stever

We are flying to Zurich on 6/11 and were going to go straight to Murren for 4 nights, Lucerne for 3, Bellagio for 4, then Venice for 4. Got a RT ticket for $800 p/p from a travel agent (through a consolidator)- $240 less than online on Orbitz...weird! United Airlines wanted $1290 for the same exact ticket for some odd reason, but that's another story...

My wife JUST told me that if she's on a plane all night, she doesn't want to take a train, then a bus, then a tram to get to Murren that first day so now she wants to just "hole up" in Zurich that first day to get our bearings, nap and shop a bit on that Bahnhofstrasse St (best shopping in the world? she's there!). I did a search on here and found that the 3* Hotel Scheuble has favorable reviews. Is CHF 240 ($193) a good price for this 1 night? It seems a bit cheaper on the Zurich Tourism website and I brought this to their attention but they claim that that's only for 1 queen bed and we want 2 beds in the room. They are firm at the CHF 240 rate. We like having 2 beds as I read at night and it bothers her. Not the most romantic thing but it works for us.

Yes? No? A good plan? Please don't tell us to just go straight to Murren on that adrenaline energy as it's a lost cause. Ain't gonna happen. She wants to nap a bit and relax that first day and not travel any furthur. So - is that rate good or is there a way to get it for even less without much risk?

Thanks in advance.

Steve
Maryland, USA
[email protected]

agtoau

Steve,

It is always a good plan to get one's batteries recharged after a longhaul flight and what better city to do this in than lovely Zurich!

There are several hotels at or near the Bahnhofstrasse and others more familiar with the smaller hotels will better guide you in this department. At first blush, it seems to me that the 5-star Marriott in Zurich should have a room for around CHF 240 if it is a weekend (check www.marriotthotels.com). Other options are the Swissotel (www.swissotel.com) and Sofitel (www.sofitel.com). There is one thing you may know about Zurich: accomodations don't come cheap in this town. As a rough guideline, the equivalent of a $75 motel in a small American city will probably be priced twice as much in Zurich.

Cicerone

I live in Zurich, and agree it is worth at least a day as it really is a lovely little city. However, as you are discovering, Switzerland is expensive, and Zurich most of all.

The Scheuble is located in the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf area of the old town, which is a charming lively area of cobblestone streets with lots of restaurants and bars. Much of it is pedestrian-only.
The Scheuble is well located about half a block from the river and a tram stop. My only comment is that as you will be there in June, noise will be an issue. People are out quite late in the evenings, esp. on Friday and Saturday nights. (I live a few blocks away and can attest to this.) You might want to check if the hotel has air-conditioning. If not, ask for a room which does not face Muhelgasse as this will get you away from the worst of it. FYI, during the month of June for the last two years it has been over 85 most days and over 90 on many, so you may want air conditioning in any event.

I would check on the Marriott and the other hotels suggested by Agtau to see if they are offering deals, as they all have air-conditioning.

Another hotel to consider would be the Hotel Seefeld (http://www.hotel-seefeld.ch). This is a brand new 3-star, and looks very nice from the lobby and lobby bar. They have a roof terrace which we be nice for a city view. It is in a good neighbourhood of restaurants and some interesting shops, and is about 2 blocks from the lake. The hotel does not have air-conditioning (although they have what is called an "air system" which does circulate some refreshed air). However, the Seefeld area would be a lot quieter at night than the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf areas, so you would not necessarily need it for noise. It is on a tram line and so is convenient. They have a bus to the airport (can't tell if there is charge, but it may be worth it as a taxi would cost you more than $60. You could take a train from the airport to the main train station, and then transfer to the #4 tram, not hard to do but you may not want to do it first thing and with luggage. They are quoting CH 290 for double on weekdays, should be less on the weekends, and includes breakfast.

With regard to shopping on the Banhoffstrasee, I would not call it the best shopping in the world, only the most expensive. It is chock full of every designer boutique and high-end jewellery shop you can imagine (esp in a town of only 450,00 people), but no bargains here. I go back the US or to other cities in Europe for shopping. . . one exception would be the chocolate shops, esp Sprungli at Paradaplatz which has outdoor tables and is good for an ice cream or iced coffee, etc.

