1st Trip to Switzerland(14 Days)
May 1st, 2002, 07:26 AM
#1
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1st Trip to Switzerland(14 Days)
e are a family of four including two sons age 19 and 15 yrs.We arrive in Zurich on 24/5/2002 and leave from Geneva on 7/06/2002.We are all on swiss passes(15 days).How should we distribute our stay in Switzerland?And which are places not to be missed in any given area?
May 1st, 2002, 08:48 AM
#2
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Ranjan Deb,
yeeeoooww. You don't have much time to enjoy the research and planning here! Here are some options:
If you like smaller towns, villages, lakes, & mountains:
Train from the Zurich airport to Luzern then transfer to a ferry for Weggis, Vitznau, or Brunnen on Lake Luzern. Spend three or four days there walking along the lake and visiting Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Rigi, the old town in Luzern, and the Rutli meadow.
Take the (Wm Tell??) train/bus to the Italian section and base yourself in Locarno on Lake Maggiore or in Gandria on Lake Lugano. Stay three or four days.
Take the train up to Interlaken and onto Wengen or Muerren or Gindelwald in the mountains. Spend three or four days there walking in alpine meadows and sailing on Lakes Brienz and Thun.
Take the train to Montreux (via Zweisimmen) and on to Morges or Vevey or Rivaz on Lake Geneva. Spend three or four days there walking the vineyards of the Corniche Lavaux and the lakeside promenade of Montreux and exploring the old town of Vevey.
If you like mountains only:
Zurich airport - St Moritz - Wengen - Gstaad
If you don't mind cities and prefer more convenience:
Zurich airport - Luzern - Lugano - Interlaken - Montreux
Note that these are just the high points, covering the German, Italian, and French sections of Switzerland. It will only give you a brief taste of the country, and this tour completely ignores many wonderful spots (Kandersteg, Arosa, Zermatt . . ). To get more info on these places, do a text search here for the village/town names. Also check out www.twenj.net for their extensive coverage of Swiss destinations. Also look at www.rail.ch for train times/schedules.
Great luck!
s
yeeeoooww. You don't have much time to enjoy the research and planning here! Here are some options:
If you like smaller towns, villages, lakes, & mountains:
Train from the Zurich airport to Luzern then transfer to a ferry for Weggis, Vitznau, or Brunnen on Lake Luzern. Spend three or four days there walking along the lake and visiting Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Rigi, the old town in Luzern, and the Rutli meadow.
Take the (Wm Tell??) train/bus to the Italian section and base yourself in Locarno on Lake Maggiore or in Gandria on Lake Lugano. Stay three or four days.
Take the train up to Interlaken and onto Wengen or Muerren or Gindelwald in the mountains. Spend three or four days there walking in alpine meadows and sailing on Lakes Brienz and Thun.
Take the train to Montreux (via Zweisimmen) and on to Morges or Vevey or Rivaz on Lake Geneva. Spend three or four days there walking the vineyards of the Corniche Lavaux and the lakeside promenade of Montreux and exploring the old town of Vevey.
If you like mountains only:
Zurich airport - St Moritz - Wengen - Gstaad
If you don't mind cities and prefer more convenience:
Zurich airport - Luzern - Lugano - Interlaken - Montreux
Note that these are just the high points, covering the German, Italian, and French sections of Switzerland. It will only give you a brief taste of the country, and this tour completely ignores many wonderful spots (Kandersteg, Arosa, Zermatt . . ). To get more info on these places, do a text search here for the village/town names. Also check out www.twenj.net for their extensive coverage of Swiss destinations. Also look at www.rail.ch for train times/schedules.
Great luck!
s
May 1st, 2002, 09:37 AM
#3
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To Ranjan Deb.
14 days is a long time.If you plan too
many cities you might just end up
packing ,unpacking,getting to hotels,
getting to train st. ect.ect.
Think about renting a car it might give
you more flexibility and you might get
to other countries not covered by the
swisspass.
Good luck T
May 1st, 2002, 10:29 AM
#4
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I disagree with Travelman regarding car vs. train. Train is a very good choice in Switzerland.
