Switzerland in late November
Nov 10th, 2004, 12:58 PM
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Switzerland in late November
Hello
I have always found these forums on Fodor's to be so informative so here it goes....
My husband and I have never been to Switzerland and the surrounding areas. We want to leave the 22nd of this month and return on the 30th. We would like to visit parts of austria and bavaria as well as the lake district (Como, Bellagio) and possible Mont Blanc, Chamonix area.
Question is will it be way too cold? I already checked the average temps and it looks like something we could handle, and we would have a car starting in Zurich.
Please help us decide... any pros and cons would be great!
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance to all the experts here.
Kristy
I have always found these forums on Fodor's to be so informative so here it goes....
My husband and I have never been to Switzerland and the surrounding areas. We want to leave the 22nd of this month and return on the 30th. We would like to visit parts of austria and bavaria as well as the lake district (Como, Bellagio) and possible Mont Blanc, Chamonix area.
Question is will it be way too cold? I already checked the average temps and it looks like something we could handle, and we would have a car starting in Zurich.
Please help us decide... any pros and cons would be great!
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance to all the experts here.
Kristy
Nov 10th, 2004, 03:07 PM
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Kristin,
Yes its going to be cold in the mountain areas. I don't know what too cold is, it won't be 20 below....but rather should be moderate 30s/40s daytime temps. I'm not sure renting a car is best that time of year...many of the mountain pass roads are closed. Do inquire before your trip, there is a good website for road conditions for Switzerland link through myswitzerland.com
Also I think thats a big area to cover in 1 week.
I don't know where you're flying into or out of to help narrow down a smaller radius if you like provide that and perhaps we can help you better.
Yes its going to be cold in the mountain areas. I don't know what too cold is, it won't be 20 below....but rather should be moderate 30s/40s daytime temps. I'm not sure renting a car is best that time of year...many of the mountain pass roads are closed. Do inquire before your trip, there is a good website for road conditions for Switzerland link through myswitzerland.com
Also I think thats a big area to cover in 1 week.
I don't know where you're flying into or out of to help narrow down a smaller radius if you like provide that and perhaps we can help you better.
Nov 10th, 2004, 03:14 PM
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Sorry missed the car starting in Zurich. I'd go to Jungfrau area first, then lakes, then Zermatt, then maybe Chamonix, then perhaps Montreaux area of Lake Geneva then back to Zurich. This is still moving around a good bit. This would also be mostly drivable if not all very drivable.
Nov 10th, 2004, 03:50 PM
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Wow, that's a lot of ground to cover in a short trip. As far as temps, I wouldn't worry. Switzerland isn't very far north (you'll find palm trees around Lake Geneve and the Italian section) and much of the country is relatively low so it doesn't get outlandishly cold. The mountains will be colder, of course, but it really doesn't seem like you plan on lingering anywhere long enough to get cold.
Nov 10th, 2004, 04:27 PM
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Kristy -
I was in Switzerland and Germany last November/early December.
We spent about 10 days in Zermatt, Grindelwald and Engelberg, all mountain towns, and it didn't feel very cold to us (we're from Colorado). We were in Engelberg on Thanksgiving Day and we got a ton of snow, which is what we were hoping for, but a short distance from Engelberg, there was no snow at all.
We took our down coats in addition to fleece and gortex jackets, and we only needed the down coats once.
After Switzerland I flew to Germany where I spent another 8 days. It wasn't particulary cold there either - just a bit wet. I was in Munich, Rothenberg and Garmisch. I did wear my down jacket in the evenings at the Christmas market, but that was about it.
We're headed to Switzerland again on the 26th of this month, and I plan to pack the same way I did last year, taking both a warm jacket and a light jacket with a water/windproof layer. We plan on hiking, so we'll probably also throw in a hat, gloves and our winter hiking boots.
What's pleasant to me might be cold to you though, so "too cold" is hard to define.
My suggestion - dress in layers and be prepared for any kind of weather.
Have fun.
PS - if you plan to visit any mountain villages in Switzerland, be aware that most hotels and restaurants are closed until mid December.
I was in Switzerland and Germany last November/early December.
We spent about 10 days in Zermatt, Grindelwald and Engelberg, all mountain towns, and it didn't feel very cold to us (we're from Colorado). We were in Engelberg on Thanksgiving Day and we got a ton of snow, which is what we were hoping for, but a short distance from Engelberg, there was no snow at all.
