Philip

I am starting to make arrangements for 2006 Switzerland. We are interested in the highlights (have driven through Switzerland but never toured). I would appreciate your help.

We live in US and it will be my wife and me. Will rent a car, probably arrive Zurich and depart from Milan (Delta frequent flyer miles). We prefer at least 2 nights in any one location.

3 nights in Zurich (train to Lucerne and rent car) Sachseln/Brienz/Lake Brienz

2 nights in Grindelwald
Thun/

1 night in Bern
Fribourg

2 nights in Geneva
Lake Geneva/Castle of Chillon/Grimentz

2 nights in Zermatt
Stockalperschloss/Brig/Lake Maggiore

2 nights in Lugano

Return to US from Milan.

Hotels! Like local inns in the mid to high mid range. Any suggestions particularily on those that require reservations a year in advance.

kleeblatt

Why 3 nights in Zürich? Stay in Lucerne! Visit the Rigi, do the ferry on the Vierwaldstaettersee or visit Weggis (or Vitznau/Gersau/Brunnen). They are great!

Sachseln: Super! I love the area. Near Sachseln is Flueli Ranft, the homeplace of Brother Klaus. Very interesting history.

Sorry: I'm no expert on hotels.

Enjoy Switzerland! Tschuess!

Intrepid1

A couple of suggestions:

I would think about returning the car IN Switzerland and traveling to Milan by rail or some other means in order to avoid a possible drop off charge for rental return in another country.

For that matter, you can easily do this entire itinerary very easily by rail IF you choose to do so although I agree having a car does give more "flexibility."

I would also question actually staying in Geneva vs. in another location on the shores of Lac Leman. Don't get me wrong...Geneva is quite nice but so are locations such as Lausanne, Morges, Vevey, Montreux, etc.

Since you are a Karen Brown fan if you really want to go kinda "upscale" and up in height, check out the Hotel Victoria in Glion which is on the way up from Montreux to Rochers de Naye (a cograil trip that offers absolutely spectacular views over the lake as well as just the views on the way up and down...and you will NOT be able to do that one by car).

Heartily agree with the Chillon visit..consider approaching it by lake steamer or you can easily walk to it along the lake shore from Montreux.

Zermatt: definitely consider taking the Gornergrat Railway trip (45 minutes up) to view the peak closer up or the tramway up to Kleine Matterhorn...the actual view over the Monte Rosa Massif affords views of some of the highest peaks in both Switzerland and Italy...but that "view" will definitely depend on the weather conditions which can be drastically different from the ones in Zermatt itself so be aware.

Brig: I honestly don't think a trip to the Stockalperschloss is worth a special trip unless you are the town anyway.

Get ready for the usual "You're trying to do too much" or the "You're moving too fast" or the now infamous "rule" about staying in a place a minimum of three nights...ridiculous IMO for some folks who like to move about faster...your trip and your pace as far as I am concerned.

You are seeing SOME of the best of Switzerland IMO..enjoy it.

Intrepid1

BTW, the drive up to Zermatt from Visp also affords some spectacular scenery and assume you already know that Zermatt is car-free and the requirement to leave the vehicle in the lot at Tasch and take the shuttle train into the village itself?

Zurich: much to see and do although somewhat "severe" architecturally..as you can already see others will try to influence you to stay in Lucern. In Lucern check out the Wilden Mann hotel or even better, IMO, the Hotel des Balances especially if you can spring for a room with a river/Jesuit Church/bridge view...be sure to feed the swans.

Edward2005

I don't know anything about your interests (are you into history, mountain scenery, what?), so I will tell you what I would do.

Arrive in Zurich, take the train to Luzern for your first 2 nights. I'm not a big fan of Zurich. I'm not against it by any means, but it's just an average big European city. Luzern is is a smaller, cuter lakeside city with easy access to two mountains (and lifts or trains to the top). It's an easy (and cheaper) way to start the trip. Alternatively, spend the first two nights in the Appenzell area if you want to dive into rural Switzerland right away.

Spend the next 4 nights in Grindlewald or some other town in the Berner Oberland. If you like mountain scenery this area will blow you away. You can spend one day doing a day-trip to Bern (about 4 hrs RT) as opposed to spending just one night there. Murren and Wengen are some traffic-free alternatives to Grindlewald in the Oberland. And if you're feeling rustic, try Gimmelwald for some hardcore Switzerland.

Next 2 nights in Montreux, Vevey, or Lausanne. I have not been to Geneva, but from all accounts on this board it is much less preferable to the above three choices.

Next 2 nights in Zermatt and the 2 nights after that in Lugano as planned.

All this can be done by car, but can also easily be done by rail. A car will probably be the cheaper route for two people and the better choice if you do not plan to pack light. However, if you plan to visit Zurich and Geneva a car will be more of a headache than a help.

Finally, here are some photos of my Swiss trip a few weeks ago. I covered some of the same ground you are considering.

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shar...C6E&cb=PW#

taxatty

Dropping off the car in Lugano and taking the train from there to Milan is a good idea. The Hertz office in Lugano is a short walk downhill from the train station. The Lugano Dante is a nice hotel there in your price range a very short walk from the funicular to the train station.

A day and a half in Zurich is plenty, I agree that the 3 days should at least be split between there and Luzern.

I'd stay in Montreux or Lausanne instead of Geneva--there is nothing in Geneva itself that cannot be missed. Chillon, on the other hand, shouldn't be missed!

