Switzerland & France: Bern, the Alps, and Alsace
Oct 25th, 2017 | 02:03 PM
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Switzerland & France: Bern, the Alps, and Alsace
Rather than describe our recent trip to Switzerland and France day-by-day, I’ve chosen to provide a summary of trip highlights, travel recommendations, and budget information to help answer many of the questions I regularly see in this forum. For background, my wife and I are in our mid-60s and have taken a half-dozen trips to Europe over the last 15 years. Our goals for this trip were to 1) visit our daughter who lives in Bern, 2) travel on the Glacier Express, 3) visit Mürren in the Berner Oberland, and 4) spend a few days in the Alsace wine region of eastern France. Our trip spanned two weeks, from Tuesday, September 19 to Tuesday, October 3. We spent eight days in Switzerland, three days in Alsace, and three days in Paris.
<b>Paris Charles de Gaulle Aeroport</b>
Our trip started and ended in Paris. Since we’re particularly fond of traveling by train in Europe, we booked PREM tickets on TGV 5478 direct from Aeroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle TGV to Strasbourg (1h50). While it can be risky to book these non-refundable tickets for the same day as your arrival (on a previous trip we did miss our pre-booked train due to a very late airplane) these discounted tickets typically cost less than half a full-fare ticket (€ 35 vs. € 110). For this trip, we allowed 3h30 between our scheduled arrival at CDG and our TGV departure. Our Air France flight arrived on time, but be warned that, due to recent security issues, the customs queue in Terminal 2 was more than an hour long – far longer than we had ever experienced at CDG. Still, we made our TGV connection with about 1h30 to spare. In Strasbourg we connected with TER (Transport Express Régional) #96221 for Basel (1h18, € 18.50 each). Finally, in Basel, we connected with IC (Inter City) #1077 (0h53), arriving on time in Bern at 4:24p. We purchased a Swiss Travel Pass for all our travel in Switzerland, which I’ll discuss in more detail below.
While awaiting our TGV in CDG Terminal 2, we found a Paul (a French chain of bakery/café restaurants) in Terminal 2C. Here we purchased fresh croissants for breakfast an two baguette sandwiches for the train ride to Strasbourg (while traveling at 305 kilometers per hour is amazing, food service on French trains leaves a lot to be desired).
<b>Bern, Switzerland</b>
Our daughter lives in Bern, so we came prepared with lots of information about the Swiss capital city. We also brought along our 2004 edition of Fodors Switzerland, which was still useful in navigating the very walkable old town. There is also a tourist information office on the street level of the Bern Hauptbahnhof, where we picked up a free City Map. Other excellent online resources are this Fodors website ( http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/switzerland/bern ) and this PlanetWare page ( http://www.planetware.com/tourist-at...-ch-be-ber.htm ).
We spent our first day exploring the old town on foot, following the map and itinerary provided in our Fodors guidebook. Highlights included the many covered arcades along the old town’s narrow streets, the Bundesplatz and Bundeshaus (Parliament Building), Münsterplatz and Münster (Cathedral), Zytglogge (Clock Tower), BärenPark (Bear Park), and Rosengarten (Rose Garden). If you’re a fan of hearty Swiss food and German-style beer, plan on lunch at the Altes Tramdepot Restaurant und Brauerei adjacent to the Bear Park. We took lunch on the patio overlooking Bern and the Aare River.
We ended the day with a trip to the summit of the Gurten, an 858-meter-high city park with outstanding views of Bern and – on a clear day – the Alps of the Berner Oberland. We ascended to the park on the GurtenBahn, a funicular from the Wabern section of Bern. The GurtenBahn is free with the Bern Ticket (provided free for your whole visit if you stay in a tourist accommodation in the city of Bern), or half-off with a Swiss Travel Pass (CHF 5.50).
<b>Mürren and the Berner Oberland</b>
On our second day, after checking the weather (it would be perfect!) we embarked on a full-day trip to Mürren and the Berner Oberland. The 1h54 trip comprises three correspondences: Bern to Interlaken Ost (dep 8:04 arr 8:57), Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen (dep 9:05 arr 9:25), Lauterbrunnen BLM to Grütschalp (Seilbahn, dep 9:38 arr 9:42), and Grütschalp to Mürren BLM (dep 9:44 arr 9:58). Having taken numerous trips on AMTRAK, it is such a pleasure to be able to rely on the timely Swiss train system! Note also that the Swiss Travel Pass covered all four segments of our trip to Mürren, including the Seilbahn funicular.
