One day in Switzerland, which city?
 

I will be traveling by train from Prague to Spain. Decided to stop for one day in Switzerland to break up the trip. Can anyone suggest which city would be best for such a short stay.

Lucerne would be your best bet for just 1 day. I'm so sorry to hear that you can't stay longer. We were there 2 weeks and wish we could have stayed longer. It is a fabulous country with beauty everywhere. We were also in Prague for 5 days, another interesting city. If there is anyway you can stay longer in Switzerland, you won't regret it. If it can only be for 1 day, I'd definitely chose Lucerne.

Do you need to stay in another city such as Bern, for example, in order to go on to Lucerne? Or are there direct trains to Lucerne from Spain I believe?

I think a lot depends on the route your train takes, since you only have one day in Switzerland and you can't really go off the beaten path, as they say. Anyway, most likely you'll go via Zurich or Basel - either of these cities are great. Zurich is a mix of staid, clean Swiss (Bahnhofstrasse) and laid-back trendy culture (Niederdorf, other areas...); Basel is a beautiful city, would say a bit more "quaint", and has lots of important art and other museums if you enjoy this side of culture. The other option should be Bern - this will take about 1 hr. from Zurich or Basel by train. If you want an almost pure old-town feel, since the main part of the city is basically the old town within a peninsula surrounded by the Aare river, you won't be disappointed.

Lynn, my favourite city in Switzerland is easily Bern. It is medieval, pretty and has lots to see and do.

Drew, what are the top sights to see in Bern if you're visiting for only a day and a half?

Erin, in Berne, there aren't really any top sights per se. It's interesting as a whole, especially the covered arcades. However, I definitely would miss the lake, if I lived there.<BR>Check this web site out for more info:<BR>http://www.berne.ch/en/frameset.html

Erin, I'm largely with Ursula on reasons to visit Bern for one day. However, when there I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Einstein House and the top class Ethnographic Museum of Bern.

We visited Switzerland esarlier this month and agree that only 1 day is awfully short...but, if this is how it must be then I would also recommend Lucerne. It is a charming town with a beautiful lake and cute shops, many outdoor cafes etc. We spent all day there and were so glad we did.

What do you like? Lakes? Mountains in the background? Smaller city? If so, Luzern.<BR><BR>If you like a bigger city, I'd go with Berne.<BR><BR>If you like hiking/mountains, quiet--anywhere in Berner Overland