Touring Zurich to Munich with 18-month old
Feb 13th, 2006, 07:32 AM
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Touring Zurich to Munich with 18-month old
My husband and I are travelling with our 18-month old, flying in to Zurich May 26 and have 5 days until we need to be in Munich. We will be spending another 5 days with our friends in Munich, so they will take us on tours of that area, but we need some advice on things to do/see in the Zurich and surrounding areas.
We prefer the quainter, smaller villages, but if there's some have-to-see's in Zurich itself, we'd like to know about that, too. I don't think Zurich is like the big cities of USA, but don't know. Should we stay in Zurich and use it as a 'home base' to go to outlying areas? Or is there a nice, small town homebase that would be better and more scenic?
Also, we like to hike a bit, but would need easy, relatively short hikes as we'll be carrying our baby.
We plan on renting a car since we'll have a baby and all the gear. How long of a drive is it from Zurich to Munich? If it's near, should we concentrate on seeing things further south of Zurich during our first stage of the trip?
Advice on weather and how to dress for late May/early June would also be appreciated.
Lastly, recommendations on nice hotels, or even better, bed and breakfasts. We'd be willing to pay into the $200-$300 range if it's worth it.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
We prefer the quainter, smaller villages, but if there's some have-to-see's in Zurich itself, we'd like to know about that, too. I don't think Zurich is like the big cities of USA, but don't know. Should we stay in Zurich and use it as a 'home base' to go to outlying areas? Or is there a nice, small town homebase that would be better and more scenic?
Also, we like to hike a bit, but would need easy, relatively short hikes as we'll be carrying our baby.
We plan on renting a car since we'll have a baby and all the gear. How long of a drive is it from Zurich to Munich? If it's near, should we concentrate on seeing things further south of Zurich during our first stage of the trip?
Advice on weather and how to dress for late May/early June would also be appreciated.
Lastly, recommendations on nice hotels, or even better, bed and breakfasts. We'd be willing to pay into the $200-$300 range if it's worth it.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Feb 13th, 2006, 09:09 AM
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Hi mrsdash,
I'll try to help with some questions, but first I have to admit I don't usually drive in Europe. I did a quick route for your Zuerich-Munich trip on www.mappy.com, and they route you into Germany at Bregenz. I don't know if that's what you'll do --
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of small, quaint villages all over Switzerland, so that criterion won't help us narrow down your choices much. Do you want to get into the mountains, which is what Switzerland is known for? Or do you want lakes on flats, lakes with mountains, rolling hills, towering peaks, etc. Zuerich itself is pretty flat, but Luzern, just an hour away, is surrounded by beautiful mountains. So, knowing if you want to find some peaks or if that's not important will help a lot.
You're right, Zuerich isn't like American cities, and it is picturesque and charming, with a pedestrian-only center, a scenic river walk, and a scenic lakefront. So if you don't mind staying on the flats, Zuerich itself will be a good bet.
Alternately, also on the flats and not far from Zuerich are either Rapperswil or Kuesnacht. Rapperswil is about halfway down on Lake Zuerich, and is a very charming and lovely town. It has an old town, a castle, a rose garden, and a picturesque harbor lined with cafes. Kuesnacht is about halfway between Zuerich and Rapperswil on the lake and is a small and charming village. It's really a suburb of Zuerich with nothing to draw tourists on its own except its proximity to Zuerich (I usually stay there the night before my departure flight).
I mentioned Luzern above, and I think it may be a good idea for your base. Though it's a city, if you stay right around the lake, you'll never notice the congestion and the bustle. Luzern sits right where mountains meet a large system of lakes, and it's just stunning scenery. From Luzern, you can explore the peaks of Riti, Pilatus, & Titlis, and you can take ferry rides to villages around the lakes. If you really want to find a small village, stay in one of the lakeside villages, Weggis or Vitznau.
I hope this gives you some idea of places to start. We can help with hotels after you've decided which town you'll be staying in.
Have fun!
s
I'll try to help with some questions, but first I have to admit I don't usually drive in Europe. I did a quick route for your Zuerich-Munich trip on www.mappy.com, and they route you into Germany at Bregenz. I don't know if that's what you'll do --
There are hundreds (if not thousands) of small, quaint villages all over Switzerland, so that criterion won't help us narrow down your choices much. Do you want to get into the mountains, which is what Switzerland is known for? Or do you want lakes on flats, lakes with mountains, rolling hills, towering peaks, etc. Zuerich itself is pretty flat, but Luzern, just an hour away, is surrounded by beautiful mountains. So, knowing if you want to find some peaks or if that's not important will help a lot.
You're right, Zuerich isn't like American cities, and it is picturesque and charming, with a pedestrian-only center, a scenic river walk, and a scenic lakefront. So if you don't mind staying on the flats, Zuerich itself will be a good bet.
Alternately, also on the flats and not far from Zuerich are either Rapperswil or Kuesnacht. Rapperswil is about halfway down on Lake Zuerich, and is a very charming and lovely town. It has an old town, a castle, a rose garden, and a picturesque harbor lined with cafes. Kuesnacht is about halfway between Zuerich and Rapperswil on the lake and is a small and charming village. It's really a suburb of Zuerich with nothing to draw tourists on its own except its proximity to Zuerich (I usually stay there the night before my departure flight).
I mentioned Luzern above, and I think it may be a good idea for your base. Though it's a city, if you stay right around the lake, you'll never notice the congestion and the bustle. Luzern sits right where mountains meet a large system of lakes, and it's just stunning scenery. From Luzern, you can explore the peaks of Riti, Pilatus, & Titlis, and you can take ferry rides to villages around the lakes. If you really want to find a small village, stay in one of the lakeside villages, Weggis or Vitznau.
I hope this gives you some idea of places to start. We can help with hotels after you've decided which town you'll be staying in.
Have fun!
s
Feb 13th, 2006, 12:40 PM
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"Swanday" has some good recommendations.
My suggestions are dealing with getting from the Zuerich area to Munich. But first, how do you plan to dispose of the car, if you plan to fly out of Munich? There are substantial drop-off charges if you pick up the car in one country and dropping it off in another, however there are no drop-off charges for pick-up and drop off in the same country.
With the baby, you probably want to avoid driving the pass routes to get to Munich.
I would head from Zuerich (or Luzern) toward Konstanz (Steigenberger Hotel is very nice there), visit the Insel Mainau. It lends itself for walks in the beautiful gardens with a stroller.
Then take the car ferry across the lake (lake Constance/ Bodensee) to Meersburg. Visit that city a bit. Drive on to Lindau. Stay there (Hotel Reuteman - Seegarten is right at the very picturesque harbor)The old part of Lindau is another attractive town, on an island. Take a boat to Bregenz, take the cable car up the Pfaender. Nice walking paths there, with great views.
