Need help with romantic getaway to Switzerland!
Jan 24th, 2006 | 10:40 AM
#1
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Posts: n/a
Need help with romantic getaway to Switzerland!
We are headed to Switzerland for only 4 days in February! We are hoping to do Zurich and Interlaken. Any thoughts on Interlaken? I've heard mixed things. Lake Como was also recommened to us--is that too much on one trip?
Jan 24th, 2006 | 02:58 PM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 852
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If I had four days, I'd select one place and, if I felt compelled to branch out, would do so on a day trip.
As to where that getaway is, it depends in large part on what strikes you as romantic. Is it a large city? smaller towns? Countryside? Do you want shopping, museums, hiking, skiing? Are you into particular kinds of food or scenery?
For me, a large city like Zurich doesn't do the trick; nor does an extremely rustic place like Gimmelwald. Luzern, on the other hand, has mountains, lakes and river views, compact Altstadt with nifty little german/swiss restaurants, enough shopping and activities to keep me happy.
You might post what kinds of things you like and others will have suggestions.
As to where that getaway is, it depends in large part on what strikes you as romantic. Is it a large city? smaller towns? Countryside? Do you want shopping, museums, hiking, skiing? Are you into particular kinds of food or scenery?
For me, a large city like Zurich doesn't do the trick; nor does an extremely rustic place like Gimmelwald. Luzern, on the other hand, has mountains, lakes and river views, compact Altstadt with nifty little german/swiss restaurants, enough shopping and activities to keep me happy.
You might post what kinds of things you like and others will have suggestions.
Jan 24th, 2006 | 03:20 PM
#3
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 620
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i'd get a junior suite at Baur au Lac in Zurich, a great place in the winter. my wife and i often make a special trip to Zurich for a couple of days, a great place to regroup, the bedding in this hotel will make you rethink ANY place you might have been before. we love all the restaurants in the old town area, very nice. We like the Mandarin Oriental in Geneva also for the same reasons. the swiss have it together.
Jan 25th, 2006 | 03:33 AM
#5
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
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First things first. I would not do Como in February, too cold and most of the good restaurants are closed, as are many hotels. Ferries are not running and gardens are not in bloom. Save Como for better weather.
I lived in Zurich and like it a lot. Although it may snow, it would be most unusual to find snow sticking, so don't imagine a winter wonderland. Also it is not often that you can actually see the Alps, it has to be pretty clear, although winter is better for this than summer. I don't know what you have in your mind as to what you will find. There is a lovely old town, lots of good restaurants, some excellent art museums, some good shopping (bring a lot of money), the opera and ballet season is on, so for 4 days there is a lot to do. There are also some nearby walks in the area if you want to get a bit outdoors. Ferries on the lakes are not running at that time. I don't know if a "city" type get away is what you have in mind. I agree that the Bar au Lac is a fine hotel, my personal favourites would be the Kindli (kindli.ch) or the Zum Storchen (summithotels.com) as both are in the lovely old town and the Zum Storchen has beautiful views along the river and of the spires of all the churches. The Bar au Lac has a lovely lake view, and if you are very lucky on clear days, Alp views (you could also get Alp views from some rooms at the Zum Storchen on a clear day). You also don't mention budget, the Bar au Lac and Zum Storchen are somewhat expensive, the Kindli less so, but if you give a budget I can recco others. Zurich hotels offer good deals on weekends, as it is a business city.
I have to say that in February and in Switzerland to have a "romantic" getaway I would go to the mountains, and would not stay in Zurich or go to Interlaken (a town I don't like in any event, see below). You can do winter walking, take horse-drawn sleigh rides, do cross country skiing, or just sip spiced wine by the fire (or even downhill or snowboard if you really want to be active).
That being said, some of the better mountain areas are 3-5 hours by train from Zurich, so where are you coming from for only 4 days? The UK or somewhere else in Europe or the US? If somewhere in Europe, then you won't have a long flight/train ride and jet lag to deal with so perhaps you won't mind an onward train ride. If you are flying in from the US, then trying to "do" both in only that short a period of time may be too much, you might want to pick Zurich OR the mountains. Of course, a train ride on top of a long flight may not appeal to you anyway so maybe staying in Zurich is more what you would want.
