Will visit Switzerland for 10 days in late May/early June and would like to select 2 home bases (perhaps 5 days each but not necessarily??) Am considering perhaps either Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen and appreciate your opinions as opposed to perhaps Lucerne or Bern. For a 2nd base, I'm considering Montreux. I've never been to Switzerland. We're not hiker/backpackers or into extensive site seeing... just enjoy fine dining and taking in local flavor. Could you help me decide. Thanking you for your help. Tom

Tom, <BR> <BR>Your instincts are just right; you've chosen some world-class possibilities for bases. I would narrow your selection down to Lucerne or Grindelwald for the first and then definitely Montreux for the second. Although at least one frequent poster here loves Lauterbrunnen for its convenience, I find the charm of either Grindelwald or Lucerne to be a more important factor. Choosing between Grindelwald or Lucerne would be based on personal taste: do you want to be in a mountain village, make excursions to the city, have many walks nearby (then choose G), or do you want to be in a picturesque, small city on the lake and make excursions to the mountains (then choose L)? <BR> <BR>I've posted many times my personal love for Montreux, and just today I posted again my list of things to do there in a post titled "Montreus, Lausanne, or Chamonix." Take a look at it. <BR> <BR>Have you found this website: www.twenj.com/swissvisit.htm? It's a great place to begin to plan a trip to Switzerland, and Ed is a frequent contributor here. <BR> <BR>Feel free to e-mail me for more info. <BR> <BR>s

Unless the idea is to day trip only around the Jungfrau region, then I would not pick Grindelwald either. Even though it is a much nicer place for a hotel, you would have to come down from Grindelwald to Interlaken every time you wanted a day trip other than to the Jungfrau itself. Transportation wise you would be better off in Interlaken. <BR> <BR>If you intend to stay put, which sounds more like the idea, then in the same area I might suggest Wengen or Muerren as they are a little less touristy and have as easy access as Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald. <BR> <BR>For a smaller amount of time, and a few day trips to fill up your stay, try staying either side of Interlaken, between Brienz and Interlaken or between Interlaken and Thun. Perhaps Iseltwald (take the boat instead of the train) or Sigriswil. <BR> <BR>Montreaux is a good base for Lausanne and Geneva. Vevey might be OK too, a little more off the beaten track. <BR> <BR>

try looking up www.schwizi.ch. I haven't stayed there, but will soon. It looks great and is just outside Interlaken on the lake.

Hello Tom, I'd like to agree wholeheartedly with those who have voted for dividing your trip between Lac Leman (Montreaux or Vevey) and either Thunersee or Brienzersee (I thought I was the only person who had ever been to Iseltwald--lovely, but you've got to be into quiet.) From many of those lake towns it is easy to go to Lucerne for the day -- if you are training, check the number of trains out of the town you choose (use the great SBB site)(many trains stop in Thun, Speiz, Leissigen, Brienz) And don't forget to visit Berne-- that's an easy visit from either Montreaux or Thunersee. I don't know which of the small towns in the Berner Oberland (lakes Thun and Brienz) have restaurants for "fine dining"; I've chosen those locales for the scenery and the day-trip possibilities. Every little town along the Lavaux section of Lac Leman, however, has wonderful food and wine. If you are still trying to decide between staying in Lucerne or staying in the Berner Oberland, let me add that Lucerne and its lake are absolutely beautiful. You might want to consider staying in one of its lake towns. These delightful decisions are really difficult, but staying in one place for five nights is the smartest thing you can do. jw

We stayed outside of Interlaken in April, renting an apartment in the tiny village of Ringgenberg, right on Lake Brienz. We stayed with the people Kathy suggested in an earlier post here, the Schwizi family at schwizi.ch. Both the chalet and the location were WONDERFUL! We took a day trip to Grindelwald, and all of the other villages would have been very easy (and quick) day trips, too. I don't think we drove more than 20-30 minutes from Ringgenberg to Grindelwald. It was an ideal location to homebase ourselves in the Berner-Oberland region.

