susan001

I will be flying into Zurich on July 2,'07. My plan right now is

2 nights Stein am Rein
1 night Luzern (Des Balances)
3 nights Murren (Alpenruh)
1 night Spiez

After that I will be joining a tour group in Luzern:
3 nights Luzern (Grand Hotel Europe) with day trip to Einseideln and another to Pilatus.
2 nights Annecy (day trip to Chamonix)
2 nights Lake Como
1 night St. Moritz
2 nights Innsbruck with day trip to Neuschwanstein.
3 nights Munich (with day trip to Saltzburg)

When I set up the first night in Luzern, I did so out of a need for jetlag recouperation, but since have added Stein for that purpose.

I'm wondering if I should cancel that one night at Des Balances (though I have a balcony view!) and tack it on to Murren or Spiez.

Any thoughts?

Melnq8

Sounds like a great trip. Personally, I'd move that first night in Luzern to Spiez since you'll have three nights in Luzern later in your trip.

Have fun!

nessundorma

I agree about adding to Spiez and cutting Luzern. (In fact, I would do two nights Mureen and 3 nights Spiez, but I like Spiez.)

susan001

Thanks, Melinq8. I'm looking forward to the trip.

Nessundorma, because of comments you once posted, I decided to take a night off Murren (was going to be 4) and go down to Spiez. But two nights in Spiez will give me more time to explore the castles in the area. I have booked the Seagarten Marina Hotel.

Good feedback. Thank you!

nessundorma

have a great trip. I hope you can find time for a stroll in the Lauterbrunnen valley. The gondola ride up and down from Gimmelwald (which you can walk to from Murren) is wonderful, and seeing the Alps from the valley floor is spectacular.

susan001

Yes, I plan to do several hikes, plus a stroll through the Lauterbrunnen valley. Eagerly awaiting this trip!

Dukey

Trummelbach Falls if you can fit them in. Privately-owned with a fee but worth it IMO.

The Des Balances is a very nice hotel but if you are going to be in town three other nights I would skip it.

Budman

We drove from Grindelwald to Spiez to park & catch the ferry to Thun. Maybe I missed something, but I didn't see anything in Spiez other than the small castle and the restaurant on the water by the ferry pier. Did I miss something?

On the way to Thun, the ferry stopped at Oberhofen. Now, that looked like a place I could spend a day or so, but from what I saw of Spiez, maybe an hour or two.

susan001

Budman, Does the ferry stop in Spiez before Oberhofen and Thun? And approximately how long would the ferry ride be from there? My hotel in Spiez is right on the marina, and they said just a few steps from the ferry launching point.

I'm just trying to avoid staying in Interlaken, and this hotel in Spiez got rave reviews on Trip Advisor. I'm really more interested in the other castles but had trouble finding accommodations in the other places.

Susan

nessundorma

I think Spiez's virtue is precisely that it is not Interlaken but still very convenient to the peaks. On clear days, it also has very lovely views of the mountains and lake. From Spiez, it's possible to boat all around lake, which has a Swiss family holiday atmosphere which is sweet. I prefer lakeside and valley locations as a base in Switzerland to mountain peaks, so that's my bias. I also like to have a convenient train to larger towns if the weather turns to rain. My recollection of the ferry it that it the furthest stop from Spiez is still less than an hour away (with several charming towns along the way) but my memory is hazy.



Anyway, the point where you spend the night is have someplace tranquil for sleeping and breakfast.

susan001

Thanks to all for your comments. I did find a hotel in Oberhofen just now, called Park Hotel, which has a 4 star rating. Can't find any traveler reviews on it though.

The hotel in Spiez still looks relaxing to me. I just want to make sure I'll be able to easily visit the other towns from there.

Is it possible to walk from Oberhofen to Thun along the lake?

swandav2000

Hi susan001,

I think you'll be happy with either choice, Spiez or Oberhofen. The advantage of either is that you'll be away from the mass of tourists thronging on Interlaken; either will give you quiet & peace & a sense of discovery.

I do believe you can walk from Oberhofen to Thun -- I remember seeing a walking path next to the lake all of the way (I was on a ferry). But also know that there is a bus that follows the route, so if you get tired you can always get on the bus.

Here's a link to the timetables for the lake ferries:
http://www.bls.ch/schiff/index_e.html

Also, here's a link to my photo album at yahoo from a few years ago. If you page down about 17 lines, you'll see some photos of Spiez -- pretty place!

http://tinyurl.com/y2cpl7

Have fun!

s

Budman

The ferry from Spiez stopped at Oberhofen and then Thun. We were there in May of this year, and the last ferry from Thun was around 6:30pm or so. And if I can remember, there was only one restaurant - down by the lake in Spiez. The castle was just OK and nothing to write home about. I think you might have more options staying in Oberhofen.

susan001

Wow, Swandav! The ferry timestable is extremely helpful! I was trying to figure out in my mind how all this would work before seeing this. Thanks!

susan001

Swandav, I just looked at your photos of Thun, Oberhofen, Spiez. The area looks just wonderful. I can't wait!

Thanks, Budman and Nessundorma, for your comments. Now I have decisions to make! I may stick with my Spiez reservations because the hotel got rave reviews on trip advisor. Now that I see how convenient the ferry is, I will spend time in the other towns, no doubt!

swandav2000

Hi again, very happy to help! I know that I like to see some photos of a place when I'm trying to make up my mind --

Yes, knowing timetables is a great help!

You can't go wrong.

s

nessundorma

There is certainly more than one restaurant in Spiez. I ate there several times, and not once was I on the lakeshore.

Have a good trip Susan!