Drive from Lindau to Fuessen via Oberstaufen, Immenstadt - Hindelang - Oberjoch - Weissenbach - Reutte. Look at the castles from the outside; to get inside requires a steep uphill.
Continue to Garmisch - Partenkirchen. Stay there overnight.
Drive to Munich, with a detour to Ettal Linderhof.
My suggestions are dealing with getting from the Zuerich area to Munich. But first, how do you plan to dispose of the car, if you plan to fly out of Munich? There are substantial drop-off charges if you pick up the car in one country and dropping it off in another, however there are no drop-off charges for pick-up and drop off in the same country.
With the baby, you probably want to avoid driving the pass routes to get to Munich.
I would head from Zuerich (or Luzern) toward Konstanz (Steigenberger Hotel is very nice there), visit the Insel Mainau. It lends itself for walks in the beautiful gardens with a stroller.
Then take the car ferry across the lake (lake Constance/ Bodensee) to Meersburg. Visit that city a bit. Drive on to Lindau. Stay there (Hotel Reuteman - Seegarten is right at the very picturesque harbor)The old part of Lindau is another attractive town, on an island. Take a boat to Bregenz, take the cable car up the Pfaender. Nice walking paths there, with great views.
Drive from Lindau to Fuessen via Oberstaufen, Immenstadt - Hindelang - Oberjoch - Weissenbach - Reutte. Look at the castles from the outside; to get inside requires a steep uphill.
Continue to Garmisch - Partenkirchen. Stay there overnight.
Drive to Munich, with a detour to Ettal Linderhof.
Feb 15th, 2006, 06:39 PM
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Thank you both for your suggestions. To answer Swanday's question, we prefer at least views of the mountains from our base, but with interesting things to do, places to eat, people to see, etc. I like your suggestion about basing out of Luzerne, but am suprised there's any "bussle" to consider. Is it that big? Are the villages of Rapperswil or Kuesnacht options for a base, or are they too small?
What can we expect weather-wise?
Thank you again!
What can we expect weather-wise?
Thank you again!
Feb 15th, 2006, 08:59 PM
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I have been reading this post on and off for the past few days and have some thoughts. I used to live in Zurich and can offer some opinions on the Swiss portion of your itinerary.
For what to expect weather-wise look at weatherbase.com for historical average temps. The end of May is usually very nice, daylight hours are long, gardens and window boxes are just coming into bloom. In the mountain areas, you will have wildflowers just starting to bloom in sunnier areas.
You really have almost an unlimited number of options as to what to do for the 5 days and how to do it. If you have not already done so, get some old guide books from a library and do some reading. This can help focus your thoughts. I would also definitely ask your friends in Munich for some reccos on what they might suggest, esp if they have children of the same age. They may have travelled around the area and would know what your child may like.
On the car versus train issue, with a child and the baggage that inevitably comes with a toddler, a car is certainly a nice option. You do not need a car in places like Zurich or Lucerne and one is in fact a liability as parking is hard to find and expensive and most hotels do not offer parking or if they do will charge for it. For getting between places, a car is convenient, but bear in mind that gas is about US$7 a gallon and once you get to a place you will have the parking issue. As noted above, you also have the drop off charge issue if you rent in Switzerland and drop off in Germany. If none of that is an issue, then do rent. You could also do as suggested and use trains in Switzerland and wait until you get to Germany (or the German side of Lake Constance) to pick up a rental car. If you rent a car, you are going to need a car seat for the baby. Be sure to bring one or reserve one with the rental car.
The drive from Zurich to Munich straight trhough would take you about 3 hours.
Quiet honestly, if this were my trip I think I would go to one of the little towns along Lake Thun or Lake Brienz in the Jungfrau/Interlaken area of the Bernese Oberland. This is sowth and a bit east of Zurich. This area is very very beautiful and looks up into the Alps which are across the lakes. You can take day trips from here up into the mountains as the weather permits. In late May you could have some cloudy, foggy days and so I would not recco actually staying in the mountains, plus it could be cold and plus I don't think there is enough for an 18 month old to do. I just don't know precisely what your child would like to do and can do. If you stay in a lake town and you get a bad weather day, you have a lot more options than if you are up in a mountain village. A larger town like Thun has a castle, good restaurants, and nice old town. There is an open-air museum of Swiss life and culture at Ballenberg, and a space museum near Interlaken. You can take ferry rides on the lake (not sure about the schedule in late May, I believe regular service only starts June 1 as is the case in most of Switzerland.) You can do walks or bike rides in the area along the lakes. You could take the Golden Pass train ride up and over some very pretty mountain passes, take a look at goldenpass.ch. Most of these towns also have indoor public pools and playgrounds, which your child could use. (Even many of the mountain towns like Wengen have indoor public pools.) I would recco the towns of Thun or Brienz or smaller towns. I would NOT recommend Interlaken which I think has no charm at all. Thun is especially convenient as it is on a major rail line and you can get there by train from Zurich airport in about 1.5 hours and could get to Munich in 7 hours. Go to rail.ch for schedules. You could of course stay in any of the other little towns along either of the lake and train out from there as well. It is also an easy drive to this area from Zurich, about 2 hours over good roads and one fun mountain pass (the Brunig, not high i.e., not above the tree line, but still very pretty). I could recco some hotels in this area. For basic info on this area, go to http://www.thunersee.ch/index_en.asp. The drive from this area to Munich would take about 4.5 hours.
With regard to Rapperswil and Kusnacht, I would not use either as a base. First (as this seems to be important to you), you will not see the Alps from either unless it is very clear, and that only happens a few days a month and more often in winter. Secondly, neither is good as a base for getting around to other places, as neither is a rail hub and you will end up having to go to Zurich (which is the major rail hub) or make several changes to get to places you may want to go to for day trips. Thirdly, the ferries on the lake do not run until June 1, so one of the attractions in staying in either place is gone, i.e. you can't take the lovely boat roads on the lake to and from your hotel. Finally, I don't think either of them have enough to interest you for any period of time, esp Kusnacht. Kusnacht is a suburb of Zurich and is a perfectly nice little town but it is like staying in Greenwich Ct , when you are there to see New York (stretching the analogy a bit, size of the places if very different, but you get my point; not a lot to see or do in Greenwich but it certainly is a lovely little place). As Swiss towns go, Kusnacht does not have a lot of charm, no cobblestone streets, gabled houses, ancient church, etc. You can find these in other places, like Thun and the old town of Zurich. It also has a limited number of restaurants. I think Rapperswil below, is fine for a daytrip but IMO is not charming at all except for the small bit of old town which you can see in a few hours. Other than the old town part, most of it is not even on the lake and that part of the lake is pretty marshy. There is a circus museum which the baby may like. Take a look at www.rapperswil.ch, click on the UK flag for the English version.
