My husband and I spent a successful week in Switzerland back in May, much to the credit of Fodorites and their suggestions. <BR> <BR>Now, my in-laws are planning a two week trip to Switzerland departing on October 20th. They've put me in charge of gathering information for them. They've purchased 15 day Swiss Passes, so there is no need for a car. Needless to say, I have several questions for those who have traveled Switzerland more than my meager week! <BR> <BR>1. I'm sending them to Interlaken area first. It seemed very user-friendly! Should they stay the whole two weeks in the Berner Oberland? <BR> <BR>2. They have their heart set on seeing the Matterhorn. I've explained the chances you take with the weather and actually seeing the Matterhorn, but they really want to go. Where should they stay --- Zermatt, or one of the surrounding areas? <BR> <BR>3. What are you favorite day trips from Interlaken? They've heard about the Jungfrau, and Schilthorn from us. What else for two active 65-year-olds? What about Brienz (sp?), where the woodcarvers are? I'm thinking they can visit Bern and Lucern by day and stay in the same place. <BR> <BR>4. Has anybody been to the Stein falls (or maybe it's the Rhein falls) northeast of Zurich? We didn't make it there, is it worth the trip for them? <BR> <BR>5. How do I find the weather history for the last week of October/first week of November? Someone posted a message about weather archives, but I can't find the website! <BR> <BR>Thanks

The Rheinfalls are near a town called Schaffhausen. I think they are worth a visit. <BR>The Schilthorn is on my list for a visit in about 3 weeks. We did the Jungfrau last year. Pricey, but great. <BR>(By the way I am 66, so in your target group area.) <BR>In the Zermatt area, I stayed in Saas Grund. But it has no train service. If your folks are using the train, then I suggest they stay in Zermatt and ride the Gornergrat train. If clear, you can get a great view of the Matterhorn from the train and the end station. I suggest this approach because by November it is going to be cold up there. We were snowed on in September. <BR>(We got off at the Rotenboden station and walked up to the Gornergrat Station. <BR>We had one good look at the Matterhorn before the clouds rolled in and the snow started.) <BR> <BR>I suppose Interlaken is an OK place to stay. We bunked in an apartment in Lauterbrunnen because it was closer to the scene of the hiking action. But by late October, I am not sure what the weather will be doing to you. Sometimes October is "golden", but last year it started raining and seemed like it would never quit. <BR>

We took the Glacier Express, a slower-moving train that travels through the beautiful countryside from St. Moritz to Zermatt. There's a wonderful meal served -- and it stops at several small villages along the way. It's quite relaxing and again, very beautiful. We were there in July, however, so not sure how weather will be in October. There is an additional charge for this train ride (Swiss Rail doesn't cover it all), but we thought it was well worth it. Zermatt is a wonderful little town to visit -- I wouldn't discourage them -- if they don't see the Matterhorn, well -- they can come back again!

The pass is an excellent decision. <BR> <BR>Weather in October going into November in the mountains is iffy, so much as we love the Jungfrau region it would be unwise to plan the whole trip focused there. <BR> <BR>For a general overview of much of Switzerland with a focus on the area south of Interlaken see www.twenj.com/swissvisit.htm <BR> <BR>It's not difficult to get from there to places like Bern, Thun or Brienz, for example, so there's no reason to move around a lot. <BR> <BR>I'd spend at least two or three nights in Luzern. <BR> <BR>Brienz is interesting for an hour or so. The trip on a steam train up the Brienzerrothorn might be of interest, and the outdoor museum (Ballenberg) is definitely worth a visit. <BR> <BR>The Rhein Falls are quite a sight. A bit difficult via public tranport but quite doable. The city of Schaffhausen is worth at least a stroll about the old town, and this visit can be combined with seeing nearby Stein-am-Rhein which is one of the most picturesque villages you'll come across. <BR> <BR>To see the Matterhorn I'd certainly stay in Zermatt. We prefer the Klein Matternorn trip over the Gornergrat excursion. <BR> <BR>You'll find historical weather at http://www.weatherpost.com/historical/historical.htm But for the mountains, bear in mind that things are quite variable (even within the same day) so history means little up there. In October the weather could be great for many days in a row, or bad, or change from morning to afternoon.

Marla, I would pick 4 locations in the <BR>2 weeks they have. Start in the Bernese <BR>Oberland area but I would stay in Wengen <BR>or Grindelwald. From there, go to Zermatt via Brig and spend 2 nites. Then <BR>train to Lugano for a completely unique <BR>experience--perhaps 3 nites, then make your last stop at Luzern for 2 nites on <BR>the way back to Zurich. You can actually <BR>spend the last nite there since the train to the Zurich airport is only about an hour from Luzern. This is a good 2 week itinerary that will not stress the in-laws but will give them a <BR>complete look at the best of Switz.

