Switz-Germany-Austria 2.5 weeksHELP!!! PLEASE!!
Jan 2nd, 2006, 10:34 AM
#21
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Hi char60,
I started from scratch with only your start & end points and Gstaad as the givens. This is what I would do (I'm not giving the number of days; that's for you to decide!):
I would do Geneva airport to Montreux to Gstaad to Brig to St Moritz to Scuol to Innsbruck to Munich.
Notes:
Montreux -- I wouldn't stay overnight in Vevey because the train up to Gstaad leaves from Montreux -- so why not just stay there instead?
Gstaad -- good for you!! I love this area! Good skiing here too.
Brig -- Apparently there's only one Glacier Express each day (other routes take you up to Zuerich or down to Milan, etc), and it leaves Brig at 12.20. The trip from Gstaad to Brig takes about 2h30, so I would break this into two days. Spend one night in Brig, enjoy the charming town and its surrounding mountains, maybe take a gondola up to the Aletsch Glacier; the next day, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, then continue your journey. I've spent one afternoon in Brig and enjoyed it a lot; I'm planning to spend three days there this June. I think it'll be a nice stop.
Scuol -- It's just so much closer to Austria than St. Moritz is, so spending a day or two here will make your continuing journey easier. Apparently there are busses that run from Scuol to Landeck in Austria that take about two hours; from Landeck you can take a train to Innsbruck in about an hour or to Garmisch in about two hours.
Trains -- use the trains!! I've only driven on two of my 14 trips to Switzerland and regretted it both times. Parking and gas will eat up your budget very quickly. Parking is hard to find. If you're on the train and you see an inviting village, it's easier than pie to get to that village by bicycle, on foot, by bus, by ferry, or on a local train. You'll be moving with the locals. I also really enjoy having a picnic of incredible, fresh food (cheese, bread, yogurt, chocolate) while watching the scenery. You can also get a reduced pass (SaverPass) for two or more people travelling togeter.
I hope this helps you focus a bit!
s
I started from scratch with only your start & end points and Gstaad as the givens. This is what I would do (I'm not giving the number of days; that's for you to decide!):
I would do Geneva airport to Montreux to Gstaad to Brig to St Moritz to Scuol to Innsbruck to Munich.
Notes:
Montreux -- I wouldn't stay overnight in Vevey because the train up to Gstaad leaves from Montreux -- so why not just stay there instead?
Gstaad -- good for you!! I love this area! Good skiing here too.
Brig -- Apparently there's only one Glacier Express each day (other routes take you up to Zuerich or down to Milan, etc), and it leaves Brig at 12.20. The trip from Gstaad to Brig takes about 2h30, so I would break this into two days. Spend one night in Brig, enjoy the charming town and its surrounding mountains, maybe take a gondola up to the Aletsch Glacier; the next day, enjoy a leisurely breakfast, then continue your journey. I've spent one afternoon in Brig and enjoyed it a lot; I'm planning to spend three days there this June. I think it'll be a nice stop.
Scuol -- It's just so much closer to Austria than St. Moritz is, so spending a day or two here will make your continuing journey easier. Apparently there are busses that run from Scuol to Landeck in Austria that take about two hours; from Landeck you can take a train to Innsbruck in about an hour or to Garmisch in about two hours.
Trains -- use the trains!! I've only driven on two of my 14 trips to Switzerland and regretted it both times. Parking and gas will eat up your budget very quickly. Parking is hard to find. If you're on the train and you see an inviting village, it's easier than pie to get to that village by bicycle, on foot, by bus, by ferry, or on a local train. You'll be moving with the locals. I also really enjoy having a picnic of incredible, fresh food (cheese, bread, yogurt, chocolate) while watching the scenery. You can also get a reduced pass (SaverPass) for two or more people travelling togeter.
I hope this helps you focus a bit!
s
Jan 2nd, 2006, 10:36 AM
#22
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ps, If you want to save a night, go directly from the Geneva airport to Gstaad. The trip is less than three hours with the change in Montreux, so it'll be an easy trip. You may fall in love with Lake Geneva, though, but you can plan a return trip!
s
s
Jan 2nd, 2006, 06:40 PM
#23
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Ingo, your pics from Jan '04 have expired... can you send a new link.
Don't give up on me now...I have read all sorts of your (and Swandav200's
reports. You def know Switz. (Where do u live, btw)???
Can't find any accomodations in Gstaad (sorry Swandav). Looks like it is Wengen (or surrounding area) from Geneva.
Don't give up on me now...I have read all sorts of your (and Swandav200's
reports. You def know Switz. (Where do u live, btw)???Can't find any accomodations in Gstaad (sorry Swandav). Looks like it is Wengen (or surrounding area) from Geneva.
Jan 3rd, 2006, 04:53 AM
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Well, try some of the smaller towns that are less well known to tourists or are farther from skiing.
Near Gstaad, try Saanen, Rougemont, Chateau d'oex, or Rossiniere (the website www.pays-denhaut.ch will cover three of them, and the Gstaad website will cover Saanen).
Near Wengen, but not on the mountain, try Interlaken, Thun, or Lauterbrunnen. Lauterbrunnen will be better for skiing. You can get the websites by adding ".ch" to each town name, so www.lauterbrunnen.ch for Lauterbrunnen, etc.
