Tips for things to see or do along our itinerary?
Jan 21st, 2016, 03:26 AM
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Tips for things to see or do along our itinerary?
I will be traveling to Switzerland in June with my sister as my travelling companion. I have done a good deal of research, but I stumble on new things all the time so, in hopes that I might stumble upon some things that I was unaware of, I thought I would post my itinerary and general plans and see if anyone has some tips for things I might have overlooked.
Note: I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass. While a Half Fare card might work as well, or better, I like not having to worry about purchasing tickets (although I will have to purchase some in the Berner Oberland, even with the pass)
Day 1-7, Saturday: Arrive at ZRH and take the train to Wengen to begin a one-week stay in an apartment. Along the way, I was thinking that I might have time to eat lunch and take a quick look at Bern, although if time does not permit, we could do this later in the trip. While in Wengen, I hope to do the Mannlichen-Kleine Sheidegg hike, the North Face Trail on the other side of the valley, and perhaps the 2 hour panorama loop (not the Faulhorn trail all the way to First) from Schynige Platte. Of course, we will pick a good weather day to do the Jungfrau, and probably use less optimal weather days to go to Ballenburg for the open air museum, a Lake Brienz cruise, and possibly a trip to Merringen to see the Reichenbach Falls. I was also thinking about doing a luge ride--there's one near Grindewald, right?
Days 8-10: From Wengen, we will go to Interlaken and take the Golden Pass to Montreux, then local trains to Grandvaux, where we will spend 3 nights at the Auberge de la Gare. In all my research, I really had no grasp of the Lavaux vineyards until just the other day when I followed a link that someone posted on a thread on another forum regarding lodging for Montreux, found this small inn and restaurant, and loved what I saw. We will use this as a base for day trips to Lausanne and Montreux (including Chateau de Chillon), and hope to do the Chocolate Train (non-negotiable according to my sister). Right now, I'm thinking that we probably won't go to Geneva, given time constraints.
Days 11-12. From Grandvaux, we're going to travel to Lucerne (will spend 2 nights at Hotel des Alpes), but which way we go might depend on whether we get to see enough of Bern on Day 1, or whether we need to go back through there. If not, we might retrace our steps on the Golden Pass route so that we can cover the section between Interlaken and Lucerne. I would like to do this because I've read a couple of books that talk about traveling this route, but I'm wondering if it will be worth doubling back over the Montreux-Interlaken segment just to see the Interlaken-Lucerne segment. While in Lucerne, of course we will see the Lion monument, and I really want to go to the Transport museum. We might make a trip up Rigi or Pilatus, but after a week in the Berner Oberland, I'm not sure if that should be a priority.
Days 12-13: My sister is really in to genealogy, and has discovered that we have ancestors from the Toggenburg Valley (Watwill), so we are going from Lucerne to St. Gallen (will spend 2 nights at Hotel Dom). Sometime, we will want to stop in Watwill, and possibly travel the few miles from there north to Lichtensteig so that we can satisfy this genealogy quest, but I'm not sure when, as I feel like that should not take up an inordinate amount of our time. We could do it on the way from Lucerne to St. Gallen, but I had already considered detouring to Einsiedeln on that travel day. We could go to Appenzell, if it was worthwhile, although I'm not sure. They have an opera festival in St. Gallen and we could go to one of these performances (open air in the cloister of the cathedral). This is the one area where it looks to me like a car might be useful, but we haven't planned to rent one at all on the trip. However, I'm persuadable on that point.
Day 15-16: From St. Gallen, we will travel to Zurich and spend one night (Hotel Alexander) before our return flight. I'm thinking we will take an early train so that we will have most of the day available to see some things in Zurich, but, coming at the end of the trip, I'm not sure how much we will see.
Anyway, there it is. Although I'm pretty set on the lodging and general route, any tips or suggestions you might have would be welcome.