Outside of Zurich some places to consider in order of my personal preference (although the first two are really tied in my mind for first place):
Wengen/Murren in the Bernese Oberland - 3 hours, absolutely beautiful scenery the trio of the Eiger Monch and Jungfrau mountains are hard to beat, some great winter walks, cross country in the valley below. Love the Caprice Hotel (caprice-wengen.ch)
Guarda (Engadine region) (2.5 hours, very lovely train ride) – IMO Guarda is the most beautiful village in Switzerland, great winter walking, sleigh rides, the charming Hotel Meisser (hotel-meisser.ch), there are several other charming villages in this area like Tarasp.
St Moritz/Pontresina area – 3 hours (beautiful train ride), St Moritz has a nice little lake, good winter walking, cross country, very lovely valley. Many excellent hotels in St Moritz, and a few good ones in the Pontresina and Celerina area. From here you could take a day and do the Bernina Express train ride up through the glaciers to Italy and back, go to rhb.ch for info. (The train trip from Zurich to St Moritz follows the route as well.)
Appenzell- lovely village in the "Heidi land" area, not a lot to do beyond some restaurants and winter walking and some cross country skiing, but still a very pretty area, rolling hills with Alps in the distance. One or two nice inns. You could do a day trip to St Gallen which has a very nice old town and library.
Davos/Klosers – 2 hours, neither town is charming a town, but there are lots of winter sports. The very romantic Chesa Grischuna is in Klosters (www.chesagrischuna.ch/index-english.htm). You could do the Bernina Express from here as well.
Arosa – 2 hours, very small but nice town, may not be what you want if you don't like winter sports. Chur at the bottom of the hill (you have to change trains there to get to Arosa, has a nice compact old town good for a half day tour.) You could do the Bernina Express from here as well.
Zermatt – 5 hours, a bit far for 4 days maybe, but it is does have the Matterhorn, good walking on the mountains, good restaurants, sleigh rides, shopping (bring even more money). The Rifflealp 2222m (go to www.zermatt.ch/riffelalp or http://www.seilerhotels.ch) or Romantik Hotel Julen (go to www.zermatt.ch/julen) would get my vote.
Saas Fee – (3.5 – 4 hours) in the valley next to Zermatt, a really lovely valley with the highest mountain in Switzerland. Saas Fee is a charming car-free small town very much off the tourist path, many skiers but not much else, good restaurants, excellent cross country in the valley, you can do a day trip to Zermatt easily (1.5 hours) the great and romantic Fletshchorn Hotel is there (fletschhorn.ch/english/hotel/hotel.html)
Go to rail.ch for schedules.
I would not rent a car in February for the mountain areas. In the first place all the high mountain passes are closed so 90% of the fun in driving in the mountains is gone in Feb. In the second parking is hard to find and expensive, in the third, gas costs US$6 a gallon. Finally, you can have rain, snow or sleet, none of which are fun to drive in on windy mountain roads. You are much better off using the trains.
Now for Interlaken, as I have said numerous times, this town sits in a plain and just looks up at the mountains, but is not IN them. You rarely find snow in the town, the lake effect keeps the town dry, like Zurich. Mover over it is a charm less town, more so in winter when ferries are not running and there is not much to do at all. It has the dubious distinction of having the only Hooters restaurant in Europe. If you want to stay in the valley on the lakes, then choose Thun, which has faster train connections to Zurich (1.5 hours versus 2 to Interlaken), a nice old town and a castle, and if the weather is bad you can go to Berne for the day. From Thun you can get up into the mountains in Wengen or Murren in about 1.5 hours by train, a pretty ride.
Sorry I don't like Lucerne either, but has a much more charming old town area than Interlaken. The piano festival is over now so I don't think there is much on there in Feb. It is also quite far from the gorgeous Jungfrau valley area by train (3 hours each way, so a day trip is hard to do being based in Lucerne.) To rent a car is possible, but kind of expensive so for that trip, esp as you can't use the car in Murren or Wengen anyway, it will jus sit at the bottom of the valley. Also, I don't know how often the ferries run on the lake, and a ferry trip is one of the major beauties of Lucerne. Like Interlaken, it looks up AT the mountains, but is not in them.
