We are planning a first trip to Switzerland in December 2001. Where? Zurich, Geneva?? <BR>We don't plan to ski but would love to see some beautiful country.

Mary, <BR> <BR>Hi. The folks here will have a lot of help to offer you, but we'll be more help if you can give us more infmormation about yourself! For instance, what do you consider "beautiful country"? Switzerland has gorgeous alpine scenery (. . . ), mountain villages, scenic cities, lakeside villages, cities and towns with French influences, cities and towns with Italian influences, and cities and towns with German influences. So if you can specify your preferences, we'll be better able to steer you to the right regions. <BR> <BR>Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and its major gateway city; you'll probably fly into Zurich. It has some great history, a strong German influence, an interesting main shopping street, and a picturesque lake; however, most travellers would not consider it to be the best introduction to the country because it is primarily a business and commerce center. <BR> <BR>Geneva is in the French section of Switzerland and sits right on Lake Geneva. It is less interesting (IMHO) and less picturesque than Zurich. <BR> <BR>Some alternatives to consider: <BR> <BR>Lucerne, on Lake Lucerne, about an hour south of Zurich. It is smaller and more picturesque; it offers a fascinating old city and many excursions on the lake. <BR> <BR>The Berner Oberland and the mountain villages south of Interlaken. Investigate Wengen, Muerren, and Grindelwald to get the perfect image of alpine Switzerland. They are about three hours from the airport in Zurich. <BR> <BR>Montreux or Vevey on Lake Geneva -- offering the French flavor without the size, noise, & bustle of the city. <BR> <BR>In December, you might want to go south, to the Italian-flavored Ticino region of Switzerland. This is not my favorite, and I'll leave others to comment on it. <BR> <BR>To get a great overview of the country and its regions, check out these websites: <BR> <BR>www.twenj.com/swisvisit.htm <BR>www.myswitzerland.com <BR> <BR>Feel free to e-mail me if you want more info. <BR> <BR>s

My husbnd and I were in Switzerland a few years ago. It was the best trip we've taken to date. We stayed in Interlaken (at the Jungfrau Victoria) which was very convenient for day trips to Bern, Zurich, Geneva, Lucerne,etc. Interlaken is a beautiful little town and the people couldn't have been nicer. You'll love Switzerland, have fun

Mary hello! Well December is a difficult month to suggest good places. On the lakes, it is likely to be very dull with bad weather, usually there is not yet very much snow in the mountains and resorts get busy only just before Christmas. If you are interested in museums and art, you will find very good exhibitions during winter months in all cities. <BR>How long do you plan to stay, anyway? If it is for a week, I would split into two places like Lucerne/Berne and Geneva or Lausanne. Places like Montreux, and Interlaken, can be extremely dull and deserted at that time of the year. <BR>

When is the "best" time to see Switzerland? I have heard so much abt it that i am frightened i am going to be disappointed am planning to catch it by the end of aug. how will it be and any tips? <BR> <BR>and thanks mary for posting this message got some useful info. <BR> <BR>- Anita

Anita: You will not be disappointed. End of August is a very good time for all places. Mountains, lakes, cities, etc. Is it for this August? If, yes, you should start booking rooms. It's still holiday season, although the real peak will be over. <BR>Right now, it is unbearably hot. More than 30°C. In the mountains, in must be a dream right now, because cooler and still fine. <BR>Enjoy.