Once in Mürren, we hiked across this picturesque car-free village beneath the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau to the Schilthornbahn where we boarded the two-stage gondola for Birg and the Schilthorn. With the Swiss Travel Pass each round-trip ticket to the summit is discounted 50%, resulting in a cost of CHF 41.10 (according to MySwissAlps.com – https://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn/tickets – travel on the Schilthornbahn in 2018 will be included with the Swiss Travel Pass). The Schilthorn is 2,970 meters high. On a clear day, for which we were most grateful, there are spectacular views of the Alps, including the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau – and even Mount Blanc in France, the highest peak in the Alps.
In 1969, the Schilthorn was featured in the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. It was the hideout of Bond’s enemy Blofeld (actor Telly Savalas), and the place was called Piz Gloria for that occasion. In addition to the spectacular views, there is an interactive exhibition “Bond World 007”, showing movie scenes and information about how the film was shot. You can even take a picture of yourself with Bond actor George Lazenby!
If you plan on hiking in the Berner Oberland, be sure to pick up the map and brochure “Wandern Hiking” at any train or gondola station. The brochure lists 76 trails across the entire region. We chose to hike down the Lauterbrunnen-Mürren trail from Mürren (Trail #50). While the guide indicates the duration of the hike is 2h30, it fails to emphasize how steep the descent is – 839 meters over 5.2 kilometers. Our 60-year-old legs felt like jelly by the end of the descent! See https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/summer...g-trails-list/ for an online guide to all the hikes in the Jungfrau region.
We caught the 3:33p return train in Lauterbrunnen, and were back in Bern at 4:54p.
<b>Désalpe Charmey and Gruyère</b>
Thanks to our daughter and her network of Swiss friends, we learned about the Désalpe Charmey before our visit ( https://www.desalpe-charmey.ch/ ). It was a highlight of our trip! As it turns out, there are many communities across the Alps that celebrate the annual fall descent of their cows from the alpine highlands ( https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/...he-cattle.html ). If you have an opportunity to attend one of these festivals, go! There is great food, good beer, local music, and of course lots of cows – and cowbells!
Anticipating a large turnout, we got an early start via two trains and a bus: Bern to Fribourg (dep 6:34 arr 6:55), Fribourg to Bulle (dep 7:04 arr 7:42), and Bulle, gare to Charmey (Gruyere), village (Bus 260, dep 7:48 arr 8:11). The festival kicked off around 9:00a with a craft fair, parade of local musicians, a herd of goats, and finally the first of several cow herds. You could hear the echo of cowbells across the valley for several hours as each herd of cows was ushered through the village. By about 2:00p, after a hearty lunch of Swiss fondue and local beer, we waded through the large crowd and made our return trip back to Bulle. Here we caught another local train to Gruyère, a small medieval hill town in the Fribourg canton of Switzerland ( https://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/Z3289/gruyeres ). Both the village and La Maison du Gruyère (Cheese-making factory) adjacent to the train station are well worth a half-day visit (1h24 by train from Bern).
<b>Murten (Morat)</b>
We spent half a day visiting Murten, or Morat, an 800-year-old predominantly French-speaking medieval town in the canton of Fribourg on the southeast shore of Lake Murten. Narrow lanes, streetside cafés, stone fountains, old city gates, a castle, and preserved rampart walls characterize this lovely lakeside village. Travel time from Bern is 0h34 with no connections, or 0h39 with one connection.
<b>Rhätische Bahn, Glacier Express, and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn</b>
We left Bern for a three-day train and boat trip that took us to Filisur, Andermatt, Luzern, and Trubschachen in southeastern and central Switzerland. We traveled along the Albula section of the Rhaetian Railway – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – climbed aboard the Glacier Express for half a day, traveled through Schöllenen Gorge on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, and crossed Lake Lucerne aboard the ferry boat “Weggis”.
On our first day, we traveled from Bern to Filisur, changing trains in Zürich and Chur, and stopping off in Preda and Bergün before backtracking to Filisur for the night. The trip on the Rhätische Bahn from Chur to Preda was arguably the most spectacular train trip of my life! Leaving Thusis (30 minutes south of Chur), you traverse a stretch of the Albula Line designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ( https://www.rhb.ch/en/leisure-travel...en/albula-line ). And with good reason! Among the many bridges, tunnels, and spectacular alpine scenery is the Landwasser Viaduct, a stunning display of railway engineering dating to 1902.
It’s important to note that many of the trains now run by the Rhätische Bahn employ beautiful new railway cars with large panorama windows that rival the cars of the Glacier Express. And the Rhätische Bahn train we took (RE 1133) was far less crowded than Glacier Express #901 that we boarded in Filisur the following day – and less expensive without the mandatory reservation fee!