Zurich could be used as a base. Zurich is a small town as cities in Europe go, only 450,000 people. (Paris has 8 million, Rome about 3 million, Munich 1.5 million). It is very clean and safe and easy to get around and English is widely spoken (as is the case in the tourist areas of Switzerland). As with all towns on Lake Zurich, it is not typical to have an Alp view unless you get a clear day, however in Zurich you can take the little red train on the 15-minute ride up to Utlieberg and get good views (see below). Zurich has an excellent zoo which obviously an 18-month old would love. It has a beautiful old town, lots of good restaurants and many good museums all of which would interest you, and some good toy shops which would interest your child. There is often a circus in town (in German but that does not matter). There are walks in the area and biking as well. You can take the little red train up to the top of the highest hill in Zurich at Utliberg to get great views of the Alps even on days when you can't see them from town. You can drive or train to the waterfalls at Schaffhausen which would impress an 18-month old, less than 30 minutes by train, and also see the very charming town of Stein am Rhein.
I am not a fan of Lucerne at all. It does have a nice aspect on the lake and you would be much more likely to have Alp views from the town, but I just don't like the town other than the few square blocks around the old town where every tourist in the world goes and will be in late May. I also don't think Lucerne holds much interest for a child, its a mostly sightseeing of old buildings and some bridges and the mountains in the distance. If you wanted to go up Mt Pilatus or Titlus from there, that would be a possibility and might be more interesting to an 18-month old (although that is hard to say, could a child that young appreciate it, I don't really know). Using Lucerne as a base is not really a good idea, IMO, as the beautiful Jungfrau region is 3 hours by train each way, not feasibly for a day trip. If you have a car it is more doable, its about 1.5 hours by car and then you need to take trains to get up to the mountain areas as those areas are car-free. However, having a car in Lucerne is not that convenient as I have mentioned above. If you want to stay in the Lake Lucerne area, then I would recoo the smaller towns of Weggis or Vitznau; again for day trips to the Jungfrau area you would need a car to really make those work. I can recco some hotels in the Weggis and Vitznau area.
I like the recco of training or driving to the Lake Constance area which is very pretty, rolling hills and flatland. You won't see Alps from here, but the lake is huge and pretty. The town of St Gallen has a lovely old town, church and stunning medieval library. The Appenzell area which is gorgeous and which has Alp views is also in this area and could be combined as one trip. A car is more useful in the Appenzell area I think, but you could train to the German side of Lake Constance, rent the car and then drive to the Appenzell area. I could recco some hotels in the Appenzell area.
Finally, you could skip Switzerland completly and spend the time driving the "romantic road" in Germany with stops to walk and bike parts of the little towns, stop at the castles, etc. That would be very nice in May I would think. See you have so many options. . . .
For what to expect weather-wise look at weatherbase.com for historical average temps. The end of May is usually very nice, daylight hours are long, gardens and window boxes are just coming into bloom. In the mountain areas, you will have wildflowers just starting to bloom in sunnier areas.
You really have almost an unlimited number of options as to what to do for the 5 days and how to do it. If you have not already done so, get some old guide books from a library and do some reading. This can help focus your thoughts. I would also definitely ask your friends in Munich for some reccos on what they might suggest, esp if they have children of the same age. They may have travelled around the area and would know what your child may like.
On the car versus train issue, with a child and the baggage that inevitably comes with a toddler, a car is certainly a nice option. You do not need a car in places like Zurich or Lucerne and one is in fact a liability as parking is hard to find and expensive and most hotels do not offer parking or if they do will charge for it. For getting between places, a car is convenient, but bear in mind that gas is about US$7 a gallon and once you get to a place you will have the parking issue. As noted above, you also have the drop off charge issue if you rent in Switzerland and drop off in Germany. If none of that is an issue, then do rent. You could also do as suggested and use trains in Switzerland and wait until you get to Germany (or the German side of Lake Constance) to pick up a rental car. If you rent a car, you are going to need a car seat for the baby. Be sure to bring one or reserve one with the rental car.
The drive from Zurich to Munich straight trhough would take you about 3 hours.
Quiet honestly, if this were my trip I think I would go to one of the little towns along Lake Thun or Lake Brienz in the Jungfrau/Interlaken area of the Bernese Oberland. This is sowth and a bit east of Zurich. This area is very very beautiful and looks up into the Alps which are across the lakes. You can take day trips from here up into the mountains as the weather permits. In late May you could have some cloudy, foggy days and so I would not recco actually staying in the mountains, plus it could be cold and plus I don't think there is enough for an 18 month old to do. I just don't know precisely what your child would like to do and can do. If you stay in a lake town and you get a bad weather day, you have a lot more options than if you are up in a mountain village. A larger town like Thun has a castle, good restaurants, and nice old town. There is an open-air museum of Swiss life and culture at Ballenberg, and a space museum near Interlaken. You can take ferry rides on the lake (not sure about the schedule in late May, I believe regular service only starts June 1 as is the case in most of Switzerland.) You can do walks or bike rides in the area along the lakes. You could take the Golden Pass train ride up and over some very pretty mountain passes, take a look at goldenpass.ch. Most of these towns also have indoor public pools and playgrounds, which your child could use. (Even many of the mountain towns like Wengen have indoor public pools.) I would recco the towns of Thun or Brienz or smaller towns. I would NOT recommend Interlaken which I think has no charm at all. Thun is especially convenient as it is on a major rail line and you can get there by train from Zurich airport in about 1.5 hours and could get to Munich in 7 hours. Go to rail.ch for schedules. You could of course stay in any of the other little towns along either of the lake and train out from there as well. It is also an easy drive to this area from Zurich, about 2 hours over good roads and one fun mountain pass (the Brunig, not high i.e., not above the tree line, but still very pretty). I could recco some hotels in this area. For basic info on this area, go to http://www.thunersee.ch/index_en.asp. The drive from this area to Munich would take about 4.5 hours.
