yestravel

We arrive Zurich and will stay there 2 nights. When we leave we'll be taking a train to the Upper Engadine. Any suggestions on what areas to stay? Any specific hotel recs for 2 people. Something reasonably priced which appears to be at least $200 USD in Switzerland. Is that reasonable or do I need to up my budget? (I have found the prices in Switzerland jaw dropping!)

PalenQ

Prices in Zurich are the most jaw-dropping of all IME - why not go to a smaller more charming to most town like nearby Lucerne though that is also expensive. Most will enjoy two days in Lucerne infinitely more than Zurich, a large modern city - oh very very nice and clean but lacking any real romance like Lucerne, one of the loveliest cities in Europe, nicely set on a gorgeous lake, exudes - only a short 45-minute or so train ride from Zurich.

Just a thought. See if you can find something more in your budget there.

nini

We have used Priceline several times for Zurich and paid $80 per night. Each time we got Renaissance (Marriott now) not far from airport. Tram runs right near hotel and takes 15 minutes at most to get into heart of Zurich. It is rated four star, has nice rooms with good beds, and has a pool. Would use PL again in Zurich. We have never been disappointed in any of our PL hotels in Europe--among them London, Madrid, and Amsterdam.

yestravel

thanks!
Yes, we may cut it back to one night. We want to see a Musuem in Zurich.

Priceline is a good idea. I think we would prefer to stay downtown perhaps somewhere near the train station since we will take a train when we leave Zurich. Any ideas about the zones in Zurich?

kja

You might look at the Hotel St. Josef. It isn't fancy, but it is well-located, more affordable than most hotels in Zurich, and I found it both welcoming and serviceable.
http://www.st-josef.ch/page/englisch.html?tmp=qq&ck=1

BTW, I thought Zurich greatly underrated -- there's a lot to see and do there, including some wonderful museums. Just my opinion.

violetduck

You might enjoy staying in charming Rapperswil, around a 30 minute train ride from Zurich. You could check out the hotel prices to see if there is a major difference and then commute into Zurich and enjoy Rapperswil also.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g1...en-Hotels.html

violetduck

Some more information on Rapperswil:


http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rapperswil

traveller1959

I would recommend a hotel in downtown Zürich. The old town is very charming and close to the train station.

For hotel search, you may use http://www.hrs.com

An alternative to priceline is hotwire which gives you more control about what you get.

yestravel

Thanks, all -
kja -- looked at Hotel St. Josef and it looked like it would have been just fine. Unfortunately they only have the higher end rooms available for our dates if we stay 2 nights. Its avaialbe for one night which I may do.

Rapperwill looks interesting, but we do want to stay central since we will only be there the 1 or 2nights.

Trying to figure out the zones on Priceline. Hotwire really didnthave any deals that I could see.

kja

If you are interested in art, you might also look at lodging in Winterthur, which is just a short commute outside of Zurich. It has 4 or 5 small art museums that, IMO, each held some impressive pieces. I know it might not suit your purposes, but thought I'd throw the idea out there....

Cowboy1968

If you want to stay in Zurich, you should check out hrs.com (or kayak) as traveller1959 suggested.
Given its size, Zurich may have more hotels than the average 250K city but it in the end it remains to be a fairly mid-sized city. So your choices are limited if you do not want to "commute" from places like Winterthur.

yestravel

Thank you -- yes, I have been looking on hrs.com, booking.com, kayak, etc. Will check into Winterhur, maybe that will work. If not
I think I will stay in Zurich just our arrival day/night and pay more than $200USD. Priceline closer to the date remains an option.

DonCall

My wife and I have arrived in Zurich today (July 21) and we are also shocked by the prices for even the most basic of hotels in the city. We found what we felt to be a very cost effective, but nice place, in the centre of town called Casa Heindrich.

Our room has no AC, but it is a nice size, with a kitchenette, fridge and very nice bathroom (for European standards).

It cost us under US150 per night, using booking.com - I would be happy to recommend it!