All in all, if you want to be in a city, then IMO stick with Zurich which has the most to see and do in the winter, or go to the mountains.
I lived in Zurich and like it a lot. Although it may snow, it would be most unusual to find snow sticking, so don't imagine a winter wonderland. Also it is not often that you can actually see the Alps, it has to be pretty clear, although winter is better for this than summer. I don't know what you have in your mind as to what you will find. There is a lovely old town, lots of good restaurants, some excellent art museums, some good shopping (bring a lot of money), the opera and ballet season is on, so for 4 days there is a lot to do. There are also some nearby walks in the area if you want to get a bit outdoors. Ferries on the lakes are not running at that time. I don't know if a "city" type get away is what you have in mind. I agree that the Bar au Lac is a fine hotel, my personal favourites would be the Kindli (kindli.ch) or the Zum Storchen (summithotels.com) as both are in the lovely old town and the Zum Storchen has beautiful views along the river and of the spires of all the churches. The Bar au Lac has a lovely lake view, and if you are very lucky on clear days, Alp views (you could also get Alp views from some rooms at the Zum Storchen on a clear day). You also don't mention budget, the Bar au Lac and Zum Storchen are somewhat expensive, the Kindli less so, but if you give a budget I can recco others. Zurich hotels offer good deals on weekends, as it is a business city.
I have to say that in February and in Switzerland to have a "romantic" getaway I would go to the mountains, and would not stay in Zurich or go to Interlaken (a town I don't like in any event, see below). You can do winter walking, take horse-drawn sleigh rides, do cross country skiing, or just sip spiced wine by the fire (or even downhill or snowboard if you really want to be active).
That being said, some of the better mountain areas are 3-5 hours by train from Zurich, so where are you coming from for only 4 days? The UK or somewhere else in Europe or the US? If somewhere in Europe, then you won't have a long flight/train ride and jet lag to deal with so perhaps you won't mind an onward train ride. If you are flying in from the US, then trying to "do" both in only that short a period of time may be too much, you might want to pick Zurich OR the mountains. Of course, a train ride on top of a long flight may not appeal to you anyway so maybe staying in Zurich is more what you would want.
Outside of Zurich some places to consider in order of my personal preference (although the first two are really tied in my mind for first place):
Wengen/Murren in the Bernese Oberland - 3 hours, absolutely beautiful scenery the trio of the Eiger Monch and Jungfrau mountains are hard to beat, some great winter walks, cross country in the valley below. Love the Caprice Hotel (caprice-wengen.ch)
Guarda (Engadine region) (2.5 hours, very lovely train ride) – IMO Guarda is the most beautiful village in Switzerland, great winter walking, sleigh rides, the charming Hotel Meisser (hotel-meisser.ch), there are several other charming villages in this area like Tarasp.
St Moritz/Pontresina area – 3 hours (beautiful train ride), St Moritz has a nice little lake, good winter walking, cross country, very lovely valley. Many excellent hotels in St Moritz, and a few good ones in the Pontresina and Celerina area. From here you could take a day and do the Bernina Express train ride up through the glaciers to Italy and back, go to rhb.ch for info. (The train trip from Zurich to St Moritz follows the route as well.)
Appenzell- lovely village in the "Heidi land" area, not a lot to do beyond some restaurants and winter walking and some cross country skiing, but still a very pretty area, rolling hills with Alps in the distance. One or two nice inns. You could do a day trip to St Gallen which has a very nice old town and library.
Davos/Klosers – 2 hours, neither town is charming a town, but there are lots of winter sports. The very romantic Chesa Grischuna is in Klosters (www.chesagrischuna.ch/index-english.htm). You could do the Bernina Express from here as well.
Arosa – 2 hours, very small but nice town, may not be what you want if you don't like winter sports. Chur at the bottom of the hill (you have to change trains there to get to Arosa, has a nice compact old town good for a half day tour.) You could do the Bernina Express from here as well.
