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Switzerland - Bernese Oberland + Engadin; Italy – Chiavenna + Milan – Oct/2025
After having to cancel this trip of Oct/2024 due to a fall (I had three fractures in my ankle four months before the trip) and having to wait one year to do it in the same season, here we are.
Now I’m 68 and DH 67 and Yes, we are thankful for our good fortune and good health, to be able to travel again. In May 2025 when we went to England and Scotland for 17 days, we used Rabbie’s for two 4-day-tours. But I can walk and hike, not the way I used to before, but I am ok and love the mountains, valleys, forests, villages, art, architecture, and this is what this trip was about. I had been in Switzerland just on a day trip to Montreux when we stayed in Annecy on a 2010 trip. DH had been in Luzern on a work trip. For this trip my goal was the Swiss Alps to visit the Bernese Oberland, the Engadin and Chiavenna in Italy. So, after reading many great trip reports from Adelaidean and melnq8 I got inspired to define an itinerary. I also need to thank Progol and KarenWoo (for the Milan part), Ingo, neckervd, and others from Fodor’s for the good information and ideas they provided. We flew with United – RIC-IAD-ZRH and back MXP-EWR-RIC - $1,875.42economy for both. ITINERARY: Sep 30 to Oct 17 / 2025 Wengen – 4 nights - Hotel Alpenrose Wengen (half-board included) Meiringen – 1 night - Victoria- Alpine Boutique Hotel Luzern – 1 night - Altstadt Hotel Krone Luzern Sils Maria – 4 nights - Hotel Maria Chiavenna – 3 nights - Villa Giade Varenna – 1 night - Bed & Breakfast il Bolentino Milan – 1 night - Hotel Gran Duca di York Malpensa Airport area – 1 night - Cardano Hotel Malpensa TRANSPORT: -Saver Day Pass for travel from Luzern to Sils Maria – bought three months in advance for CHF 39.00 each – (HFC price) -Half Fare Card – bought when we arrived at Zurich airport. CHF120 each. -Our hotel in Sils Maria (Upper Engadin) also offered the Guest card for “Free use of the Upper Engadine mountain railways & free public transport in the Engadine and Bergell valleys as far as Chiavenna” Our 10-day train/bus journey (in Switzerland) costs using ½ fare card was 120CHF + 222.10CHF = 342.10CHF for each. It would have cost 480CHF each without the HFC. The cost for train/bus/taxi (6 days) in Italy was US$137. Oct 1 – Zurich to Wengen Our flight out of Dulles was delayed departing for almost two hours and we arrived in Zurich after 9:30am. After having to stay in line for some time at the SBB store to buy the half fare card and the tickets to Wengen (37CHF each) at the Zurich Bahnhofplatz, and also buying some sandwiches at the Coop for the ride, we were able to catch the 11:38 train via Luzern. The weather was sunny, and we had a great scenic ride up to the mountains. After the Luzern connection, we took the R side seats of the train, and it was great to see Lake Lungern with the most spectacular shades of green I have ever seen. The view of other villages, lakes and mountains was stunning. The temperature in Wengen was in the low 50sF. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3cf1a9cefd.jpg Lake Lungern from the train ride https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d68e225e63.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3a63998bd8.jpg Lungern We arrived in Wengen at 3:40 pm and the shuttle from the Hotel Alpenrose was waiting to pick us up (had contacted them through their website advising the time of our arrival). The hotel is in a great location (7 min walk from the station) and has a beautiful view of the mountains and valley. We opted for having half board (dinner addition was 20CHF per person/day) which was a great deal compared to the prices of the other restaurants. Dinner was in a stylish and cozy room served by attentive and nice waiters. A 4-course menu which varies every day. Very good! After getting settled in our room we set out to explore the town. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon. Wengen is a lovely small, car free mountain village, with an ideal location for taking hikes, easy access to other locations but away from the big crowds of Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. From the Männlichen cable car in town, you can go for the wonderful Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg. On the way back we stopped at the Coop to buy a few things and chocolate 😉. I loved the chocolate croissant of the Coops in Switzerland! