Guided Tour of Switzerland
Jun 29th, 2003 | 06:00 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 1
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Guided Tour of Switzerland
Hello -
Can anyone recommend a good guided tour company for Switzerland ? I will be spending 7-9 days there.
Most of the tours which I have seen advertised loop thru Switzerland's major cities and most time is spent on the bus or train and little time is left for sight seeing. I would prefer a tour that goes to a few select cities. I am also looking for a reasonable priced tour.
Thanks in advance for your help !
Can anyone recommend a good guided tour company for Switzerland ? I will be spending 7-9 days there.
Most of the tours which I have seen advertised loop thru Switzerland's major cities and most time is spent on the bus or train and little time is left for sight seeing. I would prefer a tour that goes to a few select cities. I am also looking for a reasonable priced tour.
Thanks in advance for your help !
Jun 29th, 2003 | 07:43 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 6,019
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I suggest that you plan your own trip.
The public transportation in Switzerland is so good that you don't need a tour company for transportation.
Read Fodors book on Switzerland and a coupleof others and decide what you want to see. You can design your own trip and get more out of it.
I have been to Switzerland 4 times and a 5th is on tap for September. I have never felt like I made a mistake doing it myself. If you like mountains, I can suggest some gorgous places to go.
If you want a couple of neat cities, Luzern and Lausanne are pretty and charming.
I know this is not what you asked, but I think with a little review of the published literature you can design a trip that does what YOU want to do and you will enjoy it a lot more.
The public transportation in Switzerland is so good that you don't need a tour company for transportation.
Read Fodors book on Switzerland and a coupleof others and decide what you want to see. You can design your own trip and get more out of it.
I have been to Switzerland 4 times and a 5th is on tap for September. I have never felt like I made a mistake doing it myself. If you like mountains, I can suggest some gorgous places to go.
If you want a couple of neat cities, Luzern and Lausanne are pretty and charming.
I know this is not what you asked, but I think with a little review of the published literature you can design a trip that does what YOU want to do and you will enjoy it a lot more.
Jun 29th, 2003 | 09:02 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,421
Likes: 0
We're 50/50 on tours versus independent travel, depending upon the destination, along with the time and inclination we have for pre-trip planning.
But, Switzerland is definitely one of the best places for independent touring. You can go all over via train/bus. The bus station is always in the center of town at the post office (in those towns without train service) and the train stations are always in the center of the town/city. Not only are the train stations chock full of literature for local sights and attractions, there are maps available (with a large billboard sized map outside), and you can walk to nearly everything from the station. The train stations all have nice restaurants with moderately priced, very good, food (and great coffee).
If you need assistance/directions, there is nearly always someone around who speaks English (or will attempt to find someone for you who does).
Back in those days, I took only one tour guide, and we saw plenty. Here's a tip, whenever you can go inside a church, museum, public building, hotel lobby, walk right in. You'd never suspect from the outside the dazzling and breathtaking interiors.
Since Switzerland is mostly scenery, and there are books, postcards, brochures everywhere you go with English versions of the descriptions, this is one time you really don't need the drone of an escorted tour guide.
The people are very friendly, especially outside the "major cities" and "major tourist destinations".
On the other hand, the exchange rate isn't very favorable right now, and prices for accomodations, dining, etc., are rather high by comparison in Switzerland. So, if you're inclined to go with a guided tour, it could be much more economical for you.
But, Switzerland is definitely one of the best places for independent touring. You can go all over via train/bus. The bus station is always in the center of town at the post office (in those towns without train service) and the train stations are always in the center of the town/city. Not only are the train stations chock full of literature for local sights and attractions, there are maps available (with a large billboard sized map outside), and you can walk to nearly everything from the station. The train stations all have nice restaurants with moderately priced, very good, food (and great coffee).
If you need assistance/directions, there is nearly always someone around who speaks English (or will attempt to find someone for you who does).
Back in those days, I took only one tour guide, and we saw plenty. Here's a tip, whenever you can go inside a church, museum, public building, hotel lobby, walk right in. You'd never suspect from the outside the dazzling and breathtaking interiors.
Since Switzerland is mostly scenery, and there are books, postcards, brochures everywhere you go with English versions of the descriptions, this is one time you really don't need the drone of an escorted tour guide.
The people are very friendly, especially outside the "major cities" and "major tourist destinations".
On the other hand, the exchange rate isn't very favorable right now, and prices for accomodations, dining, etc., are rather high by comparison in Switzerland. So, if you're inclined to go with a guided tour, it could be much more economical for you.
Jun 29th, 2003 | 11:43 PM
#4
Guest
Posts: n/a
I agree about trying it on your own and by train. Switzerland is about the same size as West Virginia and depending on nthe route you can literally cross the entire country in a few hours by train so there really isn't any necessity to spend a lot of time on them (and not have time to do sightseeing).
The first time I went I wanted to do an advertised rail tour and then when I figured I could do it at my own pace I simply bought a pass and "copied" the stops on the tour..and it worked.
If you feel more comfortable in a tour situation I suspect someone here will recommend a company...but I agree with the advice given by both Bob and djkbooks above.
The first time I went I wanted to do an advertised rail tour and then when I figured I could do it at my own pace I simply bought a pass and "copied" the stops on the tour..and it worked.
If you feel more comfortable in a tour situation I suspect someone here will recommend a company...but I agree with the advice given by both Bob and djkbooks above.
Jun 30th, 2003 | 12:11 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,150
Likes: 83
Ditto for independent travel. Switzerland is an incredibly easy place to navigate (and I'm geographically challenged). I've never been a fan of tours, so I'm biased, but you can see so much more of what YOU want to see when you create your own itinerary. Besides, planning is half the fun....
Jun 30th, 2003 | 04:57 AM
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hi, marist89. First let me say that if I can travel on my own in Switzerland, anyone can. But second, you might like to visit the untours.com website. I've heard good things about those folks. Since Switzerland is so small and has such good public transportation,(so lots of daytrips are possible from one location) the untours method might be just the sort of compromise you would enjoy. J.