With regard to Rapperswil and Kusnacht, I would not use either as a base. First (as this seems to be important to you), you will not see the Alps from either unless it is very clear, and that only happens a few days a month and more often in winter. Secondly, neither is good as a base for getting around to other places, as neither is a rail hub and you will end up having to go to Zurich (which is the major rail hub) or make several changes to get to places you may want to go to for day trips. Thirdly, the ferries on the lake do not run until June 1, so one of the attractions in staying in either place is gone, i.e. you can't take the lovely boat roads on the lake to and from your hotel. Finally, I don't think either of them have enough to interest you for any period of time, esp Kusnacht. Kusnacht is a suburb of Zurich and is a perfectly nice little town but it is like staying in Greenwich Ct , when you are there to see New York (stretching the analogy a bit, size of the places if very different, but you get my point; not a lot to see or do in Greenwich but it certainly is a lovely little place). As Swiss towns go, Kusnacht does not have a lot of charm, no cobblestone streets, gabled houses, ancient church, etc. You can find these in other places, like Thun and the old town of Zurich. It also has a limited number of restaurants. I think Rapperswil below, is fine for a daytrip but IMO is not charming at all except for the small bit of old town which you can see in a few hours. Other than the old town part, most of it is not even on the lake and that part of the lake is pretty marshy. There is a circus museum which the baby may like. Take a look at www.rapperswil.ch, click on the UK flag for the English version.
Zurich could be used as a base. Zurich is a small town as cities in Europe go, only 450,000 people. (Paris has 8 million, Rome about 3 million, Munich 1.5 million). It is very clean and safe and easy to get around and English is widely spoken (as is the case in the tourist areas of Switzerland). As with all towns on Lake Zurich, it is not typical to have an Alp view unless you get a clear day, however in Zurich you can take the little red train on the 15-minute ride up to Utlieberg and get good views (see below). Zurich has an excellent zoo which obviously an 18-month old would love. It has a beautiful old town, lots of good restaurants and many good museums all of which would interest you, and some good toy shops which would interest your child. There is often a circus in town (in German but that does not matter). There are walks in the area and biking as well. You can take the little red train up to the top of the highest hill in Zurich at Utliberg to get great views of the Alps even on days when you can't see them from town. You can drive or train to the waterfalls at Schaffhausen which would impress an 18-month old, less than 30 minutes by train, and also see the very charming town of Stein am Rhein.
I am not a fan of Lucerne at all. It does have a nice aspect on the lake and you would be much more likely to have Alp views from the town, but I just don't like the town other than the few square blocks around the old town where every tourist in the world goes and will be in late May. I also don't think Lucerne holds much interest for a child, its a mostly sightseeing of old buildings and some bridges and the mountains in the distance. If you wanted to go up Mt Pilatus or Titlus from there, that would be a possibility and might be more interesting to an 18-month old (although that is hard to say, could a child that young appreciate it, I don't really know). Using Lucerne as a base is not really a good idea, IMO, as the beautiful Jungfrau region is 3 hours by train each way, not feasibly for a day trip. If you have a car it is more doable, its about 1.5 hours by car and then you need to take trains to get up to the mountain areas as those areas are car-free. However, having a car in Lucerne is not that convenient as I have mentioned above. If you want to stay in the Lake Lucerne area, then I would recoo the smaller towns of Weggis or Vitznau; again for day trips to the Jungfrau area you would need a car to really make those work. I can recco some hotels in the Weggis and Vitznau area.
I like the recco of training or driving to the Lake Constance area which is very pretty, rolling hills and flatland. You won't see Alps from here, but the lake is huge and pretty. The town of St Gallen has a lovely old town, church and stunning medieval library. The Appenzell area which is gorgeous and which has Alp views is also in this area and could be combined as one trip. A car is more useful in the Appenzell area I think, but you could train to the German side of Lake Constance, rent the car and then drive to the Appenzell area. I could recco some hotels in the Appenzell area.
Finally, you could skip Switzerland completly and spend the time driving the "romantic road" in Germany with stops to walk and bike parts of the little towns, stop at the castles, etc. That would be very nice in May I would think. See you have so many options. . . .
Feb 16th, 2006, 03:09 PM
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Wow. Thank you very much for taking the time to share all that great, and very relevant, information for our trip. I will have to chew on all this for a while, do some additional research (thank you for the web sites) and confer with my husband. Thank you again.
Feb 16th, 2006, 03:30 PM
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I like what Treplow recommended that you go from Zurich or Lucern to the Bodensee (Lake Constance) Lindau, Meersburg and Mainau Island (the flower island with butterfly house) are all highlights. From there you can take the route through Fussen to see the castles or take the autobahn to get there quick.
If you want to save some money you might consider training from Switzerland till you hit Germany then picking up a car. That saves the drop fee from one country to the next which can be considerable.
If you want to save some money you might consider training from Switzerland till you hit Germany then picking up a car. That saves the drop fee from one country to the next which can be considerable.
Feb 17th, 2006, 08:39 AM
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OK. I've looked up the suggestions, and by doing so have gotten a better bearing on some different options available. Also, just to mention, but I have been to the Minau, Bodensee area and agree that it is very beautiful, but I would like to see something different.
I am now thinking about travelling from Zurich east, say through Lich., on into Austria near the Innsbruck area and then heading due north to the Munich area (actually my friends live west of Munich near Landsberg).
Would anyone have suggestions of places to see/stay along that route? How would the scenery and places to stay differ from the Thun/Brienz suggestions made that do sound very wonderful for what we're looking for? Between the two itineraries, which do you recommend for sheer pleasure, scenery, things to do as a family?
As for the rental car, can anyone give me an idea of just how steep the charge would be?
Thank you
I am now thinking about travelling from Zurich east, say through Lich., on into Austria near the Innsbruck area and then heading due north to the Munich area (actually my friends live west of Munich near Landsberg).
Would anyone have suggestions of places to see/stay along that route? How would the scenery and places to stay differ from the Thun/Brienz suggestions made that do sound very wonderful for what we're looking for? Between the two itineraries, which do you recommend for sheer pleasure, scenery, things to do as a family?
As for the rental car, can anyone give me an idea of just how steep the charge would be?
Thank you
Feb 17th, 2006, 02:19 PM
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To get an idea of the drop-off charge, check AutoEurope. Give them Zuerich as pick-up and Munich as drop-off.
If the charge is too much, in your opinion, is there any way you can work out some "shuttle" deal with your friends?I.e.after you arrive in Landsberg they and you drive in two cars to the Swiss border (St.Margarethen?) to drop off your car. That trip could be done easily as a one day round trip.
If the drop-off charge is no problem, then I would go Zuerich - Interlaken (by train or car). Spend a few days there or in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald. If you went by train from Zuerich to Inyterlaken, pick up your car there on the last day(that's what I did last June) and on the next day drive Brienz, Sustenpass to Wassen, Altdorf, Schwyz, Autobahn N-3 to Autobahn N-13. Stop overnight in Vaduz, Lichtenstein.
Then head north to Feldstetten in Austria, take the Arlberg Autobahn (through the tunnel or the Arlbergpass to Landeck. I prefer the pass over the tunnel.The latter has very bad air and is boring and costs extra.
