baby2

We are planning to spend the month of June 2007 in Switzerland. We are thinking of a week in the Lugano area (or should we stay in the Lake Como area?) and home base for three weeks in the Lauterbrunnen. After reading quite a bit here, we are thinking that maybe we should do a week in the Engadine Valley and just two weeks in Berner Oberland.

We are the apartment rental kind of travellers. We don't like having to move around with our luggage - hence the homebasing in a place for as long as we can and doing day or even two-day trips with just a backpack. We will buy the month Swiss pass to get around and we plan to do a lot of hiking, the mild kind.

We would appreciate your input especially as to which of the numerous villages/town we should consider in each of these areas - with apartment of chalet rentals. We are not the resort type but would like access to a decent grocery/produce market.

Thank you.

swandav2000

Hi baby2,

What a great plan! I am very envious and think you'll have a **great** time!!

Well, I spent about a week in Zuoz one year and enjoyed it a lot. Ingo, who visits the Engadin a lot, favors the Sils area because of the lakes. He also recommends Celerina. I also thought Pontresina looked really grand! I guess I would advise you to find the perfect apartment at the perfect price and let that be your guide.

You can get more information on the Engadin at www.engadin.ch -- separate sites for the Upper (St. Moritz, Zuoz, Celerina & Sils) & Lower (Scuol).

Good luck!

s

jmw44

Well just in case you're open to four places at one week each, I'd suggest (with unbearable envy) Ticino (Lago Maggiore and neighboring valleys), the Engadine Valley, the Oberland, and the Lavaux region along Lac Leman. Oh my goodness, I can hardly stand it, I'm so jealous. J.

lyb

tagging

Ingo

I second swandav's suggestion. Just in case June will be hot - the Upper Engadine is much cooler than the villages in the Berner Oberland (due to higher elevation).

I'd like to throw in Silvaplana as a base for the Engadine. I have stayed a couple of times (and satisfied each time) in the apartments Da La Posta there.

See www.interhome.ch for apartment rental.

baby2

Thank you s, j, and Ingo.

I think that we will do the Ticino for a week, then Benina Express it to Engadine for a week and still do two weeks in BO. We have done a little of the Lake Geneva before, so we may just do a day or 2-day trip there.

I am still looking into whether we should stay in the Lake Como side or do the Ticino side? There seem to be more rentals available in the Lake Como area. Any thoughts?

marigross

I adored the Engadine and was very, very happy with Samedan as a homebase. We stayed in an apartment in Hotel Central and would recommend it. It was quite basic but perfectly functional.

There were many 'light' hikes in the area that I would have loved to do.

jmw44

So the upper Engadine is at higher elevation than the Berner Oberland? How interesting! (I didn't know that.) And such a good point in its favor, if the summers continue to be so warm. Thanks. J.

JamesB

I just returned from Muerren, in the Bernese Oberland. We spend 4 nights there. Wonderful place! Not very touristy, as the crowds tend to go to the other side of the valley where the views aren't as good but everyone knows the names of Grindelwald and the Jungfraujoch. The hikes and walks around Murren are magnificent, as are the views from the town itself. You can't get there by car, only by cable car or cogwheel rail! We rented a place in the top of a chalet for a reasonable price. It was a beautiful apartment with full kitchen. (Sabina Kulicka, Im Geisstiliboden, 3825 Mürren
Switzerland, 0041 33 855 45 38). Lauterbrunnen would also be another nice base in that valley.

baby2

All our accomodations are booked for our 2007 Switzerland holiday. Thank you for your input. We will not be renting a car but will buy the Swiss Pass.

We opted to rent an apartment for the week (starting 26 May) on Lake Como (Gravedona) instead of Lake Lugano or Maggiore. We will visit Ticino while based in Lake Como.

Then on to Brienz for two weeks renting a chalet with the view of the lake and the mountains. We did consider Lauterbrunnen for better transport options but the rental in Brienz is more in line with our budget.

We then train it to our one-week rental on Lake Geneva, a village called Epesses - 15 minutes west of Vevey. Again we will have the lake and mountain view from the living room.

Then a looooong train ride to Upper Engadine to our one-week rental in Pontressina.

And finally on to Appenzell for a one-week stay in Haus Lydia in their apartment on the 2nd floor.

We plan to fly out of Zurich. I am told that it will take 2 hours to get to the airport from Appenzell. If we have an 11 am flight out of Zurich, should we just train it from Appenzell or should we plan to get a hotel closer to the airport?

Now that our accomodations are all booked, I am reseaching the other aspect of this holiday. Please, I am open to all/any of your suggestions.

swandav2000

Hi baby2,

Wow, how beautifully your trip is turning out -- you're really going to enjoy this splurge!!

I don't know if you've seen my posting these links before, but here are my "reviews" of activities for Lake Geneva and a bit beyond into a corner of the Berner Oberland:

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

*******

Your apartment in Epesses is right in the Lavaux, so you'll have a lot of time to really explore that area. Here's another website for you: www.lavaux.ch. If you click on the "Tourism" pages, then click on "Sentiers," you'll see maps of nice vineyard walks. You'll be very close to towns like Cully & Lutry, which are very charming small towns.

For your Engadin portion, here's a link to Ingo's Sep 05 trip report & photos:

http://www.worldisround.com/articles/229817/index.html

You can probably find more about Pontresina if you do a search here. Pontresina is a great spot, and I think it'll be a good time for you!

Good luck!

s

baby2

Thanks S. We are getting excited about this trip which will start in Rome at the end of April 2007. We have rentals booked for a week in Rome, a week in Assisi, and 2 weeks in Venice before we go to Lake Como. We have been to Italy four time before for a total of 20 weeks but this will be the first time in Switzerland. I don't know why we have never done Switzerland but when I started researching it, I am pretty sure we will love the country.