Hello again, Here's another suggestion just to get your thread back to the top: You might want to consider Rapperswil on Zurich's lake. Friends and I spent seven nights there once and never ran out of places to train or boat to -- The little train route from Rapperswil to Lucerne is beautiful! We often combined trains and boats -- enjoyed a visit to Altdorf, just below the southern tip of Lucerne's lake -- a stunning little town with a monument to William Tell, a lovely little church and cemetery, and dark green hillsides, the sounds of cowbells. Happy planning.

We stayed in a charming hotel on the lake in Brienz which is a wonderful small town. Since we had a Swiss travel pass, we were able to travel on boats or trains. One of the most relaxing trips we have ever had. Our motto was "An Adventure a Day". Very carefree and refreshing. Many day trips available from this area. <BR>Have a great trip!

Of course we all have our ideas and prefences. I like Bern. Not only because its a bit of a surprise, but its great as a launching pad. <BR>Check out the thread "Switzerland by Train". <BR>We all gave our opinions there. <BR>

Thanks to those of you who responded. I appreciate the feedback....could you let me know if you were using train/public transportation or if you rented a car. Tom

We've always used the trains and have been quite pleased. We've also taken private sleepers for overnight trips but are now decreasing or eliminating when possible. The original idea was to save the travel time (you don't save money). However, the sleep you get just isn't the same and being too tired has some effect. <BR>Our next trip to Spain is our first attempt at a car and that will be for 1 day.

Hello again, Tom. I've got to place my huge vote for seeing Switzerland via the incredible Swiss Pass -- trains, boats, buses, city transportation -- never having to look for a place to park -- love it, and there's no place you cannot reach by the Swiss System, the best in the world. Of course this means traveling light and staying in one place for four or five nights, so you can get around without hauling luggage. Yes, you are "at the mercy" of the public transportation schedule, but it's no great penance, believe me. I've used towns on lakes Zurich (Rapperswil), Leman (Rivaz), Thun (Leissigen), Brienz (Brienz), and Maggiore (Gerra) as home bases for training and have loved every minute. jw

Tom, <BR> <BR>My wife is a Swiss native from Basel. <BR>We return to Switzerland probably 3 times a year. She gets homesick at times and I can understand why. It's a postcard picture BEAUTIFUL country. <BR> <BR>We most recently spent one week in Locarno (Ticino canton/state). It is nestled in the Alps, next to Lago Maggiore. The Italian speaking region. <BR> <BR>I can't get over how clean the lake and surrounding area was. i.e. al lido (beaches). The charming beauty extends to the old, Italian architecture in Locarno. <BR> <BR>It can be touristy, but still well worth a look. Many Europeans visit here as well. i.e. from the Netherlands, Germany, Holland. <BR> <BR>As for Switzerland, it's about nearly twice the size of New Jersey with about 7.3 million people. Consequently, it never takes very long to get around to other places within the country. The SBB train is an excellent, reliable and very safe way to get around. With punctual service. Their road systems for autos are delightful and in excellent shape with easy denoted signs. <BR> <BR>Enjoy Schweiz! We do.

We've rented a flat in Grindelwald six times and obviously love it but if you're not into hiking or sightseeing, may we suggest Kussnacht am Rigi on the lake across from Lucerne. Hotel du lac Seehof on lake has fine food but Hotel Baren also good. One person suggested Sigriswil and there's a hotel and a half there. The Baren with third generation family ownership has a lovely view and outstanding food. Someone else mentioned Rapperswil on the lake at Zurich and it's lovely too. There's an historic monastery close by and Zurich is quickly reached by train. You might also consider Schaffhausen with its lovely buildings and proximity to Stein am Rhein, an unbelieavable town.

more, please

Tom.<BR> If you divide your time between Zurich<BR> and Montreux you will cover most of <BR> Switzerland.Train are superb.Dont be put out by the graffiti along the rail<BR> tracks.T