From Landeck continue on the autobahn A-12 to Imst. From there take the B-189 to Leermoos, and from there either head to Garmisch or Fuessen. From Fuessen head on the B-17 to Landsberg (with a short detour in Steingaden to the Wieskirche). Or, from Garmisch head for Ettal, Oberammergau and also to Landsberg.
Both the Sustenpass and the Arlbergpass are easy driving, as passes go. The scenery on the Sustenpass is dramatic.
If the charge is too much, in your opinion, is there any way you can work out some "shuttle" deal with your friends?I.e.after you arrive in Landsberg they and you drive in two cars to the Swiss border (St.Margarethen?) to drop off your car. That trip could be done easily as a one day round trip.
If the drop-off charge is no problem, then I would go Zuerich - Interlaken (by train or car). Spend a few days there or in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald. If you went by train from Zuerich to Inyterlaken, pick up your car there on the last day(that's what I did last June) and on the next day drive Brienz, Sustenpass to Wassen, Altdorf, Schwyz, Autobahn N-3 to Autobahn N-13. Stop overnight in Vaduz, Lichtenstein.
Then head north to Feldstetten in Austria, take the Arlberg Autobahn (through the tunnel or the Arlbergpass to Landeck. I prefer the pass over the tunnel.The latter has very bad air and is boring and costs extra.
From Landeck continue on the autobahn A-12 to Imst. From there take the B-189 to Leermoos, and from there either head to Garmisch or Fuessen. From Fuessen head on the B-17 to Landsberg (with a short detour in Steingaden to the Wieskirche). Or, from Garmisch head for Ettal, Oberammergau and also to Landsberg.
Both the Sustenpass and the Arlbergpass are easy driving, as passes go. The scenery on the Sustenpass is dramatic.
Feb 19th, 2006, 10:06 AM
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If you are headed to Innsbruck consider staying in Hall or up in Mittenwald (the violin maker's village). It makes an easy day trip from there to Garmish, Oberammergau, Linderhof, Ettal and a lot of other interesting places.
Feb 19th, 2006, 04:56 PM
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I don't know much about the drive through to Austria, I always have thought it would be a good way to go, I have only gone by train to the St Anton area which in winter is a pretty ride. As you have seen the Bodensee/Lake Constance area, you are familiar with what part of the drive will be like, it will start to get more Alpy after you get trhough that area and start the climb into the mountain areas.
The only drawback I see to the Innsbruck area is the lake of large lakes, but I am a water person and if you are not than perhaps this won't bother you. As ferries aren't really running on the Interlaken lakes in May anyway, part of the attraction of this area gone anyway.
With regard to the route mentioned by treplow, my only caveat is your dates and the passes. It is unlikely that the Sustenpass will be open at the end of May, the official opening date in June 1. Whether it opens early will depend on snowmelt that year. I don't think treplow noticed your dates when making his recco. I agree that the pass is beautiful, but you will have to be flexible as to whether you can include it in your drive. If not, you can head back out via the Brunig pass and take the main highway via the valleys.
Get a map and Google the passs to see the official opening dates for any other passes that would be on this route.
The only drawback I see to the Innsbruck area is the lake of large lakes, but I am a water person and if you are not than perhaps this won't bother you. As ferries aren't really running on the Interlaken lakes in May anyway, part of the attraction of this area gone anyway.
With regard to the route mentioned by treplow, my only caveat is your dates and the passes. It is unlikely that the Sustenpass will be open at the end of May, the official opening date in June 1. Whether it opens early will depend on snowmelt that year. I don't think treplow noticed your dates when making his recco. I agree that the pass is beautiful, but you will have to be flexible as to whether you can include it in your drive. If not, you can head back out via the Brunig pass and take the main highway via the valleys.
Get a map and Google the passs to see the official opening dates for any other passes that would be on this route.
Mar 14th, 2006, 07:15 PM
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It's been a while since I've posted, so if anyone's still reading this thread, I'm thinking about taking Cicerone's suggestion about staying in Thun and making it my home base. With an 18-month old, the last thing I need is to be packing and unpacking and being in a different room each night. Thun does seem centrally located and has the advantage of being on the rail line.
Given that, I am now in the process of looking for a nice place to stay. I have searched for some nice B&B's and hotels. Does anyone have any recommendations? I've found the Belvedere for a hotel option, and a couple of B&B's. One is run by Yolanda and Ueli Habegger-Lotti in Thun proper, the other is "Bed and Breakfast Edelweiss" in Aeschi, about 10 miles from Thun. Does anyone know anything about these locations, or have any other recommendations? We would probably spend up to $200/night to get a good room with a nice view.
Lastly, in case we decide to spend our first night in Zurich to recuperate after the flight, any suggestions there, too?
As a reminder, we will be there in late May/early June.
Many thanks
Given that, I am now in the process of looking for a nice place to stay. I have searched for some nice B&B's and hotels. Does anyone have any recommendations? I've found the Belvedere for a hotel option, and a couple of B&B's. One is run by Yolanda and Ueli Habegger-Lotti in Thun proper, the other is "Bed and Breakfast Edelweiss" in Aeschi, about 10 miles from Thun. Does anyone know anything about these locations, or have any other recommendations? We would probably spend up to $200/night to get a good room with a nice view.
Lastly, in case we decide to spend our first night in Zurich to recuperate after the flight, any suggestions there, too?
As a reminder, we will be there in late May/early June.
Many thanks
Mar 27th, 2006, 12:45 AM
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Personally, I think Aeschi is too far above Lake Thun to really give the right views, and it will be a pain to get to other parts of the area from there, and to get to the ferries from there as you will have to drive down and park. It is better to be down on the lake in a town with ferry and possibly train service. Finally, I believe Aeschi is really a small town and quite off the tourist path, with limited restaurants and shopping, and you may find less English spoken there than you would want on an everyday basis with a small child (supermarket or pharmacy shopping where no one speaks English is not a lot of fun I can attest, and as labels, ingredients and instructions on foods, etc will not be in English, finding someone in the store to help is sometimes really necessary). I would not use Aeschi as a base. I think Thun, Brienz or Spiez would be better.
What Belvedere hotel are you referring to? I could not find one in Thun. I know there is a good one in Spiez, is that what you mean? (belvedere-spiez.ch?)
