swandav2000

Hi again,

Unfortunately, I think the hotels I know are above your preferred budget. When I was travelling to those places, I was still working and could afford to splurge on my Swiss respites.

But go to booking.com and see what comes up. You may find some good deals --

In Grindelwald, I stayed at the 4-star Hotel Schweizerhof two times, once to ski and once in the summer with my mother. In Luzern, I stayed at the 4-star Hotel Des Balances (though I hear that the nearby 3-star Hotel Des Alpes is just as great).

Good luck finding good places!

s

Shveta

Hi All.

Based on Trip Advisor's reviews, I have zeroed on the following hotels:

Paris - Hotel Fabric
Montreux - Golf Hotel Rene Capt
Grindelwald - Hotel Spinne
Lucerne - Renaissance Lucerne Hotel

Can any one please give me some inputs on the above?

Shveta

Hi again!

Swandav, PalenQ, I am thinking of reworking the itinerary as 5 nights Grindelwald and 3 nights Lucerne to minimise packing-unpacking .... does it sound better?

Now I need your inputs on how best to spend these days at each of the 2 locations ...

For Grindelwald, 1 day is for Jungfrau, what all other places can we cover in the other 4 days... can we do a day trip to Montreux and Gstaad from Grindelwald?

For Lucerne, 1 day is for Mt. Titlis (is it a full day excursion or can we see around Lucerne the same day?) Please suggest for the balance 2 days ...

Thanks

neckervd

" can we do a day trip to Montreux and Gstaad from Grindelwald?"

Of course, if you adore to stay 7-8 hrs in trains!
At Gstaad, the best place to visit is Glacier3000 (Glacier panorama from Mont Blanc to Matterhorn and Jungfrau); add another 4 hrs for that.
Count at least 3 hrs for the visit of Montreux and Chillon castle, more if you like to cruise on board of a more than 100 years old paddle wheel steamboat across Lake Geneva.

swandav2000

Hi again,

The journey from Grindelwald to Montreux takes about 3h, so that's 6h you'll be sitting passively on a train.

I always limit my excursions to 2h in each direction, or else there is diminishing joy in the day. All the hours inside the train become the dominant memory, unfortunately.

Grindelwald to Gstaad takes about 2h30, so for me it's still too long. I love Gstaad and the countryside in the area, but I'm not sure how much you'll be able to see in just a few hours.

Really, there is plenty to do and see in the Jungfrau region; you don't have to spend so much time on a train in order to have a great experience. Just do and see all that's close by Grindelwald and maximize your time outside.

s

Shveta

Phew ..... that does not make sense at all then ... so in your opinion which of the 2 would be better in terms of covering the best places while not wasting too much time in travelling:

The earlier option of 2 nights Montreux, 3 or 4 nights Grindelwald

OR

5 nights in Grindelwald with limiting myself to the Jungfrau region.

swandav2000

Hi Shveta,

I'm afraid I don't feel qualified to make that call; it's just a personal decision that only you guys can make. Each option has specific positives --

Including Montreux will give you more variety
Staying in Grindelwald will give you more time with the dramatic scenery

You may want to spend time looking at photos of each area (online or at your library) to see if one place or the other just appeals to you more.

I can only add the good news that -- you CAN'T make the wrong decision. Whether you spend time in Grindelwald only or Grindelwald and Montreux, you'll be very happy.

s

PalenQ

2 nights or 3 in Montrreux will be nice and 3-4 days in Grindelwald are fine - like swandav says you can't go wrong. For a day out from Montreux hop on a lake boat and take a cruise, say over to Evian-les-Bains, in France, a sp[iffy lakeside thermal resort famous for water of the same name. If with a Swiss Pass it fully covers the boat even in the French waters.

Great views of Mont Blanc as you go towards France! Bring a picnic and dine with an appetizing view!

Shveta

Thanks Swandav and PalenQ for coming to my rescue ... as Swandav suggested I will look at the photos of both the areas and then take the final call but as of now I guess PalenQ's advice weighs more ...

PalenQ

Five days could be brlliantly spent in the Jungfrau Region but I'd say the average traveler would be awed enough with three full days there and though the Lac Leman French-speaking area is not nearly as Alpine awesome it is very different and also a joy - the French region is of course culturally much different from the Germanic one in terms of looks of architecture as well as culture.

Keep your eyes peeled if taking the Golden Pass train from Interlaken-Ost to Montreux as around Chateau d'Oex or just before it when you enter the French-speaking area you may notice a huge change in the ubiquitous woodpiles stacked by every house - meticulously cut and piled to the exact same size in the German area but much more haphazzard in the French area - really IMO very telling - even the spic-and-span streets in the German area give way to bit of litter in the French one.

