Champagne region & Lauterbrunnen - your recommendations
Discussion
It's our 4th wedding anniversary in August and we've got a nice little tradition going on where I take my wife away and surprise her with a night or two in a hotel, we do a tasting menu and generally have a nice time relaxing, eating good food and drinking lots of wine. This year we've both got a few days off and our anniversary coincides nicely with the August bank holiday weekend, so I'd like to go somewhere out of the UK.
Having read through one of the better Readers Cars threads recently where the guy had driven a VW camper down to Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland and seen how beautiful it was, I'd like to spend a few days there. The day we leave will be our wedding anniversary and seeing as the Champagne region is about halfway to Lauterbrunnen, I think it would be nice to stop there and stay at a good hotel, drink some of the local specialty and eat some good food.
This is where you chaps and chapesses come in, I'm sure plenty of you will have stayed in the Champagne region and have places you'd recommend, doesn't have to be Michelin rated, just a bit special to mark the occasion.
Likewise if anyone has any places we must go in Lauterbrunnen, plan on going to the ice palace, checking out the waterfalls and generally wandering around gawping at the scenery.
Having read through one of the better Readers Cars threads recently where the guy had driven a VW camper down to Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland and seen how beautiful it was, I'd like to spend a few days there. The day we leave will be our wedding anniversary and seeing as the Champagne region is about halfway to Lauterbrunnen, I think it would be nice to stop there and stay at a good hotel, drink some of the local specialty and eat some good food.
This is where you chaps and chapesses come in, I'm sure plenty of you will have stayed in the Champagne region and have places you'd recommend, doesn't have to be Michelin rated, just a bit special to mark the occasion.
Likewise if anyone has any places we must go in Lauterbrunnen, plan on going to the ice palace, checking out the waterfalls and generally wandering around gawping at the scenery.
It's a good plan - we've stayed in Reims or nearby on our way to Switzerland a few times.
Now, about Lauterbrunnen.
Very small village hemmed-in by cliffs on all sides. Very little to do in the evening, a couple of (pretty average) hotels. On the plus side it is cheap, and its valley position makes it a good starting point for the Schilthorn (via Murren) or the Jungfraujoch (ice palace etc) via Wengen.
Alternatives would be Interlaken which is 20 minutes down the valley, or one of the winter resorts like Wengen or Murren. My recommendation would be Wengen. Lots of good hotels, good bars and restaurants, and as it's up the mountain on a plateau it gets lots of sun.
One little problem is you can't take your car to Wengen - you have to park it in Lauterbrunnen (easy). You get a little train up to Wengen - the same train continues up to Kleine Scheidegg where you get your train to the Jungfraujoch.
Wengen is brilliant - we go every year, winter and summer.
Now, about Lauterbrunnen.
Very small village hemmed-in by cliffs on all sides. Very little to do in the evening, a couple of (pretty average) hotels. On the plus side it is cheap, and its valley position makes it a good starting point for the Schilthorn (via Murren) or the Jungfraujoch (ice palace etc) via Wengen.
Alternatives would be Interlaken which is 20 minutes down the valley, or one of the winter resorts like Wengen or Murren. My recommendation would be Wengen. Lots of good hotels, good bars and restaurants, and as it's up the mountain on a plateau it gets lots of sun.
One little problem is you can't take your car to Wengen - you have to park it in Lauterbrunnen (easy). You get a little train up to Wengen - the same train continues up to Kleine Scheidegg where you get your train to the Jungfraujoch.
Wengen is brilliant - we go every year, winter and summer.
Check out Camping Jungfrau and the restaurant there for a huge pile of cheesy rosti goodness. Very un-pretentious spot. Sometimes they have little Alpine festivals in the evening which are fun.
From L'brunnen go up the cable car to Grutschalp walk through to Winteregg to Murren, have lunch, cable car down and walk to the Trommel Falls, then walk back to Lauterbrunnen.
Smashing day out.
From L'brunnen go up the cable car to Grutschalp walk through to Winteregg to Murren, have lunch, cable car down and walk to the Trommel Falls, then walk back to Lauterbrunnen.
Smashing day out.
Re: Champagne region, stay in Epernay, specifically Villa Eugene. Stayed there a couple of times, lovely hotel. Next door to the Mercier cellars where you can do the tours, and many of the other Champagne Houses are very close by, along the Avenue de Champagne.
FUBAR said:
Re: Champagne region, stay in Epernay, specifically Villa Eugene. Stayed there a couple of times, lovely hotel. Next door to the Mercier cellars where you can do the tours, and many of the other Champagne Houses are very close by, along the Avenue de Champagne.
Or Chateau d'Etoges in Etoges - nice little "house" champagne and a very good tasting menuOr L'Assiette Champenoise in Reims - it has a funny location but is a 2 Michelin starred restaurant and worth it for the experience.
For Champagne, I second most of the Reims and Epernay recommendations, but here are a couple more:
Expensive: Chateau de Crayeres, Reims.
Reasonable, but very good: Hotel d'Angleterre, Chalons-sur-Marne. Very good, big rooms, further down the road (makes a difference), but still in Champagne. Good Michelin * restaurant, but not expensive (unlike the ** one at Les Crayeres, which is good, but €€€€€).
Expensive: Chateau de Crayeres, Reims.
Reasonable, but very good: Hotel d'Angleterre, Chalons-sur-Marne. Very good, big rooms, further down the road (makes a difference), but still in Champagne. Good Michelin * restaurant, but not expensive (unlike the ** one at Les Crayeres, which is good, but €€€€€).
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