In the Brienz area, I have eaten at the following hotels and thought both had nice aspects in terms of views and location and good food:
Hotel Lindenhof
Lindenhofweg 15
CH-3855 Brienz
Phone: 41 33 952 20 30
Fax: 41 33 952 20 40
http://www.hotel-lindenhof.ch
Grandhotel Giessbach
3855 Brienz, Schweiz
Switzerland
Phone 41 33 952 25 25
Fax: 41 33 952 25 30
http://www.giessbach.com
For other hotel suggestions, try the following
karenbrown.com
relaischateaux.com
romantikhotels.ch
www.swisshotels.ch
alpineclassics.ch
summithotels.com
Karen Brown always has interesting and charming hotels and B&Bs. Relais & Chatau properties also tend to be very nice. Summit Hotels has some great hotels, including the Zum Storchen in Zurich which is one of my favourites (but I think out of your budget, but do look at their website). Also look at tripadvisor.com which ranks hotels based on reviews. Also try slh.com and lhw.com. although these hotels are quite expensive and there aren't many (f any) in the Jungfrau area.
For Zurich if you want to stay overnight, I would suggest the following. These are all in about the US$200 range or just above; Zurich is pretty expensive so if you want a 4 star, you will have to go up a bit more. All are walkable from a train station or a tram ride without any hassle if you don't have a lot of luggage, or you can take a taxi from a train station or the airport if you have luggage. (Taxi from the airport to a hotel will cost something in the region of US$65 for the journey of 10-15 minutes to town; trains from the airport take about the same time and cost about US$6 per person, then a taxi would cost about US$20 for the 5 minute ride to a hotel, as you can see taxis are quite expensive.) If you will have a rental car with you, check as to whether any have parking, I don't believe they do, and several of these, like the Kindli, the Adler and the Alstadt are located in car-free parts of the old town which means you can't park close and in some case it would be difficult to even drop off your luggage near the hotel. (Although a taxi could.) As noted below, it would be better to rent the car later in the trip. See also my thoughts below on what you might do with some of your luggage if you intend to stay just one night in Zurich:
The Hotel Kindli
Pfalzgasse 1
8001 Zürich
tel: +41 (0)43 888 76 76
fax: +41 (0)43 888 76 77
http://www.kindli.ch
3 or 4 star. This hotel gets generally good reviews on this site and seems to have good prices esp on weekends. It is probably the most Swiss-like in terms of charm of all the hotels listed here. It is in a very lovely pedestrian-only part of the old town with cobblestone streets and lovely old buildings. It has a very good restaurant and is within close walking distance (I mean a few feet) of several other good restaurants. One drawback is distance to the train, you have to walk to a tram, then take the tram to the main train station. The distance is not far (and if you keep your baggage at the train station or airport then not really an issue, see below), and the hotel is in one of the most charming parts of the old town so I would say it is worth it. This may be just out of your budget range, but they do have weekend specials.
Hotel Alstadt
4 Kirchgasse
Tel: 41-44-250-5353
Fax: 41-44-250-5354
http://www.hotel-altstadt.ch/cms/index.html
This is right in the heart of the old town on a charming cobblestone street, steps from the river, very close to the Grossmunster church, and close to some good restaurants and shops. They have a sleek modern design for their lobby and bar. I have never been in the rooms, but have seen them because my house was across the street and I had a view of several from my dining room and study. They look nice, a good size. I don't know about the bathrooms. They do not have air-conditioning as far as I know, and the street can be a little noisy on weekends evenings due to the restaurants in the neighbourhood, but in late May early June you should be OK with windows mostly closed and people are not out that late as summer has not yet started. There were some negative comments on tripadvisor.com a few years ago about smokey rooms so I have not previously listed it in my reccos, but it has had a redo, so might overall be a good choice.
Hotel Seehof
http://www.hotelseehof.ch/
Seehofstr. 11, Zürich CH-8008, Switzerland
Phone: 01/2545757
Fax: 01/2545758
3 stars, built or renovated last year or so. This is just behind the Opera House, just at the edge of the old town, so not in the charming area, but very close to it, and about 100 metres from the lake. There are several good restaurants in this neighbourhood and others within close walking distance. It gets good reviews here. It is about a 3 minute walk to the Stadelhofen train station in Zurich so is very convenient for getting from the airport.
Hotel Adler
Hirschenplatz
Tel: (01) 266 9696. Fax: (01) 266 9669.
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hotel-adler.ch
3 or 4 star. In the Neiderdorf area on the university side of the river, also an area of charming cobblestone streets which is car-free and has a lot of bars and restaurants. This hotel gets generally good reviews here, although noise is sometimes cited as a problem. In late May/early June should be OK, but ask for high floor.
Now, if you can be really organized with your luggage and can keep your luggage for one-night in Zurich separate from luggage you will need for the rest of the trip, here are some thoughts on what you might do with your luggage:
1. Send all your luggage (including baby car seat) on as unaccompanied luggage by train using the "Fast Baggage' option offered by Swiss Rail from Zurich Airport to Thun or Spiez. You can then rent the car in Thun, saving you the hassle of having to pick up the car in Zurich and drive to Thun. (There is an Avis and Auto Europe office in Thun. If you are renting from Hertz, there is an office in Interlaken, so send your luggage to Interlaken) You don't need a car in Zurich, and frankly finding the car rental offices and negotiating the streets of Zurich (there is no ring road) is the worst part of the trip, so if you can avoid this by taking the train from downtown Zurich so much the better. The Swiss Rail luggage transport is a great system, safe and efficient. You can just drop the luggage at the Swiss Rail train station located right in Zurich Airport right as you get off the plane practically. Swiss Rail guarantees that the luggage will be in Thun, Spiez (or Interlaken) in 9 hours, which is more than enough time as you are overnighting in Zurich anyway. If you want to send it to another place like Brienz, they only guarantee delivery within 36 hours, which is probably more than you would want to wait. However, as you have to be in Thun (or Interlaken) to get the car anyway, I would send it to Thun via "Fast Baggage" and you can also collect your luggage at the same time. For info on sending luggage using "Fast Baggage" go to http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...isegepaeck.htm. Note that your hotel can go and collect your luggage at the train station for you, you just have to give them the receipts.
--For info on using the regular Swiss Rail delivery (i.e. can take up to 36 hours) go to http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...ck-schweiz.htm
---If you are flying on Swiss Air or Lufthansa or most non US airlines, you can actually send your stuff directly from your US airport to wherever you want in Switzerland. This is the Fly/Rail Service. I know Swiss Air and Lufthansa participates in this and some other non-US airlines, take a look at http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...il-baggage.htm. All you do is get some special green luggage tags from Swiss Rail or your airline, put them on your bags in the US and that is it. You don't pick up your bags at the airport or even take them through customs, you won't see them again until you get to Thun or wherever you want them to go (obviously skip Zurich as you don't want to pick them up there) This costs about US$15 per bag, you can also pay a bit more for insurance. The one drawback I see to this is that they only guarantee delivery within 24 hours, so you may have to wait for your luggage. It may be delivered faster of course, but it may not. (For faster deliver, see the "Fast Baggage" option above.) Note that your hotel can go and collect your luggage at the train station for you, you just have to give them the receipts. It was my understanding that US airlines don't participate in the Fly/Rail service, but I have recently heard on this board that RailEurope also offers this service even if you fly a US airline. but I believe you have to purchase rail tickets through them to get it, I don't know, you might look at the Raileruope site at http://www.raileurope.com/us/index.htm.Raileurope charges a surcharge for rail tickets so it will cost you more to buy a train ticket from them that it would to buy it directly from Swiss Rail (you can buy tickets and Fly/Rail tickets from Swiss Rail through their website at rail.ch.)
