Chispax

I am arriving in Zurich on 7/29 and will spend one night before I take a train to Geneva where I meet my hiking tour for the Tour du Mont Blanc. We will be hiking over 100 miles in 10 days. After the trip I am adding another 6 days in Switzerland traveling on my own. After some research I thought I would take the train from Chamonix to Wengen and spend 5 nights there hiking and touring around. I like mountain hiking but maybe I am doing a bit too much in the mountains after Mount Blanc! Should I just stay a couple of nights in Wengen and head for a city? Lucern? Bern? I will be staying my last night in Zurich. Any suggestions on what I must see with one day in Zurich? Any place a woman traveling alone should avoid?

Jean

I like hiking too, but unless you've been to Switzerland before I would add a couple of days in a larger town or city. Luzern would be a nice contrast. Spend one day ferrying around the lake.

Chispax

No, I have not been to Switzerland before. Luzern looks like a great idea. My other thought was to skip Wengen and stay in Interlaken as a base and do day trips up the mountain and to neighboring cities. Then, again, I heard that train travel could get expensive with all those day trips.

bob_brown

Hmmm. After hiking so much, would you not like to ride?

There is the aerial cable way to the crest of the Männlichen from Wengen.

My problem with Wengen as a base is this: I am not sure what you would do with 5 days there. Other than view the Berner Oberland high peaks, I am not sure what else you can do.

You might consider Lauterbrunnen as a base for 3 days. From there you can get to Grindelwald a little quicker.

From Grindelwald there are two nice rides with short hikes: The Grindelwald - First gondola which provides great views of the Eiger and other peaks, and the cable car to Pfingstegg with a short walk to Stieregg to take a look at the innards of a glacial valley.

After all that hiking, I think you will have had enough stomping about the rocks and perhaps would enjoy a lake cruise.

I love those mountains, but there are limits despite their beauty.

I think your feet will be sore.

Chispax

Bob, your reply made me laugh! You're right, of course. My feet may be sore after 10 days of hiking. I am re-thinking my stay in Wengen. Maybe I should head over to Western Switzerland...maybe rolling hills and lakes instead of all those jagged peaks. How is Thun as a place to go? Is Interlaken a good base?

swandav2000

Hi Chispax,

I think you're heading in the right direction with your thoughts. Of course, Thun isn't really "rolling hills"; the mountains are still awesome and beautiful right there!

If you really want some rolling hills, how about considering Gstaad, Saanen, or Chateaux d'Oex? They lie right at the invisible "border" separating French & Germany Switzerland, and in fact, Chateaux d'Oex is French speaking. No lakes there though -- Here are some links with some idea of what it looks like:

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

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

And you say you may be heading to "Western Switzerland." Do you mean Neuchatel or Lake Geneva? I love the Lake Geneva area and recommend it highly.

Hope this helps!

s

Chispax

Thanks for your suggestions. I am looking into it all. My head does start spinning from it all. Probably why I wanted to pick one place and stay put after moving day after day hiking around Mont Blanc. I am leaving Chamonix on Aug. 12 and may just hop on the first train heading toward Switzerland..probably end up in Interlaken or some little village on the outskirts. Then I can always take a peak at Berner Oberland in a day trip.

enzian

Well, I'm one who can never get enough hiking. And would I ever love to hike the TMB! Lucky you.

From Chamonix, you'll have a lovely and scenic train ride to Martigny. Transfer to Brig, and then head north to . . . the rest of Switzerland (assuming you don't go east to the Engadine or Ticino).

I would suggest you stop for a night at Kandersteg, about 1/2 hour from Brig, and go up to the lake to stay at a beautiful mountain hotel:
www.oeschinensee.ch

The food is very good and the proprietors are very kind. Sparkling bath/shower rooms with lots of hot water. And the lake is that beautiful green color from glacial water.

From Kandersteg, you could go either west (to Gstaad and Saanenland), or north and east to Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald area. Then perhaps from there to Luzern, and on to Zürich. Sounds like a great trip to me.

Chispax

I have to admit I am a hikaholic! I grew up in the Sierra Nevada and love hiking in the mountains. I have never been to Europe, instead I have traveled and hiked in South and Central American and in Asia. My last trip was hiking in Mongolia. Decided it was time to give the Alps a visit. Your specific suggestions sound perfect. Thanks!

Chispax

I just found a website called "200 budget hotels in Switzerland". Has anyone had experience with this site? Is it a good site to find reasonable hotels or should I just troll the Internet on my own for hotels?

altamiro

If you know where you are going, the best bet is not the direct internet service but the local tourism offices of the towns. They can provide you with contacts to the small B&B's which often don't have a real internet presence except an email address.

Chispax

The place in Kandersteg looks great! Decided to stay two nights. Then I am heading for Luzern for 3-4 nights. I guess it is time to hit a city. I read that Luzern is only 45 minutes from Zurich on the train. I have an 11am flight out of Zurich and was planning on staying at a hotel near the airport. Can I leave early Friday morning and make it to the airport in an hour or so? I would much rather stay an extra night somewhere besides Zurich.

enzian

Chispax---if you are staying up at the Hotel Oeschinensee at Kandersteg, be aware that you get there either by chairlift or by hiking about 2 km and 1800 feet of elevation gain. It's best to stow most of your luggage in the lockers in the train station and carry what you need in a daypack. Book a single room---I've stayed in one with a lovely view out to the mountains, and the meadow in front all decorated with cows. The rooms have a sink in the room, but bathrooms are a short walk down the hall.

Dinner is served quite early (they like you seated by 6) and afterwards people wlak along the lake, or gather in one of several "living rooms" for cards, reading, and conversation. When we were there last summer, there was a young Swiss woman there by herself for a week-long vacation. We enjoyed talking to her and sharing tales of our day's adventures.

swandav2000

Hi Chispax,

About Luzern & the airport, yes, you can stay in Luzern and get to the airport easily from there. There are one or two direct trains every hour right to the airport from Luzern, and it takes about an hour. Check rail schedules at www.rail.ch.

s

swandav2000

ps,

The designation for the Zurich airport on the rail scheduler is simply "Zurich airport."

s

Chispax

Enzian, thanks for the information. I will figure out if I feel like carrying my pack after I know what it weighs! I do a lot of backpacking although the chair lift sounds like a better option! I am still deciding what type of luggage to bring with me. I have a carry-on suitcase/backpack from REI with a zip-on day pack but I don't think the day pack is really big enough for my day hiking on the Tour du Mont Blanc. I have another carry-on with wheels and no straps but I think it will get heavy day after day riding on trains. Any suggestions from folks? I do know even for 3 weeks I can keep my stuff to backpack size.

enzian

Do you want to do the flight with only a carry-on size bag? Then your daypack for hiking the TMB would need to go inside it, unless you can pass it off as a "small personal item". (Unlikely). I generally take my hiking day pack as my carry-on, and check a 22" wheeled bag which has all the "non-carry" stuff like Swiss Army knife, hiking poles, etc. But that checked bag is still plenty light for getting on and off trains. If you are strong enough to do the hike, it shouldn't be any problem for you either.

Where will you leave your luggage while you do the hike? Does the tour operator take care of it for you?