Had eliminated Montreux from plans but continue to be intrigued by the Lac Leman region. We're going the first week of May and I read on the net somewhere about a tulip festival in Morges which sounds lovely. Thinking might be able to get a lower priced hotel in Morges or Nyon - what about those as base for that area? And then after that, Grindelwald and Lucerne (that part hasn't changed).

Hi. I only check in once a week, so I think I missed your elimination of Montreux, and I don't recall if you mentioned how budget-minded you were. You might check out little St. Prex near Morges to see if there are some possible accommodations there as well. Nyon is an appealing place with an easy boatride to France's Yvoire just across the lake. I love the Lac Leman region, and I always stay at the Auberge du Rivaz in Rivaz. Just a few very basic rooms over their restaurant, but we loved the location. You might also look into places to stay in Lutry; it's a very pretty town. J.

Not helpful to this question but if I was embarrased everytime we changed our itinerary in the planning stages I would be permanently red -faced.

As usual, I have to make a correction. Auberge de Rivaz; not du.

Hi orange-t-cat,

I sent for a brochure "Gastronomy and Wine" from the Switzerland Tourist office (www.myswitzerland.com), and found two delightful-looking places in it. Now, remember, I can't vouch for these from personal experience.

Anyway, one is Hotel Couronne in Morges, with a website at www.hotelcouronnemorges.ch. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to get the website to work. You may be able to get more information about it at the myswitzerland site -- or by downloading the brochure from the site.

Another is the Hotel du Cerf (www.hotel-du-cerf.ch), in the village of Crans-pres-Celigny. I actually walked by this place on a little stroll from nearby Celigny (a town I fell in love with almost at first sight). I think it's a real charmer.

One note, though. Because these places are in smaller villages, you may be looking at several transfers -- to local trains or buses. So pack light!

A further thought might be the Hotel de Chatonneyre in the village of Corseaux, just outside of Vevey. Hotel is at www.chatonneyre.ch, and you can see the village at www.cowseaux.ch. Never stayed there, but charmed by its presentation on the web.

Have fun searching!!

s

Hi again,

I did get the website to work now. If you have trouble with it, do a google search of "Hotel de la Couronne, Morges."

Good luck again!

s

Hi again orangetravelcat and hello S! The Couronne looks great to me (is that your price range, o'cat?). And Morges is on the rail line between Geneve and Lausanne, so travel shouldn't be a problem. By the way, did you notice the tulips in the photo at the upper left? J.

I looked at the website for the Couronne and it looks good. Considering that, or the Hotel des Alpes in Nyon. Have revised itin as follows: train from Zurich to Grindelwald - 3nites there - train to Lucerne - 3 nites there - then train to Nyon or Morges - 3nites there. I think is my final (ha) itinerary. And yes, I noticed the tulips.

Hi orangetravelcat,

Your itin. looks great. I would only wonder if you're flying out of Zurich? If so, you should reverse Morges & Luzern; you can take a train from Luzern to the Zurich airport in about 70-80 minutes with no changes. It's pretty convenient for your last night. Plus, I think the train ride from Grindelwald to Lake Geneva is great. Be sure to go via Zweisimmin & Montreux. For the route Morges - Luzern, I would go via Berne just to save time.

Have a great trip.

s

Believe it or not, I am flying home from Brussels! Using FF tickets so took what I could get. So I can fly to Brussels either from Geneva or Zurich, although I think the fares are lower from Geneva.

Just to keep milking this because good Swiss threads are few and far between these days, O'cat, did you ever say why you are making your first three nights Grindelwald instead of Lucerne? Did you consider reversing their order? As for Lac Leman and environs during the first week of May, I'll bet you'll wish you could have spent more time there (well duh jw). It is such a wonderful area with good public transportation and a never-ending list of great towns to visit. Personally, I can't wait to hear your descriptions of the Nyon/Morges side of the lac. I enjoyed Nyon very much, but have not spent time in the other little towns on that side. Toodles to you both. J.

I probably had a reason for choosing Grindelwald as my first stop but for the life of me, can't remember why! But now I'm having second thoughts about Grindelwald; my husband has cardiac disease and we have to check with his cardiologist to see if he should avoid high altitude. I wonder if it is worth it to spend time in Grindelwald if we can't go way up in the mountains. So maybe we will do Nyon, Lucerne and Locarno. What do you think?

Forgot to mention - we will be flying into Geneva, not Zurich, as we will be coming from London and will either get an easyjet flight or a ba flight.

Hi O'cat. Well landing in Geneve would be one reason for placing Grindelwald before Lucerne. Sorry to hear that elevation might be a problem for the hubby. I absolutely love Lago Maggiore, but if this is your first visit to Switzerland, you're probably picturing the Oberland. Maybe there's a compromise, like staying in Brienz with its wonderful views of the mountains, visits to Ballenburg and Thun, and gentle train rides to a few of the lower elevations up from Interlaken? Obviously, what your physician says will decide your plans, but I can say that I enjoyed a couple of trips to lakes Thun and Brienz before I ever set foot into the 'real' mountains. (what a heretic.)

On the other hand, if you opt for Maggiore and Lucerne, you'll find lots of raves from me and others at the SGFTWLS threads (if they can still be accessed). The best thing to recommend a Leman, Lucerne, Maggiore combo is that you will experience three distinctly different 'versions' of Switzerland. Later, J. p.s. Thanks for sharing the decision-making process w/us. It is so much fun to see your anticipation and vicariously take part in the planning.

Back to Montreux....
Decided we deserve to stay at the Eden au Lac. Due to husband's and father's health problems, we had to cancel almost all our vacation plans in 2003. So we deserve a nice lakeside hotel with balcony. So I'm going back to my original plan of 4 days in Montreux to relax by the lake and visit the little towns and villages, then Grindelwald for three days. My Swiss friend at work assures me even if we don't go to very high altitudes we will like Grindelwald. And then Lucerne for two days and from there to Zurich to fly to Brussels.

Hi orangetravelcat,

Ahhh, now THAT's a vacation. In my very subjective opinion!

Not to worry: Morges is only a 32-minute train ride away from Montreux. Keep an eye on the ferry website (www.cgn.ch) to see if/how often they'll be running in the spring. It would be a delightful day to take the train to Morges early in the morning, spend the day enjoying the town and the tulips, then take a long ferry ride back with an on-board dinner.

Or you could spend the morning in Morges and the afternoon in Lutry (at a cave??) and then take the ferry back.

Or the morning in Nyon, the afternoon in Morges, then the ferry back.

Ah, so much Leman, so little time!

By the way, I just learned that "Leman" comes from "Lem," a pre-Celtic word that means "large water." -- from the Switzerland tourism brochure, "Gastronomy and Wine." I always wondered where that name came from.

My best --

s

The morning in Morges and afternoon in Lutry sounds perfecto. Hi, s!

Well, the hotel reservations are all in place. Four nites at Eden au Lac in Montreux, three nites at Hotel Eiger in Grindelwald, and two nites at Drei Konige in Lucerne. The only thing left to do, closer to departure time, is book our Easyjet flight from LGW to GVA, and get our Swiss rail passes. Thanks for your suggestions; they were a big help in planning this trip. Now on to thinking about where in Europe to go in 2005...

I hope you have registered with Easy Jet so they will notify you immediately when the summer tickets go on sale. That way you can get the lowest price tickets, practially "give-aways".

Thanks for the EasyJet info, Patrick. I'll go to their site now and register.