liesel

I thought it might be fun to see where everyone has been in Switzerland ... your favorite place and why? It also helps people like me who have only been over to Switzerland once and who are planning to go again obtain great information! Thanks everyone!

liesel

I'll start off my replying to my own post .. I was in Lucern for about 4 days back in May '96. The lake and mountains were just gorgeous. My roommate and I ate fondue and tons of chocolates. Unfortunately my photoalbum is at home so I can't remember exact names of places right at this moment in time. We traveled by train to a small town and took an even smaller train up the mountain and onto a ski lift type thing and then to the top of the alps we went. It was simply wonderful and breathtaking. Sorry I don't remember names.

PalQ

Interlaken, which granted is not all that great as a town but i've stayed there so much due to its plethora of budget accommodation and great situation from which to day trip to many neat places - i've grown to love the town - especially the town the casual tourist misses - walks along the rushing river linking the two lakes Inter-Laken is sandwiched in between and the Matten part of town. Granted i wouldn't expect Interlaken to get many votes.

bob_brown

Oh cripes, lets get to the real Switzerland. Get up in the mountains. The higher and deeper the better.
I have so many favorite places way up that I cannot list them all.
In the Berner Oberland alone, lets start with the Grimsel Pass and work west through Innertkirchen to Meiringen. The various canyons around there, and the falls streaming off the south wall of the valley. Then to Grindelwald and up to the heights of the Faulhorn, the cliffs of the Rots Gufer beyond Stieregg, the Eiger north face trail, the Männlichen Ridge, the Jungfraujoch with a hike to the shelter house a mile or so away, the Faulhorn, the depths of the mountains in the Kilchbalm, then over the Sefinenfurka to Griesalp. From there to Kandersteg and the Öeschinensee and its glories. And last but not least, the areas around Engstligenfälle and the Kiental.

Then one can head to les Diablarets west of Gstaad.

And we have not even gotten Zermatt, Val d'Annaviers, Saas Fee, or any of the beautiful lakes.

Or the Engadine Valley.

Sorry, no one favorite place but several dozen.

kleeblatt

I live in Switzerland and have the privilege to hear alphorns, cowbells and even the cuckoo bird from my yard. It's not just the beautiful sights that make Switzerland worthwhile, it's the sounds too.

rex

I don't particularly like Switzerland (too expensive, it seems to me) - - and if I am reading bob_brown right, I haven't ever even been up in the "real Switzerland&quot...

... but I do like these two places:

Hotel Albana in Weggis, 20 minutes from Luzern, part of the way around the Vierwaldstattersee - - cool old hotel, good rooms, very nice dining.

Domaine du Chateauvieux in Satigny, 20 km outside Geneva - - mediocre rooms (being generous), tolerable for the resaurant which is an extraordinary "experience gastronomique". No tables guaranteed for guests there; book your table well ahead of your arrival (perhaps at the time of booking a room).

Best wishes,

Rex

FlyFish

Above Grindelwald, sitting at a picnic table in front of the mountain restaurant at Schreckfeld on a warm clear early spring day after skiing down from Oberjoch, enjoying a Rugenbrau and some french fries with the Wetterhorn, Schreckhorn, and Eiger on the other side of the valley seemingly close enough to reach out and touch. As close to heaven as I'll ever get in this life.

suze

Vevey
Montreux
Lausanne
Geneva

Why? I have friends who live there. It is extremely beautiful. I love the french-speaking part of the country. It is the most organized place I have ever been. The food, the wine, festivals, outdoor markets, the lake, the mountains, boat rides, did I mention the wine?

mr_go

This place right here:

http://image12.webshots.com/12/2/84/...2XPWrXu_fs.jpg

That's the Bachalpsee, high above Grindelwald.

kopp

ah, yes, mr. go. And I'll be there in 5 weeks!

swandav2000

Hi All,

Well, my favorite place is a favorite for personal reasons that don't transfer well -- I went to boarding school in Montreux a lifetime ago and the place just imprinted on me. I've read here some reports from folks who were disappointed with the bustle, the tacky tourist shops and the more modern architecture along the main street, and of course that's all there. But the majesty of the lake & mountains and the serenity of that 11km flowered lakeside promenade far removed from the activity of the street keep drawing me back and making me feel that I've come home. When I see that first glimpse of Lac Leman, my soul goes all "Peace"!

ok, but other than Montreux, I love Wengen's quiet beauty (yes even though loving the Berner Oberland is a bit of a cliche) and third is Luzern for its spectacular mix of mountains and lakes (again, yes, even though loving Luzern is a cliche).

