switzerland best way to see it?
Discussion
whats the best way to see switzerland? my old folks have just got back from doing a coach/train trip around switzerland and the very top of italy and it looks like a lovely place so i thought i might go but cant decide whats best to do
fly and hire over there or ferry and drive my own car over there ? or is public transport the way to go the trains do seem really quite good.
whats the must do's obviously i can spill out into austria italy germany etc looking maybe 10 nights
fly and hire over there or ferry and drive my own car over there ? or is public transport the way to go the trains do seem really quite good.
whats the must do's obviously i can spill out into austria italy germany etc looking maybe 10 nights
When do you want to go? Half the interesting roads are closed nov - May.
Do you have an interesting car? If yes then drive. If not then don't.
The train system is the best in the world. It doesn't major on passenger pandering though. Forget free stuff in first class or wifi.
Ticino is lovely, defo hang around there.
Do you have an interesting car? If yes then drive. If not then don't.
The train system is the best in the world. It doesn't major on passenger pandering though. Forget free stuff in first class or wifi.
Ticino is lovely, defo hang around there.
Aug 1st is national bank holiday. Avoid. Use Brit bank holiday, it should be a little more quiet but not too much. How much do you think Switzerland in peak season costs? Well double that amount. And no there isn't really a cheap option. Ironically though the on!y cheap things are trains and transport. Lots of ticket options.
No interesting car then fly in. Avoid Geneva the airport is godawful. If you can fly midweek use Been with skyworks otherwise use Zurich. Anyone who tells you differently hasn't detailed their trials and tribulations of trying to fly in and out of the place each week on annual Winter threads in the lounge!
No interesting car then fly in. Avoid Geneva the airport is godawful. If you can fly midweek use Been with skyworks otherwise use Zurich. Anyone who tells you differently hasn't detailed their trials and tribulations of trying to fly in and out of the place each week on annual Winter threads in the lounge!
Trustmeimadoctor said:
i wasnt planning on driving fast really but i take your point !
I'm not talking about being silly, I mean they'll do you for stupid things like 3 or 4 km over the speed limit. The word is zealous and its one of the reason why the Swiss generally drive like lunatics once they hit the autobahns over here in Germany.funny my parents said they thought it was quite cheap especially food they kept being told by the guide to buy a packup at the supermarket as oooh its really expensive there but they found it was fine not really much more than anywhere else.
they were told to eat before they went to the airport on the way back too but were surprised at the quality and the price of the airport food.
id imagine the hotels arnt cheap though
they were told to eat before they went to the airport on the way back too but were surprised at the quality and the price of the airport food.
id imagine the hotels arnt cheap though
Budget 200 a night.
I always give the pint burger and chips as a reference of cost...its about £22. So roughly three times a Weatherspoons job. Nuggets chips and pint will still be twenty quid.
Fuel is average.
Lidl/aldi are in Switzerland which helps. Migros is kinda the national chain and they will strip you bare. Denner are a Swiss only cheap place and they are OK for food drink and prices. Actually they are owned by Migros but their cheap version and will sell alcohol which Migros are banned from doing by family deed.
I always give the pint burger and chips as a reference of cost...its about £22. So roughly three times a Weatherspoons job. Nuggets chips and pint will still be twenty quid.
Fuel is average.
Lidl/aldi are in Switzerland which helps. Migros is kinda the national chain and they will strip you bare. Denner are a Swiss only cheap place and they are OK for food drink and prices. Actually they are owned by Migros but their cheap version and will sell alcohol which Migros are banned from doing by family deed.
Berw said:
how and where do you pick up the approvals for the motorways.
Dont worry about that - they'll find you!They are at every motorway based Customs and just pull you over to buy on the spot. Its a little game of mine to see how late in the year I can leave buying one. They always get me in the end though.
Trains are great, super efficient, clean, comfortable and you will always get a seat.
However Switzerland has some amazing roads to drive and can be seriously quicker to get around than the trains. Also don't worry too much about the speed limits, I lived there for 6 years and only had one speeding ticket. I didn't drive slowly at all and the time I got a ticket was via a completely camouflaged mobile unit at 3am in the morning whilst on my way to airport.
I agree Geneva airport is a bit of a dump, Zurich airport is one of the nicest airports I have ever been too, super relaxing.
However Switzerland has some amazing roads to drive and can be seriously quicker to get around than the trains. Also don't worry too much about the speed limits, I lived there for 6 years and only had one speeding ticket. I didn't drive slowly at all and the time I got a ticket was via a completely camouflaged mobile unit at 3am in the morning whilst on my way to airport.
I agree Geneva airport is a bit of a dump, Zurich airport is one of the nicest airports I have ever been too, super relaxing.
Trustmeimadoctor said:
i was thinking may it be cheaper and easier to fly into italy/germany etc and hire a car there?
A few people have flown into Basel (Switzerland/France) airport and exited out of the French side and hired a car from their. If you enter Switzerland you will need a motorway sticker (Vignette), same with Austria you will need to get one per country. Germany and Italy are fine.Trustmeimadoctor said:
just had a look at zermatt your right very little below £100 a night hmm wonder about camper hire 
I stayed in Zermatt at a local guesthouse and I don't remember it being expensive. I found lots of rooms at reasonable prices. Local bars have rooms available above and are not expensive. I kept hearing how terribly expensive it all was but I found it only a little bit more than other places in Europe. Eat in local cafes not restaurants, stay in local guesthouses not hotels, give up drinking for the holiday ! I always use this website to check out prices before I go somewhere new - http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/city_result.j... I hope you find it helpful.
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