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...770045a686.jpg Wandering in Wengen https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6a5b389801.jpg Wengen Then after refreshing and resting in our room we went down to the restaurant for our 7 pm dinner. We enjoyed everything and all the servers of the hotel are very friendly and helpful. Most of them are from Portugal. It was a long but very good day, and we went to bed early as we had an early start the next morning. The weather forecasted a perfect sunny day for tomorrow, so we planned to do the Grindelwald-First to Bachalpsee Hike (lake). The receptionist of the hotel advised us to arrive in Grindelwald before 9:00 to try to avoid the crowds for the cable car. So, as we would have to take the 7:13 train from Wengen to Grindelwald (1h8m), we would have to skip our first breakfast at the hotel. We bought some croissants at the Coop when we went out in the afternoon. Oct 2 – Wengen - Grindelwald-First to Bachalpsee Hike We left the hotel to go to the train station at 6:57am, bought the tickets (9.80 CHF each) and took the 7:13 train to Grindelwald-First. We were doing very well until we arrived at Grindelwald Bahnhof and had to connect – in 3min – to the bus stop B 123. Not being familiar with the connection, and having to ask for directions, we missed the bus. As the next bus was in 20 minutes, we decided to buy a cup of coffee and wait. Later on, when we returned, we realized that we were just 5 to 6 minute-walk from the lift gondola station. Well, those few minutes delayed were a big mistake… When we were crossing the street for the ramp of the gondola station, we saw a huge tour group running towards the ramp and formed a massive crowd for buying the tickets not respecting the others that were walking to the gondola station. We paid 36 chf each with HFC. So, we finally arrived there a few minutes before 10am. At this time of the day, the lines of people for the gondola were big and they were putting as many people inside each cable car as possible. I put a mask on, but my husband didn’t have one. No wonder that two days later he started with a cough that took more than a month to heal and consequently it passed to me a few days later. This is an unbelievably beautiful hike, and we had blue sky and no clouds all day long. And the view of Bachalpsee (lake) in those shades of green with the mountains sugar coated with snow is really something! It is considered an easy hike, but in a couple of spots where there was more incline of the path with lots of gravel, I had to hold my DH’s hand because my balance is affected by the issue of my ankle. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9623504af.jpg Grindelwald-First https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...09f4985407.jpg Grindelwald-First https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9a250bac79.jpg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...58e0442e66.jpg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...3ec8e84e40.jpg https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...15d5a7f2d6.jpg Hiking a paradise https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...044dfd5c66.jpg Bachalpsee (Lake) in Grindelwald https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cf3c8c5034.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...aae9d67fa3.jpg Bachalpsee (Lake) We took the gondola back to Grindelwald by 3:00 and shared a good Porcini-boscaiola pizza, a Foccacia alla Romana and coke at Hotel Steinbock / Pizzeria da Salvi (37.50 CHF). Then we bought our train tickets back to Wengen (8.30 CHF each) but stopped in Lauterbrunnen for a quick visit. https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d8662b2881.jpg Lauterbrunnen https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5eea3596dc.jpg Lauterbrunnen https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d16a7bb32b.jpg Lauterbrunnen https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cdb6e14f7b.jpg Lauterbrunnen view from Wengen Then we went back to the hotel for a rest and later had dinner at the hotel. It was a fantastic day! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e6febffd66.jpg Menu of the this day. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...478284bddd.jpg Dinner at the hotel. I have no pictures of the other plates. To be continued... |
Along for the hike...and cheese buffet? Count me in.
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Thanks for sharing. The Oberland is a place on my mind, but I've been put off by the crowds. Seems like even in October, it's an issue.
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Oh my, what a treat, on my break and finding a Switzerland trip report !!
I love Wengen and Hotel Alpenrose, so glad you enjoyed it. Perfect weather for your first day. |
lovely to see. My daughter is sending photos now back from Zermatt ,the gornergrat bahn and Furi . Stunning
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Wonderful TR, following along - I hope to revisit many of these places in the future.
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-Hi Melnq8 - Thanks for following along! You will see that I took many notes from your reports 😊.
