tim2

Hi all

I'm hoping to travel to Bern (easy to get to from London and supposed to be beautiful) in early September for a 10-14 day break and wanted a recommendation for a nice, relaxing, quiet place to stay that won't break the bank.

I'd also like a recommendation for some nice places to eat. I'm vegetarian (but love good food and patisserie), but I'm assuming that, if I managed, miraculously, to survive amazingly well in France two years' back, Bern shoudn't be a problem.

Looking forward to hearing the suggestions.

Thanks in anticipation

Tim

jmw444

Oh, Tim, you'll receive numerous replies here I'm sure. Some suggesting that you base elsewhere. I love Bern but have never stayed there, so I cannot offer practical contributions. (My four stays in the area have been in Leissigne on Thunnersee, Brienz, and Rivaz on Lac Leman.)

What I can say is that you will be in the absolute best place for rail daytrips. Over my four stays in those three locations, I visited wonderful towns and villages like Solothurn, Lausanne, Avenches, Fribourg, Murten, Chateau d'Oex, Gruyeres, Geneve, Montreux (and Chillon), Vevey, St. Saphorin, and the wonderful vineyard walks along the Lavaux shores of Leman.

September should be a delightful time of the year. I hope you have a wonderful break.
J.

tim2

Hi J,

Thanks so much for your reply. Always great to hear from other travellers. My GP tells me that I need fresh air and rest (even though I'm a fit and healthy 42!), hence my Swiss destination.

I'm not intending making this a whirlwind tour of Switzerland, though knowing what I'm like, I'll probably want to do as much as possible.

What's the weather like in September?

All best wishes

Tim

Apres_Londee

I spent one night in Bern last year and thought it was lovely. I would have loved to have spent more time there.

We stayed at the Hotel Belle Epoque, which which recommended to me by another poster, and we loved it- the rooms are attractive and comfortable, and the hotel breakfast is quite good.

http://www.belle-epoque.ch/

suze

I'd stay in Vevey or Montreux instead and day trip to Bern.

jmw444

Hello again, Tim.

Now that suze has begun the "stay somewhere smaller" crusade, I'll come back to agree with her. For fresh air and rest, you might consider splitting your time into two bases, maybe a village or town on Lac Leman (be sure to locate close to the vineyards of the lavaux--many walking paths through the hillside vineyards with views of the lake and mountains beyond), and another small place on the lakes of Brienz or Thun, or even a mountain village above.

All of the lake towns are well connected for rail daytrips to a huge list of targets, plus the possibility of numerous boatrides. If you purchase a Swiss Pass, the boats, trains, and busses are covered.

Again, I am very fond of Bern and find it to be a graceful old city of arcaded walks and charming painted fountains. However, for fresh air and rest, I would certainly opt for staying in a smaller place and visiting Bern by train. You will love Switzerland, Tim.

My more recent visits to the small Hotel Panorama in Gerra on Lago Maggiore near Locarno have saved my physical and mental health. Others here will share with you that the villages of the Engadine are the answer to your quest. For a first taste, though, I can think of no better solution than a combo of the lakes I mentioned at the top of this post (one french-speaking and one swiss/german).
J.

francophile03

I agree with the posters who suggested to stay elsewhere, visit Bern as a side trip. We stayed in Bern but if I'd have preferred staying in a bigger city instead. In Bern we thought that the Goldener Schlussel was a good hotel.

suze

tim2~ let us know what you decide.
all the best, suze

Mara

I stayed in Bern for a week in September of '05. I found it very centrally located for taking day trips.

I stayed here:
http://www.hotelnydeck.ch/pages/english.php

You can walk to the station and it is on a bus route.

Don't miss the Klee Museum.

Enjoy.

tim2

hi all

Thanks so much for all your kind replies. I'm slowly going off the idea now of staying in Bern, despite the attractiveness of the place. I knew that I'd end up being delightfully confused by everyone's suggestions.

My initial idea was to fly direct from London, and to avoid the extra hassle of taking another journey. Planes, trains and automobiles are not my thing, and I try to avoid them at all costs. Whoever said it is 'better to travel than to arrive' perhaps misunderstood the stressful nature of modern-day travel, even if Swiss rail links are supposedly the best in the world.

That said, any suggestions for staying in Vevey or Montreaux, or, indeed, anywhere else, much appreciated.Montreaux, by the way, according to some people and certain guide books, indicate that Montreaux can be expensive. Is that true?

I'm assuming that these places are easily reachable by train from Bern? I'd also love some restaurant recommendations (I may have mentioned that I'm a gourmet vegetarian).

