Hello all
Planning a mother-daughter ( (mid sixties/mid thirties) trip to Zurich next Spring. My mom has a bad knee (she needs to rest often), so I would really need help with choosing a good 4 star hotel that is very central and has cafe/restaurants nearby as well within easy access to transportation, proximity to shopping area would be a plus. Any chance for a room with a view??
We take this trip every two years on her birthday, the last time was in Prague and it was amazing. So I would really like to match or top that.


Thanks a lot

We haven't stayed there yet but have reservations at the Marriott, which appears to have a very central location, looks nice online, and has good reviews. What a wonderful family tradition you have. I would love to do a mother-daughter or mother-son trip sometime. Nothing brings you together like travel (if you get along in the first place)! Hope you have a wonderful time! I do hope you are going other places in Switzerland as Zurich doesn't get top marks as a "must see" destination.

I have stayed at the Zurich Mariott and have to tell you it is not central, it is northeast of the train station where you will pass some strip club and night club. The room quality is quite varied, some smelly some dark but some are good especially on the top floor. The hotel has a good Thai restaurant on the ground floor.

If you are looking for a centrally located hotel, you should pick hotels along the Bahnhofstrasse which is the main shopping boulevard south of the train station all the way to the lake. The nice area of Zurich is south of the train station, the further south the better as you approach the lake. There are plenty of hotels to choose from depending on your budget in the nicer and more central area south of the train station. The lakeside area around the opera house is also comfortable and more desirable. I would be able to help you better if you specify your hotel budget.

FYI, Zurich is nothing like Prague, it is an expensive business banking city with a small attractive old town but not comparable to Prague . Most people would combine it with Lucerne which is an hour away by train.

Thanks drchris and DAX for the replies. DAX, we chose Zurich because we both have not been to Switzerland before and I always got the impression that it is a very pretty and relaxed country (as well as very safe which is key when we are travelling alone). I am in the very early stages of research and it seems that many people are of the opinion that Zurich on its own is not very attractive. For the reason mentioned above, I would rather travel somewhere where we don't have to move, pack and unpack. Also it seems that the hotels are pretty expensive, usually I would allocate no more that 140 Euros for the hotel/night, doable?
Another destination that I am considering is Budapest. It seems more research is in order.

Thanks

Hi lol,

Switzerland is very pretty and relaxed, but Zürich is a major international banking and business center, and it is pretty far from the high Alps.

If you still want to go to Switzerland, you could choose to stay in Luzern, which is ringed by mountains and sits at the foot of a system of lakes. You and your mom can have an excellent time ascending the nearby peaks or cruising on the lakes.

Or you two could go to the large town/small city of Thun, right on Lake Thun. You'll be about two hours from the "Top of Europe," the Jungfraujoch, and the villages that dot the mountainsides. Here, again, you can spend your days ascending peaks or cruising lakes. Thun also has a castle in the city and another on the lake.

Good luck as you research!

s

we stayed at st josef hotel in zurich. we walked to the station and the main shopping area as well as the old town. very clean and good included breakfast.
staff were very helpful and we would stay there again.

The Schweitzerhof is across the street from tyhe train station; the Marriott which I have used three times is within SIGHT of the station...5-10 minute walk max, has views of the river and city. I've been in the "executive" rooms each stay..they are not dark and as to those establishments which you might be passing by..so what?

>I would really need help with choosing a good 4 star hotel

What kind of 4 stars? Swiss 4 stars? French? American? Every coutry has it's own stars classification and it is not the same - and the stars classification is usually based on additional amenities, not on room quality or such.