Switzerland in Sept.
Dec 9th, 2008 | 06:36 AM
#1
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Joined: Nov 2006
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Switzerland in Sept.
I've been reading all the posts about where to base my stay in Switzerland in Sept. 09. I'm just more confused, it all sounds good. However, to be more specific, it's my 24 year old daughter and me(mom) so we are not looking for the oft mentioned romantic side of the country. Actually we live in the very quiet and quite boring countryside of Wisconsin so we are really looking for a city base with easy train connections to lots of places. We have a week so should we stay in one place or move around? I like the one place idea to limit dragging baggage everywhere. Also, always appreciate a value in lodging. B & B's or condo rental?
Dec 9th, 2008 | 06:56 AM
#2
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The Interlaken area (Grindelwald, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen) to me is the essence of the fabled Swiss Alps and there is so much of varied interest to do in this area. Lake boats to ride, mountain treks from easy to difficult to do - mountain trains and thrilling aerial cableways - the Jungfraujoch and the world's highest train station - the dramatic aerial cable ways from Lauterbrunnen Valley to Gimmelwald and Murren. And a Swiss railpass is IMO the best deal for any trip where you land in Zurich or Geneva and have to travel to and from the Berner Oberland - as this area is called. Bern itself is a great city that is close by train - as is Lucerne from the Interlaken area. September is a swell time as it's off-season so the summer crowds have gone and the winter ski crowd yet to materialize.
Dec 9th, 2008 | 08:37 AM
#3
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Thank you, that's what we're looking for. We are flying in and out of Frankfurt, Germany. Will we need a multi-country rail pass? We may take a quick trip to Milan or Venice just to see them.
On our last trip to Europe we went to Paris, Rome and Florence. We loved them all but especially Italy. Although, we were robbed on the Rome subway by a gypsy with a very sneaky knife. It took us a while to get over that one. But we did and now even want to go back. We will be even more careful. Is there that kind of crime in Germany & Switzerland?
On our last trip to Europe we went to Paris, Rome and Florence. We loved them all but especially Italy. Although, we were robbed on the Rome subway by a gypsy with a very sneaky knife. It took us a while to get over that one. But we did and now even want to go back. We will be even more careful. Is there that kind of crime in Germany & Switzerland?
Dec 9th, 2008 | 08:54 AM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
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Hi 11,
Very good advice from PQ.
> We may take a quick trip to Milan or Venice just to see them. <
You only have one week.
Stay in Switzerland.
You can get train fare for Frankfurt to CH at www.bahn.de.
Very good advice from PQ.
> We may take a quick trip to Milan or Venice just to see them. <
You only have one week.
Stay in Switzerland.
You can get train fare for Frankfurt to CH at www.bahn.de.
Dec 9th, 2008 | 09:07 AM
#5
Joined: Jan 2007
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No multi-country pass but the Swiss Pass itself is hard to beat for anyone coming from the German border to the Interlaken area and back to either German or Zurich or onto Milan to fly home. It's only good in Switzerland but covers many mountain trains in the Interlaken-Wengen-Murren-Grindelwald area - covers transports to and from each of these great bases. Some great sites for info on Swiss trains and Swiss Passes: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.ricksteves.com and www.budgeteuropetravel.com - the last one has a free European Planning & Rail Guide you can download and its chapter on Switzerland is a good planner. You can buy Swiss Passes in Switzerland but last times i've checked were significantly higher than if bought in the U.S. and plus if you are coming on a train from Germany you'd have to get off at the Swiss border to buy one - with the pass in hand you just stay on the train to Interlaken or wherever. A multi-country Eurailpass would not nearly cover all the trains that the Swiss Pass does - Swiss pass also covers postal buses, city transit on trams, buses and lake boats and gives 50% nearly everything it does not cover - like cable cars to mountain tops - Eurail only covers mainline trains - forget about any multi-country pass IMO but the Swiss Pass is a great deal IMO.
