Flying R/T Amsterdam (been there, done that,) and have 1 week. I'm thinking of spending the week on a scenic train trip in Swizerland. Does this sound fabulous or foolish? All comments/suggestions appreciated. Thanks. Diane

You can't spend 'a week' on a scenic train trip in Switzerland. Might take a week to cross Siberia, but not Switzerland which is roughly the size of New Jersey! <BR> <BR>Many scenic Swiss train trips, but all pale, in our experience, compared to spending time &gt;in&lt; the mountains rather than riding by them. Much over-promoted. <BR> <BR>The scenery in the mountains is honestly far better than what you'll see by train. And seeing Switzerland just from scenic trains is about like 'sightseeing' Rome or Paris without ever getting off the tour bus. <BR> <BR>Even if you're a died-in-the-wool rail buff you'll enjoy the trains (and cables, funiculars and chairlifts) in the mountains more than ones that just pass by. <BR> <BR>For our ideas on the top experiences in Switzerland see www.twenj.com/swissvisit.htm <BR> <BR>Ed

Diane.. <BR> <BR>Sounds fabulous to me - throw in a few lake cruises as well, and I'll come to carry your luggage. <BR>Ed was being a bit facetious I think when he said you can't spend a week on trains in Switzerland. Believe me you can,especially if you cross the border occasionally into Northern Italy or Austria.However I've got no argument with his suggestions for a little gentle hiking <BR> <BR>Are you familiar with the main train and scenic routes or do you want some help in this regard? <BR>When you get down to planning you will probably find that you will need 2 seperate bases during the week. Although Switzerland is fairly small there are quite a few natural barriers (i.e., the Alps)which make it tricky to get back to base at times.

Diane, <BR>You've received some first-class advice here, and I hope you've had some time to spend looking at Ed's twenj web site. Although I personally would opt for the homebase/daytrips vacation (I'm not that fond of packing/unpacking/packing), the Swiss Rail company offers some interesting and tempting self-guide "tours." Go to www.rail.ch, then click on "Visitors from outside" (I forget the exact verbage), and you'll find some hotel/rail package deals. One of the packages offers accomodations from the Alpine Classics hotel group, and it looks great. <BR> <BR>Contact me if you want more info. <BR> <BR>s.

Good afternoon, Diane <BR>Go into www.myswitzerland.com/, and <BR>at the left about the center of the page <BR>will show a listing of "Train/Bus/Boat". <BR>This listing shows eight trips, mostly <BR>by rail, one with bus only and combinations of rail and water. A lot <BR>of these go thru town that you can take <BR>a day or two to explore and then continue on. Here is the listings <BR>ALLALIN-EXPRESS <BR>BERNINA-HEIDI-EXPRESS ** <BR>GLACIER-EXPRESS *** <BR>GOLDEN PASS <BR>LOTSCHBERG-CENTROVALLI-EXPRESS <BR>PALM-EXPRESS <BR>VORALPEN-EXPRESS <BR>AND WILHELM TELL-EXPRESS **** <BR>** took this trip twice, both round trips from Triano or St. Moritz. <BR>*** took this trip twice, once from <BR>St. Moritz and other from Zermatt. <BR>**** Took this trip once from Luzern <BR>to Lugano. <BR>also see www.sbb.ch/ or www.raileurope.com for additional <BR>information..... <BR>Richard of La Grange Park, Il... <BR>