But Poschiavo is also a rare and beautiful gem, as is hilltop Guarda and Pontresina and Sils. I also have a special place in my heart for the gentle, green rolling hills of Saanen & Gstaad & Rougemont & Chateau d'Oex that are so pleasant to cycle along.

O come on! How can I choose?? Don't make me!

s

FainaAgain

Any village (but only if they sell ice-cream there ) is on my "yes" list.

I wouldn't stay in Zurich again, once is enough. Loved Bern, but spent only few hours there, want to go again.

maitaitom

"That's the Bachalpsee, high above Grindelwald."

mr_go, It's also the place where a cow tried to steal my wife's lunch (a fun memory since I did not alert her so I could get a good picture of the thieving bovine). I loved all the hikes in the area.

My other favorite place in Switzerland is Chateau de Chillon in Montreux on Lac Leman. Great place to take a self-guided tour.

taxatty

Favorite places after three trips there (about to take #4):

1. The funicular up to Monte San Salvatore and the hike from there down to Morcote.

2. The dessert bar at the Hotel Restaurant Roseg Gletscher outside of Pontresina, reached by foot path and horse-drawn cart.

3. The cable car ride to the Schilthorn, and the revolving restaurant at the top.

4. Chateaux de Chillon.

5. The Abbey Library in St. Gallen.

6. The Rheinfalls.

7. The Basel Kunstmuseum.

Corgwyn

Admittedly I am no Swiss expert, but if there were but one choice, I would have to choose Lauterbrunnen. Sitting in the balcony of our little hotel, (Staubbach), with a beer, of course, looking into the end of the valley and the falls, after a half day on the Schilthorn is hard to beat. I have a picture taken the next morning (rain) with a view of the little church,the thundering falls, and the narrow back part of the valley that is my favorite travel picture of all time. Then there is the beautiful cemetary with its Heart Stone, or just ambling around on a sunny day. Everyone has his or her own likes, but to me the Lauterbrunnen Valley is about as close to heaven as it gets. Soon we will be visiting Muerren and other places in Switzerland, some we haven't seen, and I might change my mind, though I doubt it. Now there's a question I have; is there an ugly place in all of Switzerland> So far we haven't found one.

Corgwyn

Corgwyn

Topping

Edward2005

Gimmelwald. No traffic, quiet, real, mad scenery, most of the residents are farmers so are not there to sell you something, and the mention of its name causes spoiled tourists to burst into flames.

rachel_mermaid

Oh, yay--a topic about one of my favorite places!

For some reason I have always wanted to go to Switzerland (not sure why)since I was a teenager, so when I was 27 the first place I traveled to on my own was Switzerland.

Fave place has to be Gimmelwald, followed by Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken. Gimmelwald and Lauterbrunnen for the natural beauty and quiet, making my soul go aaaaahhh.

Interlaken for all the adventurous activities. First trip (in Sept 2002) I went paragliding, canyoning, and zorbing (rolling down a hill in a giant ball.)

Second trip to Switzerland (in July 2003)I went paragliding again and bungee jumping. Yippeeee!

Other favorite places in Switzerland are the beautiful towns of Luzern and Bern. I enjoyed the tour of Chateau de Chillon in Montreaux and the Italian-speakin part of Switzerland near Lugano a lot too. I'd skip Basel and Zurich really, and Zermatt was a little too touristy for me. There are really a lot of places of interest in Switzerland I still haven't seen, such as Appenzell and Gruyere.

This topic has me itching to go back to Switzerland. I don't normally like to repeat experiences much, but for some reason Switzerland is a place I don't think I'll get bored with easily. If I had one place to bring my sweetheart with me to in Switzerland, though, it would have to be Gimmelwald.

madhatt

PalQ's response sounds like one I wrote. Many years ago we stayed at Interlaken for almost a week, and day-tripped. The walks/hikes we took through the countryside were the highlight, with one up to a glacier the most interesting. Thats the first time we walked inside the glacier.

isabel

I'm really glad to hear people say they liked Interlaken since I have five nights there next month. I chose it because I didn't want to move around every night and so I wanted a base to explore different places, but I had heard that alot of people didn't like Interlaken itself. I'm planning at least one day up in the mountains, and one day to Bern but I thought I'd also like to explore the some of the towns along the lakes (Thun, Spiez, and Oberhofen). Anyone have any tips for visiting those places (or others)? Also, how much time should I allow for Interlaken itself? The guidebooks don't say much about the old town (Unterseen) but I just saw a Samantha Brown show on Interlaken and it looked pretty nice.