The tourist office in the main railway station (Hautbanhof) has English language guided walking tours Monday through Friday at 3 pm, and weekends at 11 am & 3 pm. They cost SWF20 and last about 2 hours. You don?t need a reservation, just show up at the tourist service office in the Hautbanhof a few minutes before the tour. For information, e-mail the tourist service at [email protected], or go to http://www.zuerich.com/sightseeing. If you get the Fodor's book, there are several good self-guided walking tours described there. You can get good maps of the city at the tourist office in the Hauptbanhof.

WillTravel

4* hotels in Zurich are often cheap on Priceline (like in the $50-60 bid range).

simpsonc510

I just checked our favorite Zurich hotel, very close to Bahnhofstrasse. It is (best western) Hotel Glockenhof. The rate is $250 and up.

By the way, I LOVE shopping in Zurich. The Bahnhofstrasse is the most lovely shopping street to meander... and then go up the back streets for more shops. I hope to get there in April.

siggy

Near the main rail station, there's adelightful hotel called Limmat Hotel at a week day price of SF150-a little over $100.there's a great lounge bar called X-TRA and your will love it to get rid of her jetlag.

stever

Thanks everyone. I checked with the 5* Zurich Marriott and they DO have A/C and are $199 a night. This is extremely important to us as we're very light sleepers and must have A/C if it's hot and have closed windows. Is the area the Marriot in still a really good area or is it kind of away from all the good stuff?

I'm not adverse to trying priceline.... would we want to wait another 2 months to do this? I've been trying it for the first time, for San Diego 4* and haven't gotten ANYWHERE with it for May! We've bid kind of high, like $135 a night and STILL haven't gotten anything. Is that because the closer the date, the rooms open up?

I wouldn't want to stay at the Hotel Sheuble if it's in a noisy area as it'll be the weekend, and if it doesn't have A/C that's a no go from the get go!

Steve

stever

Whoops - I just check Trip advisor and the only 3 people that reviewed the Marriott said the rooms were small, dated, and they only reason they booked it was that it was close to the train station or their business put them up there! Ughhhh. NO ONE like it that much. Next??? We wanted SOME charm, quiet rooms, and A/C!

Steve

Cicerone

I saw the tripadvisor comment from Oct 2003 when renovations were still being done, I think all the rooms are done now.

I agree the rooms are small, it is Europe, however, and you will find small rooms generally. It does not have charm, but it is quiet and does have AC. I would still keep it in your potential list, esp as it is only for one night.

Ronda

Be sure to see the Chagall stained glass windows in the church in Zurich. They are magnificant.

WillTravel

stever, no way to tell with Priceline whether you will succeed better early or late. Some cities have recognizable patterns - others don't. I don't think I would bid $135 for a 4* in San Diego, though.

For Zurich, if you are quite concerned about noise and air conditioning, it might be a bit of a risk to do Priceline. I think lots of people have won the Sofitel, but I don't imagine there's a guarantee of this.

stever

Still searching for a room, as the Scheuble doesn't seem to have A/C according the website (it's not listed as having A/C). The Marriott is letting us reserve a room with no money up front till 6pm day of arrival, no credit card to hold it! Sweet deal. Maybe we'll find something better, I don't know.
I put the Chagall stained glass on my list, thanks.

Steve

Patrick

I highly recommend the delightful Kindli Hotel. Rooms in Laura Ashley style, delightful staff, nice brasserie downstairs with excellent breakfast.
See www.kindli.ch

stever

Thanks, I just checked out the intimate Hotel Kindli and it says Sfr. 340.- bis 380.- for the pricing. I don't get it? On my currency converter website, they don't even list SFR anywhere!!! What is SFR? I see the CHF but no SFR. If those two are the same, that would put a double room with 2 beds at 340 WAY out of our range!