We disembarked at Preda just before the 5,865-meter-long Albula Tunnel and had a hearty lunch at the Hotel Preda Kulm. We pondered the 2h30 hike down to Bergün on the Albula Railway Adventure Trail ( https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/...o-berguen.html ), but our legs were still sore from our Mürren-Lauterbrunnen hike, so we instead boarded a return train back down the Albula Line (there are hourly trains in each direction). We stopped in Bergün, where we visited the Bahnmuseum Albula (free admission with the Swiss Travel Pass). The museum has a marvelous working model railway of the Albula Line. Finally, we caught another train for the short ride to Filisur, where we had booked a room at the Hotel Grischuna ( http://www.grischuna-filisur.ch/en/ ). This 3-star hotel is adjacent to the railway platform, serves delicious local fare in its dining room, and overlooks the picture-perfect Swiss village of Filisur in the valley below.
The following morning we boarded Glacier Express #901 at Filisur for our 3h49 trip to Andermatt. While the Swiss Travel Pass covers your cost of transport on the Glacier Express, you must still purchase a seat reservation, for which we paid CHF 33.00 each three months in advance (seats book up early!) We also opted for the “Plat of the Day” – a standard one-course lunch – for CHF 30.00 each.
Our train car (Coach 14) was virtually empty until we arrived at Chur, when the entire train pretty much filled up. Highlights of the trip included the ride back down the Albula Line to Thusis, the trip through the picturesque Rhine Gorge, the climb over the Oberalppass – the highest point on the Glacier Express – and the steep descent into Andermatt, all while enjoying stunning alpine scenery in virtually every direction through the car’s panoramic windows!
We arrived in Andermatt with no hotel reservation but with a map that lead us to the tourism office around the corner from the train station. Here we asked the helpful receptionist about room rates and availabilities, then made our way to the 2-star Hotel Schweizerhof on Gotthardstrasse ( https://www.schweizerhof-andermatt.ch/ ). At CHF 120 for a double, we checked into a lovely corner room with a view down the city’s main street. While we enjoyed the Swiss charm of this lovely alpine town, there is considerable new construction occurring in and around this emerging ski destination, detracting from the “old world” charm.
On our third day of train travel, we climbed aboard three trains and a ferry en route to Luzern. We started on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, a cog-railway that traverses the steep descent from Andermatt to Göschenen through the spectacular Schöllenen Gorge. At Göschenen we boarded a Regional Express to Erstfeld, and then boarded an Inter City train to Flüelen. Again, we marveled at the efficiency of the Swiss train system: Andermatt to Göschenen (dep 8:41 arr 8:56); Göschenen to Erstfeld (dep 9:00 arr 9:25); Erstfeld to Flüelen (dep 9:34 arr 9:41); and finally boarding the ferry boat “Weggis” a short walk from the Flüelen station for our 9:46 departure.
After a 3h1 boat trip, including some 10 stops, we arrived at Luzern on time at 12:47. While Luzern is a beautiful city and easily worth a full day of exploration, we had to be back in Bern by 6:00p. So we chose to visit just two sites in Luzern and then proceed to the Kambly cookie factory in Trubschachen. We first caught a city bus to the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument), a most evocative statue which commemorates the heroism in 1792 of Swiss soldiers who died attempting to protect the Tuileries Palace in Paris during the French Revolution. Then we explored the city’s waterfront, including the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), the iconic covered wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the Reuss.
Finally we were off to Trubschachen and the Kambly cookie factory – or so we thought. We boarded the 3:16p S-Bahn signed for Bern and Wolhusen. What we didn’t know was that the train splits at Wolhusen – the front section continues to Trubschachen and Bern, while the back section, where we were sitting, continues toward Menznau on a separate line. Ooops! Most fortuitously we met an English speaking Swiss music producer on the platform at Menznau who had made the exact same mistake. So we followed him as he explained the error, backtracked to Wolhusen and boarded the next train for Trubschachen. Whew!
If you like sweet things, especially cookies, plan on visiting the “Kambly Experience”, which is really just a large factory showroom with rows and rows of cookies for sale (with free samples of everything). The factory is a short walk from the train station, and after just a 30-minute visit (cut short due to our train snafu) we left with two bags of cookies for our daughter and several free samples for us to eat on the train ride to Bern. A direct train from Bern, including a handful that are actually branded as the “Kambly Cookie Train”, is only 0h35.
<b>The Swiss Travel Pass</b>
There are many, many questions about the Swiss Travel Pass on this forum and others. The most common, of course: “Is it cheaper to buy individual tickets?” In most cases, probably. I crunched so many numbers before deciding on an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass ($806 US) that my head began to spin. In almost every scenario, I found I could probably save from $50-$75 if I just bought individual train tickets in Switzerland. But there are some intangibles that are difficult to budget for: we took one public bus trip in Luzern, free with the Swiss Travel Pass but CHF 4.10 apiece or CHF 8.20 total if we bought single tickets. The same was true for several unplanned bus trips we took around Bern (we were staying with our daughter and didn’t have a Bern Ticket). The Pass also saved us CHF 11.00 on Bern’s GurtenBahn and CHF 30 at the Bahnmuseum Albula, neither of which I had figured into my calculations. When you add the ease of use – you can simply board any train, bus, or boat and go – it became pretty clear to me that the Swiss Travel Pass is worth the cost.