Many thanks

All best

Tim

swandav2000

Hi tim2,

As much as I like Lac Leman and the towns of Vevey and Montreux, I think you owe it to yourself to see the high Alps -- since you'll be so close (Lac Leman is more tropical with mountains some distance away).

The mountain villages of the Berner Oberland are quite close to Bern. You can stay in a car-free village like Wengen or Mürren, for instance, and immerse yourself in the Heidi atmosphere of chalets, massive peaks, and greengreengreen expanses. You can research these sites for photos and ideas of activities:

www.wengen.com
www.wengen.ch
www.muerren.ch

You can research all the train schedules at the Swiss rail site,

www.rail.ch

Have fun!

s

gruezi

tim,

Hard to know where to direct you as you don't mention your interests besides veg. food.

There a many lovely areas with hiking, lake views, mountain views etc based on your desired activities.

Bern is a nice Swiss city convenient to many places.

You will find the transport in Switzerland really is quite wonderful and convenient and you will enjoy the train rides should you choose to venture forth.

There is plenty of wonderful pasta in Switzerland should you not find a veg. restaurant and many, many restaurants will offer a daily veg. entree.

gruezi

tim2

Hi Gruezi

Thanks so much for your e-mail. The Swiss trip, as my original e-mail made clear, is to provide me with a relaxing, peaceful and stress-free bereak away from my work (classical musician/writer)and to get away from London.

I have been to Switzerland before, but it was a long time ago, and it was only when a good friend suggested Berne that I decided to go.

I thrive on all things cultural here in London and elsewhere, so just knowing that there are things to do if I feel the need, would be just fine. My main intentions are to eat well, breathe some fresh air and relax as I watch the world go by. Of course, very happy to wander from one art gallery to another, but sometimes I just like to switch off as much of what I do professionally is centred around this.

Ideally, I'd love a nice place to stay (that won't break the bank) as my base would be ideal, and I can then decide what I'd like to do from there. I don't like to plan too much in advance, except accommodation-wise, and then just let the weather and my state of mind take things from there.

All best

Tim

ps What's the weather like in early September?

tim2

Oh, and of course I love walking, mountain views and lakes etc. I do get plenty of exercise here in London, so don't want to start hiking up too many mountains...at least, not this time.

Tim

jmw444

Hi, Tim. Take a look at bnb.ch and go to the section that includes Lausanne and Lac Leman. There are a couple of tiny towns tucked along the shore in the vineyards that might have places in your budget. I stayed in a two-star (very basic) accommodation above an excellent restaurant. It's the Auberge du Rivaz in Rivaz. In Cully, there's the fancier Major Davel.

But, you know, if you really do want to avoid trains, then stick to your original plan. The bnb site might even show some lovely options for Berne. J.

jmw444

By the way, for a gracious old city with lake and mountain views, and lovely neighborhood strolls, you might consider Lausanne. Could it be as convenient to reach from London as Bern?

tim2

Hi J

Thanks so much for your suggestions.

All best

Tim

traveller1959

Seems as if everybody has his/her own favourite town.

Here some aspects to consider:

- Bern is a lovely mid-sized town, with a medieval old town and quite a few museums and cultural sights. (BTW, I have eaten in a café right on the Kornhausmarkt with a lot of vegetarian options).

- Luzern is the quintessential Swiss town, unbelievably picturesque and located at a lake/river, maybe a good place for your health. Lots of opportunities for boat trips and cable car rides up into the mountains (the cable car station for the Pilatus mountain is practically within town).

Both Bern and Luzern have excellent train connections from Zürich airport and to other destinations. Daytrips are really easy from these towns.

- Lake Geneva will be a little bit warmer in September (maybe even hot). Montreux is an old-fashioned lakeside resort with traditional grand hotels, but somewhat faded glory. The town itsself has not much to offer, besides Chateau de Chillon (which is a little out of town).

gzeigler

We loved this hotel right above the old town of Bern:
Hotel Landhaus; Altenbergstrasse 4+6; 3013 Bern, Switzerland; Phone: 031 331 4166 (very inexpensive!)
The report on our trip is posted as Trip Report # 1204, Zig and Georgia's Trip of Gifts, on the slowtrav.com website. A good read!

Georgia

tim2

Hi all

Thanks so much for joining my much-debated Swiss holiday conundrum. I'm now even more amused, bemused and confused by all the replies. The plot thickens.

Initially I thought of Bern, but now my mind is wandering...

Any further thoughts on Luzern too, including restaurants and accommodation. All much appreciated.

It seems as if I will have to take an even longer rest period to take in all your wonderful recommendations.

Thanks so much

Tim