--When you leave Switzerland, you may also be able to use the Fly/Rail service to send your bags ahead to the airport for your flight home, take a look at http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...er/flyrail.htm, see the text in red at the bottom on the page, as this is what applies to you flying to the US. This requires some organization as you have to get the bags to the train station a few hours before the flight.
2. Take all your luggage into Zurich, and store what you don't need at the main train station (hautbanhof). This would save you having to lug it to your hotel, you could just walk or take a tram. This also means you can take a train to Thun the next day (after collecting your luggage) and rent the car in Thun (or Interlaken if you want to rent from Hertz). If you aren't staying in Thun (or Interlaken), you can drive on to your ultimate destination from there. There is a manned luggage room at the airport, the cost is about US$3 per piece per day, there are also luggage lockers for about the same price.
3. Put all the luggage you don't need for one night in Zurich into storage at Zurich Airport for one night. There is a manned luggage room at the airport, the cost is about US$3 per piece per day, there are also luggage lockers for about the same price. Arrange to rent the car from a location at Zurich airport the next day, and on that day, take the train back to the airport, one of you goes and rents the car, and drives it to the departure drop-off area, the other collects the luggage and takes it by luggage cart up the departure drop-off area. (The departure drop-off area is much less crowded than arrivals, and there is always space available to wait at the curb, not always the case in the arrivals area.)
What Belvedere hotel are you referring to? I could not find one in Thun. I know there is a good one in Spiez, is that what you mean? (belvedere-spiez.ch?)
In the Brienz area, I have eaten at the following hotels and thought both had nice aspects in terms of views and location and good food:
Hotel Lindenhof
Lindenhofweg 15
CH-3855 Brienz
Phone: 41 33 952 20 30
Fax: 41 33 952 20 40
http://www.hotel-lindenhof.ch
Grandhotel Giessbach
3855 Brienz, Schweiz
Switzerland
Phone 41 33 952 25 25
Fax: 41 33 952 25 30
http://www.giessbach.com
For other hotel suggestions, try the following
karenbrown.com
relaischateaux.com
romantikhotels.ch
www.swisshotels.ch
alpineclassics.ch
summithotels.com
Karen Brown always has interesting and charming hotels and B&Bs. Relais & Chatau properties also tend to be very nice. Summit Hotels has some great hotels, including the Zum Storchen in Zurich which is one of my favourites (but I think out of your budget, but do look at their website). Also look at tripadvisor.com which ranks hotels based on reviews. Also try slh.com and lhw.com. although these hotels are quite expensive and there aren't many (f any) in the Jungfrau area.
For Zurich if you want to stay overnight, I would suggest the following. These are all in about the US$200 range or just above; Zurich is pretty expensive so if you want a 4 star, you will have to go up a bit more. All are walkable from a train station or a tram ride without any hassle if you don't have a lot of luggage, or you can take a taxi from a train station or the airport if you have luggage. (Taxi from the airport to a hotel will cost something in the region of US$65 for the journey of 10-15 minutes to town; trains from the airport take about the same time and cost about US$6 per person, then a taxi would cost about US$20 for the 5 minute ride to a hotel, as you can see taxis are quite expensive.) If you will have a rental car with you, check as to whether any have parking, I don't believe they do, and several of these, like the Kindli, the Adler and the Alstadt are located in car-free parts of the old town which means you can't park close and in some case it would be difficult to even drop off your luggage near the hotel. (Although a taxi could.) As noted below, it would be better to rent the car later in the trip. See also my thoughts below on what you might do with some of your luggage if you intend to stay just one night in Zurich:
The Hotel Kindli
Pfalzgasse 1
8001 Zürich
tel: +41 (0)43 888 76 76
fax: +41 (0)43 888 76 77
http://www.kindli.ch
3 or 4 star. This hotel gets generally good reviews on this site and seems to have good prices esp on weekends. It is probably the most Swiss-like in terms of charm of all the hotels listed here. It is in a very lovely pedestrian-only part of the old town with cobblestone streets and lovely old buildings. It has a very good restaurant and is within close walking distance (I mean a few feet) of several other good restaurants. One drawback is distance to the train, you have to walk to a tram, then take the tram to the main train station. The distance is not far (and if you keep your baggage at the train station or airport then not really an issue, see below), and the hotel is in one of the most charming parts of the old town so I would say it is worth it. This may be just out of your budget range, but they do have weekend specials.
Hotel Alstadt
4 Kirchgasse
Tel: 41-44-250-5353
Fax: 41-44-250-5354
http://www.hotel-altstadt.ch/cms/index.html
This is right in the heart of the old town on a charming cobblestone street, steps from the river, very close to the Grossmunster church, and close to some good restaurants and shops. They have a sleek modern design for their lobby and bar. I have never been in the rooms, but have seen them because my house was across the street and I had a view of several from my dining room and study. They look nice, a good size. I don't know about the bathrooms. They do not have air-conditioning as far as I know, and the street can be a little noisy on weekends evenings due to the restaurants in the neighbourhood, but in late May early June you should be OK with windows mostly closed and people are not out that late as summer has not yet started. There were some negative comments on tripadvisor.com a few years ago about smokey rooms so I have not previously listed it in my reccos, but it has had a redo, so might overall be a good choice.
Hotel Seehof
http://www.hotelseehof.ch/
Seehofstr. 11, Zürich CH-8008, Switzerland
Phone: 01/2545757
Fax: 01/2545758
3 stars, built or renovated last year or so. This is just behind the Opera House, just at the edge of the old town, so not in the charming area, but very close to it, and about 100 metres from the lake. There are several good restaurants in this neighbourhood and others within close walking distance. It gets good reviews here. It is about a 3 minute walk to the Stadelhofen train station in Zurich so is very convenient for getting from the airport.
Hotel Adler
Hirschenplatz
Tel: (01) 266 9696. Fax: (01) 266 9669.
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hotel-adler.ch
3 or 4 star. In the Neiderdorf area on the university side of the river, also an area of charming cobblestone streets which is car-free and has a lot of bars and restaurants. This hotel gets generally good reviews here, although noise is sometimes cited as a problem. In late May/early June should be OK, but ask for high floor.
