Zurich or Geneva?
 

We are planning a trip to Switzerland--either Zurich or Geneva. Thoughts, please on either city--which is "better," etc. in regards to food, art/culture, hotels and "walking city" status. Also, how cold/snowy at Christmas. Thanks!

Geneva

Hi travel_chef1,

May I ask why you are thinking about staying in cities? Switzerland is best known for its spectacular scenery, which you find primarily in the smaller towns & villages.

Having said *that,* I'll answer your questions (I hope). Zurich will be colder than Geneva, but neither will be really "snowy" as they're at a lower altitude -- maybe wet & rainy or a dusting of snow. You'll have more chance of snow in Zurich, I believe. Both are walkable. Geneva has French-influenced architecture (think Belle Epoque or Edwardian) while Zurich is Germanic & stately. Geneva has French-influenced cuisine (fondue, sauces on meats, etc) while Zurich has Germanic foods (breaded & fried, sausages, etc). I think Zurich will have better museums.

Perhaps you can think about Luzern -- enough of a city to give you culture & cuisine, but spectacular scenery because of its four lakes & nearby mountains. You'll be able to find snow at nearby peaks of Titlis, Rigi, & Pilatus. It's only about an hour from Zurich.

Hope this helps!

s

Hi travel_chef1,

I found some of your other posts, and I realize you're going to a city because of your 5-month-old child! So, I really think you should consider Luzern -- it's *very* easy to get to from the Zurich airport. There's a train station in the basement of the airport, and the train ride is just about an hour. If you're flying Swiss, you can check your luggage through to your Swiss destination train station to make it even easier.

I also saw one of your posts asking folks where they would go for Christmas -- so I'll tell you that I'm planning to go to Gstaad this Christmas (www.gstaad.ch). Gstaad is in the extreme western edge of the Bernese Oberland -- it lacks the **wow** factor of Wengen or Muerren, but its gentle slopes are very beautiful and inviting. Though I'm not counting on snow so early in the season, I think it'll still be very charming. I plan to do some alpine walking and maybe cycing a day or two if there's no rain.

Hope this helps.

s

Geneva - it reminded me of a storybook city - it was beautiful!

Thanks everyone, especially Swandav2000. Luzern sounds nice-- I am going to look into it. From the feedback so far, Sounds like Zurich is not a good choice...

I second Swandav's Luzern recommendation. Fabulous scenery, easy to get to and get around with a youngster, good food and convenient to places for day trips

You could fly into Geneva & take the train (train station is connected to the airport) out to Morges, Lausanne, Vevey, or Montreux?! Possible but probably not snowy at Christmas as it is right at lake level. I would not consider Geneva a walking city, it's huge with a very international feel.

I've got a 30+ year old memory of Geneva...and back then...incredible!

My family and I were in Weggis last week, a small town on the shore of Lake Lucerne, and only about 30 minutes by auto from the city of Lucerne, or a short steamer ride on the lake. It is quaint and delightful, and we loved the village. We stayed at the Hotel Beau-Rivage, a 4 star family-owned hotel, with attentive, personal service from the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Geering. We were traveling with our 11 month-old grandson, and they were so nice and accommodating, and the food in the hotel is wonderful. I cannot wait to visit them again.
http://www.weggis.ch/tourismus/e/index.html

S

I totally disagree with suze - I definitely thought it was a walking city - we didn't have to use any transportation in DT, only to go to the UN and surrounding area

Certainly you can walk around any city, but Geneva is pretty spread out geographically covering quite a large area (was the point I was trying to make). If you saw ALL of Geneva on foot, I guess I stand corrected!