Trip Report and Photos - 10 days in Switzerland (September 2010)
Apr 21st, 2013, 05:52 PM
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Ozgirl - Sadly, my life became extremely busy and I was unable to finish the report, but hope to some day soon. Briefly, we loved Montreux, where we stayed at the Suisse Majestic Grand Hotel, a perfect and beautiful location right on the lake shore, and took the train to Vevey (a charming place)and Lausanne, and then took the Lavaux vineyards boat cruise back to Montreux, which was one of the highlights of our trip and where I took some of my best photographs of the beautiful homes perched among the terraced vineyards. I wanted to visit Chillon because I used to be an English teacher and loved Byron's poetry, and while it was interesting, it was not a highlight. In Montreux, we had a lunch (delicious margherita pizza) and a dinner at La Rouvenaz - delicous and not too expensive (http://www.rouvenaz.ch/restaurant-ro...ntreux-en.html. Also http://www.rouvenaz.ch/rouvenaz-en.html for views of the restaurant).
We went to Zermatt because my husband wanted to see the Matterhorn but it was hidden behind the clouds and we only caught a brief glimpse of it. The town was a delight however - a picture-perfect postcard kind of place. And it snowed when we went up on the Gornergrat hoping for a good view of the Matterhorn, which was a treat for us since we never see snow at home. We stayed at the Hotel Daniela and thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.
Be sure to book your reservation for the Glacier Express ahead of time. We wanted some flexibility so didn't do that until the last moment and got the last two seats in 2nd class even though we had a 1st class rail pass as those had all been booked. Because of time limitations, we only rode as far as Chur and then went north to Zurich. It rained most of the trip so we couldn't see the sights well, and the most exciting thing for us was when it snowed for part of the trip.I wish we could have taken the entire trip as I suspect the latter eastern part is prettier than the earlier western part of the trip.
We had not anticipated enjoying Zurich as much as we did (we prefer small towns and the countryside). We were only there for an evening and a Sunday afternoon, and there was a festival that brought out lots of families.) We might not have enjoyed it as much had we been there on a work day.
We took the train to Stein-am-Rhein via Winterthur and passed through lovely rolling farmland that reminded me of Virginia. The trip itself was very pleasant, and the town was a gem, with half-timbered buildings covered with frescoes (we had seen a few of those in Lucerne).
We loved traveling on the trains and the lake cruises, which provided some relaxation to offset the walking (we are older, so we have to pace ourselves). I wish we had spent more time in Lucerne and had been able to visit Bern.
Wherever you go, you will find Switzerland a delight!
We went to Zermatt because my husband wanted to see the Matterhorn but it was hidden behind the clouds and we only caught a brief glimpse of it. The town was a delight however - a picture-perfect postcard kind of place. And it snowed when we went up on the Gornergrat hoping for a good view of the Matterhorn, which was a treat for us since we never see snow at home. We stayed at the Hotel Daniela and thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.
Be sure to book your reservation for the Glacier Express ahead of time. We wanted some flexibility so didn't do that until the last moment and got the last two seats in 2nd class even though we had a 1st class rail pass as those had all been booked. Because of time limitations, we only rode as far as Chur and then went north to Zurich. It rained most of the trip so we couldn't see the sights well, and the most exciting thing for us was when it snowed for part of the trip.I wish we could have taken the entire trip as I suspect the latter eastern part is prettier than the earlier western part of the trip.
We had not anticipated enjoying Zurich as much as we did (we prefer small towns and the countryside). We were only there for an evening and a Sunday afternoon, and there was a festival that brought out lots of families.) We might not have enjoyed it as much had we been there on a work day.
We took the train to Stein-am-Rhein via Winterthur and passed through lovely rolling farmland that reminded me of Virginia. The trip itself was very pleasant, and the town was a gem, with half-timbered buildings covered with frescoes (we had seen a few of those in Lucerne).
We loved traveling on the trains and the lake cruises, which provided some relaxation to offset the walking (we are older, so we have to pace ourselves). I wish we had spent more time in Lucerne and had been able to visit Bern.
Wherever you go, you will find Switzerland a delight!
Apr 22nd, 2013, 03:19 AM
#22
If you take a boat cruise on Lake Brienz and decide to stop at Geissbach Falls, be sure to stop at the spooky "House of Dark Shadows" Hotel Geissbach for chocolate torte cake and coffee.
You have to pay to take the funicular up to the falls and hotel, by the way.
Tschuss,
Thin
You have to pay to take the funicular up to the falls and hotel, by the way.
Tschuss,
Thin
Apr 22nd, 2013, 03:56 AM
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Glad you had a great time. I really like Thun, the arcades in the old city remind me a bit of Bern but at a much quieter pace.