- tripplanner001 - Thanks for your comment. Out of the three days we were in this area, we had problems with crowds only when we went to Grindelwald – First. In the other places we hiked and took the trains, we didn’t see an issue. -northie - Thanks for your comment! Switzerland is beautiful indeed. -ANUJ – Thanks for your comments and following along! |
Originally Posted by Adelaidean
(Post 17701143)
Oh my, what a treat, on my break and finding a Switzerland trip report !!
I love Wengen and Hotel Alpenrose, so glad you enjoyed it. Perfect weather for your first day. |
leifields, SO BEAUTIFUL! Love the photos from the hike. We were in BO only 1.5 years ago and I miss it so much. And I cannot agree more with you about Lake Lungern! The shade of green is unbelievable. I took the same photos as you did on the train. In fact, in my TR I was asking other Fodorites if there are activities to do near there/around there, if it's possible to base oneself in lungern.
Looking forward to the rest |
It looks like you had great weather in the BO. We were at the Alpenrose for 5 nights in July and enjoyed our stay. The 20CHF dinner is the best deal ever for a nice meal in Switzerland, especially with nice half bottle of Swiss wine. We did not see many hikers on the mountain trails, only saw crowds in the valley.
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Oct 3 – Wengen - Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg
Today we planned to do the Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg. It was a cloudy day, no rain, we could see the sun behind the clouds. The weather forecast had temperatures between 37F to 47F for the day. We had a good breakfast at the hotel and before 9:30 we were out. We walked in ten minutes to Männlichen cable car in Wengen and bought our tickets for Wengen- Männlichen / Kleine Scheidegg-Wengen (30 chf each) As I said, it was a cloudy day, but the pictures came out great, with a dramatic color of the sky and clouds. I loved this walk. We took 1h50min to complete the walk. Yup, lots of stops for pictures. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ac575555b5.jpg Wengen- Männlichen cable car station https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a60f69c596.jpg Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...92483bee56.jpg https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0ba0cfaee2.jpg Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...310ac73d6f.jpg Beautiful views in this hiking https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c7cf0e0b3d.jpg Hiking Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...77b71a4d16.jpg Hiking to Kleine Scheidegg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c9de556ac2.jpg Eiger/Mönch peaks https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a59c3b47bf.jpg Hiking to Kleine ScheideggThen we found a Café at the Kleine Scheidegg station to have a delicious homemade apple strudel with coffee sitting on the terrace with a view. We took the train back and were in Wengen before 2 pm and did some wandering around the town. Then we decided to have a picnic and went to the Coop to buy what we needed. We found a small square with a table and seats not far from the hotel and enjoyed our meal. After that we did some more walking around to capture some more pictures of this lovely village. Dinner was at the hotel. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...001a96f330.jpg Wandering around Wengen https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4d22a69c2a.jpg Wandering https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b9835b8fd2.jpg Pretty flowers https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...9cdaf9bc0b.jpg Wengen Oct 4 – Wengen - Lauterbrunnen, cablecar to Grütschalp then walk to Mürren and Gimmewald The sun was shining again today! We had our good breakfast in the hotel and went on to our last hike in this area. We took the 9:41 train from Wengen to Lauterbrunnen (3.60 chf each) and from there we bought the ticket for the cable car Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp (4.70 chf each) It had rained during the night and with the early sun, all nature was vibrant, and the lush green of the grass and trees was a delight for the eyes. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0fb8d9c5d5.jpg At Grütschalp station https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...143da3f1d2.jpg At Grütschalp station https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...00c96a3fac.jpg Hiking to Mürren https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...237b988812.jpg Hiking to Mürren https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4ba283b082.jpg https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...28c312dd0d.jpg Hiking to Mürren https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...736aed7782.jpg Hiking to Mürren We arrived in Mürren after a 1h20min walk. Then we took a break, ate our picnic food and went for a walk around the little village. https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...93dbec3028.jpg Mürren https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4af99f08c4.jpg Walking around Mürren https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...db4aac8cb8.jpg Walking around Mürren https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...50e10bbf45.jpg Walking around Mürren https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7f870d9432.jpg Walking around Mürren https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c16bc44888.jpg Soon after, we found the direction to go down to Gimmelwald. It was a narrow-paved-zigzag-road with stunning views of the deep valley formed by very tall mountains, waterfalls, farms… just wonderful! With so many stops for pics, it took us 40 minutes to get there. