MollyM

Hi all! I'm throwing together a very last minute trip to Europe and will have some down time to spend in Switzerland. I've never been and really don't know that much about the country, so I need some help. Here's the background:

I'll start in Zurich. I'm already scheduled to be there for one day. I figure I should stay at least another day. Do you think two full days/nights in Zurich will be enough, or will I not be ready to leave?

Then I'll have two to three more days I could spend in Switzerland. I'd like to go somewhere close enough (1-2 hours by train), and ideally somewhere I could fly to Oslo from. If you could pick, which city would you do? Luzern, Basel, Bern, or something totally different? I'm figuring Geneva might be too far to go. Would two full days/nights be enough in one of these cities, or would I feel too overwhelmed?

I'll be traveling alone and I'll have already done some mountain hiking so that's not super important. I'd want somewhere I can wander around and navigate fairly easily and obviously somewhere I feel safe, but overall I'm not looking for any particular activities. I'd just like to experience life in whichever city/region you think is Switzerland's finest. Recommend away!

Palenque

For anyone who has never been to Switzerland and for a few days i will recommend the fab Jungfrau Region in the environs of Interlaken and staying in the Alps in cream spots like Wengen or Grindelwald - the high Alps - a myriad of hiking paths - a gaggle of aerial cableways - lake boats on scenic lakes Brienz or Thun - Swiss cities are nice but are just nice cities - the Jungfrau Region is extraordinary IMO.The Interlaken area has direct trains from Zurich that only take at most a few hours.

MollyM

I should also mention I'm on a fairly tight budget. So no resorts or nice accommodations, unfortunately

nytraveler

Zurich is primarily a business city and you don;t need to spend any time there unless you especially want to visit one of the museums.

Lucerne (an hour away by train) is a much better center for a tourist (cute old tow, ancient town walls, quaint bridge, right on a lake with several boat rides taking you to a couple of mountains - Pilatus and Titlis you can ascend - and other cute villages to see).

For the real mountains you should go to the Berner Oberland (up from Interlaken) and pick one of the mountain villages (Wengen or ?) to do a couple of hikes from, or ascend the Jungfrau by train and/or cable car (more than 12,000) feet.

Can't imagine there's anyplace in Switzerland you wouldn;t feel safe (except a dark alley alone at 3 am).

swisshiker

Hello Molly

"<i>I'd just like to experience life in whichever city/region you think is Switzerland's finest.</i>"

Having said that, I would highly concur with Palenque, that the Jungfrau Region is "extraordinary" and fits your comment about Switzerland's finest.

However, Switzerland is expensive. Not knowing your budget parameters, it is difficult to recommend anything.

Staying in the Alps, at the low end of a budget, you might try this mountain hostel in Grindelwald Grund:

http://www.jungfrauferien.ch/index-e...ion=7&region=1

The cities you mentioned are good cities, but for me, nothing beats the mountains. Even if I were there for just a couple days without a train pass (again, depending on your budget -- trains can be expensive), I could just walk the trails in town or up the hills a ways and have a great time. Take the Post Bus as an alternative to the train. You might be surprised just where it goes.

But if you want Luzern, Basel, etc., that's a totally different experience. Not a bad experience, just not the mountains, which is what I'm after these days.

Happy travels!

MollyM

Thanks everyone for all the great suggestions so far. I must add, I'll be hiking the alps from Austria, through Liechtenstein, to Zurich for a week before this, so regardless what I decide to do, I will have experienced the mountains!

smushmaster

Who is going to be your chaperone? Babies aren't allowed to travel freely through Switzerland, just so you know; so you should figure that out first.

Pegontheroad

Take a look at Stein am Rhein. It's really charming.

Palenque

I should also mention I'm on a fairly tight budget. So no resorts or nice accommodations, unfortunately>

well IME the Jungfrau area - especially Grindelwald and Interlaken have some of the very very cheapest accommodations in Switzerland - you will spend much much more for hotels in any Swiss city but since this area attracts zillions of hikers, skiers in winter, etc. it has oodles of nice but really, for Switzerland, inexpensive places. A stay here should be much cheaper than elsewhere.

MollyM

That does sound beautiful. Since I'll be traveling alone, do you think I'd feel isolated in the Jungfrau area? My ideal would be strolling around, sitting in cafes people watching, etc.

Melnq8

I'd usually suggest the Berner Oberland, but it sounds as if you'd prefer a city, so Luzern might be a good option. It fits most of your criteria, and as a bonus, it's close to Engelberg, which will give you a nice taste of the Swiss Alps. As far as budget goes, well, Switzerland isn't inexpensive by any stretch.

