Hello All,
I have so enjoyed reading this forum over the last few weeks as I plan our Switzerland-Italy-Ireland trip this June.
Our trip will be a first for most of us, which will include four large sons, hubby of 27 years, girlfriend of son, and best friend of son. We will be traveling for 3 weeks. With 6 kids (all 16 to 25), we will be traveling 'budget'. I have found lodging in Zurich that has regular double rooms as well as dorm sleeping.
Considering this will probably be the first of many questions,
I will start with Switzerland.
When we arrive in Zurich, on June 11, do we ned to take a bus to get onto the train, or is the train right there at the airport?
I have all of us staying at the Martahaus near the train station. Any thoughts on the Martahaus?
Next we will take the train to the Interlocken area, but I haven't decided whether to stay in Interlocken or one of the surrounding smaller towns. Any ideas?
Thanks so much!!!

You will get a lot of good advice on Switzerland from many of the regulars here, I know I did. I will answer one for you, and that is that the train is right there at the airport, and a very short train ride into Zurich.

You may want to search for threads for Cicerone (and Cimbrone and Suze and Bob Brown and Palenque Bob) all have tons and tons of good information.

I meant to say *by* not for...sorry, it's late!

Apologies to the many others whose threads I've read for advice for not mentioning all by name

Hi Karen---

I've taken a group including 4 young adults (teens and twenty-somethings) to Switzerland on several occasions, so maybe I can help!

The train is right in the Zürich airport---follow the signs (or pictures). As I recall, you drop down one level from the gallery/shopping area of the arrival hall. It's only about 15 minutes into the main Zürich station.

I'm afraid I don't know anything about Martahaus.

As for Interlaken, there are really nicer, more typically "Swiss" places to stay. Lauterbrunnen, a short train ride past Interlaken, is beautiful. I'm not sure about budget hotels, there, however. But perched above Lauterbrunnen is the village of Mürren, where you will find a good budget option, Chalet Fontana:

http://www.muerren.ch/fontana/index-e.html

You could book the apartment plus a double room, and have a kitchen for cooking some of your meals (a big help with the budget in Switzerland!) There is a grocery store just across the way. Mürren is just about one of the most beautiful places in the world, in my opinion. It is well situated for hiking, if that is your plan.

Another option that my family really likes is to stay in a Berghotel (mountain hotel) with dorm rooms. Our favorite is just above the town of Kandersteg, which is south and a bit west of Interlaken, on the main train line into Italy. Kandersteg too lies in a beautiful valley, above which is a beautiful alpine lake. The hotel up there has Matratzenlager (dorm beds) for CHF 40 per person. You and your husband could book a double room (160 francs on weekends. less on weekdays) and put all the "kids" in the dorm. That's what we do. On all but one occasion, the kids have had the dorm all to themselves. The owners have an organic farm and the food there is terrific. In addition to hiking, you can rent boats for the lake, ride a Rodelbahn, or drop back into town to rent bikes, play tennis, etc.

www.oeschinensee.ch

(Find "sommer" in the upper left and click on that). This is a place you could consider as a stop on your way to Italy.

I'll stop here so you can get some more opinions. . .

Hi Karen,
I've never stayed at the Martahaus but I'm familiar with its general location. I think the location is good for your teenagers, it's just down the hill from the Zurich University, so it's a young & lively area. Zaehringerstr is just a block up from Niederdorfstr which is where all the cheaper student/tourist restaurants are. On weekends the street is really lively & the restaurants are packed with students, but I'm not sure on a Monday night when you arrive. In the old days, I used to be warned that it's a bad area, but it's not so anymore. The Niederdorf area is close to the train station so you can wheel your suitcase over the river bridge and make a right after 2 thin blocks. From the hotel you can walk south then cross the bridge to old town which is lively during daytime, a bit empty at night.

I think a couple of nights in Zurich is enough and I would second Enzian's recommendation to stay in Lauterbrunnen rather than Interlaken. However there many other surrounding towns to stay as well. I just find that Lauterbrunnen has plenty of cheap accomodations and young people. There is a couple of supermarket to get your hiking picnic supplies.

In my opinion, Switzerland is best enjoyed with a car rather than by train. It's the undulating curvy roads that are attractive, perhaps you can rent two cars. The distances are not far; swiss train travel for 8 people can be expensive and yet too limiting to enjoy the countryside fully. Avoid the freeways when you can especially after you pass Lucerne. I would also recommend staying a night in Lucerne on the return, it's only an hour drive from Zuerich as long as you avoid the Zuerich rush hour. Lucerne has the advantage of the beautiful Lake Lucerne. I've been going there about every other year since the mid seventies.Switzerland is more of a place where I meet some relatives & old acquaintances rather than intensive touring, so I am by no means a Swiss expert.

Karen:

What's your itinerary for Switzerland?
How long are you staying?

I disagree that you need a car. Not if you are only here for a short time and will be visiting the more popular areas.

To best see Switzerland, do day hikes in the mountains. June is a great time for it.