Zermatt – 5 hours, a bit far for 4 days maybe, but it is does have the Matterhorn, good walking on the mountains, good restaurants, sleigh rides, shopping (bring even more money). The Rifflealp 2222m (go to www.zermatt.ch/riffelalp or http://www.seilerhotels.ch) or Romantik Hotel Julen (go to www.zermatt.ch/julen) would get my vote.
Saas Fee – (3.5 – 4 hours) in the valley next to Zermatt, a really lovely valley with the highest mountain in Switzerland. Saas Fee is a charming car-free small town very much off the tourist path, many skiers but not much else, good restaurants, excellent cross country in the valley, you can do a day trip to Zermatt easily (1.5 hours) the great and romantic Fletshchorn Hotel is there (fletschhorn.ch/english/hotel/hotel.html)
Go to rail.ch for schedules.
I would not rent a car in February for the mountain areas. In the first place all the high mountain passes are closed so 90% of the fun in driving in the mountains is gone in Feb. In the second parking is hard to find and expensive, in the third, gas costs US$6 a gallon. Finally, you can have rain, snow or sleet, none of which are fun to drive in on windy mountain roads. You are much better off using the trains.
Now for Interlaken, as I have said numerous times, this town sits in a plain and just looks up at the mountains, but is not IN them. You rarely find snow in the town, the lake effect keeps the town dry, like Zurich. Mover over it is a charm less town, more so in winter when ferries are not running and there is not much to do at all. It has the dubious distinction of having the only Hooters restaurant in Europe. If you want to stay in the valley on the lakes, then choose Thun, which has faster train connections to Zurich (1.5 hours versus 2 to Interlaken), a nice old town and a castle, and if the weather is bad you can go to Berne for the day. From Thun you can get up into the mountains in Wengen or Murren in about 1.5 hours by train, a pretty ride.
Sorry I don't like Lucerne either, but has a much more charming old town area than Interlaken. The piano festival is over now so I don't think there is much on there in Feb. It is also quite far from the gorgeous Jungfrau valley area by train (3 hours each way, so a day trip is hard to do being based in Lucerne.) To rent a car is possible, but kind of expensive so for that trip, esp as you can't use the car in Murren or Wengen anyway, it will jus sit at the bottom of the valley. Also, I don't know how often the ferries run on the lake, and a ferry trip is one of the major beauties of Lucerne. Like Interlaken, it looks up AT the mountains, but is not in them.
All in all, if you want to be in a city, then IMO stick with Zurich which has the most to see and do in the winter, or go to the mountains.
Jan 25th, 2006 | 10:49 AM
#6
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Posts: n/a
Thank you for the great suggestions! Especially Cicerone for your thorough advice. We will be on a budget throughout our stay in Zurich so any suggestions on nice, but reasonably priced hotels would be much appreciated.
As for activities, we love the outdoors. Anything outdoors is romantic to us.
We are definitely dropping the Lake Como trip and will be heading to the mountains.
As for activities, we love the outdoors. Anything outdoors is romantic to us.
We are definitely dropping the Lake Como trip and will be heading to the mountains.
Jan 25th, 2006 | 10:58 AM
#7
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,260
Likes: 0
try www.rooms.ch for Swiss "budget" hotels
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Jan 25th, 2006 | 11:18 AM
#8
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 41
Likes: 0
We went to Inerlaken and stayed a few nights. It was just wonderful there.
If it's nice out while you are there (like it was for us), take the early morning train up the Jungfrau. There is an hour long hike you can do up there - the highest point in Europe.
http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/Deskto.../383_read-657/
The railway stops in lots of little towns that are fabulous to explore on your way down.
We loved Interlaken...the people were very friendly and it's a great town to check out on foot.
If it's nice out while you are there (like it was for us), take the early morning train up the Jungfrau. There is an hour long hike you can do up there - the highest point in Europe.
http://www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/Deskto.../383_read-657/
The railway stops in lots of little towns that are fabulous to explore on your way down.
We loved Interlaken...the people were very friendly and it's a great town to check out on foot.
