Day Trip from Lausanne

Old Jul 24th, 2016, 05:18 PM
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Day Trip from Lausanne

Hi All,

I will be travelling to Lausanne for a business trip for around 8 days towards the end of August whereby I have around 3.5 full days on my own for a short vacation in Switzerland.

I'm planning to spend 1 to 1.5 days in Lausanne and will have round 2 full days to make either 2 day trips or stay overnight in one place that I intends to go.

I noticed there is several places that can be visited as a day trip such as Gruyeres, Vevey, Montreux and Castle Chillon, Estavayer-le-Lac or a little further away Zermatt, Annecy and Basel.

I've been to Switzerland 4 years ago for a short trip covering Geneva, Interlaken and Bern and I've got to say I like the scenery and the Swiss Alps (unfortunately when I went to Jungfrau there weather was not that great) and not really interested in the city like Geneva with Bern being the exception.

My preference would be to make day trip to small town/villages with landscape or scenery such as
Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Appenzellor or charming town like Stein am Rhein. However understand these are a little further away as a day trip but I am open to staying overnight.

Was thinking to visit Colmar by travelling to Basel and stay overnight in Basel but probably too little time to do both Colmar and Basel in 1.5 days.

Any advice would be highly appreciated.
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 06:14 PM
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You might check my trip report -- in response to some friends, I ended up including a lot of information about places within a 2 hour train ride of Lausanne. I didn't include that level of detail about some of the other places I visited (including Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, and Stein-am-Rhein), because they had only asked about things within 2 hours of Lausanne -- BUT I visited those places, so you might find some info about those locations, too.

Also: consider getting a Michelin Green Guide to Switzerland -- invaluable!
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 06:15 PM
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I suppose you could consider any of those Lac Leman locations as possible day trip destinations; we've done Gstaad from Lausanne as well; you could also cross the lake to France for the day if you wanted.

Having been to Zermatt more than once I'm not sure I'd go that far since the peak can easily be shrouded in clouds; you might c9ontent yourself with the excursion up to Rochers de Naye from Montreux.

If you did Appenzell then you might make a point of visiting both the abbey church in nearby St, Gallen as well as the library although the latter seems to have limited opening hours.
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 09:20 PM
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Hi kelvin_sse,

I agree with Dukey1 that a day-trip to Gstaad would be a nice idea; you could also visit Gruyeres, Chateau d'Oex, or Rougemont to get a glimpse of other things to see in the area. If you like nice walks, there is a wonderful, very scenic walk between Saanen & Gstaad that takes about 1h or between Schönried that also takes about 1h (both are on the same train line as Gstaad, so very easy to get back to Lausanne from). If you like hiking, one of my favorite hikes is from Wispile (above Gstaad) to Lauenen Lake; afterwards you can get something to eat or drink at the restaurant there, and take the bus back to Gstaad.

If you want to see some heights, you can take a bus from Gstaad to Col du Pillon cable car station and then take the cable car up to Glacier 3000.

You can probably see Vevey on one of the evenings after your work, as it's really very close; spend an hour or two getting lost in the tangled streets of its old town, then have a nice dinner in one of the cafes or restaurants there. Also try to visit Lutry, a lovely town on the lake surrounded by vineyards just outside of Lausanne (on the Vevey side).

Have fun as you plan!

s
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 09:36 PM
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I hated Gstaad -- WAY to upscale!!! Honestly, I don't need to see dogs sporting clothing and jewelry that I can't afford, not when there is so much else of scenic beauty to see in the area! JMO.
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 09:55 PM
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I think it's funny that kja hated Gstaad and thought it was too upscale. I guess she didn't spend a lot of time there.

I've spent weeks there, attending the Menuhin Music Fest in July and August and hiking. Yes, I did see the odd starving thin waif on stilts like heels hobbling down the pedestrian zone . . . but I also saw middle-aged couples in well-worn hiking clothes striding through town to get to a mountain lift; older couples in well-worn casual dress hopping from bench to bench down the promenade; and elderly women in their well-worn Sunday-best as they walked to the church for a concert. If you only have a few hours there and aren't open to see the rest of humanity, then, I guess, yes, you could see only the displays of the superrich. But if you enjoy people-watching, just sit down and enjoy the circus.

Oh, and do please note kja that I gave 3 activities to do outside of town to see that scenic beauty.

s
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 10:09 PM
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@ swandav -- you are right, I did not spend much time in Gstaad. I am glad I limited my time there! I'm sure one can -- with patience -- find some lovely moments there, and I have absolute confidence that your recommendations for destinations outside of Gstaad are worth considering. I chose to move on. And with such an array of glorious options in that region of Switzerland, I have no regrets about giving Gstaad little time -- if anything, I regret that I gave it even a few moments -- except, of course, that I had wanted to see it....
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 10:21 PM
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"I hated Gstaad -- WAY to upscale!!! Honestly, I don't need to see dogs sporting clothing and jewelry that I can't afford, not when there is so much else of scenic beauty to see in the area! JMO."

