Switzerland 5 days
 

Wee have 5 days in early September to spend in Switzerland before going to France. 3 women over 50, like scenery, leisure, wine, cheese, chocolate, hot springs. We have not decided weather to fly into Zurich or Geneva, but we want a leisurely restful first day. We would like to travel by train. Interested in St. Moritz and Lugano but open to suggestions. Is there a good place to use for a base while we explore, or should we plan to stay in several places?

I always highly recommend for first-timers to go to the Jungfrau Region around Interlaken and put yourself up in one of those too-cute-to-be-true mountain villages like Wengen, a perpetual favorite with Fodorites or Grindelwald, etc - where you will be eyeball to eyeball with sheer cliffs soaring thousands of feet to be majestically topped by glacier-girdled sheer peaks of the Jungfrau Massif.

To me and many the absolute highlight of Switzerland - toylike mountain trains and thrilling aerial gondolas going off in all directions - hiking paths for all degrees of energies - no special shoe gear needed on many of the easiest ones.

And there is more than the Alps here - take rides of those iconic Swiss boats on either lake the bookends Interlaken.

I would suggest flying into Zurich - heading straight away by train from the airport to Lucerne - stay there for two nights then move onto the Interlaken area for the remainder.

St Moritz is very very remote from any Swiss airport - it would take you all of a day about to get there and back and IMO though the Engadine there is sweet nothing matches the sheer variety of things to do in the Interlaken area.

anyway trains are the way to go - Wengen can only be reached by train - a car-less carefree quiet village with awesome views of the jagged Jungfrau Massif from your hotel balcony.

For lots of great info on Swiss trains check out these superb IMO sites: www.budgeteuropetravel.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.swisstravelsystem.com.

Between Lucerne and Interlaken you can also take one of Switzeland's legendary scenic trains - the Golden Pass train with special panoramic observation cars and commentary en route I (I believe).

You may find a Swiss Pass to be cost-effective as it would cover all trains up to Grindelwald and Wengen, lake boats, etc.

Hi Idell,

Well I for one disagree with Pal that "there is sweet nothing matches the sheer variety of things to do in the Interlaken area." I think there are tons of things to do there, including ascending mountaintops, hiking or walking, biking the valley beside the Inn river, making an excursion on the Bernina Express, enjoying the lakes (St Moritz, Champferer, Silvaplaner, and Silser).

I think the Engadin Valley will be especially good for you since you are interested in hot springs (don't really know of any in the Jungfrau area). St Moritz has the highest-altitude hot springs in Switzerland, so you'll be at the right place for that:

http://www.stmoritz.ch/en/summer/lif...utic-spas.html

There are also hot springs in Scuol, to the north,

http://www.engadin.com/wellness-gesu...d-spa/?S=1&R=2

St Moritz isn't any farther from Zurich airport than, for instance, Wengen is. St. Moritz is about 3h45 from the airport, and Wengen is 3h11.

However, the problem will come when you move from St. Moritz to France. Since St. Moritz is in the eastern side of the country, you have to pass through the whole country -- or cut up to Zurich again -- to get to France. For instance, St. Moritz to Strasbourg will take 6h40. You'll have to plan for that long day on the trains.

Have fun as you plan!

s

Any lake boat rides in the Engadine?

Indeed, Lake Segl/Silsersee is the highest Swiss lake with regular boat service.
St. Moritz - Lugano: either scenic Bernina Express train ride or direct Palm Express Post Bus

St. Moritz - Paris via Bernina:
St. Moritz dp 13.48 - Tirano 16.19/16.35 - Edolo 17.45/17.54 - Brescia 19.54/21.33 overnight train with sleeping cars and couchettes - Paris ar 9.30

St. Moritz - Paris via Zurich:
St. Moritz dp 13.02 - Paris ar 21.37

St. Moritz - Paris via Glacier Express:
St. Moritz dp 9.02 - Paris ar 22.03, change at Brig and Lausanne

I was in Lausanne last year for 5 nights as a base and we did the following day trips which you may be interested in as it covers the wine, chocolate, cheese & scenery:

- Gruyere (for the castle & cheese, such a pretty little town) + Broc for Callier Choc factory. A part of this also covers some the Golden Pass section I think.

- Montreux (inc Chillon Castle) + Lavaux vineyard terraces via the Lavaux express.

- Zermatt/Matterhorn.

We also visited Geneva on the day we flew in and wished we could have spent more time there as it was beautiful.

I don't think you can go wrong with anywhere in Switzerland :)

The St Moritz area is isolated from most of Switzerland - so yes if going to one place from say Zurich Airport that's fine but if you want to go to other tourist meccas likes the Jungfrau Region or Lake Geneva it is a long long slog.

And the St Moritz area IME it does not offer the plethora of varied things in addition to glaciers and high Alps that the Interlaken area does - that is my subjective take - swandav thinks differently in her subjective take.

St Mortiz makes a neat gateway to Italy via the Bernina Express, to me Europe's most scenic train.

