One night & full day in Zurich
 

My family is arriving in Zurich late afternoon end of Oct. for one night. We plan to spend the following day walking the city then heading to Interlaken early evening.
Does anyone have any recomendations for hotels in Zurich $100 to $200 US dollars/night?
Also, any "must-see" town delights? Dining experiences?

This is our 1st time to Switzerland & a long time in the making. We are so excited.

Hi kt,

We were pleased with our stay at http://www.st-josef.ch/.

Walking to it from the train station, you don't have to climb the stairs with luggage. Just keep walking and you will come to a ramp.

((I))

Thank you for your response. I read some very good reviews on this hotel. It looks like this will be where we lay our heads for the night.

Again, thank you.

Hi, if I were you, I will try to go to Interlaken directly (I don't like check-in/out hotels). Zurich is a small city and you can take a Stevens Rick's walk in 1-2 hours. I will use the extra day to cruise the lake at Interlaken if it's not already on your plan. Or take the panoramic train to Lausanne and back.

Thank you. Some in our party are older & want to "recover" for the night. We plan to leave in the afternoon the following morning for Interlaken then on to Lauterbrunnen for 2 days to enjoy the surrounding area.

I like Zurich and think it's under-rated, but in this case I suggest your party catch a train from the airport straight to Luzern--it's only 1 hour, no changes, and leaves hourly at 47 minutes past the hour.
The next day, you can catch a direct train to Interlaken Ost (takes two hours, no changes, and leaves hourly at :55 after the hour).

Forgot to add that from Interlaken Ost, it's a 20 minute ride to Lauterbrunnen (again, no changes).

I don't think two days are enough for exploring Bernie Oberland especially you have senior people in your party. If you have one additional day in B.O., you can better plan around the weather.

The train station in Zurich airport is only about 5 mins walk from the baggage claim area. Swiss trains are also clean and comfortable.

I wish I could convice those in my group to move forward, but some are eager to be in Zurich for a night. I guess I will have to remain hopeful the the weather will be good to us & we can see the great Alps. My husband is thrilled at this portion of our trip (we head to Italy after Switzerland) He has a love for the Eiger & has read many books on it.

I'll ask my co-workers who living Zurich for some moderately priced dining recs.
No hotels in central Zurich in your price range strike me as a rave, but the Arlette Am Hauptbahnhof Hotel could be ok...close to the train station.
Have you presented the Luzern first night option, explaining how easy it is to get there from the airport? Because I thought Luzern was one of the places your group was really interested in seeing (based on one of your earlier threads).

Thank you for asking your co-workers. I believe we are leaning to stay at the Hotel St. Josef. We were given some good reviews & the cost was not too nuts.
I will toss the question out re: Luzern to the family.

One quick question: what day of the week is your arrival? Some restaurants are closed on Sundays, others Mondays.

We arrive in Zurich on Wed 10/21 & Lauterbrunnen 10/22 to 10/24.

Stayed at the St. Josef & enjoyed a wonderful night in Zurich. But hit the train at 1st light & went straight to Lauterbrunnen. Smartest decision we made. Lauterbrunnen was incredible.

You might give a look at the Four Points Zurich. It can price out much higher than $200, but can also come in quite cheap.

I understand the desire for a recovery night, but I would probably head to Lucerne, as others have suggested. It is much more "Swiss" than Zurich, which can be a bit boring.

As for restaurants... Dining in Switzerland ranges from uninspired to expensive. I found very few noteworthy places in Zurich. One place I do like, provided you like melted cheese and a relatively warm room, is Adler's (http://www.hotel-adler.ch/content-n50-sE.html). Get your fondue craving out of the way and the area is somewhat lively at night. It isn't super cheap, but it is good.

There is another restaurant in Bellevue that also operates a sausage stand that is good... Wish I could remember the name. I also really like the prepared dishes at Globus for a snack.

one more thing in Zurich, our dinner at Le Dezelay was outstanding. Do not pass up their desserts.http://le-dezaley.ch/