bbk511

Am traveling to Switzerland in October and ultimately need to end up in Lausanne. Not sure what city I will be flying into- depends on flights.
Suggestions for places to visit, things to do in any of these three areas?
Not into hiking but enjoy exploring cities and countryside.
Never been to Switzerland.
Just trying to choose a direction to enjoy for a few days before my husband is involved in meetings in Lausanne.

PalenQ

Lucerne may be your cup of tea - gorgeous city on a gorgeous lake - ringed my mountains - lake boat trips are great - take a train to Mt Titlis and experience an Alpine Wonderland - unique rotating gondola takes you to the top - or to Mt Pilatus or Mt Rigi

then take the Golden Pass scenic train to Montreux - really sweet trip - Montreux is a few miles from Lausanne - stay in Montreux or Vevey for a more small town dreamier feeling than Lausanne - nice but a fairly modern big city. Again do lake boat trips.

Trains are the best way to get around IMO - and Swiss trains are so so fine - anyway for lots of good stuff on Swiss trains and Swiss Passes which can be a good deal even if there for only a few days - cover lake boats and city trams and buses too - www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Though you seem to want to go to cities the real beauty of Switzerland - the dreamy Alpine Wonderland perhaps etched in your mind's eye will only be fulfilled in a place like the fantastic Jungfrau Region south of Interlaken.

To me the Jungfrau Region is the absolute highlight of Switzerland - sheer glacier-girdled peaks rise thousands of feet above lush cow-dotted meadows - tyolike mountain trains and thrilling aerial gondolas going off in all directions - stay in a town like Wengen or Grindelwald and be eyeball to eyeball with a majestic panormas of high Alps from your hotel balcony.

https://www.google.com/search?q=jung...=1600&bih=1075

PalenQ

In Geneva area again do boat rides on the lake - can take one to Lausanne even though a longish ride - if you want to visit France from Lausanne you can take a short boat ride over the Evian-les-Bains, a spiffy spa known for its mineral waters.

Or from Lausanne you can take a train to Gruyeres one of the finest walled towns anywhere and to the nearby Brock Factory - a Nestle chocolate factory that offers Willy Wonkaesque tours - easily done by train but there is a special tourist Chocolate Train that does both from Montreux, a scenic rail ride to boot.

suze

If you need to be in Lausanne, I'd think you'd want to fly into Geneva(?)

Christina

Depends what you want to do, I flew into Zurich in that case. First, I wanted to see Lucerne on the way, and second because I think that was the best flight/price on the ticket. It's really easy to get from Zurich to Lucerne by train right from the airport, and I wanted to take that scenic railroad from there to Montreux, anyway. I left by train from Lausanne, it's just a short hop on the rail line from Montreux.

My trip was basically what PalenQ is suggesting at the beginning.

I did also visit Verbier when there (which is a mountain ski resort), but most people would have no reason to do that. I did because there is a very famous classical musical festival there in the summer which I wanted to go to.

kja

No bad options here, IMO -- you just need to decide what YOU want to see and experience. I recommend that you consult a good guidebook or two (always a worthy investment, IME, but you can also check your local library). For inspiration and high quality photographs, you might want to start with the Eyewitness or Insight Guides.

Enjoy!

bbk511

Thanks all- very helpful!
What is the altitude in the jungfrau area?
How much time would I need to travel there and enjoy it assuming I may have to fly into Zurich
Then how far to Lausanne?
Can I do as a day trip from one of the nearby cities or would I need to stay over . I wish I had more time......

Dukey1

You can very easily check train times (which is the mode I think you would prefer to use) at www.sbb.ch/en.

If Zurich is a better place for you to enter, then fine. Getting TO Lausanne from an airport might be a bit easier from Geneva. BOTH airports have rail stations.

Dukey1

BTW, where are you staying in Lausanne?

PalenQ

the base towns for hotels in the Jungfrau Region are about 3,500 ft in altitude to maybe 5,000 - but trains will take you to the Jungfraujoch station at about 11,300 ft or so but you do not need to go there.

It's a long long LONG day trip from Zurich - plan on staying in say Grindelwald for at least two nights to make it worth it IME.