If you do decide to visit the Berner Oberland, I suggest Lauterbrunnen, which makes a perfect base for visiting the entire area. It's in a valley surrounded by sheer cliffs. The scenic trains and cable cars aren't cheap, but there are a few hostels there you might want to look into, although they might be booked if you're going soon.

I don't think you'd feel isolated, especially staying at a hostel. There are some cafes in Lauterbrunnen, but it's a small village. You could always people watch at the train station, which is a major transportation hub in the BO - loads of people coming and going on their way to the Jungfrau.

http://www.valleyhostel.ch/pages/en/home.php?lang=EN

suze

www.rivieralodge.ch is a great hostel right on Lac Leman in Vevey (1 hour outside Geneva) I know you said Geneva might be too far (6 hours by train from Zurich) but Vevey/Montreux offers the people-watching, fabulous cafes and street-life, not isolated at all, feeling you are seeking... with spectacular views of vineyards, the Alps, the lake, etc. Easy train ride to Geneva for your onward flight to Oslo.
www.montreux.ch to see an overview of the area

MollyM

There are just too many options! Thanks everyone for all your suggestions. Sounds like I'll definitely have to make another trip back to Switzerland.

I'm only going to have 4.5 days/4 nites here before I head to Oslo (although if convinced, I could stay a wee bit longer). One of those days/nites will for sure be spent in Zurich, but from there I am free as a bird. My thought is I'll do one day in a mountain setting and two days in a city. What about this: Zurich to Interlaken for 1.5 days/1 nite, then either Interlaken to Bern or Luzern (and then back to Zurich to catch my flight) or Interlaken to Geneva (where I can stay to catch my flight) for 2 days/2 nites. Looks like I have to fly out of Zurich or Geneva to get reasonable airfare. What would you do?

Thank you all so much for your help with this. I know a lot of you are really recommending mountain towns, which would be awesome, but just as an FYI I'll be coming from five days in Lech and St. Anton Austria and Vaduz Liechtenstein, so although one day in Interlaken doesn't feel like much, at least I'll have had some other mountain experience.

Switzerland has gone from a place I knew nothing about to a destination I'm already planning a return visit!

Pegontheroad

The more I think of it, the less I recommend Zurich. It seems to me it was rather boring. I remember almost nothing about it, except that we had to park our car far away from the city and then ride a bus back. Otherwise the parking fees would have been outrageous.

We did visit a church, which was pretty drab looking except for the Chagall stained glass windows.

Switzerland is beautiful, but in my opinion, Zurich ain't.

kleeblatt

Go to Ascona for something different. It will give you an Italian feeling but you're still in Switzerland!

swandav2000

Hi MollyM,

The problem is that, despite the PR and the hype, Interlaken isn't really in the mountains. Interlaken is a big old touristy town that sits in the flats between two lakes, and you look up at the mountains. It will take you another 40 minutes or so to get to a mountain village or another hour or so to get to the peak of one of the mountains. Interlaken itself is the start point of trips into the mountains, but doesn't have a lot going for it otherwise (unless you just like Hooter's restaurants).

So if you really want to be in the mountains, head to one of the car-free villages there, Wengen or Mürren. If you don't want to go that far, stay in an interesting city like Thun.

If it were me, I would pick either Thun or Luzern for the full time and not split up the time and hassle with the packing & unpacking.

Good luck!

s

swisshiker

With only two days, spend your time in one place.

If you're opting out of staying in the mountains for these two days, I'd choose Luzern over Interlaken any day of the week.

MollyM

Now here's a new twist. If you had the choice, would you spend a more leisurely six days (two days each) in Luzern, Interlaken/surrounding mountain region, Bern, OR would you do three days split between Interlaken/surrounding mountain region and Luzern and then head to Oslo for a few days?

Cowboy1968

IMO, you would not have to switch hotels every 2 nights (in option #1). Luzern-Bern is just 1hr by train, so you can make Bern an easy and quick day trip from Luzern.

Personally, I think Zürich can be pretty cool. Especially for younger people (not that I would still count myself among those), it is one of the hotspots for off-the-beaten-Heidiland-chalet-fondue-track evening entertainment. So if you like to sample something less cosy and quaint, want to check out clubs or bars after your hike through the Alps, Zürich is a good place to be.

Melnq8

Given the choice you mention, I'd spend three nights in Luzern and three nights in the BO (but definitely NOT Interlaken). I don't like to switch hotels any more than I have to, so it's a no brainer for me. You can make a stop in Bern on the way or on a day trip as mentioned by Cowboy.