DAX,you need to spend more time in Zurich; the old town is on BOTH sides of the river, e.g. the Grossmunster, the Wasserkirche and many lovely charming, cobblestone car-free lanes lined with shops, restaurants and lovely old buildings are all on the University side of the river. Virtually all the guildhouses are on this side of the river, as is the Rathause, the old town hall. Give it a look sometime....FYI the Neiderdorf is still a bit dodgy after about midnight.

June evenings will be lively in Zurich.

Will post with some ideas for Karen later, I am in an airport lounge today, with a lousy keyboard...

Hi KarenV,

I also disagree that you need a car. Remember that your one "child" at 16 will travel free on the train, and other pairs can travel at 15% off with the Saver Passes. Also remember that there are lots of places that cars can't go.

I also think you should consider staying in one of the mountain villages that are higher up. I was in Wengen about a week ago, and found out about this great place:

http://www.old-lodge.ch/

It offers both dorm rooms (for the kids) as well as a few doubles, etc.

Also just another voice to say that there is a train station at the Zurich airport, and it's well signed. Just follow the pictogram of the train. It's downstairs in the basement.

Have fun!

s

Hello KarenV,

Just a little heads up for your "large" sons, as you describe them, lol! There's a very large food court just one level above the train station in the Zurich airport. After a long flight, I know my family is usually starving, so it's a good place to fill up the tanks before taking the trains. There's also a grocery store with ready-made food items.

The old-lodge swandav mentioned looks like a perfect fit in Wengen. Oh, the scenery there...it will knock your socks off!

There's also a hostel in Grindelwald which might work.

There are many apartments available in the region also, even for as few as 3 nights, which cuts down the cost tremendously from hotels. The Swiss beds are great as they are generally twins (a double is really two twins pushed together), so a 3-bedroom place with add'l beds in the LR would be perfect.

Whatever you decide, have a great trip! And don't forget your trip report!

I stand corrected, as Cicerone stated, the area along Niederdorfstr is technically part of old town especially as you go south towards the big cathedral Grossmunster. It's just that people tend to be very specific when they discuss Niederdorf versus oldtown (Lindenhof area) as separated by the river. They have a completely different feel.

CICERONE: I look forward to your thorough recommendations as you have always done. What sort of things go on after midnight in Niederdorf, is it drugs or prostitution? Nobody ever said to me why it's a "bad area".

I'm surprised how many posters prefer touring Berner Oberland by train rather than by car. Perhaps it's just my bias since people always took me around by car and I can honestly say that I enjoy the view from a drive along the idyllic roads more than from the regular train. I can't imagine how the countryside of Switzerland compares to that in Ireland.

WOW!!
I am so excited at all the responses!
You all are great!!

Toucan2, I will check out the threads...
Thanks
Enzian,
Your advice was awesome. I agree, after looking at the small cities nearby, they look so beautiful. Murren looks like a good choice. Should we take a boat trip on the lake to Thun?
Another question: Is there enough night life in the smaller cities for the college age kids of mine?

Back to the transportation and itinerary schuler and Dax....
We fly into Zurich Monday June 11 8:00am,
Relax for the day,spend the night,
Sightsee Zurich, spend the night,
and on Wed June 13 take the train to Lucerne.
Visit Lucerne, spend the night.
Place to stay?
Thursday 14th train to Murren
Sleep Murren Thursday night,
Play Friday 15th , Stay night,
Play Saturday 16th, Stay night,
Leave Sunday 17th and take the train all the way
to Florence. More on Italy later.

A large amount of travel by car is just not an option for me with that many guys. My brain would be koo-koo for coco-pops with those boy bodies in a car.(Even if we had two cars) They all (the kids) are actually looking forward to the train. We will be renting a van in Ireland to drive around there as the train/bus travel there does not go to some of the places I want to go.

Swandav, what are saver passes for the train?
Kopp, thanks for the food hints.
Honestly, with that many big eaters I need as many
hints on food as I can get.

Cicerone,
You sound like you've had some experience. Is the area in Zurich not safe for the boys to go out at night and have beer at a pub?

Thank you everyone.
I think I am going to enjoy talking to you all!
Karen

Hi Karen---glad you checked in! And the train is definitely the way to go. There is a good explanation of the various passes for Switzerland on the Rick Steves website:

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/choosemenu.htm (click on Switzerland)

Basically, a "saver" pass is a Flexpass (X number of travel days) with a 15% discount because you are buying them in pairs. There are other passes that give you 50 % off everything, as opposed to X number of free travel days. And then there are the "high mountain" trains and lifts (Jungfrau and Schilthorn), which may or may not be included in the pass. If not, they are discounted 50%---if you have the right pass. It is all very complicated. To be honest, with my group, we just buy the Flexpass for the correct number of travel days. It probably costs more---but I find the convenience of just getting on the train, without buying tickets, well worth the extra cost, if there is any.