<b>Alsace</b>
We spent three days in Alsace, basing our stay at Hostellerie Schwendi in the delightful Alsatian village of Kientzheim ( https://www.logishotels.com/fr/hotel...-schwendi-1576 ). We were completely smitten with this small walled town off the main road between Colmar and Kaysersberg. It takes just a few minutes to walk from one end of town to the other, but in between there is a winery with a lovely tasting cellar (Domaine Paul Blanck & Fils, 32, Grand’Rue); beautiful views over the vineyards and the Véloroute du Vignoble d’Alsace (Alsace Wine Road cycle route), which skirts the town’s ramparts; a fine restaurant where we had two excellent dinners (Cote Vigne Restaurant, 30, Grand’Rue); and of course Hostellerie Schwendi, a delightful Alsatian inn which sits on a small square near the east end of the village. There’s even a bit of WWII history here: on the west edge of town sits the M4 Sherman tank “Renard” of the 5th French Armored Division. The WWII memorial recalls the Colmar Pocket, the last piece of French soil the Germans gave up before finally retreating across the Rhine in February 1945.
Other highlights of our Alsatian visit included the well-known and picture-perfect villages of Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, and Eguisheim. We visited a small vintner in Riquewihr (Domaine Roger Jung et Fils, 23 Rue de la 1E Armée), had a delicious Tarte flambée in Kaysersberg (Restaurant A la Porte Haute, 118 Rue du Général de Gaulle), and walked the entire Rue du Rempart in Eguisheim.
Another common question I hear is whether to rent a car or use public transportation in Alsace. On this visit, we used both, and I can report that renting a car makes much better use of your time and provides considerably more flexibility in selecting your routes and destinations. We took two bus trips in the greater Colmar area, and on both occasions waited more than 15 minutes at each bus stop. We rented a compact car from Europcar Colmar-Houssen Airport, booking the rental through AutoEurope. While I prefer to book directly with vendors (hotels, restaurants, and car rental firms), Europcar’s best online rate was more than twice the rate I found on AutoEurope. We spent $73.75 for a 48-hour rental (4:00p Wednesday – 4:00p Friday) including gasoline. Europcar’s rate was approximately $120.00. Go figure.
<b>Paris</b>
Our return visit to Paris was delightful, but I really can’t add anything new that you haven’t already read in this forum. We stayed at the Hôtel College de France in the Latin Quarter, which remains one of our two favorite moderately-priced hotels in Paris (the other being the nearby Hôtel Saint-Jacques). We had excellent meals at two of our favorite restaurants: Breizh Café (3rd Arrondissement, 109 rue Vieille du Temple) and Le Petit Prince de Paris (5th Arrondissement, 12 Rue de Lanneau). We discovered a new Breizh Café location for lunch (6th Arrondissement, 1 Rue de l’Odéon). And for our third dinner we met friends at Un Zèbre à Montmartre (38 Rue Lepic), a cozy restaurant in the 18th Arrondissement with an innovative, moderately-priced menu. We also visited two museums for the first time: the Musée de Cluny (5th Arrondissement) and the Tombeau de Napoléon and Musée de l’Armée (6th Arrondissement). Both museums are quite interesting, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visits.
So how much did all this cost? After crunching the numbers for our 14-day trip, including airfare, Swiss Travel Pass, food, and lodging, we spent just under $6,000 for two people. Broken down, lodging totaled $1,275, transportation totaled $2,850 (including $1,335 for two round-trip plane tickets from Washington-Dulles), and dining totaled $1,388 (just under $100/day). Not inexpensive, but as I remind my wife, much less expensive than a European river cruise!
<b>Paris Charles de Gaulle Aeroport</b>
Our trip started and ended in Paris. Since we’re particularly fond of traveling by train in Europe, we booked PREM tickets on TGV 5478 direct from Aeroport Paris-Charles de Gaulle TGV to Strasbourg (1h50). While it can be risky to book these non-refundable tickets for the same day as your arrival (on a previous trip we did miss our pre-booked train due to a very late airplane) these discounted tickets typically cost less than half a full-fare ticket (€ 35 vs. € 110). For this trip, we allowed 3h30 between our scheduled arrival at CDG and our TGV departure. Our Air France flight arrived on time, but be warned that, due to recent security issues, the customs queue in Terminal 2 was more than an hour long – far longer than we had ever experienced at CDG. Still, we made our TGV connection with about 1h30 to spare. In Strasbourg we connected with TER (Transport Express Régional) #96221 for Basel (1h18, € 18.50 each). Finally, in Basel, we connected with IC (Inter City) #1077 (0h53), arriving on time in Bern at 4:24p. We purchased a Swiss Travel Pass for all our travel in Switzerland, which I’ll discuss in more detail below.