Jan 25th, 2006 | 07:25 PM
#9
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 7,689
Likes: 0
I still think with only 4 days you should head to the mountains and skip Zurich. Bit if you want to spend time in Zurich I would still try the Kindli first as it definately has the most charm. They have good weekend rates. Some other reccos would be:
Hotel Adler
Hirschenplatz
Tel: (01) 266 9696. Fax: (01) 266 9669.
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hotel-adler.ch
3 or 4 star. In the Neiderdorf area on the university side of the river, also an area of charming cobblestone streets which is car-free and has a lot of bars and restaurants. This hotel gets generally good reviews here.
Hotel Seehof
http://www.hotelseehof.ch/
Seehofstr. 11, Zürich CH-8008, Switzerland
Phone: 01/2545757
Fax: 01/2545758
3 stars, built or renovated last year or so. This is just behind the Opera House, just at the edge of the old town, so not in the charming area, but very close to it, and about 100 metres from the lake. There are several good restaurants in this neighbourhood and others within close walking distance. It gets good reviews here. It is about a 3 minute walk to the Stadelhofen train station in Zurich so is very convenient for getting to the airport.
Hotel Seefeld
Seefeldstrasse 63
8008 Zurich
41-1-387-4141
41-1-837-4151
http://www.hotel-seefeld.che 63
[email protected]
3-star, built 2 years ago. It is in a nice neighbourhood of restaurants and some interesting shops, and is about 2 blocks in from the lake, but not in the old town. The Seefeld area would be a bit quieter at night than the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf areas. It is on a tram line and so is convenient. Would be about 10 minutes by tram from the old town.
Also, if you have Marriott, Starwood or Hyatt points you should defiantely consider using them in Zurich as hotels are expenisve there. The Park Hyatt is quite something, very new so not charming in the wooden-chalet way, but probably the best hotel in town in terms of modern amenities in the room, etc.
For Wengen, I would definately recco the Silberhorn, take a look at www.silberhorn.ch. The best rooms are the southfacing rooms, the rooms without a view are called "standard" rooms but are the same size. They have two wings, one they call "rustic" and the other they call the "Laura Ashley" wing. I preferred the latter, as they have redone the bathrooms and the rooms are done in a light fresh style as opposed to the bit more dated pine rooms in the rustic wing. Of the southfacing rooms, I would ask for 202, 404 or 405. Room 202 has a large terrace which is shares with (I believe) 203 and 204. The other rooms metioned have balconies, all with great views of the Eiger. There is also lovely, lovely "standard room, Room 406, which shares a balcony with 405, but does not have a south view. However, I thought it was the most charming of all the rooms, painted in a green color, dormer windows on one side, and a small window over the bathtub with a great view! They don't guarantee you a particular room, just south facing or standard, but will note your preferences, and it is worth asking what is available when you check in. The price difference between the south facing and standard is not great (maybe CH15), so if you ask for a south facing but Room 406 is avaialbe when you check in, take a look at both and decide, and if you want Room 4o6 offer to pay the slightly higer southfacing rate. The hallways and some of the public areas are a bit dark and dated but perfectly fine. They don''t have a pool or steam room, but they do have a sauna.
For other areas, I am not so good on budget hotels, but you should try the websites for all the hotels I listed as I don't know what "budget" means to you and you may find they are offering deals for your dates, etc. Also, I think that Karen Brown's website always lists very interesting and charming hotels and often has good value hotels. She has suggested itineraries and her choices of inns and B&B. You can buy the books and find a wealth of other information on her website: karenbrown.com
Also try the following:
alpineclassics.ch
relaischateaux.com
romantikhotels.ch
www.swisshotels.ch (I think this is in German and French only)
In the Pontresina/St Moritz area, one of my favorites is the Hotel Walther. It's a turreted castlie-like hotel set in the middle of a valley surrounded by Alps, this would be a snowfield in February, with so much snow it would make you laugh. Lots of good walking and cross country and other outdoor activities. They have an indoor pool and wellness centre. You can go to St Mortiz for lunch and celebrity-watching (less than 30 minutes). If you wanted to tobaggan, the infamous Cresta Run is nearby in Celerina (about an hour, costs about US$200), but there are other sledge/sledding runs as well. 4 days in this area at this hotel is my idea of romance! Take a look at hotelwalther.ch. Pontresina is 3 hours by rail from Zurich, a beautiful ride.
