mokka4

I have chosen to base myself for nine days in Bern for my trip this October....I have visited on 2 prior daytrips and want to explore more! There is a lovely large Rose garden at the opposite end of town from the train station, overlooking the bend in the Aare river and the old town (of course with a cafe)! I plan to visit the world-famous Paul Klee museum, sample the fresh-brewed beers at the Altes Tramdepot on their terrace overlooking ANOTHER bend in the Aare river (so many good restaurant options)! There are like 2 miles of double tiered arcaded shops for a rainy day, AND Solothurn is just an hour away!

michelhuebeli

Good choice. While based in Bern you really can take off in all directions on a whim, as your mood and the weather allows.

For example, Lucerne is only about 90 minutes away by train. And you have a choice of routes to get there and back and you should take advantage of that. One way, the “normal” route, very scenic, is via Langnau, world headquarters of “Swiss” cheese, which is “Emmental” (means “valley of the river Emme”) of which Langnau is the most prominent village.

Hop off the train in Langnau, go see how Swiss cheese is made - see www.emmentaler-schaukaeserei.ch, then continue towards Lucerne on the next train.

Coming back, buy your ticket by saying it is for the route that goes via the Brünig-Pass/Hasliberg to Interlaken Ost where you switch trains - that gives you a different set of even more spectacular views as the train goes up over the Brünig then along the two lakes (Brienz and Thun), taking longer but well worth it.

The 16:55 departure from Lucerne, with the switch in Interlaken (arr. 18:55 / dep. 19:00) arrives in Bern at 19:52, just in time for dinner... Then again, you can interrupt the journey for a dinner break in Interlaken and carry on with a later train.

Look up the websites of these fabulous targets, they’re all easily accessed from Bern, on the spur of the moment, no reservations or preparation needed: niesen.ch, stockhorn.ch, niederhorn.ch, www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/en.html.

For a day visit to a famous chocolate factory and another to a cheese factory, check out http://www.cailler.ch/en/maison-cail...mation/‎ (7 days a week); you take the regional train to Bulle (1 hr) and switch to a train for Broc (12 minutes).

The factory visit takes about an hour and a half, then you go the 5 minutes by train to Gruyères where the “House of Gruyère” is open 7 days a week - see www.lamaisondugruyere.ch. Or you might like your cheese before your chocolate- it’s your choice - trains are at sbb.ch.

Montreux (via Lausanne) is 90 minutes away, and if you go, come back via the route that the touristy Golden Pass (www.goldenpass.ch/?Language=EN‎) train takes. It doesn’t have to be that (more expensive) train which requires advance booking etc - it uses the exact same tracks as regular trains and provides the same views, so you don’t have to lock yourselves in, just take a regular train from Montreux as long as you buy the ticket for the route Montreux-Zweisimmen-Spiez-Bern. It takes a lot longer of course, going slowly through the mountains, but on a good day it’s well worth it.

That’s only a tiny sampling of what you can do when you’re based in Bern, and it’s a nice town to come back to every night.

nytraveler

I vote Lucerne. Tons to do there and only an hour from Zurich airport on the train.

mokka4

michel-hate to hijack the thread-
Thinking of the Schaukaeserei in Affoltern...have you ever been to it?

michelhuebeli

Mokka4, I'm glad you're pointing this out. That's the one I mention in my post above, URL www.emmentaler-schaukaeserei.ch - but I was wrong in saying that you access it from Langnau. Instead, get off the train in Burgdorf or Hasle-Ruegsau or Weier im Emmental and take the bus to Affoltern - enlist local help in figuring it out, the timetables are at http://www.bls.ch/e/bus/sumis-fahrpl...rtsplakate.php and a map is at www.bls.ch/d/bus/sumis-strecke.php

There used to be one open to the public in Langnau, world capital of Emmentaler cheese (Emmi and other famous name brands...), I'm not sure what happened to it - I wrongly thought that this one was it. It's been a while...

wrenwood

kja, good point about Bern having more options if the weather isn't as nice.

I'm looking at Hotel Innere Enge in Bern. They have suites that would accomodate the 3 of us, for more than I want to spend, but less than some others. A bus stops outside the Hotel for 7 minute ride to the Aldstadt, and free parking.

Any other accomodation suggestions in Bern?

I haven't decided whether it would be Bern or Weggis, I know where we would stay in Weggis. In Bern I'm still not sure, I'm attracted to staying in a smaller town than Bern, Solothurn or ??? but haven't found a Hotel there yet that ticks all the right boxes.

mokka4

Sorry I can't speak to hotels in Bern...I was lucky to find an apartment on Munstergasse in the Altstadt for 8 nights.
Thrice weekly produce markets just below my window!

Have you checked booking.com or hrs.de?

http://www.booking.com/searchresults...89523879b600bd

wrenwood

Thanks mokka4, but I don't use booking.com. I prefer to correspond with the hotel, B&B etc myself. I use Tripadvisor and Fodorites recommendations, and then do additional searches on the internet, including images and satellite views.

michelhuebeli

Innere Enge is close but out of the way - don't you want to stay right in the Altstadt? Sorry, can't help you, I stay with private when visiting. But there are lots and lots of hotels, go to google maps and zoom in and pick out names then research them individually.

They come in all price classes, from the super-swanky Schweizerhof and Bellevue to the superfriendly and super-affordable youth hostel (any age welcome - see www.youthhostel.ch/en/hostels/berne/price) just below the Federal Parliament - and anything in between.

kja

I was pleased with the Pension Marthahaus Bern, but it might not suit everyone.

wrenwood

michelhuebeli, I'm sure they are gorgeous Hotels but Schweizerhof is way more expensive than Innere Enge and Bellevue 100+CHF more per night. I don't see the point in paying for saunas, spas, gyms, pools etc that we won't use. Innere Enge has free parking also, and I think it will be an easy spot to base from.

I'm still going to look into staying in Solothurn or someplace smaller if anyone has any suggestions?

Ingo

Have visited Solothurn several times but never stayed there. I think you cannot go wrong with a hotel in the old town. Try this new hotel, for example: http://www.hotelroterochsen.ch/jooml...p/welcome.html

Too bad the Krone is closed and waiting for reconstruction (supposed to open in spring 2015).

michelhuebeli

Didn't you see the words "from the super-swanky..." before the names of Schweizerhof and Bellevue? What did you think that meant? I contrasted those two as being the most expensive with the youth hostel as the most affordable, to point out the available range of choices right in town, as opposed to out by Innere Enge.

But there is nothing much wrong with that place, it's just not in the Altstadt where most people prefer to stay. Then again, most people don't have a car since that is not really necessary or even practical, so the Innere Enge probably suits you best. With a bit of luck there will be the Jazz Festival in process at the hotel, they get famous people to play.

wrenwood

Ingo, I saw the Krone, it looked fun, disappointed it's closed.

Any other towns, I should check out?