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2c46969d93.jpg Hiking to Gimmelwald https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a85579c1c8.jpg Beautiful trail. Almost nobody here. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a1ce487d08.jpg An old lady taking care of her vegetable garden. https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6cae4c4ce6.jpg Hiking to Gimmelwald Then we stopped at Pension Gimmelwald to have our lunch. It has a nice view of the valley. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0e1b92d415.jpg Gimmelwald https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b87694016b.jpg Lunch at Pension Gimmelwald https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a161a77b25.jpg Lunch at Pension Gimmelwald At 2:30 pm we left to go back to Wengen. In 2 minutes, we walked to Schilthornbahn and bought the cable car ticket to Stechelberg (3.20 chf each) and then had to get the bus #141 from Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen (2.30 chf each). From there we bought the train ticket to Wengen (3.60 chf each). That was a perfect day and we loved the hike! In all the trails and paths we walked today we saw very few people. Tonight is our last dinner at the hotel as tomorrow morning we leave for Meiringen. https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4507c4939f.jpg Dinner at Hotel Alpenrose https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56457fe31d.jpg Dinner at Hotel Alpenrose https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...181d2af575.jpg Dinner at Hotel Alpenrose |
We stayed in Wengen twice, so 12 nights in all.
First time I found it hard to ‘picture’ how it all fit together, then once you’ve done those epic walks and cablecars and it all makes sense, you can escape the crowds and do other walks or time it to beat the crush. The infrastructure is incredible, too. Your dinner looks so delicious! |
I am blown away by how beautiful your photos are! I am also enjoying spying on your menus and checking out the evening meal. It looks delicious. Are you a fan of Swiss food?
Lavandula |
What beautiful weather you have! And the half-board is such a good deal!
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Originally Posted by yk
(Post 17701328)
leifields, SO BEAUTIFUL! Love the photos from the hike. We were in BO only 1.5 years ago and I miss it so much. And I cannot agree more with you about Lake Lungern! The shade of green is unbelievable. I took the same photos as you did on the train. In fact, in my TR I was asking other Fodorites if there are activities to do near there/around there, if it's possible to base oneself in lungern.
Looking forward to the rest |
Originally Posted by mjs
(Post 17701341)
It looks like you had great weather in the BO. We were at the Alpenrose for 5 nights in July and enjoyed our stay. The 20CHF dinner is the best deal ever for a nice meal in Switzerland, especially with nice half bottle of Swiss wine. We did not see many hikers on the mountain trails, only saw crowds in the valley.
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Originally Posted by Adelaidean
(Post 17701386)
We stayed in Wengen twice, so 12 nights in all.
First time I found it hard to ‘picture’ how it all fit together, then once you’ve done those epic walks and cablecars and it all makes sense, you can escape the crowds and do other walks or time it to beat the crush. The infrastructure is incredible, too. Your dinner looks so delicious! https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0bcf512c75.jpg https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ecd119b394.jpg |
Originally Posted by lavandula
(Post 17701399)
I am blown away by how beautiful your photos are! I am also enjoying spying on your menus and checking out the evening meal. It looks delicious. Are you a fan of Swiss food?
Lavandula |
I'm enjoying following your report, leifields.... thanks for sharing your travels.
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leifields, what I really enjoyed in that area of BO is the number of hikes available, of various lengths and difficulty that cater to people with different abilities. I have in procession of a hiking map that I got from 2010, and it was v helpful in terms of visualizing where places are, and also as a starting point to research the different hikes. The map only shows distances (by time) but not elevation. I haven't seen a similar map on my more recent trip (2024) though I also did not actively search for one while I was there.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7cb0f4737.jpeg https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f6a4973ce.jpeg |
yk -
Those maps are available in most areas at tourist offices, train/cable car stations and sometimes in accommodation. You can also often find them online. This is a good resource for the Jungfrau region: https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/serv...o2sommerkarten And another example: https://haslital.swiss/en/maps/summe...29468,46.65603 https://haslital.swiss/en/maps/summe...29468,46.65603 |
I must say that even with those maps it’s hard to figure out what to do without being there and using the various transportation options.
