cometstar

We are traveling with a family of 4 in early/mid January and will be passing through Switzerland coming from Germany. I plan to drop a rental car off at Konstanz and make our way through Lucerne, Interlaken, to Geneva where we will take a train to Paris.

We are interested in smaller villages and visiting at least one mountain during our 3 nights/3 days and will only be in Geneva to see friends for a little while (not very interested in the city).

We may be interested in the Golden Pass for part of the trip. My question is for suggestions on where to stay for 3 nights and what mountain will be most convenient/accessible. I am considering a Swiss Pass if if is cheaper so if that is the case, a mountain top trip covered by the pass would be great. Any other advice for trains, etc will be very helpful! I feel Switzerland will be the most complicated part of our trip.

Also, should we aim to book hotels before arriving or is it possible to book once we get there, so we have some flexibility in our plans? Thank you in advance!

michelhuebeli

When you say "smaller villages" do you mean for overnight stays? That complicates matters a bit since you're only there for such a short time and getting to smaller villages from transportation hubs will take time and logistics, especially in winter.

Also - if could be very wintery in some locations. Will you be equipped in case the real winter has set in when you get there? That could determine which locations you choose and how you get there.

If you had your own car then it would be different - just a few I would mention among the thousands - look them up: Engelberg, Sarnen, Beatenberg, Schangnau, Boltigen, Glion, Caux, Clarens.

For the little traveling you'll be doing in those few days a Pass won't be paying for itself.

Among bigger destinations that are fully equipped to house visitors expediently, and on major train lines, Lucerne is an obvious suggestion for a base - nearby Rigi and Pilatus mountains and the lake with public boats will provide enough up-and-down-and-all-around interest. Here is the link for the winter timetables for the boats:
http://www.lakelucerne.ch/fileadmin/...lan_Winter.pdf

Then the train www.goldenpass.ch/?Language=EN‎ is just one possibility, it gets you from Lucerne via Interlaken (another possible spot to base yourself) to Montreux on the Swiss Riviera - see http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/t...ra-region.html.

Note that this tourist train runs on the same tracks used by many more daily trains of the regular schedule (see www.sbb.ch), so if the timing or the price of the tourist train don't suit you, just use the regular trains, they provide the same views (but not the creature-comfort pampering).

From Montreux you can take fast trains to Geneva.

Montreux itself is a good option also for overnight stays, it is on what's called Swiss Riviera because it tends to have a milder climate than most anywhere else in Switzerland. Nearby is the castle Chillon, up above is the mountain destination Les Rochers de Naye (http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/r...-montreux.html) that you reach by a mountain train (as it happens it is now run by the same company that runs the Golden Pass from Lucerne via Interlaken to Montreux).

Les Rochers de Naye in the late Spring is a wildflower paradise, offering great mountain hikes and splendid views across the Lake Geneva onto the Swiss and French alps (Mont Blanc etc). In January, when snowed in, you'd have to decide if you're game to go up to at least enjoy the views and have a bit of snow play, check to see if the train makes it all the way.

Another superb destination: Zermatt - stay at least one night, better two, to make sure you catch good weather and visibility, and go up (or even stay at) the Gornergrat for best views of the famous Matterhorn etc. Look it up, it is stupendous!

That's just a few among thousands, maybe ask your friends in Geneva for suggestions also, they might have some favorites to share!

As far as lodgings - anywhere in winter-sport areas you should book, some folks still are on vacation in January and things might be tight. Elsewhere you could wing it, but without a car you'd want to know that when you get off the train you know where your beds are, so book ahead.

cometstar

Thanks for your suggestions! Ya, I wish we had more time in Switzerland as it will be hard to eat to the smaller villages. We did think about renting a car but it seems it may be too much of a hassle, especially with possible snow conditions and the fact that some villages are unreadable by train. But it's an option that's still open.

If we stayed overnight at Lucerne, Interlaken, and Montreux do you think we will have time during the day to visit one of thr mountain tops? Which city do you think will be better for that? I would ideally want to stay overnight in a small village near Lucerne or Interlaken!

I'm not sure how prepared we should be for wintry conditions other than be prepared with warm clothes and outdoor/waterproof coats. Any suggestions?

michelhuebeli

Warm clothing, boots and gloves and knitcaps etc. will do it. Layer them so you don’t suffocate when you go inside.

Not knowing at what time of the day you’ll be dropping off the car in Konstanz, I can only recommend that you don’t want to go too far into Switzerland that day, or you’ll run out of time to see and do anything since you’ll lose the light before 5PM.

The fabulous traditional and photogenic town of Appenzell is only two hours from Konstanz by public transport - look it up and you’ll see why it is one of the gems of Switzerland. Check out the town (really an overgrown village, certainly not a city...) and have a traditional meal that must include the famous Appenzell cheese.

First thing the next morning head out for the nearby mountain of Säntis, it remains accessible (by cableway!) all year round except from Jan. 20 to Feb. 7 (maintenance). To get to the base station from Appenzell it’s only 48 minutes, first by light rail to Urnäsch then by bus to Schwägalp.

That’s a great excursion if the weather is good, see www.saentisbahn.ch/en/cableway/timetable.html - it will certainly satisfy your and your camera’s yen for “doing a mountain”!

Late that day I suggest you take the train to Luzern, it takes just under three hours. You won’t see much because of darkness, but you won’t waste time looking for lodgings in another small place, Lucerne, while not a huge city, is geared towards visitors and in Jan. it will be fairly quiet, and it is very walkable. Visit the wooden bridge!

Nearby you have Rigi and Pilatus as mentioned - look them up. You might choose to stay two nights, there is plenty more to see and do, also some good foul-weather options.

Regular trains from Lucerne to Geneva take about 3 hours. You could interrupt the journey for a few hours in Berne, a great town to walk in the historic center along the arcades that flank the streets, read up on Berne, you’ll like it.

Or you can take the Goldenpass for the Lucerne-Interlaken and Zweisimmen-Montreux portions, it makes for a much longer ride and might require some patience, visually it’s much of a muchness along many parts of the journey, but very nice for others.

If you doze off after Zweisimmen where it’s quite boring, don’t miss the approach into Montreux where the tracks descend and you have brilliant views of Mont Blanc and the lake etc. Make sure you get there during daylight!

Hope this helps. Have fun!

neckervd

There is nothing to add to the excellent posts of Michel. Just one remark, nevertheless:
it would be perfectly possible to integrate Appenzell in your car trip from Munich to Constance:
Munich - motorway - Lindau - exit Altach - Altstaetten - Gais - Appenzell - St. Gallen (Unesco World Heritage site) - Arbon West - Constance.
But check the weather and road conditions before you start.

michelhuebeli

If you travel to Appenzell by car, just make sure (on www.viamichelin.com for example) that no stretch will be on the "green" expressways where your car is supposed to have the Swiss "Vignette" road-tax sticker (not the same as the Austrian Vignette!), without which you can incur a hefty fine.

cometstar

Thanks! What is the resource in Germany/Switzerland to check for road conditions? Do all expressways in Switzerland require the vignette meaning we have to take local roads or are some expressways open?

cometstar

And thank you so much Michel for your wonderful and comprehensive advice!

michelhuebeli

You're welcome.

Your questions about the vignette should all be answered on this site, incl. a map:

www.autobahnen.ch/index.php?lg=001&page=014

For weather and road conditions look to these, all in English:

http://www.meteosuisse.admin.ch/web/...onditions.html

https://www.ch.ch/en/traffic-and-travel-news/

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/specials...l?cid=29031508