S gave very good recommendations. I just want to add that this time of year might be a little too early for St. Moritz, because many cable cars will not be in operation yet and many hiking trails will still be covered by snow. I love this area, but would not recommend it to you end May/early June.
Because this is your first visit to Switzerland I suggest to stay a week in the Bernese Oberland region. This is the area where you will find everything Switzerland is famous for: high mountains, glaciers, green meadows with wildflowers, cows (hmm, could be too early in the year), quaint villages, stunning views from places accessible by cable cars, gondolas, mountain railways etc.
I guess you should choose Grindelwald or possibly Interlaken as your base. I know a lot of people here on Fodors will recommend Wengen and Muerren, but these villages might be quite boring for your sons. There is more nightlife in Grindelwald and still more in Interlaken for them. Grindelwald is right in the mountains and closer to hiking, Interlaken a better base to visit cities like Bern and Thun and the lakes of Thun and Brienz.
As S suggested I think you should include a trip to Locarno if it is possible. Stay there for 3 days and soak up the unique combination of Italian atmosphere and Swiss perfection.
Finish your trip with a 4 days stay in the Montreux-Vevey region, where you can explore the French speaking part of Switzerland, vineyards, old castles, the cities Lausanne and Geneva or just relax.
The Lucerne region is not bad, too, but I always miss the huge mountains with glaciers when I am there.
Please tell us your choice on the regions and we will tell you which places not to miss there.
By the way, the Swiss Pass might be a good choice for railways, buses, boats and city trams, but I am afraid a Swiss Half Fare Card and a Regional Pass for each region would be cheaper. The Swiss Pass gives you a discount on the fares for mountain railways, cable cars etc. of only 25 %!
Ingo
S gave very good recommendations. I just want to add that this time of year might be a little too early for St. Moritz, because many cable cars will not be in operation yet and many hiking trails will still be covered by snow. I love this area, but would not recommend it to you end May/early June.
Because this is your first visit to Switzerland I suggest to stay a week in the Bernese Oberland region. This is the area where you will find everything Switzerland is famous for: high mountains, glaciers, green meadows with wildflowers, cows (hmm, could be too early in the year), quaint villages, stunning views from places accessible by cable cars, gondolas, mountain railways etc.
I guess you should choose Grindelwald or possibly Interlaken as your base. I know a lot of people here on Fodors will recommend Wengen and Muerren, but these villages might be quite boring for your sons. There is more nightlife in Grindelwald and still more in Interlaken for them. Grindelwald is right in the mountains and closer to hiking, Interlaken a better base to visit cities like Bern and Thun and the lakes of Thun and Brienz.
As S suggested I think you should include a trip to Locarno if it is possible. Stay there for 3 days and soak up the unique combination of Italian atmosphere and Swiss perfection.
Finish your trip with a 4 days stay in the Montreux-Vevey region, where you can explore the French speaking part of Switzerland, vineyards, old castles, the cities Lausanne and Geneva or just relax.
The Lucerne region is not bad, too, but I always miss the huge mountains with glaciers when I am there.
Please tell us your choice on the regions and we will tell you which places not to miss there.
By the way, the Swiss Pass might be a good choice for railways, buses, boats and city trams, but I am afraid a Swiss Half Fare Card and a Regional Pass for each region would be cheaper. The Swiss Pass gives you a discount on the fares for mountain railways, cable cars etc. of only 25 %!
Ingo
May 1st, 2002, 11:05 AM
#5
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I have scheduled a return to Switzerland this summer to visit some of my favorite places.
I like visiting the Berner Oberland south of Interlaken because it has the facilities such as lodging and transportation up into the mountains.
I usually rent an apartment for a week and travel outward from there.
The mountains around Zermatt are more impressive however. Although I have argued this point several times, I think it depends on personal preference. Kev Reynolds, author of several hiking books on Switzerland likes the Zermatt area for that reason.
The mountains around Saas Fee are absolutely staggering because they rise about 9,000 feet above the valley almost vertically. I am not sure I would classify them as beautiful, but they are dramatic and awesome.
The car versus train argument is one that we can debate at length. I like to have a car for some of the trip because it gets you around faster than public transportation, and you travel on your own schedule. On the other hand, in the area around Grindelwald, bus and cable transportation is exceptionally good.
