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Need suggestions on a trip to Switzerland and the Piedmont in early Sept.

Need suggestions on a trip to Switzerland and the Piedmont in early Sept.

Old Jan 28th, 2009, 12:32 PM
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dac
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Need suggestions on a trip to Switzerland and the Piedmont in early Sept.

Hi,
I'm in the early stages of trying to plan a trip to Switzerland and the Piedmont. It looks like I'll be flying in and out of Geneva (using FF miles) The dates right now are the first two weeks of Sept.
1. I know rail service is great in Switzerland but I'm thinking of getting a car at the Geneva airport because we will drive to Piedmont. Does this make sense? We do not mind driving and rather like the freedom of it. Also, the rental rates are much cheaper in Switzerland than in Italy. Does anyone know if you can take the car into Italy without paying a premium?
2. I'm thinking of staying in Vevey or Montreaux and then onto the BO for a few days. We are not into hiking, but enjoy beautiful scenery, the local daily life and good food. Any suggestions of how long to stay in each place?
3. After that we will make our way to Piedmont (which is about 4 hour drive from Geneva) We would then
stay there for 5 days and then drive back to Geneva for our flight back to LA.
I would appreciate any input as to my plans. Towns to base myself in Piedmont and any other helpful information.
Thank you.
DAC
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Old Jan 28th, 2009, 04:22 PM
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Yes, get your car in CH for better rates. I suggest staying near either Asti or Alba in Piemonte. We liked Villa Sampaguita just outside Asti---good people who are helpful.
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Old Jan 28th, 2009, 08:44 PM
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Vevey - Montreux (watch sp.) - Clarens - I'd say three days around there - take some boat rides (they serve drinks and snacks, very comfy but not fast, schedules at www.cgn.ch/en/home/index.php).

Visit the Chillon Castle (www.chillon.ch/en/index.html), take the little mountain train up past Glion and Caux to the alpine flower paradise of the Rochers de Naye (www.montreux.ch/naye) - at all times you have unbeatable views across the lake and up to Mont Blanc and the French Alps.

Visit the Olympic Museum in Lausanne (www.olympic.org/uk/passion/museum/home_uk.asp).

There is a Chocolate Train with a tour of a factory and a cheese place - see www.mob.ch/GPS/produits/choc1.asp, or you can go on your own to that region, the Gruyères (www.la-gruyere.ch/index2.php?langue=eng - on left click on Interesting Sites).

For the BO: Some folks spend weeks and come back for more, so it's hard to say how many days. Look at sites like this one - http://tourismus.berneroberland.ch/n...r/frame_en.htm - and pinpoint just a few targets, also look at www.niesen.ch (accessed via Spiez, two stations down is Mülenen where you get on the cograil), then decide accordingly.

Some prefer to stay in Interlaken - broad town with hotels and restaurants and two train stations, on the flat between two lakes, handy as a springboard for day trips in many directions. Others prefer to stay in valley towns like Lauterbrunnen or Mürren or Wengen if they have already settled on nearby daytrip targets. Your call.

Some of these mountain towns don't allow cars - maybe Interlaken is better for that.

Plot your course for the drive to Italy. From the BO there is the option to drive to Kandersteg and piggyback the car on a train through the Lötschberg tunnel (the old one, not the new base tunnel). See if that is practical for you. If you do, you get down to Brig - before you move on, check out the Stockalper Castle in Brig (http://www.myswitzerland.com/en/offe...ture-8689.html).

Between Switzerland/France and Italy the Mont-Blanc tunnel can get congested, keep your schedule flexible or choose another route - but they all can get blocked.
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Old Jan 28th, 2009, 08:58 PM
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Hi dac,

I suggest you delay picking up your car until you are ready to leave Switzerland; that way, you can really enjoy the beauty and calm of Switzerland without hinderance and save a bit, too. As DalaiLama notes, some of the villages of the BO (and all of the mountaintops) do not allow cars, so having one there is a pretty big waste of money. There is a train station next to the Geneva airport, and using trains is FUN, easy, and convenient. I really think you ought to give yourself this little gift -- try the trains!

Have you already priced your rental? Many times you have to pay a huge surcharge to pick up a car in one country and drop it in another. If this is the case for you, best to use trains throughout Switzerland, then take the train to, say, Milan, and pick up your rental there.

s
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Old Jan 29th, 2009, 06:04 AM
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Swandav is right in principle, but for this OP that wouldn't work. They start and finish in Geneva - so the crosssborder drop-off he warns against doesn't apply.

But if they wait to pick up the car after taking the train to the Swiss Riviera (Montreux etc.) and the BO - then what? Pick up a car in, say, Interlaken and drop it off in Geneva? That would cost extra, too. As would going back to Geneva just to pick up a car there.

So picking up a car on arrival in GVA and returning it in GVA is best for them - they just have to realize that the car is not going to be useful every day.

As Swandav sez, they have to stay in a place where they can park it - that's why I suggested Interlaken, it has more real estate than the narrower valleys and their villages further up.

They still should take trains occasionally, and leave the car in the carpark. From Interlaken to, say, Lauterbrunnen by train it's just 20 minutes - better than spending many times those 20 minutes trying to find parking in the mountain towns where parking can be just about impossible.

Also look at the schedules of the Postautos - those renown coaches/buses originally run by the Postal Authorities, these days often franchised out, and no longer always in the legendary yellow but still a great transportation option. They go where trains don't, and where taking a car often makes no sense.
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Old Jan 29th, 2009, 06:38 AM
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I will be heading for Piemonte in April. I asked endless questions here while trying to determine a town to base ourselves in. If I can find some of the related posts,I will top them..

We eventually settled on staying in a B&B outside Alba because l liked the idea of being within walking or a couple of minutes drive into a town with dining and shopping possibiities..we will stay there for 4 nights and spend 3 in Turin.

Villa Sampaguita near Asti gets some great reviews on TA, and the owner, Tim, is extraordinarily helpful here.
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Old Jan 29th, 2009, 08:08 AM
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We spent time in Lauterbrunnen and cars are allowed there. We were able to park in spaces provided by our hotel, the Oberland, which is right on the main street in Lauterbrunnen. Great restaurant also.

We used our car to drive to Stechelberg for the ride up to Schilthorn. We also drove around Lake Thun, stopping in Spiez and Thun.
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Old Jan 29th, 2009, 01:44 PM
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dac
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Thank you everyone for your helpful replies. I'm still trying to work out the flights using miles. Hoping for 1st two weeks in Sept. but do you think the last week in August and 1st in Sept would be okay? We live in SoCal so we like cooler temps - 60's or 70's.
Also has anyone stayed at the BauerB&B in Aqui Terme? We would like to be near restaurants so my husband does not have to drive at night.
Thanks again.
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Old Jan 30th, 2009, 07:18 AM
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Baur B&B looks lovely. I, too,wanted to be near restaurants to cut down on nighttime driving; this is the place I found:

http://www.villalafavorita.it/home_uk.html


I've also heard recently about this place (from a native of Milan who just raves about it) which looks lovely; they will cook on site:


http://www.riondino.it/eng/intro/agriturismo.html
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Old Jan 30th, 2009, 02:09 PM
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It can be just as hot in Sep. as in Aug. - or not, depends on year, not predictable. So don't let a week this way or that way hang you up.
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