Dec 9th, 2008 | 12:32 PM
#6
Joined: Dec 2007
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You have been getting very good advice so far.
There are a great many other regions that would please you just as much, but for now i'll stick with the Berner Oberland.
B.O. means "upper land of Bern" - the alpine mountain portion of the Canton of Bern.
Bern is at the same time the city where the Federal Swiss Government is, and Bern is also the name of a huge Canton, (a canton is the equivalent of a US State), with Bern also being the seat of the Canton's government.
You have three basic choices: Bern (city), or a place like Interlaken, or a place up in the mountains.
1) Bern - if you choose to stay there, you have the advantage of a central location from which to visit, by fast trains, interesting targets in all directions, not only the mountain regions of the Berner Oberland.
2) Interlaken (or a nearby location like Spiez): It is not in the mountains, but very close, you look up at them, and it is a springboard for day excursions into various parts of the mountain regions. Interlaken is on the flat, between two piecturesque lakes, you can also take the public boats where you get snacks and drinks while you marvel at the leisurely pace and the awesome views. Anytime you want to go into the mountains, pick which valley and which destinations and hop on a train.
3) A mountain town - like Mürren or Wengen or Gstaad etc. If that is your choice, you have committed to spending your time more or less in that specific area. Time will go by quickly, but you may not want to commit that deeply - maybe staying in Bern and catching an early train to these mountain destinations on some days, but not on others, will please you more?
A bit more about Berne (www.berninfo.com/en/welcome.cfm): The historic center of the town, built up on a rocky ledge and surrounded on three sides by the deeply-set river Aare, is also the business and shopping center of the city, so even though it is old and many buildings go back centuries, it is modern and fully functional. Plus there is the huge and just now totally renovated Bundeshaus, the Federal Parliament building (ask about doing a tour, I'm not sure if they do that again since the re-opening).
The streets are lined with arcades, you walk and browse the shop windows while under cover. The main streets are pedestrian-only except for trams and buses, it is a great place to stroll and people-watch and shop.
A bit more about Interlaken: It is a spread-out "utility" town - with restaurants and hotels, with two train stations and the two lakefront ship connecting points, but it doesn't feel like a city, more like an overgrown village. Not itself a thing of beauty, but nice and handy as a base from which to go off in many directions.
Bring up a good detailed map, use google a lot and locate all the targets while you take your time to look through these links, and branch off from many (like the first two) to see even more sites (websites) and sights (sightseeing targets):
www.berneroberland.ch/navi/winter/frame_en.htm Berner Oberland
http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e...rland-map.html Berner Oberland map
www.berninfo.com/en/welcome.cfm Bern
http://www.berninfo.com/en/navpage-S...BET-32443.html Bear Pits
www.paulkleezentrum.ch/ww/en/pub/web_root.cfm Paul Klee Zentrum
www.mhl-monts.ch/ Musée de l'horlogerie - watchmaking industry museum
http://www.neuchateltourisme.ch/e/na...sic&fid=31 Neuchatel (land of watches)
www.avenches.ch/ota/page.php?id=138&lang=eng Avenches-Aventicum
www.murten.ch/_anglais/index.html Murten-Morat
www.juratourisme.ch/e/home/ Jura mountains
www.la-gruyere.ch/index2.php?langue=eng Gruyeres (on left click on Interesting Sites)
www.castle-gruyeres.ch/e/index.html Gruyères Castle
www.schilthorn.ch/index.php?set[page][language]=4 Schilthorn
www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx Jungfraujoch
www.thunersee.ch/ausfluege/stockhorn.html Stockhorn
http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e...and/spiez.html Spiez
www.myswitzerland.com/en/infra.cfm/rkey/768 more about Spiez
www.niesen.ch Niesen
www.niederhorn.ch/ Niederhorn
www.beatushoehlen.ch/e/hoehlenwelt/index.html Beatushöhlen / caves
www.interlaken.ch/?L=3 Interlaken
www.harderkulm.ch/ Harder Kulm just up from Interlaken
www.reichenbachfall.ch/ Reichenbach waterfalls
www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/?lang=en Brienzer Rothorn
www.muerren.ch/ Mürren
www.wengen.com
www.wengen-muerren.ch
www.kandersteg.ch/english/ort/index.html Kandersteg with nearby lake www.oeschinensee.ch/kategorie/sommer_en/11/ Oeschinensee
www.chateau-doex.ch/english/index.htm Château d'Oex
There are a great many other regions that would please you just as much, but for now i'll stick with the Berner Oberland.