In addition to Grindelwald and Zermatt, we also enjoyed the area around Zinal in Val d'Anniviers. There are several valleys off of the Rhone, on either side, that are quite spectacular.
As for the rail passes, it depends on where you go and what you do. The number of Swiss rail passes is large and the number of possibilities is virtually endless. The Berner Regional Pass is a good buy IF you are going to spend 5 to 7 days in the area, AND you have good weather. We bought the pass in the summer of 2000 and rode all over the mountains because pass included 3 days of unlimited riding. If we had not had the pass, I doubt very much if we would have taken half of the rides we did.
Two of the "big" rides in the area around Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are (1) the trip to the Jungfraujoch and (2) the top of the Schilthorn. These two rides are not fully included in the pass sytem. About the best you can do is to travel for cost reduction of 50% on the final section of both journeys. In the case of the Jungfraujoch, the ticket from a station called Kleine Scheidegg to the top is at best half off the normal price. For the Schilthorn, the last stage of the journey from Mürren to the top normaly 50% off with the Berner Regional Pass.
If you plan to ride a combination of trains and moutain lifts, the Swiss Card is a good pass to consider. When I bought one about 4 years ago, the benefits included 50% reduction in the price of the mountain trains around Interlaken and Grindelwald as well as 50% off of normal Swiss train tickets.
The pass also included a free ride from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen where I was staying, plus a return ticket to Zürich.
But there are so many angles to consider, that saying definitely that one pass is betteer than anothr is difficult. It all depends on what you want to do and see.
I like visiting the Berner Oberland south of Interlaken because it has the facilities such as lodging and transportation up into the mountains.
I usually rent an apartment for a week and travel outward from there.
The mountains around Zermatt are more impressive however. Although I have argued this point several times, I think it depends on personal preference. Kev Reynolds, author of several hiking books on Switzerland likes the Zermatt area for that reason.
The mountains around Saas Fee are absolutely staggering because they rise about 9,000 feet above the valley almost vertically. I am not sure I would classify them as beautiful, but they are dramatic and awesome.
The car versus train argument is one that we can debate at length. I like to have a car for some of the trip because it gets you around faster than public transportation, and you travel on your own schedule. On the other hand, in the area around Grindelwald, bus and cable transportation is exceptionally good.
In addition to Grindelwald and Zermatt, we also enjoyed the area around Zinal in Val d'Anniviers. There are several valleys off of the Rhone, on either side, that are quite spectacular.
As for the rail passes, it depends on where you go and what you do. The number of Swiss rail passes is large and the number of possibilities is virtually endless. The Berner Regional Pass is a good buy IF you are going to spend 5 to 7 days in the area, AND you have good weather. We bought the pass in the summer of 2000 and rode all over the mountains because pass included 3 days of unlimited riding. If we had not had the pass, I doubt very much if we would have taken half of the rides we did.
Two of the "big" rides in the area around Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen are (1) the trip to the Jungfraujoch and (2) the top of the Schilthorn. These two rides are not fully included in the pass sytem. About the best you can do is to travel for cost reduction of 50% on the final section of both journeys. In the case of the Jungfraujoch, the ticket from a station called Kleine Scheidegg to the top is at best half off the normal price. For the Schilthorn, the last stage of the journey from Mürren to the top normaly 50% off with the Berner Regional Pass.
If you plan to ride a combination of trains and moutain lifts, the Swiss Card is a good pass to consider. When I bought one about 4 years ago, the benefits included 50% reduction in the price of the mountain trains around Interlaken and Grindelwald as well as 50% off of normal Swiss train tickets.
The pass also included a free ride from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen where I was staying, plus a return ticket to Zürich.
But there are so many angles to consider, that saying definitely that one pass is betteer than anothr is difficult. It all depends on what you want to do and see.
May 1st, 2002, 12:03 PM
#6
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To Ingo.
Its true that the trains in Switzerland are superb and always on time but ,daily train travel gets old very
fast since there are teens involved.
Car will cover much more ground with
less regimentation and possibility
of seeing more of the country.