I emailed them about having A/C in the rooms but haven't heard back yet, but it's not listed on the website as having A/C. We NEED A/C as it could be very hot there that time of year.

Steve

Cicerone

SFR is another way of saying CHF, as the currency is called Swiss Francs, hence SFR. (CH is the abbreviation for Switzerland, it means Confoederatio Helvetica, roughly translated as the Swiss Confederation.)

You should send an e-mail or fax to the Scheuble to confirm whether or not they have air-conditioning, just because they don't have it on their site does not mean they don't have it.

With regard to the stained glass windows by Chagall at the Fraumunster church, unfortunately they have put scaffolding up around the outside of the church in the last few days. At the moment, it looks like you would still get a pretty good view of the windows from inside, but if they cover it in cloth like they have the clock tower, this will really hamper the views. If you do decide to go, it is best to go in the morning before about 10:30 am, as the sun hits them in the morning. If it is raining or very cloudy, you might skip them. The Fraumunster is in a lovely part of the old town which I would take a walk around in anyway (esp St Peter's square), so you can decide when you get there whether to take look inside. Across the river is the Grossmunster cathedral (the only church with two towers, it is huge and looms over the old town, you can't miss it). You can climb one of the towers for a great bird's-eye view of Zurich and the lake. There is about a 2 SFR charge to climb the tower.

Do take a look at the mini-guide to Zurich put together by Fodors on this site. Click on "Destinations" above. It gives other good suggestions.

stever

Great advice Cicerone. I made notes! Unfortunately the Hotel Sheuble does NOT have A/C and we LOVE A/C so that one is out... Any other suggestions to keep us away from the anitseptic Marriott, for $200 a night or less? The Marriott is $199 a night, but sterile. Sometimes, sterile is OK for just one night, though. Is it is a really good area at least?

Steve

Cicerone

Another hotel I was going to recommend was the Helmhaus. However, when I did a price search the other day for you, the website I used said there was no availability for those dates. I have now found the website for the hotel and they are quoting about CH300, which includes breakfast. However, Travelocity is quoting from US$206 for the same dates. You might want to do some checking yourself.

Helmhaus
Schifflände 30
8001 Zürich
tel: 41-1 251 88 10
fax: 41-1 251-0403
http://www.helmhaus.ch

The Helmhaus is a 4 star hotel in a the Neiderdorf/Oberdorf area. They definitely have air-conditioning. A very good location for sightseeing, shopping and eating in a lively part of the old town near the river. This is a modern hotel so it may not have the charm of a place like the Kindli, but the location makes up for this, IMO. The hotel is on a tram line which is very convenient.

The location of the Marriott is pretty good, it is quite close to the train station, and an easy walk to the upper parts of the old town. The Helmhaus has a better location as it is more in the center of the old town, so there is more in terms of restaurants and it is a more charming part of town, IMO, but for one night really the Marriott would be fine if you can't find a better price elsewhere. The Marriott has a shuttle van to the airport. The Helmhaus does as well as believe, both good ways to get to and from if you have a lot of luggage.

Patrick

I'm in shock about the price of the Kindli. We haven't stayed there in three years, but it has more than doubled in cost then, in those three years. I thought you must be mistaken about the price, checked it out, and you are right! Wow. I knew it was a great bargain when we were there -- guess it caught on.

nrwayne

A further note about Priceline: Yes, the savings can be considerable, as in one third to two thirds, but it is absolutely essential that those planning to bid do their research at www.biddingfortravel.com before proceeding. BFT provides the fullest range of winning bids for hotels and rental cars. Postings there are quite specific about how much was needed to win, what hotels they got, and which dates they will be staying there. In 15-20 minutes of research, you'll get a good idea of what it will cost and what you will probably get. Do read the FAQ first, however, to get a better idea of how Priceline is best used. Good luck!

Trish

From reading your posts I just bid on Priceline and for $75 US for a 4 star and got the Sofitel Zurich. It's not the best location from research but will do for 1 night. This bid was for the end of March. My other choices were the Sheraton and the Ascot Summitt each for 195 CHF.