Switzerland in August - a little help planning
Discussion
I'm trying to plan a trip to Switzerland in August - probably flying into Zurich for a night or maybe 2, then I'd like to get a train to the countryside for 4 or 5 nights for some walking, cycling and generally chilling out looking at amazing views.
Sounds simple, but I literally have no idea where to start and have almost zero knowledge of the country!
Can anybody recommend somewhere to stay for the countryside part? Either a region to aim for or a hotel... I think 'we' would like somewhere with a bit of a spa/pool etc on the latter.
Sounds simple, but I literally have no idea where to start and have almost zero knowledge of the country!
Can anybody recommend somewhere to stay for the countryside part? Either a region to aim for or a hotel... I think 'we' would like somewhere with a bit of a spa/pool etc on the latter.
Interlaken is a good place to stay for getting into the mountains. It's a town that has everything you will need in the evenings and has good public transport links into the mountains. You can get passes that cover varying amounts of days.
I stayed in a tent there so can't advise on hotels though.
I drove there from the UK in a day, plan a route down Germany and you can do a lot of it over 100mph
I stayed in a tent there so can't advise on hotels though.
I drove there from the UK in a day, plan a route down Germany and you can do a lot of it over 100mph
NorthDave said:
If you have deep pockets then I'd recommend Zermatt. Superb place with views of the Matterhorn and the train ride to the car less village is an experience in itself.
Zermatt is stunning - but for 4-5 nights, Interlaken gives better access to more (in quantity) idyllic villages and scenery. Ideally the OP should do both 
I've recently returned from a trip in this region. One of the best tips I had, from the seat61 website which has a wealth of information about Swiss (and European) trains, was to purchase a ticket from The German Railway website (DB) Singen in Germany to Tirano in Italy, which gives a journey across Switzerland on the famous Bernina Express, which includes travel from Zurich onward - you wouldn't actually need to do the journey from Singen to Zurich. This cost just 29 Euro https://www.seat61.com/BerninaExpress.htm
After getting off at Tirano, got a train on to Lake Como, which was great and a lot cheaper than Switzerland!
I've also travelled Geneva-Interlaken-Zermatt, including a trip on the Gornergrat railway (walked back down, lovely walk with Matterhorn views) then got the Glacier Express as far as Andermatt, then on to Lugano for a night, and on to Milan, another nice trip.
After getting off at Tirano, got a train on to Lake Como, which was great and a lot cheaper than Switzerland!
I've also travelled Geneva-Interlaken-Zermatt, including a trip on the Gornergrat railway (walked back down, lovely walk with Matterhorn views) then got the Glacier Express as far as Andermatt, then on to Lugano for a night, and on to Milan, another nice trip.
Interlaken is a good shout or otherwise Grindelwald is another good place to base yourself if you want to do some awesome hikes. Check out Grindelwald Sports ( https://www.grindelwaldsports.ch/en/overview-of-tr...) if you fancy a glacier hike down from the top of the Jungfraujoch which is an amazing experience. If you're hiring a car you can also head this way from Zurich via Luzern which i'd also recommend, even if just a day trip from (50min train from Zurich) - definitely one of the nicest cities in Switzerland.
Meiringen area is 30-45mins drive away from Interlaken and also has a few things to see and do such as the Aare Gorge and Trift Glacier/suspension bridge.
Zermatt, whilst an amazing town with plenty to see and do is 3-4hr from Zurich so not sure whether you want to spend so much time travelling.
Other places I like - Appenzell in particular the Ebenalp area which has some beautiful walks and the Aescher guesthouse which is perched on the side of a cliff. Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein also very pretty towns on the border with Germany - nice area to cycle along the river/vineyards and have a swim if the weather is good ! Gruyeres and Broc also worth a visit for a cheese and choc experience - ha, I could go on forever !
Once you decide on a region I'll come back and give you some suggestions - have lived in Zurich for several years and spend most weekends exploring!
Meiringen area is 30-45mins drive away from Interlaken and also has a few things to see and do such as the Aare Gorge and Trift Glacier/suspension bridge.
Zermatt, whilst an amazing town with plenty to see and do is 3-4hr from Zurich so not sure whether you want to spend so much time travelling.
Other places I like - Appenzell in particular the Ebenalp area which has some beautiful walks and the Aescher guesthouse which is perched on the side of a cliff. Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein also very pretty towns on the border with Germany - nice area to cycle along the river/vineyards and have a swim if the weather is good ! Gruyeres and Broc also worth a visit for a cheese and choc experience - ha, I could go on forever !
Once you decide on a region I'll come back and give you some suggestions - have lived in Zurich for several years and spend most weekends exploring!
Edited by W99KSY on Tuesday 25th July 14:44
If you're going to Interlaken, try to get to Wengen and the surrounding area.
I have never seen such stunning mountain scenery as there.
Lauterbrunnen is the town at the foot of the mountains and the valley leading up to it is pretty remarkable in itself.