On a general note, one of my favorite restaurants in Switzerland is in Thun: Eurasia. Delicious, not expensive (by Swiss standards, of course), and perfect for someone looking for a break from the stereotypical Swiss fare. The first time I went, I was a bit skeptical about the glowing Tripadvisor ratings, but my experience turned out to be just as good. Whenever I'm in Thun, it's my default restaurant choice. http://www.eurasiathun.ch/
Was the 254 rate at the Hotel Des Alpes a per night rate? That sounds pretty high. I've paid less than that for a lakeview room at the five-star Grand Hotel National. Admittedly, that was off season and didn't include breakfast (but OTOH, they upgraded me to a junior suite with balcony).
On a general note, one of my favorite restaurants in Switzerland is in Thun: Eurasia. Delicious, not expensive (by Swiss standards, of course), and perfect for someone looking for a break from the stereotypical Swiss fare. The first time I went, I was a bit skeptical about the glowing Tripadvisor ratings, but my experience turned out to be just as good. Whenever I'm in Thun, it's my default restaurant choice. http://www.eurasiathun.ch/
Was the 254 rate at the Hotel Des Alpes a per night rate? That sounds pretty high. I've paid less than that for a lakeview room at the five-star Grand Hotel National. Admittedly, that was off season and didn't include breakfast (but OTOH, they upgraded me to a junior suite with balcony).
Apr 22nd, 2013, 04:02 AM
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I meant to ask, if you had to choose between a cruise on Lake Thun or Lake Brienz, which would you pick? My 80-something Mom is coming for a three-week visit next month and we'll be doing another lake cruise. On previously visits, did the lakes at Lugano, Luzern and Zug. She also cruised on Lake Geneva years ago with my father.
Apr 22nd, 2013, 04:38 PM
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Drchris, thanks so much for the link to this report. I've enjoyed your beautiful photos, as well as all the details. It will be so helpful in planning our trip this summer. Like you, we are doing a major home renovation at the moment, so my planning is not at my usual comfort zone. Your trip report helps get things a bit more focused. It looks like you had a wonderful time!
Apr 22nd, 2013, 05:08 PM
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WeisserTee - The $254 was for one night. (I just checked for the same time this coming Sept and it is about the same. A river view room for the same dates at the Grand Hotel National is in the $500-$600 range.) We had such a beautiful direct view of the Chapel Bridge, and it was in a beautiful area, though the room itself was quite ordinary. It seems that everywhere we stayed in Switzerland was far more than we would pay in the US for a really nice room. I preferred Lake Thun, though that could have been because we were very tired by the time we cruised Brienz. Lake Thun was very pretty and there were places I wish we could have stopped to visit, like Spiez, but we didn't have the time. In retrospect, I wish we had done that and skipped Lake Brienz. I loved all of the lake cruises that we did - so relaxing. How wonderful that your Mom is coming for such a nice, long visit.
Apr 22nd, 2013, 05:10 PM
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Ozgirl and cybertraveler - I hope you enjoy your visit to Switzerland as much as we did. I finally completed a Shutterfly photo book of our trip and that brought back so many wonderful memories. I hope we can return someday.
Apr 22nd, 2013, 09:31 PM
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Thanks drchris! Lake Thun it is. Mom comes over every year for a few weeks. Each time, she says it's her last trip to Europe, but then she gets back to PA, looks at her photos and starts thinking "maybe one more time..."
Mar 2nd, 2014, 10:44 PM
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Hi DrChris,
I came across your lovely trip report (and pictures) while researching my upcoming trip in August. What I liked most is the fact that you managed to squeeze in some awesome day trips (with boat rides) during what is considered a somewhat limited time. I am planning a 8-9 day tour and being advised I wont get to see much. Unfortunately I wont get more leave so it is what it is. My itinerary is as below, I will be grateful if you can advise on the day trips (along with possibilities of boat option) from each destination. I already have some in mind as you can see but I loved how you were able to combine these with a lot of other things- so would welcome your advise on those. Needless to say, thanks in advance. Here is my thread.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ugust-trip.cfm
I came across your lovely trip report (and pictures) while researching my upcoming trip in August. What I liked most is the fact that you managed to squeeze in some awesome day trips (with boat rides) during what is considered a somewhat limited time. I am planning a 8-9 day tour and being advised I wont get to see much. Unfortunately I wont get more leave so it is what it is. My itinerary is as below, I will be grateful if you can advise on the day trips (along with possibilities of boat option) from each destination. I already have some in mind as you can see but I loved how you were able to combine these with a lot of other things- so would welcome your advise on those. Needless to say, thanks in advance. Here is my thread.
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ugust-trip.cfm
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