While awaiting our TGV in CDG Terminal 2, we found a Paul (a French chain of bakery/café restaurants) in Terminal 2C. Here we purchased fresh croissants for breakfast an two baguette sandwiches for the train ride to Strasbourg (while traveling at 305 kilometers per hour is amazing, food service on French trains leaves a lot to be desired).
<b>Bern, Switzerland</b>
Our daughter lives in Bern, so we came prepared with lots of information about the Swiss capital city. We also brought along our 2004 edition of Fodors Switzerland, which was still useful in navigating the very walkable old town. There is also a tourist information office on the street level of the Bern Hauptbahnhof, where we picked up a free City Map. Other excellent online resources are this Fodors website ( http://www.fodors.com/world/europe/switzerland/bern ) and this PlanetWare page ( http://www.planetware.com/tourist-at...-ch-be-ber.htm ).
We spent our first day exploring the old town on foot, following the map and itinerary provided in our Fodors guidebook. Highlights included the many covered arcades along the old town’s narrow streets, the Bundesplatz and Bundeshaus (Parliament Building), Münsterplatz and Münster (Cathedral), Zytglogge (Clock Tower), BärenPark (Bear Park), and Rosengarten (Rose Garden). If you’re a fan of hearty Swiss food and German-style beer, plan on lunch at the Altes Tramdepot Restaurant und Brauerei adjacent to the Bear Park. We took lunch on the patio overlooking Bern and the Aare River.
We ended the day with a trip to the summit of the Gurten, an 858-meter-high city park with outstanding views of Bern and – on a clear day – the Alps of the Berner Oberland. We ascended to the park on the GurtenBahn, a funicular from the Wabern section of Bern. The GurtenBahn is free with the Bern Ticket (provided free for your whole visit if you stay in a tourist accommodation in the city of Bern), or half-off with a Swiss Travel Pass (CHF 5.50).
<b>Mürren and the Berner Oberland</b>
On our second day, after checking the weather (it would be perfect!) we embarked on a full-day trip to Mürren and the Berner Oberland. The 1h54 trip comprises three correspondences: Bern to Interlaken Ost (dep 8:04 arr 8:57), Interlaken Ost to Lauterbrunnen (dep 9:05 arr 9:25), Lauterbrunnen BLM to Grütschalp (Seilbahn, dep 9:38 arr 9:42), and Grütschalp to Mürren BLM (dep 9:44 arr 9:58). Having taken numerous trips on AMTRAK, it is such a pleasure to be able to rely on the timely Swiss train system! Note also that the Swiss Travel Pass covered all four segments of our trip to Mürren, including the Seilbahn funicular.
Once in Mürren, we hiked across this picturesque car-free village beneath the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau to the Schilthornbahn where we boarded the two-stage gondola for Birg and the Schilthorn. With the Swiss Travel Pass each round-trip ticket to the summit is discounted 50%, resulting in a cost of CHF 41.10 (according to MySwissAlps.com – https://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn/tickets – travel on the Schilthornbahn in 2018 will be included with the Swiss Travel Pass). The Schilthorn is 2,970 meters high. On a clear day, for which we were most grateful, there are spectacular views of the Alps, including the Eiger, Mönch, and Jungfrau – and even Mount Blanc in France, the highest peak in the Alps.
In 1969, the Schilthorn was featured in the James Bond movie “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service”. It was the hideout of Bond’s enemy Blofeld (actor Telly Savalas), and the place was called Piz Gloria for that occasion. In addition to the spectacular views, there is an interactive exhibition “Bond World 007”, showing movie scenes and information about how the film was shot. You can even take a picture of yourself with Bond actor George Lazenby!
If you plan on hiking in the Berner Oberland, be sure to pick up the map and brochure “Wandern Hiking” at any train or gondola station. The brochure lists 76 trails across the entire region. We chose to hike down the Lauterbrunnen-Mürren trail from Mürren (Trail #50). While the guide indicates the duration of the hike is 2h30, it fails to emphasize how steep the descent is – 839 meters over 5.2 kilometers. Our 60-year-old legs felt like jelly by the end of the descent! See https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/summer...g-trails-list/ for an online guide to all the hikes in the Jungfrau region.
We caught the 3:33p return train in Lauterbrunnen, and were back in Bern at 4:54p.