Hotel Adler
Hirschenplatz
Tel: (01) 266 9696. Fax: (01) 266 9669.
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hotel-adler.ch
3 or 4 star. In the Neiderdorf area on the university side of the river, also an area of charming cobblestone streets which is car-free and has a lot of bars and restaurants. This hotel gets generally good reviews here.
Hotel Seehof
http://www.hotelseehof.ch/
Seehofstr. 11, Zürich CH-8008, Switzerland
Phone: 01/2545757
Fax: 01/2545758
3 stars, built or renovated last year or so. This is just behind the Opera House, just at the edge of the old town, so not in the charming area, but very close to it, and about 100 metres from the lake. There are several good restaurants in this neighbourhood and others within close walking distance. It gets good reviews here. It is about a 3 minute walk to the Stadelhofen train station in Zurich so is very convenient for getting to the airport.
Hotel Seefeld
Seefeldstrasse 63
8008 Zurich
41-1-387-4141
41-1-837-4151
http://www.hotel-seefeld.che 63
[email protected]
3-star, built 2 years ago. It is in a nice neighbourhood of restaurants and some interesting shops, and is about 2 blocks in from the lake, but not in the old town. The Seefeld area would be a bit quieter at night than the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf areas. It is on a tram line and so is convenient. Would be about 10 minutes by tram from the old town.
Also, if you have Marriott, Starwood or Hyatt points you should defiantely consider using them in Zurich as hotels are expenisve there. The Park Hyatt is quite something, very new so not charming in the wooden-chalet way, but probably the best hotel in town in terms of modern amenities in the room, etc.
For Wengen, I would definately recco the Silberhorn, take a look at www.silberhorn.ch. The best rooms are the southfacing rooms, the rooms without a view are called "standard" rooms but are the same size. They have two wings, one they call "rustic" and the other they call the "Laura Ashley" wing. I preferred the latter, as they have redone the bathrooms and the rooms are done in a light fresh style as opposed to the bit more dated pine rooms in the rustic wing. Of the southfacing rooms, I would ask for 202, 404 or 405. Room 202 has a large terrace which is shares with (I believe) 203 and 204. The other rooms metioned have balconies, all with great views of the Eiger. There is also lovely, lovely "standard room, Room 406, which shares a balcony with 405, but does not have a south view. However, I thought it was the most charming of all the rooms, painted in a green color, dormer windows on one side, and a small window over the bathtub with a great view! They don't guarantee you a particular room, just south facing or standard, but will note your preferences, and it is worth asking what is available when you check in. The price difference between the south facing and standard is not great (maybe CH15), so if you ask for a south facing but Room 406 is avaialbe when you check in, take a look at both and decide, and if you want Room 4o6 offer to pay the slightly higer southfacing rate. The hallways and some of the public areas are a bit dark and dated but perfectly fine. They don''t have a pool or steam room, but they do have a sauna.
For other areas, I am not so good on budget hotels, but you should try the websites for all the hotels I listed as I don't know what "budget" means to you and you may find they are offering deals for your dates, etc. Also, I think that Karen Brown's website always lists very interesting and charming hotels and often has good value hotels. She has suggested itineraries and her choices of inns and B&B. You can buy the books and find a wealth of other information on her website: karenbrown.com
Also try the following:
alpineclassics.ch
relaischateaux.com
romantikhotels.ch
www.swisshotels.ch (I think this is in German and French only)
In the Pontresina/St Moritz area, one of my favorites is the Hotel Walther. It's a turreted castlie-like hotel set in the middle of a valley surrounded by Alps, this would be a snowfield in February, with so much snow it would make you laugh. Lots of good walking and cross country and other outdoor activities. They have an indoor pool and wellness centre. You can go to St Mortiz for lunch and celebrity-watching (less than 30 minutes). If you wanted to tobaggan, the infamous Cresta Run is nearby in Celerina (about an hour, costs about US$200), but there are other sledge/sledding runs as well. 4 days in this area at this hotel is my idea of romance! Take a look at hotelwalther.ch. Pontresina is 3 hours by rail from Zurich, a beautiful ride.