T
May 1st, 2002, 01:15 PM
#7
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The Swiss Pass is the thing to have! There's more to consider than just prices, because the SP is good on many cable cars, boats, and the huge network of Post Buses. It is great to be able to just hop on and off wherever and whenever you want to. You may wind up in an entirely different place than you started to go, just because it looked interesting! We were in Switzerland for 2 weeks, based in the same place, and often rode more than 10 different conveyances a day! Even better to know: the 15 year old can travel free if you have a "family card," even on those very expensive mountain trips to Jungfrau and Schilthorn!
May 2nd, 2002, 09:30 AM
#8
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My husband and I did a ten-day trip to Switzerland last year and it was wonderful. From Zurich, we took the train to Lugano and stayed there for the week-end (Saturday in the shopping area around the funicular is great). We did a day trip to Como and Bellagio, Italy. Very short trip ride. After Lugano, we spend a week in Grindelwald. You will love it and there are tons of things to do. We took day trips to Bern, Interlaken, and Jungfrau. Spent final night in Zurich at the Marriott (very close to train station with a free shuttle to the airport). We also used the SwissPass and it made our journeys very easy, just hop on and off at your leisure. We enjoyed it so much that we are going back to Switzerland this summer, but are visiting the Lake Geneva area and checking out the Montreux Jazz Festival. Have fun and let us know where you decide to spend your time.
May 5th, 2002, 02:56 AM
#10
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Thanks to S,Ingo,Bob,Ami and Linda for all the tips.I should have mentioned that I live in India and this trip to Switzerland MAY be the only one.I have done a lot of research and accessed most sites already.Our tentative schedule is:
24/5-27/5:Zurich.Lovley weekend deal from Novotel Zurich Technopark.We visit Apenzell region and Luzern during the stay.Should we visit Titlis or Pilatus?
27/5:Zurich-St.Moritz and spend 2 nights there.Bernina Express(Tirano).What about a place called Soglio?We havn't yet decided where to stay in St.Moritz.Any suggestions?
29/5
t.Moritz-Lucarno/Lugano via Andermatt(part of journey with Glacier Express.2 nights-any suggestions with regard to hotels?
31/5
ugano?lucarno-Andermatt-Zermatt(Glacier Express).2 nights in Zermatt and surrounding areas including Saas Fee.(Re:hotel?)
2/6:Zermatt-Interlaken(3 nights). Surrounding areas
5/6:Interlaken-Zurich:2 nights in Zurich.Good deal from Central Hotel.Visit all surrounding areas
7/6eave Switzerland from Zurich.
Ingo,if we were sure we would return to Switzerland in future St.Moritz area would have been skipped this time.Hectic trip but any suggestions?
The Swiss pass works out economic specially with the younger son travelling free.
24/5-27/5:Zurich.Lovley weekend deal from Novotel Zurich Technopark.We visit Apenzell region and Luzern during the stay.Should we visit Titlis or Pilatus?
27/5:Zurich-St.Moritz and spend 2 nights there.Bernina Express(Tirano).What about a place called Soglio?We havn't yet decided where to stay in St.Moritz.Any suggestions?
29/5
t.Moritz-Lucarno/Lugano via Andermatt(part of journey with Glacier Express.2 nights-any suggestions with regard to hotels?31/5
ugano?lucarno-Andermatt-Zermatt(Glacier Express).2 nights in Zermatt and surrounding areas including Saas Fee.(Re:hotel?)2/6:Zermatt-Interlaken(3 nights). Surrounding areas
5/6:Interlaken-Zurich:2 nights in Zurich.Good deal from Central Hotel.Visit all surrounding areas
7/6
eave Switzerland from Zurich.Ingo,if we were sure we would return to Switzerland in future St.Moritz area would have been skipped this time.Hectic trip but any suggestions?
The Swiss pass works out economic specially with the younger son travelling free.
May 5th, 2002, 10:45 AM
#11
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Ranjan, I guess you will fall in love with this country and you will surely visit again.
The Swiss Pass is of course the best choice if you are travelling so much by train/bus.
