Switzerland in 6 days? (based in Geneva)
Jun 25th, 2012, 03:54 AM
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Switzerland in 6 days? (based in Geneva)
Hello everyone! Recently my mother and I decided last minute to take a trip to Switzerland for either 5 or 6 nights in early July. Usually we are very good at organising trips efficiently however because this is such a last minute decision we are struggling a bit to absorb all the information about Switzerland! Therefore I would love to hear some suggestions about some places to go to if we are based in Geneva. We would love to visit Bern, Lucerne, Zurich and Jungfrau but of course with the length of our stay this will be quite impossible!
This is the first draft of our itinerary:
Wednesday - We arrive in Geneva in the morning or afternoon, sightseeing in Geneva
Thursday - Train to Montreux and then the Swiss Chocolate Train excursion with GoldenPass Line
Friday - Sightseeing in Lausanne and then Chateau de Chillon
Saturday - Day trip to Lucerne, possibly go up Mount Pilatus with the Golden Round Journey?
Sunday - Day trip to Bern?
Monday - Off to the airport and home!
Would this be feasible? And is it a good itinerary or are there better places to go? We would love to see the Lavaux vineyards and see possibly some wine production and do a wine tasting but the information on the website is slightly confusing so I'm not sure how to go about this!
Thank you.
This is the first draft of our itinerary:
Wednesday - We arrive in Geneva in the morning or afternoon, sightseeing in Geneva
Thursday - Train to Montreux and then the Swiss Chocolate Train excursion with GoldenPass Line
Friday - Sightseeing in Lausanne and then Chateau de Chillon
Saturday - Day trip to Lucerne, possibly go up Mount Pilatus with the Golden Round Journey?
Sunday - Day trip to Bern?
Monday - Off to the airport and home!
Would this be feasible? And is it a good itinerary or are there better places to go? We would love to see the Lavaux vineyards and see possibly some wine production and do a wine tasting but the information on the website is slightly confusing so I'm not sure how to go about this!
Thank you.
Jun 25th, 2012, 05:39 AM
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taking the train? Check out these sites for superb IMO info on Swiss trains (and lake boats, etc) - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html and www.ricksteves.com. And investigate the 4-consecutive-day Swiss Pass covering all your trains and providing free passage on lake boats such as plying Lake Geneva and Lake Lucerne - hop on any train, boat, bus, city tram or bus anytime - also free entry to 400+ Swiss museums.
Jun 25th, 2012, 05:49 AM
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Congrats on your trip to Switzerland!
Will you be travelling exclusively by train or will you have a car for portions of your trip? If by train, you can check out travel distance times at sbb.ch (click on english) enter your departure town and arrival town. You will see that Geneve to Montreux is one hour, to Lausanne is 43 minutes, to Luzern is 3 Hours (ouch, and this is BEFORE any time for the Golden round trip) to Bern is 2 hours (Very worth it IMHO) to Zurich is 2 hr 43 minutes.
Although many posters will advocate, Berner Oberland, this may not be a wise choice distance-wise for tyo at this time.
I loved Bern and nearby Murten... not sure of the distance to Zermatt, but if a mountain is an absolute must-see, check that trip out at sbb.ch
Otherwise, it looks like a great trip!
Will you be travelling exclusively by train or will you have a car for portions of your trip? If by train, you can check out travel distance times at sbb.ch (click on english) enter your departure town and arrival town. You will see that Geneve to Montreux is one hour, to Lausanne is 43 minutes, to Luzern is 3 Hours (ouch, and this is BEFORE any time for the Golden round trip) to Bern is 2 hours (Very worth it IMHO) to Zurich is 2 hr 43 minutes.
Although many posters will advocate, Berner Oberland, this may not be a wise choice distance-wise for tyo at this time.
I loved Bern and nearby Murten... not sure of the distance to Zermatt, but if a mountain is an absolute must-see, check that trip out at sbb.ch
Otherwise, it looks like a great trip!