We took our down coats in addition to fleece and gortex jackets, and we only needed the down coats once.
After Switzerland I flew to Germany where I spent another 8 days. It wasn't particulary cold there either - just a bit wet. I was in Munich, Rothenberg and Garmisch. I did wear my down jacket in the evenings at the Christmas market, but that was about it.
We're headed to Switzerland again on the 26th of this month, and I plan to pack the same way I did last year, taking both a warm jacket and a light jacket with a water/windproof layer. We plan on hiking, so we'll probably also throw in a hat, gloves and our winter hiking boots.
What's pleasant to me might be cold to you though, so "too cold" is hard to define.
My suggestion - dress in layers and be prepared for any kind of weather.
Have fun.
PS - if you plan to visit any mountain villages in Switzerland, be aware that most hotels and restaurants are closed until mid December.
Nov 11th, 2004, 05:04 AM
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It can easily be done but a car could poss possible "difficulties" on some of the maountain passes in Switzerland as mentioned above.
Have you considered an open-jaws flight arrangement such as into Zurich and out of Munich?
Personally, as much as I enjoy the lake region in Lombardy I would skip it during this time of year and concentrate more on Switzerland and possibly Bavaria.
Have you considered an open-jaws flight arrangement such as into Zurich and out of Munich?
Personally, as much as I enjoy the lake region in Lombardy I would skip it during this time of year and concentrate more on Switzerland and possibly Bavaria.
Nov 11th, 2004, 11:49 AM
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I don't think you can squeeze all that in to 8 days! In Munich lately the low has been around freezing and in the afternoon it's still pretty chilly. A few years ago we went to Bellagio at the end of Oct and several places were closing for the season on Nov 1, just fyi. Have a nice trip!!
Nov 11th, 2004, 01:09 PM
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Thank you so much to all for the helpful information.
The weather seems like it should not be a problem for us. It looks like we should scale the trip back to a few regions/places so which would be your own favorites if we were to fly into and out of Zurich? Also does anyone know if a reasonable hotel can be had in the areas for 80.00-150.00 us dollars.
Thanks again for your help.
Kristy
The weather seems like it should not be a problem for us. It looks like we should scale the trip back to a few regions/places so which would be your own favorites if we were to fly into and out of Zurich? Also does anyone know if a reasonable hotel can be had in the areas for 80.00-150.00 us dollars.
Thanks again for your help.
Kristy
Nov 11th, 2004, 03:10 PM
#10
Kristy -
In my experience, hotels in Germany are significantly less expensive than in Switzerland. Can't help with Italy or Austria.
Switzerland is not cheap and the state of the US dollar isn't helping much these days. To give you an idea - I just booked a three star hotel in Luzern for 195 CHF per night. At today's exchange rate, that's about $165 US. I also booked a three star hotel in Engelberg for 150 CHF per night, but I had a difficult time finding it, as most hotel quotes I got were in the 180-200 CHF range.
Because you're traveling out of season, you might luck into an apartment. Many apartments in Switzerland require a one week stay, but in the off season, many allow shorter stays and the price savings is significant. We've booked an apartment in Wengen for 385 CHF for four nights and one in Zermatt for 95 CHF per night.
Once you decide on which villages/cities you want to visit, you'll have better luck getting specific hotel recommendations from the friendly folks at Fodor's.
In my experience, hotels in Germany are significantly less expensive than in Switzerland. Can't help with Italy or Austria.
Switzerland is not cheap and the state of the US dollar isn't helping much these days. To give you an idea - I just booked a three star hotel in Luzern for 195 CHF per night. At today's exchange rate, that's about $165 US. I also booked a three star hotel in Engelberg for 150 CHF per night, but I had a difficult time finding it, as most hotel quotes I got were in the 180-200 CHF range.
Because you're traveling out of season, you might luck into an apartment. Many apartments in Switzerland require a one week stay, but in the off season, many allow shorter stays and the price savings is significant. We've booked an apartment in Wengen for 385 CHF for four nights and one in Zermatt for 95 CHF per night.
Once you decide on which villages/cities you want to visit, you'll have better luck getting specific hotel recommendations from the friendly folks at Fodor's.