Pal, the OP stated the desire for hot springs. Please tell me where in the Jungfrau region they can find that. The St. Moritz area has hot springs, mountains, hills, & lakes. It's all that they want.

s

OK - because of hot springs they should go to Engadine - no I know of none in the Jungfrau Region - again for the average first-time traveler I would highly recommend the Jungfrau Region if they are traveling say to Lake Geneva or Zermatt, Lucerne, etc.

Engadine is relatively isolated it seems - what is there to do on rainy days that as you know are not at all unusual in the Alps - in teh Jungfrau Region they can easily day trip to Bern, one of the most underrate cities in Europe IMO or even Lucerne.

What is there to do if rainy spells set in in St Moritz area - St Moritz itself never appealed much to me nor many others here.

Engadine is great if that is they only area you are exploring or going onto Italy but is far removed from the more popular tourist meccas like Zermatt and the Jungfrau Region.

Ah in Switzerland you simply can NOT go wrong!

Yes, well, we agree that in Switzerland, you simply can't go wrong!

On rainy days in the Engadin, one can also easily get out of the rain. Say a trip on the Bernina Express over the Alps to Poschiavo? Or how about Soglio? Or staying in St Moritz and hopping from cafe to shop? Or a trip to Chur?

s

I have not been extensively around the Engadine other than the Bernina Pass railway and the Maloja Pass bus route but to me it seems much less concentrated or compact as the Jungfrau Region where say from Grindelwald you have trains going off into the hills, down to the lakes - aerial gondolas shooting off in all directions - all very close to Grindelwald or a Wengen - even the Jungfruajoch trains is a fairly short poke from either.

I think of the gems of the Engadine being much more spread out and not so neatly packed into the compact Jungfrau Region. I may be wrong and do realize that the Engdine offers just as thrilling glaciers, train rides, gondolas, etc but that they are not so nearly centered in say St Moritz which to me has few scintillating vieww right from town as Grindelwald or Wengen or Murren do.

each is neat and folks should try to do both - even the language changes and that means a cultural change as well.

Thank you for the very thoughtful replies.

The oldest in our group is 68 and has mild knee problems. Another has problems with long periods of sitting due to spine problems. (Ah the joys of age). Do these issues alter your advice?

I only know Lac Leman region (outside Geneva) but I *love* it there. It's the French-speaking part of the country (while Zurich is German-speaking).

I high recommend flying into Geneva, then basing yourself in Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux, beautiful towns right on Lac Leman. Gruyeres is nearby and makes a nice day trip.

Hi again Idell,

No, those health problems don't alter my advice, for one. If you are taking a walk through the countryside, there are always benches placed at scenic spots where you guys can rest (and munch on some picnic items!). And of course, travelling by train, you can get up and stroll the aisles to relieve pressure on the spine (walk to the bar car or the bistro and have a drink standing up, etc).

I'll also say that you can use the SBB's terrific baggage service to send your suitcases in case that would be a problem. You can use the Fast Baggage service, where you check it before 09.00, and you can pick it up at your destination after 18.00. Here's the link:

http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-service...t-baggage.html

You can check your cases after your arrival at the airport's train station, or you can even check them through to your Swiss destination from your US airport (you can do this using SBB products purchased from Rail Europe -- I've done it 2x). That makes it really easy to travel by rail.

Let us know if you have any further questions or concerns!!

Pal -- Yes, you're right; the mountains of the Engadin are not as compactly located as those in the Jungfrau area. But I don't know why that matters . . . ? You can *always* find a hotel room or apartment with views of massive peaks or rolling valleys.

s

Pal -- Yes, you're right; the mountains of the Engadin are not as compactly located as those in the Jungfrau area. But I don't know why that matters . .>

Well it is easier to base in say a Wengen or Grindelwald and be a short train or gondola ride from several awesome places - but a main thing is that for most the Jungfrau Region is more centrally located for traveling to other parts of Switzerland. and yes in poor weather this rea offers more easy retreats to nearby cities.

Disagree with you, Pal. IMO "more easy retreats to nearby cities" is subjective; I could find plenty of places to see and things to do up and down the massive Engadin Valley. As I noted above.

s

Ahhhh, Switzerland!!! Ingo over in the Graubunden and Pal across the rather long divide atop the Eiger shooting arrows at one another as to which one is best.

Just GO to the two places you are interested in, take trains and enjoy the views and that sometimes almost maddening Swiss efficiency.

IMO you cannot go wrong. And when you GET to St. Moritz leave the sterile village imemdiately for the more pleasant surroundings.

Ahhhh, Switzerland!!! Ingo over in the Graubunden and Pal across the rather long divide atop the Eiger shooting arrows at one another as to which one is best.>

Not best but most practical and easiest for the average tourist visiting other parts of Switzerland. I agree the Engadine is fantastic too.

Pal, I think we agree on the "average" tourist -- I know I've said before that the Jungfrau has a perfect mix of good infrastructure and mighty Alps for an average first-time visitor.

Our disagreement this time is over two smaller areas -- first, THIS poster, who is interested in hot springs. And second, whether there are things to do in the Engadin when it rains in the mountains.

btw, I don't think I'm Ingo. Love to be though.

s