Shveta

Thanks Swandav and PalenQ. Have finalised Montreux to add more flavour as suggested. All bookings done.

Any suggested readings (on the internet) for finalising the day to day itinerary at these 3 places?

swandav2000

Hi again,

Congrats on the decision! That's probably going to be the hardest part of your trip!

I would suggest that you don't complete a day-to-day itinerary. Rather, have a list of the activities you want to do, and with them the train schedules you'll need and possible restaurants that will be nearby. Then, every day, you can decide which activity you want to do based on the weather (absolutely vital for mountain excursions), how you feel, how you slept, etc.

For your Montreux portion, here is my list of reviewed activities (w/photos) that I always recommend:

Montreux old town
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Lavaux
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Walks through the Lavaux vineyards
http://www.montreuxriviera.com/en/Cu...rekking_Lavaux

Promenade Fleuri
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...reux_Vaud.html

Morges
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...rges_Vaud.html

Gruyeres
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR..._Fribourg.html

Saanen
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

Gstaad
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserR...wiss_Alps.html

********
I don't include Chillon on the list since most people have already planned to see it. I would just suggest that you walk to Chillon from Montreux and take the bus back to town -- the views are better (lake and trees) in that direction rather than going toward Montreux (buildings).

Also highly recommend that you take the Golden Pass route (via Gstaad) between Grindelwald and Montreux; you can even stop in Gruyeres and Gstaad enroute.

Enjoy the planning!

s

Shveta

Swandav, hats off to you! A lot of credit for my trip would go to you, PalenQ and neckervd. Cheers to all of you.

Divs

Hey Shveta,
My itinerary also resembles somewhat like yours. I am traveling in June.
Since you have almost finalized your itinerary I have few questions for you, i would really appreciate if you could help me with these.
1. Have you booked yours through a travel agent or on your own.
2. By your name I assume you are from India too. If you don't mind Could you tell me how much is it costing you.

I am in process of finalising mine ..mine is 10 nights stay..
3 nights Paris, then Montreux- 1 and then 3 in Grindelwald and 3 in Zurich then back to India..

Thanks Swandev,PalenQ and neckervd your suggestions are very helpful

neckervd

What will you do at Zurich during 3 long days?

swandav2000

Hi Divs,

I would give Montreux or Paris at least one extra night and stay in Zürich 1 or 2 nights.

s

Divs

My travel agent suggested that 1 day would be for mt titlis, 1 for Lucerne and Zurich city and one would be for Rhine falls..

PalenQ

I suggest Lucerne as a more romantic or whatever place to base than a huge city like Zurich that leaves many underwhelmed - not that it's not a neat place to delve into but its lures are not readily apparent but Lucerne is one of the loveliest cities in Europe - spend a day out on what many consider to be Switzerland'smost grogeous lake.

Rhine Falls, Titlis just as close to Lucerne or closer.

swandav2000

Hi again Divs,

I personally don't like big cities. Most of your trip is in cities -- Paris (3) and Zurich (3) for a total of 6 of your nights in a large city. I would switch that and put most of my time in small towns or villages, like Montreux.

Also, imo, one night in Montreux really isn't enough to see anything. You'll arrive around mid-day on arrival day and leave, what, around mid-day on the departure day, leaving you about 24 hours only in town. I suspect you are doing this as a stop-over from a long train ride from Paris and to catch the Golden Pass the next day to Interlaken/Grindelwald. But to me it's just not worth it and is counterproductive. I would either skip it and take the fastest route between Paris and Grindelwald (Paris x4, Grindelwald x4, Zurich/Luzern x2) or spend more time in Montreux(Paris x3, Montreux x2, Grindelwald x3, Zurich/Luzern x2).

You really can't see everything in one trip of only 10 nights, so I would just arrange the visit to maximize my enjoyment of the stops.

s

Fixtravel5

This itinerary also resembles one we are trying to do in July. We are a family of five and are trying to see as much as possible in 10-12 days (without going broke). We are starting in Paris for 4 days and then would like to explore the Alps for about 6 days and see Geneva and possibly Bern while there. Does anyone have suggestions for families? We like to see cities but would really like to stroll the Alps (we are not extreme hikers, though). Grindelwald, Montreux and Lucerne look amazing but seem much more expensive than Chamonix. Is it possibly to stay in Chamonix and then just do a day in Geneva and fly out of there? Would this give you the ultimate Alps experience? Or is better to base in Wengen or another nearby city? Any ideas would be great. I know nothing about the region and need all the advice I can get. I am searching VRBO for rentals and they seem to be quite booked.