If you stay in Mürren---your last leg of the journey will be by cablecar (covered on your transport ticket). There is nothing to speak of in the way of nightlife up there---we make our own. After a full day of hard hiking, dinner, etc., we are all (even the young ones) content with cards and conversation.

Kopp has an excellent point about keeping the guys fed. A lunch of Rösti is always on the day's menu for us. And a bakery stop or ice cream late in the afternoon.

Luzern is lovely but the accomodations tend to be very expensive. You might ask here for alternatives in the nearby towns. When you take the train from there to Mürren (or anywhere in the vicinity), take the route through Brienz rather than going back through Zürich; it is much more scenic. If you have passes, you could even include a leg of the journey on a lake steamer, no extra cost. Do you know the Swiss rail site?

www.sbb.ch

You can figure out routes and schedules there. Again, as group leader. I print out the train schedules (and alternatives) ahead of time, before leaving home, so we all know what we are doing. That way it's not so much like herding cats. I tell everyone what time the train (or cable car) leaves; in three group trips, so far no one has misses a thing.

Getting to Italy---Your trip from Mürren to Firenze is a long one (8.5 hours or more). You might consider breaking it up with a stop along the way. If you change at Domodosola (between Brig and Milan), you can take the wonderful Centovalli train to Locarno, spend the night, and proceed to Firenze from there:

http://www.centovalli.ch/

You have chosen my three favorite places for this trip (Italy, Ireland, and Switzerland). So far, I've only done them one at a time--so you are very brave to take this on.

We'll be about 2 weeks behind you in Switzerland. Let's hope for good weather!

I live in Central Switzerland and took a look at various events that will be held during your stay in Luzern.

I found:

An Alphorn and Flagthrowing concert in Brunnen on Wed. 13.07 at 20:00 - 21:00 at the Bundeskapelle. Visit Brunnen either by ferry or train.

While in Luzern, visit the Rigi or Pilatus or, if the weather is bad, go to the Verkehrsmuseum (Transport museum).

Check out Ballenberg near Brienz if the weather is bad in the mountains.

If you are interested in staying in Lucerne, Hotel Schiff is a good budget hotel in Lucerne with a nice view facing the river Reuss and the famous covered bridge. I'm not sure how inexpensive Martahaus is, but Hotel Schiff charges in the low $100 per double room.

I stay with family when I'm there but have personally checked out at least 10 different inexpensive hotel rooms for my staff. Another less expensive hotel that's decent is the Waldstaettersee right across the street from the train station. They have plenty of rooms with nice balconies, even the single rooms. The buzzing cafeteria like restaurant in the hotel is also a place for great value meals.

Hotel Flora next to the Globus department store can also be inexpensive but the room feels like a modern box apartment with no Swiss charm whatsoever.

The cheapest place to eat in Lucerne is on the second floor (1st floor in Switzerland) of the supermarket COOP inside old town. The very large 2 storied McDonald in Lucerne is right across the street from the Waldstaettersee hotel. It's very popular among the Swiss youth, they gross 7 million a year selling burgers. If you get hungry after 10 pm, the train station has a nice elaborate food vending machine facing the Waldstaettersee.

Just want to correct the hotel name: Waldstaetterhof, not 4-Waldstaettersee which is the german name for Lake Lucerne.

Hi Everyone,
After going over all of the information you all have so kindly given me, here is our plans:
June 11 Fly into Zurich Stay night. Martahaus
June 12 Tour Zurich
June 13 Take the train to Lucerne, visit for the day,
Continue on the train to Lauterbrunnen,
Stay night Hotel Oberland
June 14 Play in Lauterbrunnen and beyond!
June 15 More Play
June 16 More Play
June 17 Train day...Take train all the way to Florence, Italy
June 17 Florence
June 18 Florence
June 19 Florence
June 20 Take train to Rome
June 21-26 Rome
June 26 Leave for Ireland

So for all you experts, please tell me what we can do for our 'play days; while we are staying Lauterbrunnen. Two of the big boys of mine want to go sky=diving in Interlaken. Can you reccomend a reputable company?
Also, the train scheduales are very confusing for me. I have decided (Enzian) to buy the flexpass for everyone, as you suggest. I just don't want to mess around with handing out money to the boys.

But what I having trouble with is how do we get from Lauterbrunnen (or basically Interlaken) to Florence? Which trains, cities, etc.?
We have some wonderful friends in Florence that we are all excited to see, so we want to make the journey there in one very full day. Is there a route that is more scenic than another?

Thanks!

Do they mean paragliding rather than skydiving? There is a "Gleitschirmschule" in Grindelwald that will take people on tandem "glides":

http://www.paragliding-grindelwald.ch/

Forgot your train question! There are 2 routes to Florence from the Interlaken area, one through Spiez and Brig to Milan, and one through the mountains more to the east,to the lake district and then to Milan. I haven't done it, so I'm not sure which is more scenic, but I'd guess the latter one.

If you put in "Interlaken" and "Firenze" in the sbb.ch website, it will show you both possibilities. I think it's about 7.5 hours.