Marla, I would pick 4 locations in the <BR>2 weeks they have. Start in the Bernese <BR>Oberland area but I would stay in Wengen <BR>or Grindelwald. From there, go to Zermatt via Brig and spend 2 nites. Then <BR>train to Lugano for a completely unique <BR>experience--perhaps 3 nites, then make your last stop at Luzern for 2 nites on <BR>the way back to Zurich. You can actually <BR>spend the last nite there since the train to the Zurich airport is only about an hour from Luzern. This is a good 2 week itinerary that will not stress the in-laws but will give them a <BR>complete look at the best of Switz.

Tho' my favorite area of Switzerland is the Bernese Oberland, your folks need to see more their first trip. Here's a busy itinerary which may be too much. Zurich to St. Moritz by train, then bus to Lugano (thru Italy), train to Bellinzona and Locarno. While in Locarno visit the Brissago Islands by hydrofoil. This is the Italian part of Switzerland where they'll think they're in the tropics. <BR>Train to Domodossola/Brig/Zermatt. By all means stay in Zermatt with a view of the Matterhorn from their room. Take the trip to Gornergrat for great glacier & Matterhorn views. <BR>Then train to Visp/Martigny.Geneva. This is a long trip, might want to skip this and go directly to Spiez/Interlaken/Grindelwald. Don't stay in Interlaken, much more fun and scenic in the mountains. Take side trips to Kleine Scheidegg, having lunch with a spectacular view of the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau and a boat trip on Lake Brienz with a stop for a great lunch at the Iseltwald dock. Then go on the Brienz for a steam- driven cogwheel train ride on the Brienz Rothorn Railway, returning to Grindelwald by train. <BR>Take train to Luzern via Meringen and Alpnachstad. A special side-trip in Luzern is the round trip to Pilatus, by boat, cog train, cable car, and gondola. <BR>Walk the wall, cross the bridge, visit the Lion and enjoy this beautiful Swiss city before returning to Zurich for the all-too-soon trip home. <BR>I would skip the Rhine Falls. They will need a timetable for an involved itinerary. It would be a great help to them if you would request information (on the internet) from the various tourist boards of the cities they'll be <BR>visiting. They'll send maps, places to stay, things to see. Wishing them a magic holiday, Margie

A lot of good suggestions. I agree with staying at least one night in Luzern. I think Bern is excellent as a daytrip. Switzerland is a land of many cultures, and in two weeks I would try to experience these. So, I would consider the Berner Oberland (minimum of three nights), Luzern, Zermatt, and Bern for German. I would visit Lugano for Italian. Then visit French Switzerland. I have not visited French Switzerland yet, but I would consider places like Montreux, Lausanne, and Fribourg. Leave Eastern Switzerland for another trip. Skip the big cities of Zurich and Geneva unless they really love to shop. I recommend staying in Wengen, Lauterbrunnen, Murren, or possibly even Grindelwald for the Berner Oberland, but then again I haven't been in late October. If the weather gets bad, I suppose there is a benefit to being in Interlaken or Grindelwald, where there is a little more to do. <BR> <BR>Ed beat me to the Ballenberg outdoor museum. I haven't been there yet, but I did see it on Rick Steve's Berner Oberland show many times. Looked like a good experience. <BR> <BR>If they want to get some hiking in, it will depend on the weather of course. However, two easy walks when the weather is good are Lauterbrunnen Valley and Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. The first walk is flat. The latter is only 50 minutes, is slightly downhill, and features glorious views of the big three mountains all the way.

The Glacier Express is covered by the Swiss Pass, we only had to pay for our seat reservations which were about $4 each. <BR>

Wow!!! Thanks everyone for the prompt replys! I've been telling my father-in-law what a great website this is --- and he's now a believer. He couldn't believe how everyone offered up their suggestions and opinions. He's "considering" staying in more than one place (not sure where), but wants to see and do as much as he can! <BR> <BR>For the record, we celebrated his 70th birthday last night! p.s. Mother-in-law is 67!

We spent 2 weeks near Interlaken this summer and didn't have time to see even half the things we want to! Once you become skilled in using the transportation system, it is easy to do even Zermatt or some of the french portion of Switzerland in a day trip from there. It did seem a little too long to make it to Ticino and back for a day trip. Don't forget, a Swiss rail pass also gives you passage on the postal buses and the lake boats. There are several very beautiful trips on the postal buses out of Meiringen, although some cost an extra 5 francs (on the "tourist routes"). There is also a postal bus directly from Brunig to Ballenberg. By using the postal buses you can go a lot of places the train doesn't go. Plus, the pass is good on city transportation at least in Bern, Zurich and Lucern, but apparently not in Interlaken.