We found the tourist offices to be very helpful. Also found the BO pass bought with 50% off to be a good deal. |
Originally Posted by Trophywife007
(Post 17701516)
I'm enjoying following your report, leifields.... thanks for sharing your travels.
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Originally Posted by yk
(Post 17701636)
leifields, what I really enjoyed in that area of BO is the number of hikes available, of various lengths and difficulty that cater to people with different abilities. I have in procession of a hiking map that I got from 2010, and it was v helpful in terms of visualizing where places are, and also as a starting point to research the different hikes. The map only shows distances (by time) but not elevation. I haven't seen a similar map on my more recent trip (2024) though I also did not actively search for one while I was there.
Thanks for continuing to follow along. |
Oct 5 – Wengen to Meiringen
We had breakfast and the hotel shuttle took us to the train station. We caught the 8:41 am train to Meiringen ticket (14.30 chf each -1h25min). Although the weather in Wengen was ok when we left, when we arrived in Meiringen it was a bit wet and misty. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b7a44f2f2d.jpg Leaving Wengen https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d60e1a8c9d.jpg Leaving WengenOur hotel in Meiringen was a 3-minute walk from the station. So, we easily arrived there and asked them to store our luggage. Soon after we were out and took the direction to the Aareschlucht gorge. The gorge was formed over thousands of years by the Aare Glacier in a section of the river Aare that carves through a limestone ridge. https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b21be35534.jpg In Meiringen, on the way to the gorge we stopped to take pictures of the statue of Sherlock Holmes in front of the museum. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...976053e13b.jpg Meiringen https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...50e26f76a4.jpg Arriving at Aareschlucht gorge. Google maps gave us wrong directions and at one point we had to turn around; it took us about 30 minutes to get there. We bought our tickets with a 20% discount using the Tourist Card Haslital that our hotel provided – 9.50 CHF each. This card also provides free local transport. But the ticket for the Aareschlucht gorge includes the transport back to Meiringen, too. We arrived there around 11am. It is a 45-minute walk. https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f01a1cae1b.jpg Aareschlucht gorge https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...09ac922c37.jpg Walking through Aareschlucht gorge https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f20c4ffe20.jpg Aareschlucht gorge https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a960e07232.jpg Aareschlucht gorge As I knew that Migros was not to be open on a Sunday when we arrived in Meiringen, we bought some cheese and croissants the day before in Wengen. So, we had a quick bite and took the train back to Meiringen. Our stay in Meiringen was just for one day, it was already 12:30 pm and the weather was not looking good. I had planned two options for the afternoon that didn’t involve much transport time: go to Lake Lungern (30 min) or Brienz (15 min). So, I thought that in Brienz we would have more to see. We took the train to Brienz West (3.20 chf each). We started walking in the direction of the lake but then saw a beautiful cemetery so we entered through the gate and snapped some pictures. It was a Sunday afternoon, very few people were around and almost everything closed. I had picked two restaurants to choose for lunch. We checked the first and then when we saw the second we decided to return to the first. But we got distracted by stopping for pictures so when we got back to Pizzeria Aroma, they were closing. https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2e1076335.jpg Brienz https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...92713a4ea2.jpg Cemitery in Brienz https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a2f0d5a44c.jpg Cemitery in Brienz https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f7b492921d.jpg Brienz https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...325323aa87.jpg Lake Brienz https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e1233d6034.jpg Pretty street in Brienz https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...23e1626529.jpg Brienz https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c2b63f112c.jpg Lake Brienz https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...de7a2af1b5.jpg Brienz https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1f751a29d6.jpg Pretty flowers by the lake We wandered a little bit more and checked the train schedule to return to Meiringen. In Meiringen, we found the Frutal Tea-Room opened - part of the Frutal Bäckerei – famous for its meringues. We enjoyed some of their delicious desserts with coffee. The meringue is good! https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...2ceca62d57.jpg Meiringen https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8d07514440.jpg Frutal Bäckerei https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e9a22cb92b.jpg Frutal Bäckerei - good place! On the way to our hotel, we stopped by at Restaurant Pizzeria Bahnhöfli to make a reservation for tonight. We had soup and pizza, and they were delicious! And the service was very good. https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1e57d6cc1d.jpg Our bedroom at Victoria- Alpine Boutique Hotel https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1b7c580b22.jpg Victoria- Alpine Boutique Hotel https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...cb03baa021.jpg Restaurant Pizzeria Bahnhöfli (picture only of the soup) To be continued... |