<b>Désalpe Charmey and Gruyère</b>
Thanks to our daughter and her network of Swiss friends, we learned about the Désalpe Charmey before our visit ( https://www.desalpe-charmey.ch/ ). It was a highlight of our trip! As it turns out, there are many communities across the Alps that celebrate the annual fall descent of their cows from the alpine highlands ( https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/...he-cattle.html ). If you have an opportunity to attend one of these festivals, go! There is great food, good beer, local music, and of course lots of cows – and cowbells!
Anticipating a large turnout, we got an early start via two trains and a bus: Bern to Fribourg (dep 6:34 arr 6:55), Fribourg to Bulle (dep 7:04 arr 7:42), and Bulle, gare to Charmey (Gruyere), village (Bus 260, dep 7:48 arr 8:11). The festival kicked off around 9:00a with a craft fair, parade of local musicians, a herd of goats, and finally the first of several cow herds. You could hear the echo of cowbells across the valley for several hours as each herd of cows was ushered through the village. By about 2:00p, after a hearty lunch of Swiss fondue and local beer, we waded through the large crowd and made our return trip back to Bulle. Here we caught another local train to Gruyère, a small medieval hill town in the Fribourg canton of Switzerland ( https://www.la-gruyere.ch/en/Z3289/gruyeres ). Both the village and La Maison du Gruyère (Cheese-making factory) adjacent to the train station are well worth a half-day visit (1h24 by train from Bern).
<b>Murten (Morat)</b>
We spent half a day visiting Murten, or Morat, an 800-year-old predominantly French-speaking medieval town in the canton of Fribourg on the southeast shore of Lake Murten. Narrow lanes, streetside cafés, stone fountains, old city gates, a castle, and preserved rampart walls characterize this lovely lakeside village. Travel time from Bern is 0h34 with no connections, or 0h39 with one connection.
<b>Rhätische Bahn, Glacier Express, and Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn</b>
We left Bern for a three-day train and boat trip that took us to Filisur, Andermatt, Luzern, and Trubschachen in southeastern and central Switzerland. We traveled along the Albula section of the Rhaetian Railway – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – climbed aboard the Glacier Express for half a day, traveled through Schöllenen Gorge on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, and crossed Lake Lucerne aboard the ferry boat “Weggis”.
On our first day, we traveled from Bern to Filisur, changing trains in Zürich and Chur, and stopping off in Preda and Bergün before backtracking to Filisur for the night. The trip on the Rhätische Bahn from Chur to Preda was arguably the most spectacular train trip of my life! Leaving Thusis (30 minutes south of Chur), you traverse a stretch of the Albula Line designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site ( https://www.rhb.ch/en/leisure-travel...en/albula-line ). And with good reason! Among the many bridges, tunnels, and spectacular alpine scenery is the Landwasser Viaduct, a stunning display of railway engineering dating to 1902.
It’s important to note that many of the trains now run by the Rhätische Bahn employ beautiful new railway cars with large panorama windows that rival the cars of the Glacier Express. And the Rhätische Bahn train we took (RE 1133) was far less crowded than Glacier Express #901 that we boarded in Filisur the following day – and less expensive without the mandatory reservation fee!
We disembarked at Preda just before the 5,865-meter-long Albula Tunnel and had a hearty lunch at the Hotel Preda Kulm. We pondered the 2h30 hike down to Bergün on the Albula Railway Adventure Trail ( https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/...o-berguen.html ), but our legs were still sore from our Mürren-Lauterbrunnen hike, so we instead boarded a return train back down the Albula Line (there are hourly trains in each direction). We stopped in Bergün, where we visited the Bahnmuseum Albula (free admission with the Swiss Travel Pass). The museum has a marvelous working model railway of the Albula Line. Finally, we caught another train for the short ride to Filisur, where we had booked a room at the Hotel Grischuna ( http://www.grischuna-filisur.ch/en/ ). This 3-star hotel is adjacent to the railway platform, serves delicious local fare in its dining room, and overlooks the picture-perfect Swiss village of Filisur in the valley below.
The following morning we boarded Glacier Express #901 at Filisur for our 3h49 trip to Andermatt. While the Swiss Travel Pass covers your cost of transport on the Glacier Express, you must still purchase a seat reservation, for which we paid CHF 33.00 each three months in advance (seats book up early!) We also opted for the “Plat of the Day” – a standard one-course lunch – for CHF 30.00 each.
Our train car (Coach 14) was virtually empty until we arrived at Chur, when the entire train pretty much filled up. Highlights of the trip included the ride back down the Albula Line to Thusis, the trip through the picturesque Rhine Gorge, the climb over the Oberalppass – the highest point on the Glacier Express – and the steep descent into Andermatt, all while enjoying stunning alpine scenery in virtually every direction through the car’s panoramic windows!
