My wife and I are planning a trip in October to Switzerland. We would like to rent an apartment and make day trips or overnights from this location. We like to hike and would assume train travel would be our transportaion. Would appreciate suggestions about locations and ideas of how to locate rentals.

Hi BFTBeau,

Have you narrowed down a region or a general idea of where you'd like to stay? Do you want to be right in the mountains, or nearby them? Do you want to be by a lake or by Alspine meadows? Do you want to be in a village, a town, or a full city?

Without knowing your specific desires and expectations, I can say that both Bern and Thun are terrific spots for a base because both are convenient for the mountains of the Oberland as well as a lot of western Switzerland.

In general, the best way to find apartments is from the town's own website. Just go to the town's site (usually www.townname.ch), get the site in English, then go to "Accommodations" or "overnight" and then select "apartments" as your choice.

I will also add that one poster who I trust has used this rental agency in Wengen many times:

http://www.chalet-service.com/

However, Wengen isn't all that convenient for day-trips out.

Good luck as you research!

s

BFT,

October is a wonderful time to visit Switzerland and for hiking. You do need to do some reading (try using the search here on Fodor's) and determine what regions you are interested in. I like the Berner Oberland as suggested above by swandav. But, I would probably prefer not to stay 2 weeks in one location.

For lovely hiking, check out Wengen and Muerren.

We have yet to narrow down the region. Which is part of the reason for the question.Has anyone had experience with Untour Tours?

BFT:
Yes, I have travelled with Untours to St. Goar and Bacharach, Germany and to Lungern and Kandersteg, Switzerland.
They are very nice trips for the quasi-novice to Europe. (I have since travelled 5 more times on my own to areas not served by Untours).
They find nice apartments in many quaint villages for your term, will greet a group of travellers at the airport and accompany to the designated villages.
The host/hostess of your rental will pick you up from the station and show you to the apt and give a brief show-around. There is usually some bread, fruit and water, tea or wine in the rental in case you are starving.
The next day, an orientation to train transportation is held somewhere in your cluster of villages, and then, you can be on your own!
They provide immense written info on regional activities/sights and hikes for your term, and there is a local rep for questions.
There is usually one or two optional group activities and a farewell dinner. Most Untourists become acquainted at the orientation and can meet up along train routes if they wish to join up for an excursion.
As I said, its nice if you don't know where to start in anothe country and don't really feel like doing all the investigative footwork. For more experienced or adventuresome travellers, they are limited.

From mid Oct on I probably wouldn't pick a base in the higher Alps - many cable cars and mountain huts close around that time and weather can be nasty, too. On the other hand, the plains can be under low clouds ("high fog") while the mounains are above them and have blue sky. But otherwise October is a wonderful month for travelling to Switzerland, very good for hiking.

If you haven't been to Switzerland yet then the Bernese Oberland is an excellent introduction. All the villages above Interlaken - Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Wengen, Mürren - are good choices, the latter two maybe too quiet for a week and not very convenient for day trips.

Another option is Lake Lucerne. Brunnen or Weggis come to my mind. Mountains are lower there, fog can be an issue, but there are plenty of options for sightseeing and hiking.

For rental apartments do as swandav suggested. One other option: www.interhome.ch I've rented through them quite some times and have never been never disappointed.

I.

We have found apartments in chalets in Switzerland through vrbo.com and homeaway.com. Both sites include photographs and thorough descriptions of the properties, along with reviews by previous guests. You communicate directly with the owners and can ask questions to be sure the property is exactly what you want.

We had a little snow when we stayed in Bern in late October a few years ago. Bern is a good place to be when the weather's a little off. Lots of museums and several blocks of arcaded streets to wander. It's also a great train hub with many interesting options within 90 minutes.