Oct 6 – Meiringen to Luzern
The train from Meiringen to Luzern is hourly and we wanted to have the delicious breakfast of our hotel and take a quick stroll around the village with the stores open. So, after eating breakfast, we checked out, stored our luggage and went to the station (3 min) to buy our train tickets (12.50 chf each). We had time to go to Migros to buy a few things, including Ricola for DH’s cough, to the Frutal bakery and one store. http://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...cae9b88f20.jpg Frutal bakery We took the 9:41am train (left side seats) and arrived in Luzern at 10:55 am (1h21min ride). The weather was a bit cloudy during the trip, but in Luzern it was clearing up with beautiful sunshine. We started rolling our luggage in the direction of our hotel but stopping to take pictures of the Chapel Bridge and the beautiful views of the city while crossing the Rathaussteg bridge. http://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...419446d555.jpg Arriving in Luzern in front of the train station. http://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...bce72af039.jpg Walking along the Reuss river. http://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...7b1e5cf793.jpg Chapel Bridge http://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...e2e97ccabb.jpg Chapel Bridge http://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...147ea175a0.jpg Crossing Rathaussteg bridge. http://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...5e116b64e0.jpg Luzern http://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...a04e7e6661.jpg Luzern Arriving at our hotel to store the luggage, our room was ready and we could check in, which was nice. After a quick refresh, we left to explore the town. We enjoyed this hotel in the old town, only 9-minute walk from the train station and very good breakfast. http://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...aa614bc2cf.jpg Wandering admiring the beautiful architecture of Luzern. http://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...3a3a0a0338.jpg Wandering in Luzern. http://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...0422e07e09.jpg Wandering in Luzern. http://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...e14971a267.jpg Wandering in Luzern. http://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...0a9e864a1f.jpg Chapel Bridge http://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...5d6b954b0e.jpg Chapel Bridge http://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...5846efa691.jpg Luzern http://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...890db386c1.jpg Luzern While strolling the old town we bought some chocolate at Läderach, then we entered at Bäckerei Macchi and found some very good sandwiches and pastries which we took to eat at a square near the Lion Monument. There were a lot of people at the Lion Monument and on the streets. We were going to Sils Maria the following morning and I had seen that there was only a small Volg Supermarket in town. So, I thought we were better off buying the chocolate that we were going to take home while in Luzern. There was a huge Coop just on the way when we left the Lion Monument. So, we bought the chocolate, cheese and croissants for our train trip and stopped again at Macchi to buy more two sandwiches for the trip. http://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...446c08890e.jpg Lion Monument http://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...ea6585e00d.jpg Lion Monument http://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...65e5e2a2ac.jpg http://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...8d362ab899.jpg Huge Coop in Luzern. http://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...c90d94fc37.jpg Coop in Luzern http://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...7690490515.jpg Strolling in the beautiful Luzern. http://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...319fa536c0.jpg Luzern http://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...914acaad60.jpg Luzern http://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...8b3beb6bef.jpg Altstadt Hotel Krone Luzern For dinner, we went to Pastarazzi, a small Italian restaurant with good fresh homemade pasta and ravioli in various tastes. We had gnocchi, ravioli, a glass of wine and water – 53.00 CHF. http://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...a5ec43ccf3.jpg My ravioli at Restaurant Pastarazzi. http://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...80c9dab9ad.jpg DH's gnocchi at Restaurant Pastarazzi. http://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fodo...83e547e85e.jpg Luzern at night. To be continued... |
Still enjoying your report leifields. Great night shot and I love the mural on Restaurant Fritschi - your mention of Laderach reminded me I had a few pieces stashed in the pantry, so I devoured them just now.