Note: I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass. While a Half Fare card might work as well, or better, I like not having to worry about purchasing tickets (although I will have to purchase some in the Berner Oberland, even with the pass)
Day 1-7, Saturday: Arrive at ZRH and take the train to Wengen to begin a one-week stay in an apartment. Along the way, I was thinking that I might have time to eat lunch and take a quick look at Bern, although if time does not permit, we could do this later in the trip. While in Wengen, I hope to do the Mannlichen-Kleine Sheidegg hike, the North Face Trail on the other side of the valley, and perhaps the 2 hour panorama loop (not the Faulhorn trail all the way to First) from Schynige Platte. Of course, we will pick a good weather day to do the Jungfrau, and probably use less optimal weather days to go to Ballenburg for the open air museum, a Lake Brienz cruise, and possibly a trip to Merringen to see the Reichenbach Falls. I was also thinking about doing a luge ride--there's one near Grindewald, right?
Days 8-10: From Wengen, we will go to Interlaken and take the Golden Pass to Montreux, then local trains to Grandvaux, where we will spend 3 nights at the Auberge de la Gare. In all my research, I really had no grasp of the Lavaux vineyards until just the other day when I followed a link that someone posted on a thread on another forum regarding lodging for Montreux, found this small inn and restaurant, and loved what I saw. We will use this as a base for day trips to Lausanne and Montreux (including Chateau de Chillon), and hope to do the Chocolate Train (non-negotiable according to my sister). Right now, I'm thinking that we probably won't go to Geneva, given time constraints.
Days 11-12. From Grandvaux, we're going to travel to Lucerne (will spend 2 nights at Hotel des Alpes), but which way we go might depend on whether we get to see enough of Bern on Day 1, or whether we need to go back through there. If not, we might retrace our steps on the Golden Pass route so that we can cover the section between Interlaken and Lucerne. I would like to do this because I've read a couple of books that talk about traveling this route, but I'm wondering if it will be worth doubling back over the Montreux-Interlaken segment just to see the Interlaken-Lucerne segment. While in Lucerne, of course we will see the Lion monument, and I really want to go to the Transport museum. We might make a trip up Rigi or Pilatus, but after a week in the Berner Oberland, I'm not sure if that should be a priority.
Days 12-13: My sister is really in to genealogy, and has discovered that we have ancestors from the Toggenburg Valley (Watwill), so we are going from Lucerne to St. Gallen (will spend 2 nights at Hotel Dom). Sometime, we will want to stop in Watwill, and possibly travel the few miles from there north to Lichtensteig so that we can satisfy this genealogy quest, but I'm not sure when, as I feel like that should not take up an inordinate amount of our time. We could do it on the way from Lucerne to St. Gallen, but I had already considered detouring to Einsiedeln on that travel day. We could go to Appenzell, if it was worthwhile, although I'm not sure. They have an opera festival in St. Gallen and we could go to one of these performances (open air in the cloister of the cathedral). This is the one area where it looks to me like a car might be useful, but we haven't planned to rent one at all on the trip. However, I'm persuadable on that point.
Day 15-16: From St. Gallen, we will travel to Zurich and spend one night (Hotel Alexander) before our return flight. I'm thinking we will take an early train so that we will have most of the day available to see some things in Zurich, but, coming at the end of the trip, I'm not sure how much we will see.
Anyway, there it is. Although I'm pretty set on the lodging and general route, any tips or suggestions you might have would be welcome.
Jan 21st, 2016, 08:03 AM
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Hi twk,
The Chocolate Train leaves Montreux only once a day, at 08.30, and only on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday in June. So that means that you need to make sure that one of your two free days in Montreux will be a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and you'll need to depart Grandvaux at 07.28 to arrive in Montreux at 08.11 to catch the CT.
Of course, you can simplify things if you just do the elements of the tour on your own, and it's super easy. Just take the train from Grandvaux to Gruyeres and see the cheese-making demonstration and visit the medieval village on the hill. Then take the train onward to Broc-Fabrique to see the Cailler factory. Then train back to Grandvaux. This would be especially easy since you'll have the Swiss Pass.
Information about the Chocolate Train
http://www.goldenpass.ch/en/goldenpass/offer/view?id=15
Information about the Cailler factory at Broc-Fabrique:
http://cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler/visit-us/tarifs/
Information about the cheese dairy in Gruyeres:
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/cheese-a...ese-Dairy.html
For other things to do, I would advise you to walk along the lake from Montreux to Chillon to enjoy the beautiful flowered lakeside promenade (one of the best things about Montreux); also be sure to spend a few hours getting lost in the winding streets of Vevey's old town.
