I will be in Switzerland 9/8 - 9/14. I will be staying 35 minutes out of Zurich in a small village named Egerkingen. Any great sightseeing day trips for 40 year old's that love the great outdoors? Thanks

Hi sunnie,

You may not be getting many responses because you didn't include "Switzerland" in your title. Maybe if you repost, you'll get more answers.

But in the meantime, here's what I can suggest.

Luzern, 48 or 51 minutes (by train) from Zurich. Maybe plan two separate trips here: one to enjoy the many historic areas and the spectacular lakeside scenery of the town, and one to take a long ferry ride and to explore the villages around the lake. Information at www.luzern.org and www.lakelucerne.ch.

Pilatus, 1.59 hours (three changes) from Zurich. One of the mountain peaks around Luzern. Information at www.pilatus.ch (click on the "Golden Roundtrip" for a virtual visit!). This is a good way to get to a mountaintop that's not too far from Zurich.

Thun (1.30 or 1.40 hours from Zurich) and Spiez (1.50 hours from Zurich). Both towns are on Lake Thun near Interlaken, but they are less crowded and just as beautiful (maybe more so??). Take a ferry ride between the two towns.

Wengen or Grindelwald or Muerren in the Berner Oberland may be the common answer for a day trip, but they will be three hours or more (each way), so I'd suggest you save them for another visit when you can spend some time hiking the alpine trails.

Bern, 1.09 hours or 1.30 hours from Zurich, for its historic center and scenic spot on the river.

Scuol, 2.45 hours or 3.08 hours from Zurich, in the Engadin Valley. Ok, I know it's an awful long way to go, but the architecture is so unique and the Valley is so stunning that I think it's worth it. These mountains are less travelled than those in the Berner Oberland -- for what that's worth! If you do some internet searches (or even just stop by the tourist office when you get to town), you should be able to find a nice one or two hour walk in the countryside to satisfy you!

Lugano on Lake Lugano, 2.53 hours from Zurich, is in the Italian part of Switzerland called the Ticino. Again, this is a long way to go, but the ambiance is so different that it may be worth it to you.

Finally, Rapperswil, right on Lake Zurich, is a charming town with historic buildings. I would bet that there are dozens of walks originating from this area!

Most Swiss towns have a website that you can find by adding ".ch" to the town name -- or simply google for info. I haven't verified some of these websites to post here, but you should find them easily enough.

For exact train schedules, go to www.rail.ch. For ferry schedules, use the same website, but at the timetables page, click on "options" and check "boat only."

Best of luck!

s

sunnie,
I really do hope you'll have a car!
Egerkingen is truly in the middle of nowhere, only known for its Moevenpick hotel (convenient for conventions and pit-stops while on the motorway) and it being located close to the very busy motorway from Berne, splitting right there into two directions (the one to Basel, the other one to Zurich).
I suppose there must be some public transportation like a bus, but you'll need to get till Olten to catch good and fast train connections.
If you're staying at the Moevenpick, it's likely they have a shuttle, as they are not even in the village itself, but outside, overlooking the motorway.

I don't want to discourage you, but Egerkingen is not really a quaint place. Also, a lot of large companies and department stores have their store houses in that area.

The suggestions of s' are great though. The hard piece will be to get to Olten though. Disregard this, if you should have a car.

Egerkingen is blessed with hourly train connections to area towns. There is little need to use buses.
I second the vote for Spiez, Thun or Brienz (all lake towns). Brienz is my personal favorite, with an 'open-air museum' featuring old architectural gems from all over Sw. Lucerne is great for a small city visit. I would add the town of Zug, with its quaint old quarter and possibilities to cruise the lake or see its local hill/mountain. Pilatus, Stans or Titlis are all great mountaintops in the area (within 2 hours by train). Have a great trip!

swandav: Could you elaborate on Thun please? We were told it was larger than Interlaken so we avoided it because we thought Interlaken was too crowded and went to Islewald instead. Just curious as to what we missed.

Good morning all. What a kick to start my first cup of coffee searching my map for a town I've never heard of! Sunnie, you can visit Solothurn in under a half hour, and towns on lakes Neuchatel and Biel/Bienne, and Burgdorf, and Basel. Oops, I've just noticed the 'great outdoors' bit. Back to the drawing board.

p.s. Clousie, Thun is a great town to add to your next list for Switzerland. Old streets, arcaded walks, castle, nooks and crannies (love those). J.

Hi Clousie,

Well I'm busted. I've never actually gotten off the train in Thun (it's in the works for Jan 2004 though!). I based my recommendation from photos I've seen and from recommendations from other travelers -- mostly Ingo. I think I once asked Ingo if Thun could be considered a less-touristy Luzern (lake, old town, history, etc), and he agreed.

So although Thun may be a "larger" town than Interlaken, I think the population is mostly residents. So there will be smaller crowds of fellow tourists all competing for the same scenic vista or restaurant seat. I just get the impression that Thun has more of an "authentic" feel than Interlaken and so would be a nicer day trip for some first-timers.

You probably got the best in Islewald! Now you have to tell me all about that place. I know jw loves it -- how about you??

Hi jw!

s

Hello again. I'm trying to remember who recommended some scenic areas to the west of Solothurn, Biel, and Neuchatel. Anyone? Was it Phillip? It was quite a while ago. Ingo, do you recall?

And how about in the Emmental? I remember that the rail route was beautiful and rolling, but I can't elaborate. Hi S!
J.

Sunnie, I just noticed that at the Support Group for etc. thread, Ingo recommended a visit to Oberdorf and mountains to your west (I think his post was on the 13th). You might want to check out his description. Also consider St. Urban, St. Ursanne, and Porrentruy. J.

Thank you all for your great input and suggestions. I really appreciaate it. I think a day in Luzern, Wengen and Mt. Titles sounds good. I have been to Solothurn and Biel, I really did enjoy it. Actually I've been to Egerkingen on 2 other occassions. My husband has a charming house nestled in the side of the mountain at the top away from the Movenpick and the traffic area. I think it is very charming and there is no tourist around for sure. It is definately off the beaten path. I want to do some different activities then what I have done in the past and that is why I posted a message. We will have a car to get around as well as utilizing the great train system in Switzerland. I do love to drive their. I am looking forward to my trip but I do hope it cools off. It is still warm their like the rest of Europe. Thanks again to all.

sunnie,
I am kind of relieved to hear you'll have a car. Makes things so much easier.
I second jmw suggestion to explore the Emmental. A very scenic area with gorgeous little villages. The most important one is Langnau. Try to visit, when the cow market is on. Truly untouristy experience.
Also, you could explore Burgdorf which isn't in the middle of the Emmental though. But is has a great newer fine arts museum. Personally, I haven't been yet, but plan to visit in the near future. It's called the Franz Gertsch Museum. You can read about it and how to get there on its web site:
http://www.museum-franzgertsch.ch/index_en.asp

PS: It has cooled down considerably and temps are now rather below average. We had a very windy and rainy night and it seems, the worst heat is over for this summer.

Just had a look at Langnau's web site. The next large market (with cows, etc.) is going to be on September 17. So, you'll just miss it.
The regular weekly market is on Friday and you will be able to have a look at all the local products that are being sold by the farmers from the area.