The Schilthorn and Piz Gloria (And associated - free - Bond exhibition) are pretty cool - I was slightly amazed to find it's covered by your standard lift pass, so we visited when skiing in the area! Really wasn't busy at all then!
There's a great black run down! (Probably not too relevant in August, though!)
M
I have never seen such stunning mountain scenery as there.
Lauterbrunnen is the town at the foot of the mountains and the valley leading up to it is pretty remarkable in itself.
The Schilthorn and Piz Gloria (And associated - free - Bond exhibition) are pretty cool - I was slightly amazed to find it's covered by your standard lift pass, so we visited when skiing in the area! Really wasn't busy at all then!
There's a great black run down! (Probably not too relevant in August, though!)
M
Edited by marcosgt on Tuesday 25th July 15:41
W99KSY said:
Schaffhausen and Stein am Rhein also very pretty towns on the border with Germany
Agreed, if you travel via Konstanz (fly to Frankfurt?), you can take a cruise on the Rhine from there, jump off for lunch at Stein am Rhein (lovely painted buildings), back on the boat to Schaffhusen, maybe visit the Rhine Falls, then jump on the train to Zurich from there.Edited by W99KSY on Tuesday 25th July 14:44
I live in St. Moritz so am obviously biased, but if you want to spend a number of days doing a mixed itinerary trip I can't think anywhere better.
St. Moritz was originally a spa town where the British rich were sent to recover and it's one of the bigger Swiss mountain resorts. All of the top hotels in town will have some form of Spa but the village 'baths' is nicer than most hotel spas. https://youtu.be/bvR12nDp4Rg There's also a nice 'public' spa in Samedan a few villages away. Other than that some of the smaller lakes are currently at 19 degrees and are nice to swim in. It's the sunniest part of Switzerland but given the height it gets cold at night.
The whole Engadin valley is breathtakingly beautiful. You're at 1800m base and it will go up to over 3000m. If you stay for more than a couple of nights you get a discounted lift pass.
There's lots to do in town even if it rains which can't be said of all the alpine towns. In august we have a bunch of events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ferrari including an exhibition of classic racing cars and a few rallies: https://www.stmoritz.ch/en/st-moritz/news/detail/h... There is an international horse jumping event if that is your (or your wife's) thing.
Hotels are available at a wide price range. We used to like Inn Lodge in Celerina as a basic-but-nice base, especially the self-catering 'apartments' on the top floor. Sils is a very pretty village and might be a good base. If you want to stay up a mountain try Muottas Muragl at 2500m. Both Inn Lodge and Muottas Muragl are owned by the local lift company. Public transport is great so it's easy to get about and you could rent a bike (mountain bike or e-bike).
It takes about 3.5hours to get here from Zurich on train from the airport. The last 2 hours included parts rated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is a nice panorama carriage on most trains but even the economy carriages are fine.
Outside the Engadin Zermatt is nice in the summer. Interlaken / Grindelwald / Wengen too (go up the Jungfrau Joch and the Schilthorn, where On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed). Ticino is also well worth a trip and now is quick to get to with the new tunnel.
St. Moritz was originally a spa town where the British rich were sent to recover and it's one of the bigger Swiss mountain resorts. All of the top hotels in town will have some form of Spa but the village 'baths' is nicer than most hotel spas. https://youtu.be/bvR12nDp4Rg There's also a nice 'public' spa in Samedan a few villages away. Other than that some of the smaller lakes are currently at 19 degrees and are nice to swim in. It's the sunniest part of Switzerland but given the height it gets cold at night.
The whole Engadin valley is breathtakingly beautiful. You're at 1800m base and it will go up to over 3000m. If you stay for more than a couple of nights you get a discounted lift pass.
There's lots to do in town even if it rains which can't be said of all the alpine towns. In august we have a bunch of events to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Ferrari including an exhibition of classic racing cars and a few rallies: https://www.stmoritz.ch/en/st-moritz/news/detail/h... There is an international horse jumping event if that is your (or your wife's) thing.
Hotels are available at a wide price range. We used to like Inn Lodge in Celerina as a basic-but-nice base, especially the self-catering 'apartments' on the top floor. Sils is a very pretty village and might be a good base. If you want to stay up a mountain try Muottas Muragl at 2500m. Both Inn Lodge and Muottas Muragl are owned by the local lift company. Public transport is great so it's easy to get about and you could rent a bike (mountain bike or e-bike).
It takes about 3.5hours to get here from Zurich on train from the airport. The last 2 hours included parts rated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. There is a nice panorama carriage on most trains but even the economy carriages are fine.
Outside the Engadin Zermatt is nice in the summer. Interlaken / Grindelwald / Wengen too (go up the Jungfrau Joch and the Schilthorn, where On Her Majesty's Secret Service was filmed). Ticino is also well worth a trip and now is quick to get to with the new tunnel.
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