Munich to Italy-Best place to stop?
May 28th, 2005, 10:57 PM
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Munich to Italy-Best place to stop?
It's a long trek, I realize, so wondering where might be the best "We were in Switzerland" stop along the main Cisalpino/IC route? Thinking of Lucerne, via Stuttgart, Zurich, and southward, or Thun via Basel, through Brig, etc. Any preferences on the route or which town is better for a quick jaunt. Or perhaps there's a better one with plenty of service on to Milan that wouldn't leave us stranded? Any suggestions?
May 29th, 2005, 03:12 AM
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euronewbie,
Both of these cities are great -- Luzern more touristy and Thun more "residential." I do prefer Luzern though because its lakeside area is prettier, less hectic, etc. I also think Luzern's old town is more picturesque.
How long will you stay? From Luzern, you can take an excursion to the peaks of Rigi, Titlis, or Pilatus easily. Though the Jungfraujoch near Thun is higher, it'll take more than three hours to get there.
Did you know there's a direct (0 change) train from Munich to Milan that is only about an hour longer than either of the trips you describe (Munich - Luzern or Munich - Thun)? So, if your purpose here is to break up your journey, it doesn't seem worthwhile. But if your purpose is to set foot in Switzerland -- I'd go to Luzern.
s
Both of these cities are great -- Luzern more touristy and Thun more "residential." I do prefer Luzern though because its lakeside area is prettier, less hectic, etc. I also think Luzern's old town is more picturesque.
How long will you stay? From Luzern, you can take an excursion to the peaks of Rigi, Titlis, or Pilatus easily. Though the Jungfraujoch near Thun is higher, it'll take more than three hours to get there.
Did you know there's a direct (0 change) train from Munich to Milan that is only about an hour longer than either of the trips you describe (Munich - Luzern or Munich - Thun)? So, if your purpose here is to break up your journey, it doesn't seem worthwhile. But if your purpose is to set foot in Switzerland -- I'd go to Luzern.
s
May 29th, 2005, 07:11 PM
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Thanks, my concern is the Blueballs Festival will be going on at the time in Luzern and am a little worried about possible crowds. There are more direct routes, obviously, but wouldn't like to see all of Switzerland from a train.
May 30th, 2005, 03:26 AM
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Hi Again,
Sorry, don't have personal experience with the routes --
But as for hidden-gem towns, there is Weggis on Lake Luzern and Spiez on Lake Thun. Unfortunately, Weggis will be a true headache to get to, with multiple changes. But you can get to Spiez in 7 hours with a single change. I spent a day in Spiez and enjoyed it -- it's a small town with a few hotels on the water and a few hotels up in the town above the lake. It was very picturesque in May, with blooming flowers everywhere and the majestic mountains looming just across the lake. I don't like cities, so I enjoyed Spiez more then Thun.
To see a bit of these towns, here are some links to my photos albums. This one is titled "Montreux & Saanen," but it has a few pictures of Spiez down at about #67
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/swanda.../ph//my_photos
This one is of Weggis: http://community.webshots.com/album/78545764nJmnyK
You may want to consider Basel too -- it's about 5 hours from Munich, so a better "half-way" spot I think. Even though I don't like cities, this city is special -- its old town is really charming and the riverside is pretty.
Have fun deciding!
s
Sorry, don't have personal experience with the routes --
But as for hidden-gem towns, there is Weggis on Lake Luzern and Spiez on Lake Thun. Unfortunately, Weggis will be a true headache to get to, with multiple changes. But you can get to Spiez in 7 hours with a single change. I spent a day in Spiez and enjoyed it -- it's a small town with a few hotels on the water and a few hotels up in the town above the lake. It was very picturesque in May, with blooming flowers everywhere and the majestic mountains looming just across the lake. I don't like cities, so I enjoyed Spiez more then Thun.
To see a bit of these towns, here are some links to my photos albums. This one is titled "Montreux & Saanen," but it has a few pictures of Spiez down at about #67
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/swanda.../ph//my_photos
This one is of Weggis: http://community.webshots.com/album/78545764nJmnyK
You may want to consider Basel too -- it's about 5 hours from Munich, so a better "half-way" spot I think. Even though I don't like cities, this city is special -- its old town is really charming and the riverside is pretty.
Have fun deciding!
s
