - to me France and its bucolic regions and tiny villages is as scenic as the Swiss Alps- each in its own way.

variety to me is a component of beauty too.
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 10:47 AM
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Is the Verzasca river worth a visit? Kinda out of the way but looks stunning.
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 11:50 AM
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https://www.google.com/search?q=verz...HRgHCJsQsAQIHw

For others naive like me to the seemingly wondrous Verzasca River!
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 01:36 PM
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Man, looking at prices of goods in switzerland, it is so insane how costly it is.>

Bring whatever you can from other countries or home! Restaurants are very expensive but supermarkets not so much - at least for staples like bread, cheese, WINE, etc. Save a ton by picnicking or eating in your hotel room - supermarkets are readily available everywhere and have usually deli take out fare too.
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Old Feb 27th, 2017, 05:20 PM
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Yes, the Valle Verzasca is worth seeing -- but it would take a chunk of time to get there and to actually see it. And it seems to me that time is something you don't have in abundance!

If it helps, I visited it from Locarno, which is (I think) the nearest major city. I timed my trip almost to the minute -- bus from Locarno to Levertezzo; hike from Lavertezzo to Brione in the Valle Verzasca; bus from Brione to Locarno. I could easily be wrong, but I don't think you can do that in less than 4 hours -- I chose Brione specifically because its the place where my projected hiking time intersected with a return bus. And, of course, that 4 hour estimate doesn't count the time to get to / from the bus station in Locarno.

I would also say that much as I enjoyed the Valle Verzasca -- and I did! -- I don't think it is what most people think about when they think of the Alps. For much of the hike, you are in a valley that is too deep to afford more than a glimpse or two of the surrounding mountains, and when you can see the mountains, they may or may not be snow-capped, depending on when you are there. I was there in early June, and almost (but not all! ;-) ) of the snow on the highest peaks was already gone.
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Old Feb 28th, 2017, 05:06 AM
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Why should Verzasca river be out of the way? In order to go to Como, you will have to pass through Giubiasco anyway. If you come from Interlaken etc. you will most probably travel via Domodossola - Locarno - Tenero to Bellinzona - Como.

Giubiasco - Lavertezzo/Valle Verzasca takes 50 min by train and bus, Tenero - Lavertezzo/Valle Verzasca takes 30 min by bus. Buses every hr from 7.25 until 18.25.
Giubiasco - Como takes about 1 hr by train.
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Old Feb 28th, 2017, 08:26 AM
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Yes, the Valle Verzasca is worth seeing -- but it would take a chunk of time to get there and to actually see it. And it seems to me that time is something you don't have in abundance!

If it helps, I visited it from Locarno, which is (I think) the nearest major city. I timed my trip almost to the minute -- bus from Locarno to Levertezzo; hike from Lavertezzo to Brione in the Valle Verzasca; bus from Brione to Locarno. I could easily be wrong, but I don't think you can do that in less than 4 hours -- I chose Brione specifically because its the place where my projected hiking time intersected with a return bus. And, of course, that 4 hour estimate doesn't count the time to get to / from the bus station in Locarno.

I would also say that much as I enjoyed the Valle Verzasca -- and I did! -- I don't think it is what most people think about when they think of the Alps. For much of the hike, you are in a valley that is too deep to afford more than a glimpse or two of the surrounding mountains, and when you can see the mountains, they may or may not be snow-capped, depending on when you are there. I was there in early June, and almost (but not all! ;-) ) of the snow on the highest peaks was already gone.

Thanks. I think I will skip it.

I've been watching some SwissView videos and ogling the landscape and added some villages to drive through. So here are the places I want to see.

Zurich -> Pfaffikon -> Rapperswil -> Wollerau -> Bern -> Murten -> Interlaken -> Wengen -> Lugano

Thats 569KM of driving, which over 8 days isn't bad.

Would love to see Annecy but it's too far, same with Gstaad and Zermatt.
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