90-Year-Old Grandma in Switzerland
Mar 16th, 2007, 07:18 PM
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90-Year-Old Grandma in Switzerland
My grandmother's dream has always been to go to Switzerland. My mother and I are considering taking her for her birthday in June. She gets winded easily while walking and would probably need to take her wheelchair with her. My question is, where would be the best place to take her where she could experience Switzerland for about a week?
Mar 17th, 2007, 04:05 AM
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Hi sgtsmith,
I would say someplace where it's very easy to get around, like the city of Luzern.
Luzern is only an hour from the Zurich airport by direct train, and it is like a little Switzerland. The city itself is lovely and quaint with a nice old town area. Its best features, though, are the mountains and lake system it sits beside. You can spend your days taking ferry rides around the lakes, stopping at lakeside villages for lunch. Or you could take a cable car ride up a mountain for the sights. Or you could take an excursion to Engelberg to see a typical ski village.
The Swiss rail system provides a lot of assistance for folks in wheelchairs if you care to use it. You have to e-mail them your exact itinerary, etc, and they'll have someone help you at the station.
Have fun!
s
I would say someplace where it's very easy to get around, like the city of Luzern.
Luzern is only an hour from the Zurich airport by direct train, and it is like a little Switzerland. The city itself is lovely and quaint with a nice old town area. Its best features, though, are the mountains and lake system it sits beside. You can spend your days taking ferry rides around the lakes, stopping at lakeside villages for lunch. Or you could take a cable car ride up a mountain for the sights. Or you could take an excursion to Engelberg to see a typical ski village.
The Swiss rail system provides a lot of assistance for folks in wheelchairs if you care to use it. You have to e-mail them your exact itinerary, etc, and they'll have someone help you at the station.
Have fun!
s
Mar 17th, 2007, 08:28 AM
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Interlaken is a flat city.
Also, there are two beautiful lakes to cruise. There would be the problem of getting to the boat dock with the wheel chair, but if you took a taxi to the boat dock, and she could walk on-board, she could sit the remainder of the trip inside and look out.
Luzern is also a relatively flat city that also has a beautiful lake on which to cruise.
I do not recommend the Jungfraujoch trip because there are 2 changes of trains and the change is altitude is considerable.
If you rent a car in Interlaken, there are several scenic drives you could take where your grandmother could sit and look as she rode.
Unless the altitude is a problem for her, a drive to the top of the Grimsel Pass is thrilling. The Susten Pass is also a very spectacular trip.
Some of the scenic train rides in Switzerland might be a good idea as well. Given the assistance the Swiss Rail System provides, you could take any one of several scenic train rides.
Those have been described on this forum in some detail.
The thread I recall is entitled Best Scenic Train in Switzerland.
It mentions several possibilities.
I prefer to do my scenic touring by automobile because I can get to the top of the high passes. I think it depends on how comfortable everybody is with getting in and out of cars and twisting over mountain passes.
Also, there are two beautiful lakes to cruise. There would be the problem of getting to the boat dock with the wheel chair, but if you took a taxi to the boat dock, and she could walk on-board, she could sit the remainder of the trip inside and look out.
Luzern is also a relatively flat city that also has a beautiful lake on which to cruise.
I do not recommend the Jungfraujoch trip because there are 2 changes of trains and the change is altitude is considerable.
If you rent a car in Interlaken, there are several scenic drives you could take where your grandmother could sit and look as she rode.
Unless the altitude is a problem for her, a drive to the top of the Grimsel Pass is thrilling. The Susten Pass is also a very spectacular trip.
Some of the scenic train rides in Switzerland might be a good idea as well. Given the assistance the Swiss Rail System provides, you could take any one of several scenic train rides.
Those have been described on this forum in some detail.
The thread I recall is entitled Best Scenic Train in Switzerland.
It mentions several possibilities.
I prefer to do my scenic touring by automobile because I can get to the top of the high passes. I think it depends on how comfortable everybody is with getting in and out of cars and twisting over mountain passes.
