First trip to Switzerland
 

We're making our first trip to Switzerland this June and would appreciate any information you can provide; what to see, what to do, etc. Also, has anyone ever booked with Idyl Untours company?

If you search down a couple of weeks, someone else asked a similar question. I've been a couple of times and prefer the smaller cities and quaint little villages as opposed to spending a great deal of time in Geneva and Zurich. Lucerne is absolutely beautiful and a cruise arouund the lake is a great way to spend a day. You can also get off at any one of the stops and walk around the smaller towns. Zermatt is expensive but well worth it for the views of the Materhorn. Also, the area around the Jungfrau (Interlaken, Gridelwald, Lauterbrunnen) is stunning. Fodors and Frommers are excellent resources and I highly recommend making use of this web site. Have a great time and bring lots of money.

If you are only going to Switzerland recommend doing it on your own instead of using a tour company. Fly into (and out of) Lucerne, rent a car, and set off on your own. It's easy to get around and you can take all sorts of day trips. Fodor's is a good start for planning an itinerary. I personally like Interlaken - the Victoria Jungfrau Hotel is a wonderful place. Also agree with the above comment to avoid the big cities. Berne and Zurich, for example, have some interesting attractions but are boring to stay in. Don't be afraid to spend a little money and you will have a quality vacation.

I agree with the others that you should stick to smaller towns -- small Swiss towns are so quaint and charming. I've been to Grindelwald during Christmas and it was lovely. But my favorite is Zermatt (I've been there twice). It's probably my favorite town in all of Europe in many ways. We were there this past summer and developed a personal website "travelogue" with our experiences and photos if you're interested. It's at http://www.lunadesigns.com/travels/. Someone else mentioned Lucerne which is also a great pick if you're interested in a somewhat larger town. I recommend the Michelen guides for town and hotel recommendations (they're in any bookstore). Have fun!

Idyll Untours is outstanding. Rod, it is not a "tour" company in the usual sense. They provide you with airfare, an apartment for two weeks and (in Switzerland) a rail pass good for every day you are there - all at an unbelievably low price. In other countries it may be for a limited number of days or you may be provided with a car, depending upon location. They give you loads of suggested day trips, more than you could possibly take, instructions on how to use the trains and buses, but best of all, you are free to choose what you want to do and when you want to do it. They will also have a couple of group activities while you are there, which of course you can join or ignore. We spent two weeks with them last year in Meiringen and I highly recommend it. This is one of their most popular locations in Switzerland, though they have many more. They send you layouts on usually three apartments. If none of them are quite to your liking, they will send you more until you find just what you want. We thought Sachelm (spelling?) was also nice, and it is close to Meiringen, which is near Interlaken, right in the center of Switzerland, and a rail hub to anywhere and everywhere. One couple last year went to Zermatt for an overnight. I know people who have traveled with them yearly for many years. Visit their website at www.untours.com. You can't go wrong with Untours.

One of my favorites in Switzerland is the Tessin, lago Maggiore, Locarno, vale Maggia and vale Verzasca with its magnificant nature, the small villages and its old houses.

I agree that the smaller towns are the best. Interlaken is great--good shopping at Bucherer, good food, Weisses Kruez Hotel is excellent. Take the train to Grindelwald & see Lauterbrennen. Zermatt is also interesting.

I absolutely love to hike and I love snow-capped mountains, but I am going to Suisse at the end of January 1998! Will there be any cog railways or passes still open with spectacular views? I will have a car. Thanks in advance for your response!