tower

tim2:


Of all the things we've learned about your pleasant dilemma, this is #1:

You have a very wise GP..heed his/her prescription, and go on from there. All will be restful and well. Good health!

stu T.

gruezi

Tim,

Given you like art and also want some scenery and rest I think Luzern is a better base. With poor weather you have the Rosengart collection and the Contemporary Art Museum and I think Picasso if it is open again. There are some nice city walks and if you like glaciers a really fun and amazing museum about glaciers. There are some beautiful churches and some stunning Swiss squares with beautifully painted buildings. You can stroll on the historic covered bridges and have a long, long lunch or coffee on the river.

From Luzern it is a lovely boat ride to many destinations including the old glass factory and museum in Hergiswil, lunch on the lake in Vitznau and a ride up Mt. Rigi, Mt. Pilatus, Montreaux, the Chillon Castle and much more...

Bern has its charms, but with 2 weeks you will find more to do from Luzern I think.

gruezi

traveller1959

Luzern:

We had a wonderful meal in the restaurant of Hotel des Balances, Weinmarkt (innovative cuisine). The Hotel des Balances also looks very good as a place to stay (we stayed at a very good rate in Grand Hotel National which was a splurge - we used www.hrs.de).

Otherwise, Luzern is very compact. When walking through town, you will see lots of restaurants where you can read the menus before walking in or making a reservation.

Make Luzern your base. The train to Bern takes 60 min (direct train) and to Zürich 46 min (direct). It is very easy to ride the train. www.sbb.ch

jmw444

You know, Tim, I don't think you've said what your mode of transportation will be from London to Switzerland.

I keep coming back to your original opening paragraph. I think you'll have to be careful not to forget your desire for a "relaxing, quiet place" while you are tempted here by tourist meccas. Lucerne is gorgeous, without a doubt, but it is not quiet or particularly relaxing IMO. (and I love the Rosengart) For that you would have to stay in one of its neighboring lakeside towns.

J.

tim2

Hi J

Thanks for this. Yes, was thinking that Luzern might be very busy. I'm intending to fly to Switzerland from city airport, either to Bern as originally thought, or to Zurich if I head for Luz, whether I chose to stay in city centre or not.

All best

Tim

jmw444

I sort of thought you intended to fly directly to Bern. You might like to take a look at this page at the bnb.ch site:

http://www.bnb.ch/index.php?p=liste_membres

It shows three bed and breakfast accommodations in Bern; the first and the third look very nice. Of course, they are likely to be a bit away from the train station, but the idea of a neighborhood place seems very restful to me.

After looking at those, you can click on the map at the top of the page to take you to the list that includes Lausanne. Surely you have a map of Switzerland by now, yes?

I hope you are enjoying your decision-making process. It is fun for those of us who can participate vicariously. J.

crckwc1

Did anyone mention the weather in September? We were there last September and the weather was wonderful -- just one day of rain, temperature warm to moderately cool (light sweater weather) in Lucerne and Bern, cooler on the mountains but still not as cold as I had imagined. But take layers as weather is always variable.

I'm not a vegetarian but I survived a gluten-free diet by eating tons of raclette -- cheese and potatoes -- available just about everywhere and delicious. Can't help on ideas for more upscale vegetarian dining.

gruezi

tim,

If you are coming from London, I don't think you will find Zurich, Bern or Luzern particularly busy esp. in early September. Luzern is a small, completely walkable city, with a river and lake and mountain views to chill things out. I've been there many times (although not in the middle of summer) and it never seems too crowded or busy to me. But I don't find Zurich very busy either. To us it seems like more of a big town than a city - and again very walkable with the lake to give it a nice relaxing feeling.

Personally, I would head to somewhere more scenic and bucolic for at least a part of your stay just because Switzerland has such outstanding scenery, but as a base any of the 3 cities will be fine. I am less inclined to recommend Lausanne because I just don't find it that walkable and beyond the old town, less charming and interesting, but I'm sure there are those who will disagree.

If you get to Zurich, not far from the train station is Hiltl a really wonderful vegetarian restaurant. In fact, it is just a really good restaurant all around. There is self-serve takeaway downstairs and seated table service dining upstairs.

gruezi

tim2

Hi all,

Thanks so much for all your on-going replies. I'm now even more stressed over where to go - probably need an even longer holiday now!

For some reason, flights from London to Bern seem more expensive than flights elsewhere, though perhaps this has something to do with Bern being a tiny airport.

As for a map of Switzerland, the answer is actually 'no'. Not a proper map as such, but the one Rough Guide book I do have, gives me all I need, I think.

Very happy with raclette anywhere or pasta, or cheese... If I survived France 2 years' ago, which was amazing thanks to recommendations here, I'm sure I'll survive Switzerland.

Taking your votes now:

Bern?
Luzern?
Zurich?

And on-going travel from there?

Warmest wishes from hot and humid London

Tim

crckwc1

Just one's person's opinion, you understand, but I would choose Luzern because I just like its ambience best, although we enjoyed Bern too. Zurich would be my last choice. Other posters can offer tips on transportation connections from Luzern, but it's my understanding that train connections are good to most places you would want to visit such as Interlaken/Bernese Oberland.

traveller1959

Firstly, it does not matter if you fly into Bern or Zürich. Switzerland is so small and has such a good train system!

Secondly, when you really want to spend 10-14 days at one place then you might consider this:

- Bern is a charming, mid-sized town. You can easily spend three or four days there. Then it will become boring. You can make daytrips into the mountains, to the lakes, to Zürich.

- Zürich is a larger city, with more options to spend your time there. Maybe after five days it starts to get boring. You can make daytrips from Zürich, but they will take a little bit more time.

- Luzern is a very small town, but charming, with some options for rainy days. From Luzern, you have direct access to two mountains (Pilatus and Rigi), you can make very relaxing boat trips, you have scenery AND you can make daytrips into every direction.

- Smaller towns (like Mürren) which are directly in the mountains are quiet and good bases for hiking, but after a few rainy days you wish you were in a proper town.

IMO, Luzern would be the best option for you. Or you change your base during your stay, e.g. 3 days Zürich, 4 days Luzern, 3 days Bern.

gruezi

I agree with traveler...

I actually prefer Zurich to Bern unlike crckrw but each has its charms.

Really, after London, they will all feel like small towns to tim2!

You'll be fine wherever you land and you can move if you decide you are bored.

Switzerland is by nature pretty low-key.

gruezi

jmw444

I keep thinking back to your desire for a restful two weeks and your lack of fondness for trains.

That means we should be careful about raving about the number of daytrips possible. I'm guilty of that, Tim. I love Swiss trains. How do you feel about boats?

For a restful vacation, please limit your bases to two places (if indeed you are now thinking of a split).

I think I'll bow out now of the discussion about which places those should be. The towns I find restful are always very small. While I love Zurich, Bern, and Lucerne (gorgeous small cities with contrasting architecture, ambience, and museums), I prefer to hang my hat in tiny places. Best wishes as you make your decision. I hope you'll come back here with a new thread when you return to tell us how it worked out. J.

tim2

HI all

Thanks so much. Still deliberating. I believe Switzerland is now very expensive, but then if you've been living in London for as long as I have you probably get used to it.

Will of course keep you informed of my decisions, and am now gearing up for a change of scenery especially as the London weather has taken a real change for the worse.

Thanks so much for all you kind notes.

Best wishes

Tim