B.O. means "upper land of Bern" - the alpine mountain portion of the Canton of Bern.
Bern is at the same time the city where the Federal Swiss Government is, and Bern is also the name of a huge Canton, (a canton is the equivalent of a US State), with Bern also being the seat of the Canton's government.
You have three basic choices: Bern (city), or a place like Interlaken, or a place up in the mountains.
1) Bern - if you choose to stay there, you have the advantage of a central location from which to visit, by fast trains, interesting targets in all directions, not only the mountain regions of the Berner Oberland.
2) Interlaken (or a nearby location like Spiez): It is not in the mountains, but very close, you look up at them, and it is a springboard for day excursions into various parts of the mountain regions. Interlaken is on the flat, between two piecturesque lakes, you can also take the public boats where you get snacks and drinks while you marvel at the leisurely pace and the awesome views. Anytime you want to go into the mountains, pick which valley and which destinations and hop on a train.
3) A mountain town - like Mürren or Wengen or Gstaad etc. If that is your choice, you have committed to spending your time more or less in that specific area. Time will go by quickly, but you may not want to commit that deeply - maybe staying in Bern and catching an early train to these mountain destinations on some days, but not on others, will please you more?
A bit more about Berne (www.berninfo.com/en/welcome.cfm): The historic center of the town, built up on a rocky ledge and surrounded on three sides by the deeply-set river Aare, is also the business and shopping center of the city, so even though it is old and many buildings go back centuries, it is modern and fully functional. Plus there is the huge and just now totally renovated Bundeshaus, the Federal Parliament building (ask about doing a tour, I'm not sure if they do that again since the re-opening).
The streets are lined with arcades, you walk and browse the shop windows while under cover. The main streets are pedestrian-only except for trams and buses, it is a great place to stroll and people-watch and shop.
A bit more about Interlaken: It is a spread-out "utility" town - with restaurants and hotels, with two train stations and the two lakefront ship connecting points, but it doesn't feel like a city, more like an overgrown village. Not itself a thing of beauty, but nice and handy as a base from which to go off in many directions.
Bring up a good detailed map, use google a lot and locate all the targets while you take your time to look through these links, and branch off from many (like the first two) to see even more sites (websites) and sights (sightseeing targets):
www.berneroberland.ch/navi/winter/frame_en.htm Berner Oberland
http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e...rland-map.html Berner Oberland map
www.berninfo.com/en/welcome.cfm Bern
http://www.berninfo.com/en/navpage-S...BET-32443.html Bear Pits
www.paulkleezentrum.ch/ww/en/pub/web_root.cfm Paul Klee Zentrum
www.mhl-monts.ch/ Musée de l'horlogerie - watchmaking industry museum
http://www.neuchateltourisme.ch/e/na...sic&fid=31 Neuchatel (land of watches)
www.avenches.ch/ota/page.php?id=138&lang=eng Avenches-Aventicum
www.murten.ch/_anglais/index.html Murten-Morat
www.juratourisme.ch/e/home/ Jura mountains
www.la-gruyere.ch/index2.php?langue=eng Gruyeres (on left click on Interesting Sites)
www.castle-gruyeres.ch/e/index.html Gruyères Castle
www.schilthorn.ch/index.php?set[page][language]=4 Schilthorn
www.jungfraubahn.ch/en/DesktopDefault.aspx Jungfraujoch
www.thunersee.ch/ausfluege/stockhorn.html Stockhorn
http://www.switzerland.isyours.com/e...and/spiez.html Spiez
www.myswitzerland.com/en/infra.cfm/rkey/768 more about Spiez
www.niesen.ch Niesen
www.niederhorn.ch/ Niederhorn
www.beatushoehlen.ch/e/hoehlenwelt/index.html Beatushöhlen / caves
www.interlaken.ch/?L=3 Interlaken