Jun 25th, 2012, 08:21 AM
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Hi dizzeedollee,
I'm not sure if you're aware, but your time in Geneva coincides with the internationally famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux ( - 14 July). At that time, Montreux will be mobbed by tourists, concert-goers, pick-pockets, groupies, and, yes, lots and lots of police. Parts of the lakeside path will be blocked off. It may not be at all pleasant!
This is obviously going to affect your plans on Thursday and Friday -- at the very least, it will take you longer to do these things, and at worse, they will be mobbed.
As for the Lavaux vineyards, which website exactly are you looking at? There are many, and there are many possible towns and villages there to see. Lutry is one of my favorite vineyard towns because it is so pretty, has some preserved medieval buildings, and is nestled in the vineyards and also at the lake. Chexbres is another winner, and you would just walk from the town down the hills through the vineyards to the lake to end up at Rivaz or at St Saphorin. There is a new, large, central tasting site at Rivaz called the Lavaux Vinorama
www.lavaux-vinorama.ch
which may be convenient for you.
You can see the train schedules for all your trips from the Swiss rail site at
www.rail.ch
Have fun as you plan!
s
I'm not sure if you're aware, but your time in Geneva coincides with the internationally famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux ( - 14 July). At that time, Montreux will be mobbed by tourists, concert-goers, pick-pockets, groupies, and, yes, lots and lots of police. Parts of the lakeside path will be blocked off. It may not be at all pleasant!
This is obviously going to affect your plans on Thursday and Friday -- at the very least, it will take you longer to do these things, and at worse, they will be mobbed.
As for the Lavaux vineyards, which website exactly are you looking at? There are many, and there are many possible towns and villages there to see. Lutry is one of my favorite vineyard towns because it is so pretty, has some preserved medieval buildings, and is nestled in the vineyards and also at the lake. Chexbres is another winner, and you would just walk from the town down the hills through the vineyards to the lake to end up at Rivaz or at St Saphorin. There is a new, large, central tasting site at Rivaz called the Lavaux Vinorama
www.lavaux-vinorama.ch
which may be convenient for you.
You can see the train schedules for all your trips from the Swiss rail site at
www.rail.ch
Have fun as you plan!
s
Jun 25th, 2012, 08:39 AM
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Hi again,
You may also have another problem with your plans to take the Chocolate Train. It departs Montreux around 09.00, I think, and you would have to leave Geneva at 07.30 in order to make it. This may not be your or your mother's idea of a vacation!
You can do all the parts of the Chocolate Train on your own without having to conform to the tour schedule. Just take the train to Gruyeres and tour the factory next to the train station and then walk up the hill to enjoy the town. Then take the train to Broc-Fabrique and tour the Cailler chocolate factory. And then train back home.
You may also have another problem with your plans to take the Chocolate Train. It departs Montreux around 09.00, I think, and you would have to leave Geneva at 07.30 in order to make it. This may not be your or your mother's idea of a vacation!
You can do all the parts of the Chocolate Train on your own without having to conform to the tour schedule. Just take the train to Gruyeres and tour the factory next to the train station and then walk up the hill to enjoy the town. Then take the train to Broc-Fabrique and tour the Cailler chocolate factory. And then train back home.
Jun 25th, 2012, 08:43 AM
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(continued. Sorry for the interruption, but I'm typing on my tablet, and I'm not so dextrous . . .)
Anyway, if you took the train from Geneva to Gruyeres, you would go via Palezieux and avoid the mess in Montreux altogether. If you wanted to do this, here are the sites:
www.cailler.ch
www.lamaisondugreyere.ch
Have fun --
s
Anyway, if you took the train from Geneva to Gruyeres, you would go via Palezieux and avoid the mess in Montreux altogether. If you wanted to do this, here are the sites:
www.cailler.ch
www.lamaisondugreyere.ch
Have fun --
s
Jun 26th, 2012, 02:39 AM
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Hello everyone,
Thank you very much for your feedback! I wonder then, would it perhaps be better to base ourselves in Bern and then travel to Lucerne, Montreux/Gruyeres, Basel, etc for day trips?
