SANDYGAR

We are a couple in our 50's arriving in Geneva on May 19th and spending 3-4 days probably around Interlaken doing mostly sightseeing(maybe a short hike). My thoughts after reading many postings on the forum is to train from Geneva on the Golden Scenic route to Interlaken and stay somewhere in that area?(Any suggestions?) We would like to be able to train to Lucerne or Bern from there if we decide to. We would like a hotel with views and restaurants close by with good food.
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We are going to get a 4 day swiss pass which I think will work well for us. The swiss web site said that if you want to do some of the scenic train rides they would count it as one of your days. So, should I get a 6 day pass? Any ideas on this?

Then after the three days are up we we want to take the William Tell train down to Lugano. Where do we need to catch this train. In Lucerne or south of there?

We then need to catch an Italian train to Florence since we will be heading there next. But from what I can tell we have to transfer to an Italian train near the border and we will have to buy that ticket. Any thoughts on this and how it works?

One other quick question. Weather during this time - How cold can it get up in the mountains near Interlaken? Don't want to have to bring a big jacket.

What is everyones favorite highlights, that shouldn't be missed, in these areas?

Thanks so much.

SANDYGAR

Does anyone have any input on this? Maybe I asked too many questions at one time. My first time to post. Should I ask only one question at a time?

swandav2000

Hi SANDYGAR,

First, you should spend some time and get familiar with the Swiss rail site at

www.rail.ch

It will answer a lot of your questions, and it's where you can get the fares for most of your trips. Once you have all the fares, add them up, and compare with the various passes and discount cards. I personally have always found the Half Fare Card to be the best discount card for my trips.

I personally don't care much for Interlaken, as it's a really touristy town that's still about 40-60 minutes from the mountains. However, in May, it might be a good alternative because the Alpine villages in the mountains above won't have as much to offer.

Here is the site to get information about the William Tell Express:

http://www.wilhelmtellexpress.ch/ind...parents_id=215

When you buy your train ticket, it will be from A to B, and it won't matter what country the A or the B is in. Yes, you may well have to switch trains, but it's not because you will be crossing borders. You'll get all the schedules and the transfers necessary if you input each of your trips into the Swiss rail site I typed above.

I live in a mountain town, and I can tell you that there is no way anyone can forecast the weather that far in advance, especially during the changeover seasons. You need to be prepared for just about anything, including the odd snowstorm! Dress in layers, including a light t-shirt, a lightweight sweater, and a vest or cardigan -- wear everything on cold days or just the t-shirt on warm afternoons. Also include a raincoat.

Most folks would tell you to see the "Top of Europe" at the Jungfraujoch and/or the Schilthorn.

Have fun!

s

suze

I always fly in and out of Geneva as I have friends in the area. But still I can't help with your many questions, I'm afraid. Personally my favorite area is along Lac Leman in the towns of Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux. It's incredibly beautiful there (this is the French-speaking part of the country. The Lavaux wine region. The town of Gruyeres. Chateau de Chillon. Rochers de Naye tram ride up the mountain. Open air farmers street markets Tues & Sat in Vevey, Fri in Montreux. Those are my favorite things.

SANDYGAR

Thanks so much SwanDav for the information on the trains to get into Italy.

The main thing I did not understand about the trains is in order to get discounts on the trams you have to pay for added days on the Swiss Pass. Do you know anything about this? I guess the only reason we thought of doing the swiss pass is because of the 1/2 price trams and the free entrance to museums.

Suze - thank you for your input on your favorite areas. This is very helpful. Love wine regions, Gruyere and Markets.

swandav2000

Hi again,

I'm sorry, but I've never used a Swiss Pass, so I wouldn't know about using them on the city trams and busses. However, it seems to be that the cost of a tram (about 2 chf per ride or maybe 5 chf for a day-ticket) wouldn't be enough to make it worthwhile to get a Swiss Pass.

I didn't understand that you would be spending time at Lake Geneva; you really don't have time to enjoy both Lake Geneva and the Berner Oblerland. With only four days, your trip would be nicer if you chose one of them. If you do decide to stay at Lake Geneva, here are links to reviews (w/photos) of my favorite things to do at that area:

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

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

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

Have fun!

s

SANDYGAR

Thanks S. This is exactly what I needed. My first thought was to stay around Geneva but I read so much about the Interlaken area that I considered doing that. We really love relaxed travel so this may work out better. Thanks so much!

swandav2000

Terrific! The lake will be perfect in May, while the Oberland is almost shut down at that time. I hope it works out for you.

I highly recommend the trip to Gstaad, just to get a feel for the mountain areas -- maybe take the cable car up to Wispile and walk a bit. And it's a lovely town.

Have fun!

s

tipsygus

The Swiss Pass will enable you to travel on the trains, apart from the scenic trans, and ordinary, regular trains run along the lines anyway. Travel in most of the towns and cities is also free as are most of the museums. If you are not sure just ask at the start of your train journey and the ticket clerk will put you right. If I remember correctly if the trains destination is a town or village you are for the most part covered. You will get a reduction of between 25 and 50 per cent on the cable cars, gondolas and funiculars, but again there are exceptions. The best place to look is the Swiss Travel System Site which is part of rail site www.sbb.ch/en then look for the International Visitors tag on the top righthand side of the page. Unless you want special seats or the VIP seats on the special trains then take the ordinary trains either before or after the special see the website. Hope this helps

nytraveler

In May you can count on it beng cold at the top of the mountains. Weather part way down and in the valleys can be mixed. But no need to bring a winter coat - just have plenty of things you can layer on as you ascend and the temp drops. By the time we got to the top of the jungfrau I was wearing a tee, a shirt, a cotton sweater and a jean jacket. It was chilly - but not unbearable.

SANDYGAR

Gstaad looks wonderful. We will plan on doing that. I was a bit worried about things being closed down in the Oberland. We were in Bolzano, Italy a couple of years ago in October and almost didn't find a hotel.

Thanks for the Train info tipsygus. I am going to research to see if the Swiss Pass will pay off for us. Didn't know about the Int'l Visitors Tag. It looks like if we do cable cars that is a pretty good deal as they seem to be quite expensive. I will map it all out and figure my cost.

Thanks for the weather update. The layers will have to work for me. I'll be gone for 5 weeks so don't want to have to bring a lot of luggage. I may bring an old coat and get rid of it since I won't need it for the next month.

Thanks so much for all the help. Much appreciated.