www.harderkulm.ch/ Harder Kulm just up from Interlaken
www.reichenbachfall.ch/ Reichenbach waterfalls
www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/?lang=en Brienzer Rothorn
www.muerren.ch/ Mürren
www.wengen.com
www.wengen-muerren.ch
www.kandersteg.ch/english/ort/index.html Kandersteg with nearby lake www.oeschinensee.ch/kategorie/sommer_en/11/ Oeschinensee
www.chateau-doex.ch/english/index.htm Château d'Oex
Dec 9th, 2008 | 03:06 PM
#7
Original Poster
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 17
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WOW What great help! Thank you so much. I'm really looking forward to staying in Bern now based on how the city sounds from the last post. I couldn't get this kind of information from the guide books. The weblinks are enormously helpful.
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Dec 9th, 2008 | 04:28 PM
#9
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 98,239
Likes: 12
Nope, I've not heard of that kind of crime in Switzerland! It's mostly all very tidy and organized.
I went to Venice (twice) from Vevey (next to Lausanne) via overnight train. I returned by day train one time, the other went on to Paris from Venice. It's not exactly a quick trip though... quite a long train ride. With only 1 week I would stay in Switzerland.
I went to Venice (twice) from Vevey (next to Lausanne) via overnight train. I returned by day train one time, the other went on to Paris from Venice. It's not exactly a quick trip though... quite a long train ride. With only 1 week I would stay in Switzerland.
Dec 10th, 2008 | 07:02 AM
#10
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
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Basing in Bern?
Don't see it - go into the mountains and base in a place like Wengen where from your hotel balcony you will have one of the most incredible views in the world - of the ice-girdled Jungfrau Massif.
Bern is a nice big city but still a big city and hotels IME in Bern are much more expensive than those in Interlaken or Grindelwald - at least there are many more budget type accommodations in these area and few in Bern.
Don't see it - go into the mountains and base in a place like Wengen where from your hotel balcony you will have one of the most incredible views in the world - of the ice-girdled Jungfrau Massif.
Bern is a nice big city but still a big city and hotels IME in Bern are much more expensive than those in Interlaken or Grindelwald - at least there are many more budget type accommodations in these area and few in Bern.
Dec 10th, 2008 | 09:04 AM
#11
Joined: Dec 2007
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Polly Pal, the OP clearly stated at the outset "so we are really looking for a city base with easy train connections to lots of places."
Wengen is a mountain village, not a city, not offering easy train connections to lots of places.
Wengen is a mountain village, not a city, not offering easy train connections to lots of places.
Dec 10th, 2008 | 09:10 AM
#12
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
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Granted. I'd say Interlaken perhaps then - just my preference in being in or within view of the high Alps is the essence of Switzerland, not some big city. I still encourage any first-timer to go to the Berner Oberland in the Interlaken-Grindelwald area.
the Switzerland picture etched in our minds' eyes is the Interlaken area and not just another large city, nice as it is. Interlaken fulfills the city part.
I firmly believe 99% of folks first time will be much happier in the Interlaken area than basing in Bern, in accommodations about twice as expensive to boot.
the Switzerland picture etched in our minds' eyes is the Interlaken area and not just another large city, nice as it is. Interlaken fulfills the city part.
I firmly believe 99% of folks first time will be much happier in the Interlaken area than basing in Bern, in accommodations about twice as expensive to boot.