Thank you very much for your feedback! I wonder then, would it perhaps be better to base ourselves in Bern and then travel to Lucerne, Montreux/Gruyeres, Basel, etc for day trips?
Jun 26th, 2012, 02:43 AM
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I think it would be, yes.
For one thing, Bern is closer to the mountains, so you would be able to get to the mountains much more easily (most folks want to see the mountains in Switzerland --)
Another option would be the sweet big town of Thun, which sits right on Lake Thun. It's super convenient for trips to Montreux and Gruyeres as well as convenient for trips to the mountains. I really love lakeside bases --
You can use the rail site I posted above to see the train schedules from your proposed base to the various day-trips you want.
Have fun!
s
For one thing, Bern is closer to the mountains, so you would be able to get to the mountains much more easily (most folks want to see the mountains in Switzerland --)
Another option would be the sweet big town of Thun, which sits right on Lake Thun. It's super convenient for trips to Montreux and Gruyeres as well as convenient for trips to the mountains. I really love lakeside bases --
You can use the rail site I posted above to see the train schedules from your proposed base to the various day-trips you want.
Have fun!
s
Jun 26th, 2012, 05:24 AM
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I really love lakeside bases -->
me too and though Thun is technically on Lake Thun it really is not right on the lake but nearby Spiez is - hovering high over the lake and spilling down to it - Speiz has the castle of your dreams looming high above the lake and is a much smaller town than largish Thun - all in all more romantic for most and many folks do indeed rave about their stays in Spiez - right on main rail lines and great boat service on Lake Thun.
me too and though Thun is technically on Lake Thun it really is not right on the lake but nearby Spiez is - hovering high over the lake and spilling down to it - Speiz has the castle of your dreams looming high above the lake and is a much smaller town than largish Thun - all in all more romantic for most and many folks do indeed rave about their stays in Spiez - right on main rail lines and great boat service on Lake Thun.
Jun 26th, 2012, 06:21 AM
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PalQ,
Could you explain what you mean by ". . is not right on the lake . . "? I've been there several times, arriving and leaving by lake ferry and by train, and Thun most certainly is right on the lake.
Spiez is also right on the lake and is smaller than is Thun. However, Spiez is spread over a hill, with the lake harbor down below and the train station up on the hill above. If you have a nice hotel at the lake, you'll have somewhat of an uphill walk for each of your excursions.
s
Could you explain what you mean by ". . is not right on the lake . . "? I've been there several times, arriving and leaving by lake ferry and by train, and Thun most certainly is right on the lake.
Spiez is also right on the lake and is smaller than is Thun. However, Spiez is spread over a hill, with the lake harbor down below and the train station up on the hill above. If you have a nice hotel at the lake, you'll have somewhat of an uphill walk for each of your excursions.
s
Jun 26th, 2012, 08:13 AM
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Well when you take the lake boat to Thun the boats go thru about a half-mile of canal to reach Thun proper - thus the city center at least is not on the lake if I recall - I will have to look at a map to see if I recall what I recall I recall! All of
Spiez lovingly overlooks the lake - very little of flat Thun does I think, thus I would not use the term lakeside with Thun at all IMO.
Spiez lovingly overlooks the lake - very little of flat Thun does I think, thus I would not use the term lakeside with Thun at all IMO.
Jun 27th, 2012, 05:10 AM
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Thank you everyone for your input, you've all been very helpful! I am just wondering because Switzerland is known for its views and the mountains whether there is any point in ascending Mount Pilatus in the Summer? As it's summer I'm assuming there isn't any snow. I also wanted to quickly ask, is it necessary to book tickets for the cable car, the cruise across the lake at the bottom, etc for the Golden Round Trip or can I simply turn up on the day? Thank you!
Jun 27th, 2012, 05:38 AM
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Sorry for posting again! I have also found this? http://www.lonelyplanet.com/switzerl...ll-group-swiss
Do you think it would be better to go on this guided tour or Mount Pilatus or Titlis do you think?
Do you think it would be better to go on this guided tour or Mount Pilatus or Titlis do you think?