Have fun as you plan!
s
The Chocolate Train leaves Montreux only once a day, at 08.30, and only on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday in June. So that means that you need to make sure that one of your two free days in Montreux will be a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and you'll need to depart Grandvaux at 07.28 to arrive in Montreux at 08.11 to catch the CT.
Of course, you can simplify things if you just do the elements of the tour on your own, and it's super easy. Just take the train from Grandvaux to Gruyeres and see the cheese-making demonstration and visit the medieval village on the hill. Then take the train onward to Broc-Fabrique to see the Cailler factory. Then train back to Grandvaux. This would be especially easy since you'll have the Swiss Pass.
Information about the Chocolate Train
http://www.goldenpass.ch/en/goldenpass/offer/view?id=15
Information about the Cailler factory at Broc-Fabrique:
http://cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler/visit-us/tarifs/
Information about the cheese dairy in Gruyeres:
http://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/cheese-a...ese-Dairy.html
For other things to do, I would advise you to walk along the lake from Montreux to Chillon to enjoy the beautiful flowered lakeside promenade (one of the best things about Montreux); also be sure to spend a few hours getting lost in the winding streets of Vevey's old town.
Have fun as you plan!
s
Jan 21st, 2016, 07:30 PM
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"I was thinking that I might have time to eat lunch and take a quick look at Bern"
Depends on your interests! I thought Bern worth closer to 2 days....
"less optimal weather days to go to Ballenburg for the open air museum"
Well, remember that it is an OPEN AIR museum! So it might be good if the mountains are clouded in, but not necessarily if the area is pouring rain. ;-) Another option in the area is Thun.
"in hopes that I might stumble upon some things that I was unaware of'
Not sure if it will do any good, but you might take a glance at my trip report -- just click on my name to find it.
Should be a great trip - enjoy!
Depends on your interests! I thought Bern worth closer to 2 days....
"less optimal weather days to go to Ballenburg for the open air museum"
Well, remember that it is an OPEN AIR museum! So it might be good if the mountains are clouded in, but not necessarily if the area is pouring rain. ;-) Another option in the area is Thun.
"in hopes that I might stumble upon some things that I was unaware of'
Not sure if it will do any good, but you might take a glance at my trip report -- just click on my name to find it.
Should be a great trip - enjoy!
Jan 22nd, 2016, 06:10 AM
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Thanks for the tips.
swandav2000: We'll see if I can talk my sister into the regular trains for the trip. Probably depends on how much we've spent up to that point--she's pretty frugal, so she might opt for the regular train over the "chocolate train" for that reason.
kja: Bern does look interesting, but one has to make choices and for this trip, I decided not to use Bern as a base for several reasons, one being price of accommodations. That's also one reason why I'm only doing one night in Zurich. You just seem to get more bang for your buck outside the major urban areas.
swandav2000: We'll see if I can talk my sister into the regular trains for the trip. Probably depends on how much we've spent up to that point--she's pretty frugal, so she might opt for the regular train over the "chocolate train" for that reason.
kja: Bern does look interesting, but one has to make choices and for this trip, I decided not to use Bern as a base for several reasons, one being price of accommodations. That's also one reason why I'm only doing one night in Zurich. You just seem to get more bang for your buck outside the major urban areas.
Jan 22nd, 2016, 01:41 PM
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Loved Bern, spent 7 nights in an apt in Altstadt, wandering the lanes in the evenings.
Also traveled to Einsiedeln to see the Monastery/Black Madonna/famous horses behind and the historic gingerbread cookie bakery (Goldernes Aepfel?)
Loved ascending Stans mountain (first part 100 yr old cog train, haven't experienced the new Open-air Cambrio gondola which takes you to the top).
There are so many excellent choices--don't stress--just thoroughly enjoy what you end up doing!
Click on my name if interested in my small-town Swiss town travels!
Also traveled to Einsiedeln to see the Monastery/Black Madonna/famous horses behind and the historic gingerbread cookie bakery (Goldernes Aepfel?)