You will probably not find time to explore the surrounding areas of Zermatt, because you will have only one day there. Spend this day with a trip to Gornergrat by cog-wheel train and hiking back to Zermatt via Riffelberg-Riffelalp-Findeln. This will of course depend on the weather and the snow situation; maybe the hiking trails are still snow covered.
Hotel recommendations are impossible without knowing a price range. Please tell us about it. And do you prefer a central location close to the train station or a quiet location accessible by local bus or so?
Soglio is definitely worth a visit. But 2 nights are only one full day – not enough time to do the Bernina Express and Soglio. I would prefer the Bernina Express. If you should find a chance to visit Soglio: Take the bus from St. Moritz (direction Chiavenna) and change in Promontogno. Stroll along the narrow streets, enjoy the views of the mountains and glaciers on the other side of the valley. Have a lunch at Palazzo Salis (www.palazzosalis.ch) or maybe a coffee in their beautiful garden. Walk down to Castasegna or Promontogno via the wonderful chestnut tree forest. From there back by bus to St. Moritz. The trip is free with your Swiss Pass.
I would go to Mt. Pilatus. You will not have enough time to see Mt. Titlis and Lucerne, but enough time to see Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus. There is still another reason: I found the view from Mt. Pilatus to be better. It is located in the Pre-Alps and you have a wonderful view of the Alps from Saentis to Bernese Alps plus Lake Lucerne (of course depending on the weather). Mt. Titlis is right in the Alps, surrounded by other high mountains. So you have spectacular views of the nearby mountains, but not such a panoramic view.
Ingo
The Swiss Pass is of course the best choice if you are travelling so much by train/bus.
You will probably not find time to explore the surrounding areas of Zermatt, because you will have only one day there. Spend this day with a trip to Gornergrat by cog-wheel train and hiking back to Zermatt via Riffelberg-Riffelalp-Findeln. This will of course depend on the weather and the snow situation; maybe the hiking trails are still snow covered.
Hotel recommendations are impossible without knowing a price range. Please tell us about it. And do you prefer a central location close to the train station or a quiet location accessible by local bus or so?
Soglio is definitely worth a visit. But 2 nights are only one full day – not enough time to do the Bernina Express and Soglio. I would prefer the Bernina Express. If you should find a chance to visit Soglio: Take the bus from St. Moritz (direction Chiavenna) and change in Promontogno. Stroll along the narrow streets, enjoy the views of the mountains and glaciers on the other side of the valley. Have a lunch at Palazzo Salis (www.palazzosalis.ch) or maybe a coffee in their beautiful garden. Walk down to Castasegna or Promontogno via the wonderful chestnut tree forest. From there back by bus to St. Moritz. The trip is free with your Swiss Pass.
I would go to Mt. Pilatus. You will not have enough time to see Mt. Titlis and Lucerne, but enough time to see Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus. There is still another reason: I found the view from Mt. Pilatus to be better. It is located in the Pre-Alps and you have a wonderful view of the Alps from Saentis to Bernese Alps plus Lake Lucerne (of course depending on the weather). Mt. Titlis is right in the Alps, surrounded by other high mountains. So you have spectacular views of the nearby mountains, but not such a panoramic view.
Ingo
May 6th, 2002, 01:02 PM
#13
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Depends on what you are interested in.
In case you love spectacular mountain scenery and travelling by train you should give up Lugano.
In case you want to get a taste of Italian atmosphere and Mediterranean vegetation go to Lugano.
It is not easy for me to say this (because I love the St. Moritz area) but you will see so much mountain scenery (Zermatt, Interlaken) that it is probably better to skip St. Moritz and explore another different region of Switzerland - Italian speaking Lugano/Locarno.
Ingo
In case you love spectacular mountain scenery and travelling by train you should give up Lugano.
In case you want to get a taste of Italian atmosphere and Mediterranean vegetation go to Lugano.
It is not easy for me to say this (because I love the St. Moritz area) but you will see so much mountain scenery (Zermatt, Interlaken) that it is probably better to skip St. Moritz and explore another different region of Switzerland - Italian speaking Lugano/Locarno.
