Hi All

I won the lottery and got a ticket to Geneva. Not quite, I am going to Geneva for work and would like to make the most of the ticket I have been given. I will be travelling alone and have limited time available, only about 5 days after the conference. Where would be the best to spend my time? I am willing to travel a bit, but not too far, so were thinking of the South of France, in Switserland? I will be alone and therefore not too adventurous and would like to use public transport.

After the conference there is the possibility to travel to Chamonix and Mont Blanc for CHF 175 with the conference organisers. Is this a good idea?

Anneke

what time of year is the trip?

You say you don't want to "travel too far.."

Have you looked at a map of this region (highly advisable IMO).

Switzerland is about the size of West Virginia, USA, and by rail you can literally cross the entire country in about 5 hours. Is that "too far" for you?

I think there might be other places along Lac Leman (Lake Geneva to some) that might be equally as interesting as Chamonix (which you could also do and perhaps cheaper on your own than through the conference organizers).

Rest assured that many sights are easily accessible by rail.

Do you have any particular interests?

Hi Nuut,

Oh, congratulations on your wonderful assignment! I think it'll be wonderful!

Unfortunately, you're going to find that there's so much to see in Switzerland -- that five days won't be nearly enough! I suggest you go to a bookstore or library and look at some picture books of Switzerland to see which areas you like. Or go to webshots.com or google images and search for photos. After you have an idea of where you want to go, we can help a lot with our tips & picks for that place.

Just for starters, you should investigate the Berner Oberland (villages of Wengen, Muerren, or Grindelwald), Lake Geneva area (Montreux, Vevey, Cully, Morges), Engadin Valley (St. Moritz, Scuol, Sils), the Pays d'Enhaut/edge of Berner Oberland (Chateau d'Oex, Rougemont, Gstaad, Saanen), and around the Matterhorn (Zermatt, Brig). The Engadin might be a bit far for you to travel in five days, though.

Have fun researching!

s

Thanks for the replies.
To answer some questions:
Yes, I think travelling 5 hours is a bit too far. If I only have 4-5 days, and there is something worthwhile to see I do not want to spend half a day there and half a day back travelling.
I am goinf end of August, beginning of September.
My interests:
I have travelled a bit, some in Europe. This would however be the first time I would be all alone travelling.
I love travelling, snorkeling (in the sea and diving), liked white water rafting, love the food and scenery in Europe. Love old buidlings and cathedrals. My hobby is building doll's houses and I know the Germans have lovely miniatures, not sure about the Swiss. If my hubby went with me I would be visiting wine farms, but not so sure I want to do it on my own. Would love to hike, but again not alone. Would love the see the Alps. I have been in Europe but have never 'Seen the Alps' as in Sound of Music Alps.
I do not have a lot of money and my entire stipend would go into paying for the hotel in Geneva, so cost is a bit of an issue.
Thanks for your help so far.

Thanks for YOUR reply. I'll add that you don;t have to travel for five hours from Geneva to see alps, of which Mont Blanc is the highest of all.

You can easily see great scenery, vineyards, alps such as the Matterhorn, locations such as Vevey, Montreux, etc., by traveling, by rail, within a couple of hours from Geneva (the Matterhorn/Zermatt could be reached in as little as about 3 hrs depening on which train connections you use).

Am sure others will comment even more extensively. You might consider minimizing the Geneva hotel expenses (yes, it can be done) to have more money for your five days beyond.

Put "Vevey" and "Montreux" into the search box here. That will bring up many threads about things to do within only 1 hour or so from Geneva, right on the lake and on the train route. It is an absolutely lovely part of the world. Lucky you!

Thank you to everyone for replying.
What I had been thinking when I wrote my original post only became clear to me when I read your replies.

I spent a bit of time in Europe previously. And amongst that time I spent about 2 days in Switserland. We flew home via Zurich and broke our flight. We took the train to Lucerne. The idea was to go up Pilatus. It rained so much for the two days that we ended up spending the day in Lucerne. And I did not find it terribly exciting and awfully expensive.
So I was not too keen to spend my few days in Switzerland. So what I meant by not travel too far was, which of the neighboring countries would you recommend? I got such an overwheliming response about how great the Lake Geneva area is that I am reconsidering that thought. Maybe I should stay close to Geneva (I fly from Geneva back to Frankfurt and then home) and spend the time in the area in France and Switserland around Lake Geneva.
So to rephrase my original question, would you rather travel to Italy (never been there) or to the areas in France close by.
Money is an issue, and I guess I thought Switserland was just too expensive. Am I right? Would any specific destination be cheaper, for example staying in Laussane vs Montreaux?
I am quite keen to see the Lake region now, it sounds so lovely. And what is the best trip up the mountains?
Thanks for your help and thanks for helping me to think more clearly.
Intrepid, I found a hotel for 110 swiss franks. Any ideas how I can get cheaper than that would be greatly appreciated. I dont ask much of a hotel, just being close to the major sites.

When in that area I always stay along the lake, so can't help with your interest in other areas.

Yes I do believe Vevey or Lausanne offers more reasonable places to stay than Montreux. Depends what you do, but just kicking around, I did not find Switzerland horribly expensive, but I am easily and cheaply amuzed!

For so-called "budget" hotels take a look at www.rooms.ch

Unfortunately, the listings are for somewhat limited areas.

Given your short time, consider taking a cheap flight to a destination. Go to www.whichbudget.com and see all the places you can fly to from Geneva. For instance, there are cheap flights to Nice and St. Tropez on the French Riviera, Genoa on the Italian Riviera.

I didn't paricularly care for Montreux, thought it was too busy. You can save some money in a smaller town in a small inn. Not to worry, the smaller Swiss hotels are not nasty rat traps! Honestly, I would have no problem hiking alone in the Berner Oberland from say, Wengen. We saw plenty of people on the more popular trails and Switzerland is a very safe country in that respect. Train/bus travel is so very easy. I think you got a bad impression on your last visit. There are so many beautiful places in this country and the people are lovely. The food is a bit high, but you can be creative- say grab lunch in a supermarket, etc. If Italy interests you, consider stayinhg in the Ticino which has a very Italian flavor and great food. By the way, winery visits in Vaud are not like the US. They aren't "open" wuth tasting rooms. They have tiny caveaus in villages which are open in the afternoons. We'll be in the Valais this summer, I'm anxious to see if it's different there.