We arrived in Andermatt with no hotel reservation but with a map that lead us to the tourism office around the corner from the train station. Here we asked the helpful receptionist about room rates and availabilities, then made our way to the 2-star Hotel Schweizerhof on Gotthardstrasse ( https://www.schweizerhof-andermatt.ch/ ). At CHF 120 for a double, we checked into a lovely corner room with a view down the city’s main street. While we enjoyed the Swiss charm of this lovely alpine town, there is considerable new construction occurring in and around this emerging ski destination, detracting from the “old world” charm.
On our third day of train travel, we climbed aboard three trains and a ferry en route to Luzern. We started on the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn, a cog-railway that traverses the steep descent from Andermatt to Göschenen through the spectacular Schöllenen Gorge. At Göschenen we boarded a Regional Express to Erstfeld, and then boarded an Inter City train to Flüelen. Again, we marveled at the efficiency of the Swiss train system: Andermatt to Göschenen (dep 8:41 arr 8:56); Göschenen to Erstfeld (dep 9:00 arr 9:25); Erstfeld to Flüelen (dep 9:34 arr 9:41); and finally boarding the ferry boat “Weggis” a short walk from the Flüelen station for our 9:46 departure.
After a 3h1 boat trip, including some 10 stops, we arrived at Luzern on time at 12:47. While Luzern is a beautiful city and easily worth a full day of exploration, we had to be back in Bern by 6:00p. So we chose to visit just two sites in Luzern and then proceed to the Kambly cookie factory in Trubschachen. We first caught a city bus to the Löwendenkmal (Lion Monument), a most evocative statue which commemorates the heroism in 1792 of Swiss soldiers who died attempting to protect the Tuileries Palace in Paris during the French Revolution. Then we explored the city’s waterfront, including the Kapellbrücke (Chapel Bridge), the iconic covered wooden footbridge spanning diagonally across the Reuss.
Finally we were off to Trubschachen and the Kambly cookie factory – or so we thought. We boarded the 3:16p S-Bahn signed for Bern and Wolhusen. What we didn’t know was that the train splits at Wolhusen – the front section continues to Trubschachen and Bern, while the back section, where we were sitting, continues toward Menznau on a separate line. Ooops! Most fortuitously we met an English speaking Swiss music producer on the platform at Menznau who had made the exact same mistake. So we followed him as he explained the error, backtracked to Wolhusen and boarded the next train for Trubschachen. Whew!
If you like sweet things, especially cookies, plan on visiting the “Kambly Experience”, which is really just a large factory showroom with rows and rows of cookies for sale (with free samples of everything). The factory is a short walk from the train station, and after just a 30-minute visit (cut short due to our train snafu) we left with two bags of cookies for our daughter and several free samples for us to eat on the train ride to Bern. A direct train from Bern, including a handful that are actually branded as the “Kambly Cookie Train”, is only 0h35.
<b>The Swiss Travel Pass</b>
There are many, many questions about the Swiss Travel Pass on this forum and others. The most common, of course: “Is it cheaper to buy individual tickets?” In most cases, probably. I crunched so many numbers before deciding on an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass ($806 US) that my head began to spin. In almost every scenario, I found I could probably save from $50-$75 if I just bought individual train tickets in Switzerland. But there are some intangibles that are difficult to budget for: we took one public bus trip in Luzern, free with the Swiss Travel Pass but CHF 4.10 apiece or CHF 8.20 total if we bought single tickets. The same was true for several unplanned bus trips we took around Bern (we were staying with our daughter and didn’t have a Bern Ticket). The Pass also saved us CHF 11.00 on Bern’s GurtenBahn and CHF 30 at the Bahnmuseum Albula, neither of which I had figured into my calculations. When you add the ease of use – you can simply board any train, bus, or boat and go – it became pretty clear to me that the Swiss Travel Pass is worth the cost.
<b>Alsace</b>
We spent three days in Alsace, basing our stay at Hostellerie Schwendi in the delightful Alsatian village of Kientzheim ( https://www.logishotels.com/fr/hotel...-schwendi-1576 ). We were completely smitten with this small walled town off the main road between Colmar and Kaysersberg. It takes just a few minutes to walk from one end of town to the other, but in between there is a winery with a lovely tasting cellar (Domaine Paul Blanck & Fils, 32, Grand’Rue); beautiful views over the vineyards and the Véloroute du Vignoble d’Alsace (Alsace Wine Road cycle route), which skirts the town’s ramparts; a fine restaurant where we had two excellent dinners (Cote Vigne Restaurant, 30, Grand’Rue); and of course Hostellerie Schwendi, a delightful Alsatian inn which sits on a small square near the east end of the village. There’s even a bit of WWII history here: on the west edge of town sits the M4 Sherman tank “Renard” of the 5th French Armored Division. The WWII memorial recalls the Colmar Pocket, the last piece of French soil the Germans gave up before finally retreating across the Rhine in February 1945.