Good luck!
s
Near Gstaad, try Saanen, Rougemont, Chateau d'oex, or Rossiniere (the website www.pays-denhaut.ch will cover three of them, and the Gstaad website will cover Saanen).
Near Wengen, but not on the mountain, try Interlaken, Thun, or Lauterbrunnen. Lauterbrunnen will be better for skiing. You can get the websites by adding ".ch" to each town name, so www.lauterbrunnen.ch for Lauterbrunnen, etc.
Good luck!
s
Jan 3rd, 2006, 05:06 AM
#27
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Well, the Pays d'Enhaut site is down right now, so go to www.chateau-doex.ch. You can search by date & number of stars for all the nearby villages under "Reservations On Line" at the top of the page. I just did a quick search for 15 Feb and had a few hotels come up.
Good luck!
s
Good luck!
s
Jan 3rd, 2006, 05:29 AM
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You might try
http://www.kreuz-leissigen.ch/
if you're still looking for something at the base of the Oberland. Leissigen is very small, just between Interlaken and Spiez on Thunersee.
More towns at thunersee.ch
On Brienzersee, try Brienz for a spectacular view of the mountains across the lake. J.
http://www.kreuz-leissigen.ch/
if you're still looking for something at the base of the Oberland. Leissigen is very small, just between Interlaken and Spiez on Thunersee.
More towns at thunersee.ch
On Brienzersee, try Brienz for a spectacular view of the mountains across the lake. J.
Jan 3rd, 2006, 07:10 AM
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Hi Charlene,
what was the link to those pictures? I think I'll have to post them at another website if the old link doesn't work anymore.
In the meantime, you could have a look at my Virtualtourist-page. I posted some pictures and tips about both St. Moritz and Scuol areas there.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/
I live in Dresden, Germany.
what was the link to those pictures? I think I'll have to post them at another website if the old link doesn't work anymore.
In the meantime, you could have a look at my Virtualtourist-page. I posted some pictures and tips about both St. Moritz and Scuol areas there.
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/
I live in Dresden, Germany.
Jan 3rd, 2006, 09:47 AM
#31
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Hi Ingo!
happy to hear you are still around! I am making progress! I have made an itinerary that I think will work! Yeah!
Lausanne-3 nts @ Beau Rivage (booked)
Interlaken (couldn't find anything in Wengen + I think this is a good hub)-4 nts at Royal St. Georges (booked)
St. Moritz AREA (Potrsina, Sils, Scuol??)3 nts- (not booked; Hotel Waldhaus is full) Need ideas, please
Garmisch-4 nts (not booked)
Salzburg-1 nt " "
Munich 1 2 nts. " "
Your pics that I was referring to were from '03 trip to Engadine where you were talking about skiing both xc & d/hill and food w/ chestnuts....
happy to hear you are still around! I am making progress! I have made an itinerary that I think will work! Yeah!
Lausanne-3 nts @ Beau Rivage (booked)
Interlaken (couldn't find anything in Wengen + I think this is a good hub)-4 nts at Royal St. Georges (booked)
St. Moritz AREA (Potrsina, Sils, Scuol??)3 nts- (not booked; Hotel Waldhaus is full) Need ideas, please
Garmisch-4 nts (not booked)
Salzburg-1 nt " "
Munich 1 2 nts. " "
Your pics that I was referring to were from '03 trip to Engadine where you were talking about skiing both xc & d/hill and food w/ chestnuts....
Jan 3rd, 2006, 12:33 PM
#32
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I'll try to post the pictures on another website - but it will take a couple of days.
I do not like Interlaken very much (especially in winter I don't think it's a good choice), but you are right, it is a good transportation hub. You can easily daytrip to the mountains or a city like Thun or Bern.
If you are looking for 4/5-star hotels - there are many in the Engadin. I have not stayed in a lot of those, though
Pontresina will probably be a good choice - try hotels like the Walther, Saratz, Schweizerhof. Sils is better for skiing - try the Edelweiss or the Hotel Post. However, if you are travelling by train you should know that getting to/from Sils requires a bus ride of 20 minutes from the ST. Moritz railway station.
In case you decide to stay in Scuol (which is less touristy), you could try Hotel Chaste in Tarasp (remote location, but shuttle service). Scuol has very nice, cosy, small hotels in the town which are 3star level. I like the Traube, Astras (recently renovated with direct access to the spa) and Engiadina e.g.
I do not like Interlaken very much (especially in winter I don't think it's a good choice), but you are right, it is a good transportation hub. You can easily daytrip to the mountains or a city like Thun or Bern.
If you are looking for 4/5-star hotels - there are many in the Engadin. I have not stayed in a lot of those, though
Pontresina will probably be a good choice - try hotels like the Walther, Saratz, Schweizerhof. Sils is better for skiing - try the Edelweiss or the Hotel Post. However, if you are travelling by train you should know that getting to/from Sils requires a bus ride of 20 minutes from the ST. Moritz railway station.
In case you decide to stay in Scuol (which is less touristy), you could try Hotel Chaste in Tarasp (remote location, but shuttle service). Scuol has very nice, cosy, small hotels in the town which are 3star level. I like the Traube, Astras (recently renovated with direct access to the spa) and Engiadina e.g.
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