Loved ascending Stans mountain (first part 100 yr old cog train, haven't experienced the new Open-air Cambrio gondola which takes you to the top).
There are so many excellent choices--don't stress--just thoroughly enjoy what you end up doing!
Click on my name if interested in my small-town Swiss town travels!
Jan 22nd, 2016, 02:06 PM
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The Swiss Pass is a great deal for your plans - for lots of great info on Swiss trains: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com.
<We might make a trip up Rigi or Pilatus, but after a week in the Berner Oberland, I'm not sure if that should be a priority.>
No you will be mountained out after a week in the fabulous Jungfrau Region.
<We might make a trip up Rigi or Pilatus, but after a week in the Berner Oberland, I'm not sure if that should be a priority.>
No you will be mountained out after a week in the fabulous Jungfrau Region.
Jan 22nd, 2016, 06:07 PM
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kja: quickly read your report. Got a laugh about the stampeding cattle. Will go back over that in some more detail.
mokka: you do cover some out of the way places. It's going to take me a while to go through your posts to see where you crossed paths with where I'm going (or could go). Thanks for dropping in to comment.
PalenQ: I'm big on buying passes for unlimited travel. It's probably a bad move, but I'm even considering buying the Jungfrau regional pass (on top of the Swiss Travel Pass) for our stay in Wengen so that we can ride the lifts as much as we like--I could see going up to Manlichen and Kleine Scheidegg multiple times with it, and fear that I might be reluctant to retrace my steps without it.
mokka: you do cover some out of the way places. It's going to take me a while to go through your posts to see where you crossed paths with where I'm going (or could go). Thanks for dropping in to comment.
PalenQ: I'm big on buying passes for unlimited travel. It's probably a bad move, but I'm even considering buying the Jungfrau regional pass (on top of the Swiss Travel Pass) for our stay in Wengen so that we can ride the lifts as much as we like--I could see going up to Manlichen and Kleine Scheidegg multiple times with it, and fear that I might be reluctant to retrace my steps without it.
Jan 22nd, 2016, 06:23 PM
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Yes there is a summer luge ride near Grindelwald. Take the cable car from Grindelwald to Pfingstegg. I'm actually planning the same type of trip as you are, but my week in Wengen will be in July.
I'm getting a Jungfrau BO regional pass just as you mentioned, so that we can ride all the cable cars and trains without paying. Have a great trip!
I'm getting a Jungfrau BO regional pass just as you mentioned, so that we can ride all the cable cars and trains without paying. Have a great trip!
Jan 22nd, 2016, 07:16 PM
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OMG, twk -- I just realized that it was you who pointed out that the mere bit of "twine" that separated the cows from me was probably electrified! I sure do wish that had occurred to me at the time. ;-)
Jan 22nd, 2016, 07:35 PM
#11
<<Also traveled to Einsiedeln to see the Monastery/Black Madonna/famous horses behind >>
I stopped in that cute little town for a few hours to see the wonderful Madonna and monastery. Had lunch in a gyro place where I met the most adorable and shy Ella. After a few minutes, this sweet girl left her mother's protection and was climbing up on a chair at my table telling me all about her kindergarten class. Great travel memories!
I stopped in that cute little town for a few hours to see the wonderful Madonna and monastery. Had lunch in a gyro place where I met the most adorable and shy Ella. After a few minutes, this sweet girl left her mother's protection and was climbing up on a chair at my table telling me all about her kindergarten class. Great travel memories!
Jan 22nd, 2016, 07:41 PM
#12
The "moo-ving" of the cows was a very fun day... But they
probably move the cows to the upper pastures earlier than June. But, google the Internet to see when it actually happens. I saw them bringing the animals down in September the year I was there. Happens in a number of towns so find one convenient to your travels.
probably move the cows to the upper pastures earlier than June. But, google the Internet to see when it actually happens. I saw them bringing the animals down in September the year I was there. Happens in a number of towns so find one convenient to your travels.
Jan 23rd, 2016, 10:11 AM
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/297870962824928000/
Covers bovine stampedes in Murren and Schwendi and Gimmelwald in the Jungfrau Region.
Covers bovine stampedes in Murren and Schwendi and Gimmelwald in the Jungfrau Region.
