I'm attempting to break away from signing up with tour companies in the future. That said, I'm planning to combine independent travel in early July with a tour of the alpine region. The itinerary looks very good.

My plans right now are to fly into Zurich and go on my own up to Murren, stay at the Hotel Eiger for 3 nights (can anyone out there recommend this place?), and then train back to Lucerne to meet up with my tour group.

The tour starts in Lucerne, then goes to Annecy, Chamonix, Lake Como, St. Moritz, Innsbruck, Neuschwanstein, ends in Munich.

As a solo traveler, I'm sure it would be taxing to try to get to all these places on my own. My thought is that in combining independent travel along with a tour, I'll gradually wean myself from feeling the need to be with a tour group.

Any thoughts? Your feedback in the past has been very helpful.

S

How many days will it take for the tour to cover those places?

the tour itself is 13 days.

It wouldn't be taxing to me to get to all these places by teh superb public transporation...but perhaps there are reasons you'd rather be on a tour that are legitimate concerns - company for one thing - a solo traveler is a solo traveler - do you want to travel alone - i always do and prefer it but it matters on the individual.

Though i always travel solo i'm not one to dismiss group tours - they can be cheaper for one thing than buying all the components yourself - single hotel rooms unfortunately often cost nearly as much as doubles many places.

So i wouldn't necessarily abandon tours unless you don't care for their structure, etc. and feel you're missing out on spontaneity, flexibility, etc.

Many folks i think enjoy group tours simply because of the group and that's fine with me. But if you want to go solo you'll have few problems in these type places in Europe - in fact no really problems so if fear is preventing you from going solo then go solo.

PB,
Thanks for your kind response. I went with this company to Paris, Provence, Tuscany last year. There were a few drawbacks and many plusses. On the positive side, there were a lot of nice people on the tour to share the experience with. That said, this will be an entirely different group coming up... maybe I just got lucky the first time. I'll give it more thought and rely on my intuition.

Thanks again for your insight.
S

Perhaps you should search for a Tour Lite - a tour that builds maximum amount of individual 'time to explore XXXX' into their schedules but provides the trappings of a group tour - accommodations, transporation, etc.

Some trips i know are exhausting - an early reveille so that the tour can see three cities and two countries in one day - i once owned a company that ran group tours and often the more you advertise seeing and doing the more attractive it sounds.

Our tours were mainly letting people doing what they wanted in one town each day - or in some towns a few days. I don't know offhand any such tours to recommend but i'm sure they exist.

Many bus tours end up marathon days and deposit you exhausted at an isolated hotel at night (isolated in the sense that you are cacooned solely with tour members and really never have time to confront Europe on your own as you do with lots of free time.

Anyone know such less structure tours?

Susan,

I think your plan is a good one. The tour will take you to some very beautiful places in several countries---a nice sampling of Alps and lakes. And Mürren is a perfect choice for a few days on your own to see how you like that style of travel.

You will find the Swiss train system very easy to use. I don't know if it has already been suggested, but you can see the routes and schedules online at www.sbb.ch
(available in English if you like). For now, I would look at schedules to Lauterbrunnen, the last stop before Mürren, because the new cablecar that you will use next July is not in service yet. So the route they show to Mürren now is different.

You will see that there a several trains a day direct from the Zürich airport to Interlaken, where you change for a train to Lauterbrunnen. Apart from those, frequent trains run from the airport to the main Zürich station, where you would change for the one to Interlaken and beyond. So, depending on the time your flight arrives, you could go straight to Mürren, or stay overnight in Zürich and travel to Mürren the following day.

I'm afraid I can't help you with the Hotel Eiger, as we've never stayed there. But I wouldn't give much credence to that one negative review on Tripadvisor. Everyone else seems to love it.

Enzian,

Thanks for the information and encouragement. I plan to stay in Zurich one night after the flight (to play catch up with jet lag). Can you (or anyone else) recommend a hotel in Zurich, not too far away from the main train station?

Susan

Also, to Bob--

The company I'm planning to travel with does build in quite a bit of free time, along with guided time. I think it's a good balance. Also, participants can choose NOT to do the guided things if they don't wish to. For instance, I'm thinking of taking a bus over to Hall on the morning of the director-guided tour of Innsbruck. I've heard Hall is much more charming.

Hi Susan---for Zürich hotels, can you give us an idea of your budget? Zürich is quite expensive, but there are some nice hotels that aren't too high.

In the moderate range, two suggestions would be Hotel Bristol, which is moderately-priced and just a few blocks from the train station, and Hotel Adler, which is in the "oldtown" area close to the river. We stayed at the Bristol last time, but will probably try the Adler next time based on location and recommendations here.

You might want to post a separate question on hotels in Zürich; you will get lots more opinions, including some very nice (and expensive) 4-star hotels. Also, try using the search function for "Zurich". There have been several lists posted here with websites, etc.

I hope you arrive in time to enjoy a walk along the river and through the oldtown; it's a very pleasant city. We had a splendid dinner (French food) at Mere Catherine, in the oldtown area. Or if you stay at the Adler, you could dine in the hotel restaurant (Swiss fare).

Speaking of dinner, have you considered the half-board option at the Eiger? The hotel meals in Switzerland are usually very good, and a good value (usually around 30 CHF for a 4- or 5-course dinner).

Enzian,
Thanks for your helpful recommendations. I will look into the Adler. My budget considerations are somewhere in the $200/night range. Yes, I will consider the half board at the Eiger. Thanks! S

I love Untours for Switzerland: all the help you need, information on how to get around, a "home base" that's lovely...it's a great compromise!
(www.untours.com)

Hi Susan---a single room at the Adler would be well under your budget, and you might like to consider something even nicer. If you post a Zurich hotel question here you might get some suggestions for a lovely hotel with view of the river or lake in your price range. I'd be curious to see what people suggest, myself. But we need a triple room (ourselves plus our teenage daughter), and some of the hotels I might otherwise consider don't offer triple rooms. Thus my choice of the Adler.

I've made this step already - from the convenience of an organized tour to independent travel. It feels scary the first time. Only the first time

You will meet many people in the hotels, museums, bus stops, trains - to talk to, to ask questions, to exchange opinions.

Maybe as an intermidiate step you want to take a very short tour, and then explore on your own?

Enzian -- $200 would be my absolute max for a single room (with a view), but $150 would be more comfortable for me. At any rate, I may open a new thread. Thanks for the suggestion.

FainaAgain-- Good suggestion. I just ordered some of Karen Brown's guidebooks with the thought that I just might be inspired to do this trip on my own. Then again, I may chose the "comfort" of the tour. It's not that I'm afraid, it's that I'm trying to avoid transfer hassles. Tours are so easy.

And I would like to see both Annecy and Lake Como... 2 destinations included on the tour.