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Originally Posted by Melnq8
(Post 17702134)
Still enjoying your report leifields. Great night shot and I love the mural on Restaurant Fritschi - your mention of Laderach reminded me I had a few pieces stashed in the pantry, so I devoured them just now.
I should have bought more chocolate. Mine is all gone for a while already… My favorite was the Caillier chocolate, and I also bought some Perugina with pistachio in Chiavenna. |
Your photos are absolutely beautiful and inspiring me to consider planning a trip to Switzerland. The last time we spent any time there was in about 1975 on $10 a day + Eurail pass, but those days are loooong gone and I'm thinking $10 maybe gets you a chocolate bar now! It looks like you are still enjoying some restaurant meals but also shopping at co-ops and bakeries and staying in accommodations that include breakfast or half-board options. I am enjoying your report very much, thanks and keep it coming.
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This is the first chance I've had to read your report on Switzerland, and I am enjoying it very much. We haven't been to Switzerland except to change planes in Zurich. I hope we can visit before we get too old for international travel. :) Your photos are gorgeous, and I love the hikes you did. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks like the Grindelwald-First hike and the Panorama Walk are somewhat easy? If so, these would be good hikes for us. We don't do strenuous up and down hiking. Some of your mountain photos look like paintings. Luzern and Brienz are so pretty!
Looking forward to more! |
Drooling my way through your TR over those views! And so excited to have this region planned for next fall! Our first time in Switzerland, too! This TR is very helpful as DH and I love to walk but aren't huge hikers, and your pacing seems similar to ours. And of course, I've "borrowed" your Wengen hotel - with much thanks to both Melnq8 and Adelaidean , whose TRs I've been reading as well.
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Out of Swiss chocolate? :sob: If you're ever in the area, Laderach has stores in the DC area as well as in NYC.
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- francebound - Thanks for your compliments and following along! It makes me happy that it’s being useful.
- KarenWoo – I’m glad you are enjoying this report and thanks for your compliments and nice words! When I look at the pictures of that area, I feel like returning soon and doing other hikes/walks that we didn’t have time to do. But we do have other new places in our travel list. The Grindelwald-First hike is - 3 km each way, about 2 hours (3.7 miles total). We took and spent more time there. There were a couple of spots with more incline of the path with lots of gravel, but not steep, where I had to hold my DH’s hand because of my balance. And there were maybe two spots with mud. The Panorama walk to Kleine Scheidegg is very easy and shorter. |
Originally Posted by progol
(Post 17702376)
Drooling my way through your TR over those views! And so excited to have this region planned for next fall! Our first time in Switzerland, too! This TR is very helpful as DH and I love to walk but aren't huge hikers, and your pacing seems similar to ours. And of course, I've "borrowed" your Wengen hotel - with much thanks to both Melnq8 and Adelaidean , whose TRs I've been reading as well.
I’ve also “borrowed” Hotel Alpenrose from Adelaidean 😉. |
Originally Posted by tripplanner001
(Post 17702389)
Out of Swiss chocolate? :sob: If you're ever in the area, Laderach has stores in the DC area as well as in NYC.