Ingo
May 9th, 2002, 04:17 AM
#14
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Ingo,I shall leave it to the Gods!St.M. will be my first choice, weather permitting.Otherwise Lugano.The Arosa Express(Chur-Arosa)seems fabulous.If you suggest I will add on a day in Graubunden and Zermatt(weather permitting).Soglio is definitely in.In St.M.I have tentatively chosen three possible hotels,Sporthotel Stille,Languard and Laudinella.Any suggestion?In Zermatt 4 possibilities,Alphubel,Parnass,Pollux,Touring and Primavera.A quad room will work out economic?What about Gstaad?
May 9th, 2002, 10:09 AM
#15
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I see you are a “mountain person”! And it seems to me you are a fan of railway journey. But I do not think the Arosa Express would be a very good choice. You should know that the train winds up from Chur (altitude 600 m) to Arosa (1800 m) in a narrow valley; so your views are quite limited. This rail journey is by far not as spectacular as the Bernina Express. So my suggestion is, if you add one day onto St. Moritz, do the Bernina Express and the other day the trip to Soglio.
St. Moritz: You should know that St. Moritz consists of two parts: St. Moritz Dorf (means village) and St Moritz Bad (means spa). “Dorf” is on a hill above the lake. Here you find the famous hotels, shops, night clubs and the funicular to the Corviglia mountain (not in operation before June 23). The railway station is below Dorf right on the lake. “Bad” is approx. 1 mile away down on the valley floor, close to the lake. Here you find lots of quite ugly apartment buildings, some hotels and the spa centre.
Let’s go to your hotel choices. Languard is located in the centre of “Dorf”, right next to the famous 5star Hotel Kulm. It is a small, family-managed hotel garni, which means there is no restaurant in the hotel (they offer only breakfast in buffet style). The rooms are very good, some of them have a balcony and offer a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains. It is approx. a 15 minutes walk from the train station to the hotel. Or you take the local bus (No. 3) to the stop Schulhausplatz, from there ca. 3-5 minutes walk.
Hotel Laudinella has 170 rooms They have conferences and cultural events all year round. Very lively. You can expect a friendly staff, but the atmosphere is a little impersonal. The standard rooms are equipped with TV, radio, tel. etc. but need a renovation in my opinion. The superior rooms are well equipped, elegantly furnished and have been renovated recently. They have a very good a la carte restaurant, a good pizzeria and a reasonable priced self service restaurant, where you can choose from a salad buffet and an unbelievable dessert buffet. For the main course you can choose between meat, fish and vegetarian. The location is central but quiet in St. Moritz Bad, over the street you find a stop for the local bus (No. 3) as well as for buses to Soglio, Sils, Silvaplana, Pontresina. The hotel offers free use of the public indoor pool (200 m distance). BTW, they have their own small shuttle bus and will care for your transfer from/to the railway station on arrival and departure.
Hotel Stille is in St. Moritz Bad, too, but quite a distance from the bus stops. The local bus stop is approx. 5 min walk away, the other stops at Hotel Laudinella 10-12 minutes walk. Stille is a more low standard hotel, non-typical for St. Moritz.
I know that Laudinella has triple rooms, not sure about quad rooms. Stille offers double rooms next to each other which share one bathroom. No idea about Languard, but I guess they will not have quads.
St. Moritz: You should know that St. Moritz consists of two parts: St. Moritz Dorf (means village) and St Moritz Bad (means spa). “Dorf” is on a hill above the lake. Here you find the famous hotels, shops, night clubs and the funicular to the Corviglia mountain (not in operation before June 23). The railway station is below Dorf right on the lake. “Bad” is approx. 1 mile away down on the valley floor, close to the lake. Here you find lots of quite ugly apartment buildings, some hotels and the spa centre.
Let’s go to your hotel choices. Languard is located in the centre of “Dorf”, right next to the famous 5star Hotel Kulm. It is a small, family-managed hotel garni, which means there is no restaurant in the hotel (they offer only breakfast in buffet style). The rooms are very good, some of them have a balcony and offer a wonderful view of the lake and the mountains. It is approx. a 15 minutes walk from the train station to the hotel. Or you take the local bus (No. 3) to the stop Schulhausplatz, from there ca. 3-5 minutes walk.
