lynnalan

Our flight arrives in Zurich this summer from the States and then we will travel down to Chateau d'Oex for 6 days. We are considering a stop in Lucerne for lunch and a walk about town .... I know it is a bit out of the way and we will be tired BUT we were planning originally to stay in Lucerne and after all of the research I am really curious to see it.

We are planning to do a lot of cycling in Switzerland and currently I am not planning to visit the Bernese Oberland (I have been there before - though my husband has not).

We will be traveling from Chateau d'Oex to Lake Como.

The most efficient route seems to be from Chateau d'Oex to Montreaux to Milan (where we will probably pick up a car and drive to Lake Como because it is Sunday and the rental agencies in Como are closed).

However I know we are missing a lot of Switzerland with our plan to headquarter in Chateau d'Oex, so I am wondering if it is worth looking for a rail experience that would be more scenic but perhaps a longer journey to get us to Como (if we don't end up in Milan that is ok - we can pick up a car on Monday or Tuesday - I believe we will use ferries more than the car to get around but we do want to have one for doing some exploring).

I would also welcome suggestions for our travel from Zurich (and possibly Lucerne) to Chateau d'Oex. It looks like the Goldenpass might be an option for us.

Thanks in advance for any help!

swandav2000

Hi lynnalan,

Lucky you! I spent two weeks in a vacation apartment in Chateau d'Oex one year and loved it. That area is excellent for biking, and one of my favorite hikes ever is in the hills above Gstaad. I haven't done them yet, but two nice walks are from Bulle to Gruyeres and also the Chemin du Gruyere which starts in Charmey.

Sorry I don't have any great suggestions for getting to Italy from there, though. The only things I can think of would entail getting to the eastern side of the country to catch the Bernina Express to Tirano -- but that would mean about 12h of train travel, if not more.

I hope you come upon a good solution!

s

Dukey1

I was going to say do the Bernina Express for the spectacular scenery but in the end it is probably not worth the hassle. I suppose you could take a short "dettour" once in Montreux and take the trip up to Rochers de Naye (leave all your luggage in the lockers at the train station) and then go onward through Brig and the Simplon to Milan. Is that rental car an absolute must? If not you could make your way over to Lake Como from Lugano by bus.

lynnalan

Oh Swandav2000 I am so glad to hear that you loved Chateau d'Oex! We are also staying in an apartment and I was planning to ride to Gruyeres one day, though I will also look in to that walk. I have not actually heard from anyone who stayed in the village but it seemed to check all of the boxes for us for location, size, proximity to places we want to visit, French speaking and I like the apt that I found. So it is great to hear from someone who had a good experience there.

Dukey1 - we do not have to pick up the rental car on arrival (we can get it later in the week). I think we will mostly use ferries to get around the lake but I imagine we will want the car for some hiking and dinners at some point during the week.

WeisserTee

While you are in the area, you might want to consider a stop by Romont. The castle there has been turned into a glass museum with changing exhibitions as well as a permanent collection. As you near the entrance, you will be greeted by a white cat who likes to meet visitors. You are allowed to pet him three times -- on the fourth try he will take a swipe at you.

I am surprised how few people in visiting the region stop by Romont. It has some similarities to Gruyeres and almost none of the tourists. It's perched up on a hill but since it's not a tourist destination (and it's not car-free), there's no bus to take you up the hill from the train station. If you're not driving, you have to walk. Fortunately, there are benches regularly placed along the way in case you want to take a breather. The view from the top of the town, especially from the local cemetery, is excellent.

Every year, I do two weeks of day trips and short overnights around Switzerland (I live in Basel) in late October/early November. Romont was one of my 2013 favourites.