Ursula and others, <BR> <BR>Ya it is for this aug -sept that we are planning. actually planning to catch paris and switz (and maybe norway/amsterdam) in 10-12 days. u think it is possible? and can any of u suggest some good 3/4 star hotels in Switzerland or Paris. just "discovered" this site yesterday and am amazed at this forum <BR> <BR>thanks and cheers, <BR>anita

Anita: What places do you want to stay at? <BR>For Zurich, you can get infos at: <BR>www.zurichtourism.ch <BR>With www.myswitzerland.com you will find links for the Tourist Offices in the places you would like to visit (what about Lucerne, Interlaken, Berner Oberland, or Lake of Geneva?) You should narrow down a bit, otherwise it's too difficult to give good suggestions. Do you want to go into the mountains or rather stay in towns and close to a lake? <BR> <BR>For Paris, check out: <BR>www.parisavenue.com <BR>www.paris.org <BR>www.hotelboulevard.com <BR>www.paris-touristoffice.com <BR>I would suggest you find something in the 6th (St. Germain), 7th (Orsay, Ecole Militaire, Eiffel Tower) or 14th (South St. Germain/Montparnasse) to be more or less in the middle of the city. A lot of hotels have special offers for August. <BR>In Europe, you can also find good places (usually 3-stars) with <BR>www.bestwestern.com <BR>But make reservations directly with the hotels. <BR>A lot of them are quite charming, independently run and have nothing to do with the American motel chain but the reservation center. <BR>Paris, Switzerland, Amsterdam AND Norway sounds like a rush to me in 10-12 days. I would skip at least one city or country.

Ursula, <BR> <BR>I tried sending a mail to you but it bounced back. If u dont mind getting in touch with me, pls feel free to write to the above mail-id. <BR> <BR>am definitely not interested in zurich kind of business/commercial centres <BR>but thought Lucerne sounded brilliant (from ur post and Ingrids) Wuld love <BR>to catch it. want to see more of mountains and snow and rivers (if possible )than stay near cities. lakes are okay but i think i want to just see the best of the lakes near where we stay and skip the rest. primarily want to laze around and feel the place more than go place-hopping <BR> <BR>am planning to take a day's guided tour around paris and then spend the <BR>remaining 2-3 days in paris going back to the places we liked best. u think <BR>it will work out? <BR> <BR>anita <BR> <BR>

Sorry, Anita, I do not post with my real e-mail address anymore. I cannot handle all that post and I am not at all in the tourism industry. <BR>By the way, Zurich is the largest Swiss town, but the business center is small. I live and work right on the lake side. During weekends and in the evenings, it's like being on holiday. Really, Zurich is great to live and to visit. Just read in the today's newspaper, that tourists from the US are in second place, after the Germans and ahead of the British. <BR>Lucerne might be a good base (for my personal taste it is too touristy and made up for tourists, sorry). <BR>www.lucerne.org <BR>If you want to see snow and mountains, go for Interlaken (between the lakes) very touristy, no Swiss people stay there, but it's ok) or Thun (on the lake). Incidentally, we have a lot of nice lakes here. You might also consider Lake of Neuchâtel, Lake of Bienne, both in the French part, but farther away from the snowy mountains. <BR>My favourite area in summer and winter are all places around Gstaad like Schönried, Saanen, Saanenmöser. Less tourists from abroad where you can get the feeling you are looking for. From all those places, you can go on the Montreux-Oberland-Bahn (MOB) which takes you down to Montreux. The ride is very nice and you can spend the day on the Lake of Geneva. But most American seem to like above all the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau. For that, choose Mürren or Wengen (both no individual traffic!). No big lakes around though, but great for hiking. <BR>Hope this helps a little bit ... must go back to work now.

Mary let me tell you a short story about the Suisse. I was born in Zurich but left when I was 4. I returned to visit my relatives when I was about 15. I was with my God parents and saw this beautifully appointed truck drive by with flower boxes attached to its sides and men dressed immiculately in sharp pressed uniforms. I asked my God mother what it was that could be so spotless and beautiful. She replied, " I think you call that in English a Garbage Truck". <BR> <BR>Try going to one of the guilds that are culinary schools. It is by far the best food I have ever had. I have traveled extensively since then, all over the world. <BR> <BR>Also, the Suisse are multi linguists so you should have no problem with the language barrier if you thought that might be a problem. I know my God parents and mother speak at least six languages each. Enjoy.