Hotel Laudinella has 170 rooms They have conferences and cultural events all year round. Very lively. You can expect a friendly staff, but the atmosphere is a little impersonal. The standard rooms are equipped with TV, radio, tel. etc. but need a renovation in my opinion. The superior rooms are well equipped, elegantly furnished and have been renovated recently. They have a very good a la carte restaurant, a good pizzeria and a reasonable priced self service restaurant, where you can choose from a salad buffet and an unbelievable dessert buffet. For the main course you can choose between meat, fish and vegetarian. The location is central but quiet in St. Moritz Bad, over the street you find a stop for the local bus (No. 3) as well as for buses to Soglio, Sils, Silvaplana, Pontresina. The hotel offers free use of the public indoor pool (200 m distance). BTW, they have their own small shuttle bus and will care for your transfer from/to the railway station on arrival and departure.
Hotel Stille is in St. Moritz Bad, too, but quite a distance from the bus stops. The local bus stop is approx. 5 min walk away, the other stops at Hotel Laudinella 10-12 minutes walk. Stille is a more low standard hotel, non-typical for St. Moritz.
I know that Laudinella has triple rooms, not sure about quad rooms. Stille offers double rooms next to each other which share one bathroom. No idea about Languard, but I guess they will not have quads.
May 9th, 2002, 10:13 AM
#16
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Part 2 (The message was too long for Fodor's editor)
If it is in your price range, have a look at Hotel Waldhaus am See in St. Moritz. Close to the railway station, right on the lake (as the name says). Great view of the lake and the mountains, good food, wine and whiskey. Familiar atmosphere.
Zermatt: Sorry, no personal experiences with the hotels you mentioned. I stayed at 4star Monte Rosa (very expensive) and 4star Parkhotel Beausite (expensive). But you should consider 3starVilla Parkhotel, a dependency of Parkhotel Beausite. It is located in the garden of Beausite and you can use the facilities (Pool, sauna, salons, restaurants etc.) of Beausite. I guess they have quads.
Gstaad: a nice village in beautiful landscape. Do you think of Gstaad instead of Interlaken? Although I love Gstaad and surroundings, it is not comparable to Grindelwald/Wengen/Muerren (near Interlaken) regarding the spectacular scenery.
I hope this helps so far.
Regards
Ingo
If it is in your price range, have a look at Hotel Waldhaus am See in St. Moritz. Close to the railway station, right on the lake (as the name says). Great view of the lake and the mountains, good food, wine and whiskey. Familiar atmosphere.
Zermatt: Sorry, no personal experiences with the hotels you mentioned. I stayed at 4star Monte Rosa (very expensive) and 4star Parkhotel Beausite (expensive). But you should consider 3starVilla Parkhotel, a dependency of Parkhotel Beausite. It is located in the garden of Beausite and you can use the facilities (Pool, sauna, salons, restaurants etc.) of Beausite. I guess they have quads.
Gstaad: a nice village in beautiful landscape. Do you think of Gstaad instead of Interlaken? Although I love Gstaad and surroundings, it is not comparable to Grindelwald/Wengen/Muerren (near Interlaken) regarding the spectacular scenery.
I hope this helps so far.
Regards
Ingo
May 10th, 2002, 05:04 AM
#18
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Heartily congratulate you, Ranjan Deb, that you were able to snag advice from Ingo. Think his advice is solid--particularly with his original suggeted itinerary. Ingo, we get mad on this board when people "advertise," but I think you should!!!
Having taken kids to Switzerland twice, I recommend the Swiss pass, too. My teen thought it was awesome that we would literally step from airplane to train to boat to funicilar to train to gondola. We also rode streetcars, cogwheel trains, and boat taxis with the pass. Just experiencing that Swiss timing was an international education in itself--that somehow, somewhere, a country had managed to make it all "work."
Having taken kids to Switzerland twice, I recommend the Swiss pass, too. My teen thought it was awesome that we would literally step from airplane to train to boat to funicilar to train to gondola. We also rode streetcars, cogwheel trains, and boat taxis with the pass. Just experiencing that Swiss timing was an international education in itself--that somehow, somewhere, a country had managed to make it all "work."