We've had very different experiences in Gstaad and have been going there at least three or four times a year since 2009. I've never seen dogs in jewelry. Some of the most-liked photos in my annual Fodors Advent Calendar have been from Gstaad and the Gstaad area. We've also gone on several wonderfully scenic hikes in the area with our dog (and, FWIW, she fitted right in with her $4 collar from Petsmart).

I have been to the music festival a few times. The performances are lovely, although the seating in the little church is quite tight.
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 10:42 PM
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@ WeisserTee -- I'm glad to know that your experiences of Gstaad were unlike mine.
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Old Jul 24th, 2016, 11:20 PM
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Montreux is along the railway line to Canton of Valais and Piedmont. Trains every 30 min. You will find tons of well known sights like Chamonix, Verbier, Crans-Montana, Leukerbad, Saas Fee, Zermatt, Riederalp-Bettmeralp/Aletsch Glacier, Stresa, etc. as well as unspoilt mountain villages like Miex/Lake Tanay, Champery,Les Marecottes, Finhaut/Lake Emosson, Nendaz, Evolene, Arolla, Grimentz, St. Luc, Zinal, Gspon, Blatten/Loetschental, Graechen, Toerbel, Binn, Simplon Dorf, Muenster.....
Or visit the small medieval towns along Lakes Geneva, Neuchatel and Morat with their castles and vineyards.

Good museums at Geneva, Nyon/Prangins, Lausanne, Vevey, Yverdon, Grandson castle, Ste. Croix, L'Auberson, Neuchatel, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Avenches, Gruyeres....
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 01:05 AM
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Gee, I'm really sorry I actually had the temerity to even mention a place that somebody hated and I didn't even say that I LIKED Gstaad, only that it was possible to go there from Lausanne.

This whole recommendation thing is becoming really burdensome around here.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 09:03 AM
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I don't think it is useful for you to imply that if someone says something that no one else is allowed to offer an opinion on the subject, either. It's just an opinion about a city, not a personal indictment of you, and if I were traveling to a place, I'd like to hear everyone's opinion about it to consider, not just one persons.

I think it is a problem when some people on Fodors think no one else is allowed to say something about a restaurant, site or city, etc., if it disagrees with them--let's say if they were the first one to mention something. That is saying no one is allowed to express an opinion but me. kja never said you were an idiot for mentioning Gstaad, just gave his or her opinion on it, I would think the OP might want to know various people's opinions.

I think people just stop taking it personally when someone just has a different opinion and expresses it, which they have a perfect right to do, and which, as I said, would be useful to most people.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 09:12 AM
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To see the Swiss Alps at their most majestic IMO and IME head yes for the Grindelwald area and do 2 days there if more is not possible. Take the Golden Pass scenic train Montreux to Interlaken-Ost and head for say Grindelwald where from your hotel balcony you can ogle soaring glacier-girdled Alps- toylike trains and thrilling aerial gondolas go off in all directions - hiking trails from easy to hard:

https://www.google.com/search?q=jung...w=1745&bih=868

Once there it is so easy to get around - trains are the best once there (and or gondolas) since cars are banned above Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen -for lots on Swiss trains check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 11:13 AM
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As a day trip yes Gstaad makes more sense since it is much closer than the Jungfrau Region - but if you can stay a day or two your experience I think in the Jungfrau Region would be much much more awesome and it's a lot easier to get around to several neat places there.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 02:08 PM
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<can be visited as a day trip such as Gruyeres, Vevey, Montreux and Castle Chillon>

Yes that is exactly what I would do with a few extra days around Lausanne.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 02:14 PM
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and also bop over to France at Evian-les-Bains to see that spiffy thermal resort and home to Evian bottled water and to see a wee bit of France- boats go right from Lausanne.
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 04:16 PM
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As Christina suggested, I offered my opinion in case it proved valuable to the OP, not as a criticism of anyone else. I am firmly committed to the belief that it is a good thing that people travel for different reasons, have different experiences, and enjoy different things. Vive la difference!
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 09:17 PM
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Yes, well, not sure if Christina is including my post or Dukey1's in her comments . . .

I felt compelled to respond to kja's specific comments. If someone says something vague or simply gives an opinion about a place I like, I might not reply. But if my experience doesn't match someone's specific comments, then I often feel compelled to give the opposing (er . . . "correct," . . . hmmm .. . **coughcough** . . .) view.

s
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 09:40 PM
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@ swandav: FWIW, I thought you asked some very good questions that might help the OP, and other readers of this thread, understand our differences in opinion. Again, vive la difference!
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Old Jul 25th, 2016, 09:55 PM
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You're very kind, kja! In fact, I was feeling ticked off when I wrote my reply, and it seems pretty snarky to me. I do apologize for the snark . . . I felt that your quick comment was a bit too brief and one-sided.

I really need to do better in writing with a more objective tone.



s
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