FainaAgain

I agree with everybody: Zurich is a cute city, spend a day, get out. Unless you plan to do some major shopping.

Jean

I second the recommendation of Lugano Dante in Lugano and can recommend the Belle Epoque in Bern. Also agree you should ditch Zurich and go straight to Luzern.

But I'm confused by your Bern/Fribourg stop. Are you staying in Bern for just one night but really going to Fribourg? Or are you choosing between Bern and Fribourg for the one night?

Intrepid1

ttt

Philip

Thanks for help!

Your responses have created more questions.

How does this look?

Fly into Zurich and immediately take train to Luzern

2 nights in Luzern
How would you vote on these hotels:
des Balances
Romantik Hotel Wilden Mann
Hotel MontanaHotel Angleterre & Residence
Des Alpes

Rent car and drive to

4 nights in Grindelwald
How would you vote on these hotels:
Fiescherblick
Gletschergarten
Belle Epogue

2 nights in Glion (Lake Geneva)
Hotel Victoria

QUESTION! We are trying to shorten this trip (just returned from 3 weeks in Italy) and am considering eliminating either Zermatt or Lugano. What is your opinion on the best of these two destinations?

If we keep Lugano we would return car there and take train to Milan for return flight.

If we keep Zermatt, we would consider driving back to Zurich and return to US.

If Zermatt, would stay 2 nights and looking at these hotels:
Romantik Hotel Julen
Seiler Hotel Monte Rosa
Seiler Hotel Mont Cervin

Any thoughts?

If Lugano, would stay 2 nights and looking at:
Romantik Hotel Ticino
Lugano Dante

Thanks for help!

swandav2000

Hi Philip,

Just adding a note of congratulations for finding the Victoria in Glion! I've stayed there three times and absolutely loved it! The one and only drawback is the location -- I've found I really prefer to be right on the lakeside. But for atmosphere and service, the Victoria is hard to beat. Here's a picture from my most recent stay: http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/swanda...pg&.src=ph

Sorry, I didn't like either Zermatt or Lugano, so I can't help there. I stayed at the Balances in Luzern and absolutely loved it (only note that in summer with windows open, it may get noisy). In Grindelwald, I've stayed at other hotels too.

Have a great trip!

s

jmw44

For contrast with your other locations, I'd say Lugano with its laketowns of Gandria and Morcote, and nearby Bellinzona with castles. J.

Intrepid1

Glad you liked my recommendation for the Victoria..hopefully it will turn out.

As much as I like Zermatt for some contrast on this trip you might do well to it Lugano instead.

Have a great trip.

Jean

I've stayed at the Wilden Mann in Luzern twice and can recommend it highly. Most recently, we had a corner room with a bit of a river view. The room was huge, and the bathroom was large, all marble with both a deep, soaking tub and a shower. Their breakfast buffet was very generous and varied. The hotel's location is on the train station side of the river which puts it out of the high-traffic, touristy area and very, very quiet.

We've also stayed at the Lugano Dante which is essentially next door to the Romantik Ticino. The location is not on the lakeshore, so no water view, but it is in the middle of the town and very convenient to the funicular from the train station. Everything is within a few blocks. The Dante feels like a business hotel; there are meeting rooms off the lobby. Our room was small but adequate, and the bathroom was small and windowless. The breakfast buffet was excellent and the most varied of any that we've seen anywhere in Europe.

Although we didn't enter the Romantik Ticino, I would guess it offers much more charm but not necessarily larger rooms or more efficient service. And I doubt they match the Dante's breakfast buffet!

I wasn't crazy about Lugano. I think it would appeal to serious shoppers which I am not. However, the lake is beautiful (our luck with excellent weather helped), and the ferries to other points on the lake add some charm. We very much enjoyed Morcote but found Gandria nearly lifeless.

I was sorry to see that Bern has apparently fallen off your itinerary.

kleeblatt

If you have been visiting Italian lakes and like mountains, go to Zermatt.

If you want to go to a lake with a mediterranean feeling, go to Lugano (city) or Locarno (town). Lugano is better for shopping, Locarno (or Ascona) is better for relaxing. Lugano is on Lugano Lake. Locarno and Ascona, both in Switzerland, are on Lake Maggiore.

Intrepid1

Re the car and Zermatt: as I mentioned above, you won't be able to use the car in Zermatt at all.

If you decide to go to Zermatt you might easily drop the car somewhere beforehand and train to Zermatt, hang there for your two nights, and then train back to Zurich..but as always, it depends on how flexible you want to be on the trip back to Zurich.

Philip

Philip still has questions.........

First of all, thanks for your responses. I think we are getting close but still have some questions. Right now, we are:

Fly to Zurich on Thursday, May 25 and immediately take train to:

Lucerne for 2 nights and stay Wilden Mann
Local sightseeing then rent car and drive to:

Grindelwald for 4 nights and stay Hotel Gletschergarten
Visit Thun/Friborg/Bern/Wengen/Murren/etc. and then drive to:

Glion (Montreux) for 2 nights and stay Hotel Victoria
Castle Chillon/Grimentz/etc. which leads to these questions:

QUESTIONS: Return rental car in Geneva. Above itinerary would have us returning to USA on Saturday, June 3 from Geneva. We would like to add two nights to itinerary (return to US on Monday). We have discussed stopping in Paris, etc. but have decided to add a night to one or two of the stops above OR perhaps add Zurich for one night (or add Bern as new stop instead of day trip from Grindelwald?).

Since we don't fully appreciate what to see in each location, what do you think?