Now, if you can be really organized with your luggage and can keep your luggage for one-night in Zurich separate from luggage you will need for the rest of the trip, here are some thoughts on what you might do with your luggage:
1. Send all your luggage (including baby car seat) on as unaccompanied luggage by train using the "Fast Baggage' option offered by Swiss Rail from Zurich Airport to Thun or Spiez. You can then rent the car in Thun, saving you the hassle of having to pick up the car in Zurich and drive to Thun. (There is an Avis and Auto Europe office in Thun. If you are renting from Hertz, there is an office in Interlaken, so send your luggage to Interlaken) You don't need a car in Zurich, and frankly finding the car rental offices and negotiating the streets of Zurich (there is no ring road) is the worst part of the trip, so if you can avoid this by taking the train from downtown Zurich so much the better. The Swiss Rail luggage transport is a great system, safe and efficient. You can just drop the luggage at the Swiss Rail train station located right in Zurich Airport right as you get off the plane practically. Swiss Rail guarantees that the luggage will be in Thun, Spiez (or Interlaken) in 9 hours, which is more than enough time as you are overnighting in Zurich anyway. If you want to send it to another place like Brienz, they only guarantee delivery within 36 hours, which is probably more than you would want to wait. However, as you have to be in Thun (or Interlaken) to get the car anyway, I would send it to Thun via "Fast Baggage" and you can also collect your luggage at the same time. For info on sending luggage using "Fast Baggage" go to http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...isegepaeck.htm. Note that your hotel can go and collect your luggage at the train station for you, you just have to give them the receipts.
--For info on using the regular Swiss Rail delivery (i.e. can take up to 36 hours) go to http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...ck-schweiz.htm
---If you are flying on Swiss Air or Lufthansa or most non US airlines, you can actually send your stuff directly from your US airport to wherever you want in Switzerland. This is the Fly/Rail Service. I know Swiss Air and Lufthansa participates in this and some other non-US airlines, take a look at http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...il-baggage.htm. All you do is get some special green luggage tags from Swiss Rail or your airline, put them on your bags in the US and that is it. You don't pick up your bags at the airport or even take them through customs, you won't see them again until you get to Thun or wherever you want them to go (obviously skip Zurich as you don't want to pick them up there) This costs about US$15 per bag, you can also pay a bit more for insurance. The one drawback I see to this is that they only guarantee delivery within 24 hours, so you may have to wait for your luggage. It may be delivered faster of course, but it may not. (For faster deliver, see the "Fast Baggage" option above.) Note that your hotel can go and collect your luggage at the train station for you, you just have to give them the receipts. It was my understanding that US airlines don't participate in the Fly/Rail service, but I have recently heard on this board that RailEurope also offers this service even if you fly a US airline. but I believe you have to purchase rail tickets through them to get it, I don't know, you might look at the Raileruope site at http://www.raileurope.com/us/index.htm.Raileurope charges a surcharge for rail tickets so it will cost you more to buy a train ticket from them that it would to buy it directly from Swiss Rail (you can buy tickets and Fly/Rail tickets from Swiss Rail through their website at rail.ch.)
--When you leave Switzerland, you may also be able to use the Fly/Rail service to send your bags ahead to the airport for your flight home, take a look at http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/reisemarkt/...er/flyrail.htm, see the text in red at the bottom on the page, as this is what applies to you flying to the US. This requires some organization as you have to get the bags to the train station a few hours before the flight.
2. Take all your luggage into Zurich, and store what you don't need at the main train station (hautbanhof). This would save you having to lug it to your hotel, you could just walk or take a tram. This also means you can take a train to Thun the next day (after collecting your luggage) and rent the car in Thun (or Interlaken if you want to rent from Hertz). If you aren't staying in Thun (or Interlaken), you can drive on to your ultimate destination from there. There is a manned luggage room at the airport, the cost is about US$3 per piece per day, there are also luggage lockers for about the same price.
3. Put all the luggage you don't need for one night in Zurich into storage at Zurich Airport for one night. There is a manned luggage room at the airport, the cost is about US$3 per piece per day, there are also luggage lockers for about the same price. Arrange to rent the car from a location at Zurich airport the next day, and on that day, take the train back to the airport, one of you goes and rents the car, and drives it to the departure drop-off area, the other collects the luggage and takes it by luggage cart up the departure drop-off area. (The departure drop-off area is much less crowded than arrivals, and there is always space available to wait at the curb, not always the case in the arrivals area.)
Apr 15th, 2006, 05:33 AM
#16
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Hi,
Wow, these posts have been really helpful. We are also doing a similar trip in a couple of weeks with our 14-month old starting in Berlin and ending in Lake Constance. Mrsdash, we're returning to the US mid-May and will let you know how it was and if we find any more toddler-friendly places...Happy traveling!
Wow, these posts have been really helpful. We are also doing a similar trip in a couple of weeks with our 14-month old starting in Berlin and ending in Lake Constance. Mrsdash, we're returning to the US mid-May and will let you know how it was and if we find any more toddler-friendly places...Happy traveling!
May 19th, 2006, 11:43 AM
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Hi!
We just got back from our trip and had an amazing time! Our son (15 months) was such a trooper through all our day trips. We highly recommend the following:
Isle of Mainau - bring the stroller and you can spend hours there. Huge playgrounds, train sets, butterfly room, and beautiful flowers of all colors - bring the camera!
Oberlingen - cute lakeside town with a small playground; great for walk along the lake, ice cream ("EIS"
break or lunch
Downtown Konstanz - great for shopping, people watching, eating, etc.
Wild Freizeitpark (Allensbach/Bodensee) - cute animal park and amusement park with great playground/rides you won't find in the US (trampoulines, superslides, tire swings, etc.)
Stock up on little milk boxes (equivalent of Parmalat) and you can be out and about all day
My (German) husband can give you better details of our trip if you are interested as well as pictures. Feel free to e-mail us...
Have fun!
We just got back from our trip and had an amazing time! Our son (15 months) was such a trooper through all our day trips. We highly recommend the following:
Isle of Mainau - bring the stroller and you can spend hours there. Huge playgrounds, train sets, butterfly room, and beautiful flowers of all colors - bring the camera!
Oberlingen - cute lakeside town with a small playground; great for walk along the lake, ice cream ("EIS"
break or lunchDowntown Konstanz - great for shopping, people watching, eating, etc.
Wild Freizeitpark (Allensbach/Bodensee) - cute animal park and amusement park with great playground/rides you won't find in the US (trampoulines, superslides, tire swings, etc.)
Stock up on little milk boxes (equivalent of Parmalat) and you can be out and about all day
My (German) husband can give you better details of our trip if you are interested as well as pictures. Feel free to e-mail us...
Have fun!