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Oct 7 – Luzern to Sils Maria
It is a beautiful sunny day. We had breakfast at the hotel and walked to the train station to take the 9:35 am train to Sils Maria (4h49min), change in Thalwil, Chur and St Moritz. We used the Saver Day Pass – 39 chf each. The train ride to Sils Maria is a gorgeous journey to one of the most beautiful areas I have ever seen – the Engadin. And the season with the color change of the autumn starting is just perfect. After stops in Samedan and Celerina we arrive in St Moritz to change to a 20-minute bus ride to Sils. It is an impressive means of transportation; clean, every connection works perfectly synchronized and smoothly. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1c00c0b9e2.jpg Some last beautiful views of Luzern https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...4240fc38eb.jpg Luzern https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b96f24a577.jpg Walking to Luzern Bahnhof https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...fba4c10f67.jpg View from the train ride to Sils Maria https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...085b4830e8.jpg View from the train ride to Sils Maria https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...0a7a45c483.jpg View from the train ride to Sils Maria https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...168ce76f72.jpg Passing through Celerina https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d5b18d7579.jpg Passing through Celerina Hotel Maria is a 2-minute walk from the bus stop. We enjoyed our 4-night stay in this central and cozy hotel with welcoming and efficient staff. One thing that I enjoyed most in Switzerland was the variety and quality of the bread. And of course, delicious butter, like in any place in Europe. The guests of the hotel were old folks like us, a bit different from the ones at the hotel Alpenrose in Wengen with a mix of some younger. After we checked in and freshened up, we still had time to go for walk. So, we went to the reception and asked for directions to Chastè Peninsula which looked like a shorter hike for the middle of the afternoon. By 3:20 pm we were out starting to explore Sils, in this incredibly beautiful area surrounded by lakes and mountains. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...62542e9d5a.jpg Sils Maria - Nietzsche House https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a7f09c34d2.jpg Exploring gorgeous Sils Maria https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7a2d0d873d.jpg Walking to Chastè Peninsula https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...862b7444da.jpg Chastè Peninsula https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c173e408cc.jpg Chastè Peninsula https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...6dc17dd89d.jpg Chastè Peninsula https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a7d3a77a6a.jpg Chastè Peninsula https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...07807f318f.jpg Chastè Peninsula https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5b905dfedd.jpg Chastè Peninsula https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ead932f94f.jpg Church of St. Lorenz in Sils Maria By 5:00 pm we were hungry after our earlier long train trip. At this hour there weren’t many options. We checked the Grond Café but as they close at 6:30 pm, there was no barley soup or nusstorte left. Then we saw that there were still many people in the café in front of the Chesa Cumünela. We entered the small, cozy café La Passarella and asked if they were still serving meals. They were so we were seated immediately and ordered our plates. Capuns with Graubünden air-dried beef for me and Polenta Taragnia (with buckwheat) for DH. Both delicious! CHF 64.00 – including a mineral water and a Calanda vom Fass (beer). Then we still walked around a little bit more enjoying the lovely end of the day and stopped at the Hotel Post to make a dinner reservation for the following day. Then we went back to the hotel. https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c28d623002.jpg Capuns with Graubünden air-dried beef for me https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ed419302fd.jpg Polenta Taragnia (with buckwheat) for DH https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...595d44adb2.jpg Strolling around Sils https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...824d8ddfc3.jpg Strolling around Sils https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ff2ef89f4a.jpg Sils https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f9f7c46f1f.jpg Sils https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...56ad0e4167.jpg Strolling around Sils |
Originally Posted by leifields
(Post 17702457)
-tripplanner001 – Thanks for the information 😊. And the prices?
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Oh, I do love Sils Maria.
So much to do, we’ve stayed 3 times now. We met some very fit guys from Sydney staying for a month and climbing all the local peaks (we were resting - or, more accurately, gasping - having walked up to Grevasalvas, and they were blitzing up past us to the mountain peak above, lol). You've had such wonderful weather, too. Loving your report and fabulous photos. We did go to New Zealand last year, but I missed out on Europe. A shorter flight, but sigh…Europe is calling. |
Originally Posted by Adelaidean
(Post 17702516)
Oh, I do love Sils Maria.
So much to do, we’ve stayed 3 times now. We met some very fit guys from Sydney staying for a month and climbing all the local peaks (we were resting - or, more accurately, gasping - having walked up to Grevasalvas, and they were blitzing up past us to the mountain peak above, lol). You've had such wonderful weather, too. Loving your report and fabulous photos. We did go to New Zealand last year, but I missed out on Europe. A shorter flight, but sigh…Europe is calling. Yes, we did have good weather. And I remember that I had checked the days of this week in 2024, and I saw rain and cold. Thanks for your comments and continuing to follow along! |
Hallo!
Late to reply but have been following from the beginning! Enjoying this! Thanks so much! s |
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