Other highlights of our Alsatian visit included the well-known and picture-perfect villages of Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, and Eguisheim. We visited a small vintner in Riquewihr (Domaine Roger Jung et Fils, 23 Rue de la 1E Armée), had a delicious Tarte flambée in Kaysersberg (Restaurant A la Porte Haute, 118 Rue du Général de Gaulle), and walked the entire Rue du Rempart in Eguisheim.
Another common question I hear is whether to rent a car or use public transportation in Alsace. On this visit, we used both, and I can report that renting a car makes much better use of your time and provides considerably more flexibility in selecting your routes and destinations. We took two bus trips in the greater Colmar area, and on both occasions waited more than 15 minutes at each bus stop. We rented a compact car from Europcar Colmar-Houssen Airport, booking the rental through AutoEurope. While I prefer to book directly with vendors (hotels, restaurants, and car rental firms), Europcar’s best online rate was more than twice the rate I found on AutoEurope. We spent $73.75 for a 48-hour rental (4:00p Wednesday – 4:00p Friday) including gasoline. Europcar’s rate was approximately $120.00. Go figure.
<b>Paris</b>
Our return visit to Paris was delightful, but I really can’t add anything new that you haven’t already read in this forum. We stayed at the Hôtel College de France in the Latin Quarter, which remains one of our two favorite moderately-priced hotels in Paris (the other being the nearby Hôtel Saint-Jacques). We had excellent meals at two of our favorite restaurants: Breizh Café (3rd Arrondissement, 109 rue Vieille du Temple) and Le Petit Prince de Paris (5th Arrondissement, 12 Rue de Lanneau). We discovered a new Breizh Café location for lunch (6th Arrondissement, 1 Rue de l’Odéon). And for our third dinner we met friends at Un Zèbre à Montmartre (38 Rue Lepic), a cozy restaurant in the 18th Arrondissement with an innovative, moderately-priced menu. We also visited two museums for the first time: the Musée de Cluny (5th Arrondissement) and the Tombeau de Napoléon and Musée de l’Armée (6th Arrondissement). Both museums are quite interesting, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visits.
So how much did all this cost? After crunching the numbers for our 14-day trip, including airfare, Swiss Travel Pass, food, and lodging, we spent just under $6,000 for two people. Broken down, lodging totaled $1,275, transportation totaled $2,850 (including $1,335 for two round-trip plane tickets from Washington-Dulles), and dining totaled $1,388 (just under $100/day). Not inexpensive, but as I remind my wife, much less expensive than a European river cruise!
Oct 25th, 2017 | 03:05 PM
#2
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 21,156
Likes: 83
Did someone say cookies?
I always enjoy seeing one of my favorite countries through fresh eyes Rumsey.
We too, have been on the wrong carriage when a train splits (more than once). We were also surprised by the abundance of construction in Andermatt back in June, which put of us of the place (albeit we never left the train).
Lovely report, thank you for posting.
I always enjoy seeing one of my favorite countries through fresh eyes Rumsey.
We too, have been on the wrong carriage when a train splits (more than once). We were also surprised by the abundance of construction in Andermatt back in June, which put of us of the place (albeit we never left the train).
Lovely report, thank you for posting.
Oct 26th, 2017 | 07:04 AM
#5
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,574
Likes: 0
Nice report. My experience with the travel pass was similar. If you are spending a week or more in Switzerland, and using a lot of public transportation, the cost saving from the half fare pass is largely offset by the convenience and discounts available for the travel pass.
Oct 28th, 2017 | 10:08 AM
#6
Original Poster
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 207
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<B>Parking in Riquewihr, Kaysersberg, and Eguisheim</B>
My wife reminded me to add a note about parking in these (and probably other) Alsatian towns: bring lots of change (preferably 1€ or 2€ coins) as the pay parking machines require coins! Apparently the French do not have or use change machines (which of course are ubiquitous in U.S. laundromats, car washes, etc.) In addition, on an occasion where we asked for change from a purchase we made, a retail establishment in Riquewihr refused. Apparently lots of folks ask. When we queried the host at the Riquewihr tourism office, she said the only place to get change was to go to a bank in Colmar -- some 10 km away! Pretty absurd. So make sure you have change!!!
My wife reminded me to add a note about parking in these (and probably other) Alsatian towns: bring lots of change (preferably 1€ or 2€ coins) as the pay parking machines require coins! Apparently the French do not have or use change machines (which of course are ubiquitous in U.S. laundromats, car washes, etc.) In addition, on an occasion where we asked for change from a purchase we made, a retail establishment in Riquewihr refused. Apparently lots of folks ask. When we queried the host at the Riquewihr tourism office, she said the only place to get change was to go to a bank in Colmar -- some 10 km away! Pretty absurd. So make sure you have change!!!
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Clousie
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