Switzerland

[oohlahlah]

Hey this thread is alive again!!

Joyce (if you are still visiting this thread), when you say switzerland zurich, are you intending to stay in only zurich and for how many days? There is generally nothing much in Zurich, like a financial district. You can get nice scenery if you venture to the mountains. Depending on the time you have, you can consider various mountain regions like Bernese Oberland (where Interlaken and Jungfrau is), Valais (where Zermatt is) or Engadine (where ST Moritz is).

Allan, if you are interested in Milan and will be travelling by train, you can consider StarHOtels Anderson. It is very near the train station and is 100EUR per night for a very nice 4-star hotel.

http://www.starhotels.com/hotel/anderson_milano/starhotels_anderson.php?idalb=6&idpag=112&lin=2#

 

[awwh]

littlemay

It is 165 Euros, not 100 as you mentioned.
Maybe that was a promo rate.

 

[oohlahlah]

oh, sorry. Maybe because my booking was for December, low peak season.

 

[cheekychick]

Sorry to hijack this thread but would appreciate advice from u guys...

Me & hb have nv been to Switzerland before & im considering a tour with Insight. Itinerary as follows:

Country Roads of Switzerland - US$2578

Day 1 - Zurich at leisure
Day 2 - Zurich - Villars (bb,d)
Day 3 - Swiss Country Excursion (bb)
Day 4 - Lake Geneva Excursion (bb,d)
Day 5 - Villars - Zermatt (bb,hd)
Day 6 - Zermatt at leisure (bb)
Day 7 - Zermatt - Lugano (bb)
Day 8 - Lugano at leisure (bb)
Day 9 - Lugano - St Moritz (bb,d)
Day 10 - St MNoritz - Interlaken (bb,d)
Day 11 - The 'Valley of Waterfalls' (bb)
Day 12 - Interlaken - Engelberg (bb,d)
Day 13 - Mt Pilatus Excursion (bb)
Day 14 - Engelberg - Zurich airport (bb)

http://www.insightvacations.com/asia/index.php?brochure_set_id=369739&brochure_id=369757&region_tour_id=9316&page_component_seq_num=3

Wondering if the above is too expensive or will it be too rushed? Have nv been on a tour group before & not sure wat to expect...grateful for any advice!

 

[oohlahlah]

Hi Cheeky CHick, I can't really comment as I have not gone on a tour with Insight before. But if you like a more leisurely tour, with 4star accommodation and above, I think an Insight Tour is better than those local package tours although you have to pay a premium for it. Personally, I would prefer joining TRafalgar or Insight to local tours even though it would probably cost more.
To plan out the itinerary for my Switzerland trip, I have read intineraries from Trafalgar, Insight, Globus etc. This tour in particular spends many nights on mountain resorts like Villars, Zermatt, Engelberg, Interlaken and St Moritz. I personally feel that that's too many mountain villages and not a good mix between the cities and the mountains. I would pick an itinerary that also spends some time in Lucerne or Geneva, and may opt for just a few mountain resorts like Zermatt, Interlaken and St Moritz.
I personally like the 8 day Best of Switzerland tour from Trafalgar that includes St Moritz, Lugano, Zermatt, Geneva and Lucerne, but I would add a few days stay in Interlaken to that. If you can, why not plan your own trip? Trains in Switzerland run like clockwork and is very efficient.
Just my 2 cents worth...

 

[cheekychick]

Littlemay, thks for ur views! Trafalgar is a sister company of Insight rite? I've heard of it before. Abit worried abt planning my own trip cos cfm i'll be doing it on my own & also cos its my first time there...Not sure if i would waste alot of time trying to orientate myself! U've got a good point...i guess i was actually only tinking abt mountains as i was more interested in dat. Dat is why i wasen interested in European Highlights etc cos i feel dat there's not enuf mountains for me! Thks for advice, i'll take a look at the tour u've recommended...As long as its not too rush, have to change hotels ev single nite, im alrite...

 

[turquoise_lady]

Hi Cheeky Chick, why not check out www.tour168.ch their mountain visits offer various types of views of the Swiss Alps:
1) 360* view of the Swiss Alps
2) view of 1000 summits
3) layers after layers of mountains
4) close-up view of the Bernina massive, highest mountains in the whole of the Eastern Alps
5) view of the southern Alps and her lake districts plus view of the highest and lowest points of Switzerland from the same point
Some friends have been on the tour (honeymoon and normal tours)and said it's good. U might want to check it out.
U can tailor make yr tour too. hope it helps.

 

[cheekychick]

Turquoise, thanks! I've checked it out already, seems quite good...but need to email them for prices cos they dun reflect prices at all on their websites huh? And it seems like more singaporeans go for tour168...Am looking at the 10D winter one, keke...

 

[oohlahlah]

HI Cheeky Chick,
I've just returned from my trip to Switzerland. Its beautiful, snow everywhere. I spent 2 nights in Interlaken, 2 nights in Zermatt, 2 nights in St Moritz and 1 night in Zurich.
I stayed mostly in ski resorts. They are all beautiful, snow everywhere and all 3 resorts are different in their own way.
We travelled using the 8D Swiss Pass, travelling on your own in Switzerland is very easy...you shouldn't worry about finding your way around. At Interlaken and St Moritz train stations, there are free phones for you to call your hotel and they will pick you up. At each of these towns, walking on foot is possible as they are not big.
You can post if you need more help.

 

[snowbells]

hi,

i am planning for a trip to Austria and Switzerland for 2 weeks. My itinerary looks somewhat like this.

4 days in Vienna
- Ringstrasse, Danube Cruise, Hogburg and Schronbrunn, day trip to Prague
2 days in Salzburg
- Fortress, Schloss Gardens, Side trip to Salt Caves and Bavaria
1 day in Innsbruck
- walk around old town
3 days in Interlaken
- Jungfraujoch
- Lauterbrunnen (Trummelbach Falls)and Murren
- Lake Thun or Lake Brienz
2 days in Lucerne
- Chapel Bridge and old town
- Mount Titlis (likely)or Mount Pilatus

I am likely to go to Mount Titlis as I read there is a glacier park with free snow sledges. I cannot quite decide between Lake Thun vs Lake Brienz though. Any suggestions?

I am going with my parents and HB so I am looking at something less strenous for them. Nice scenary and plenty to play with.

Also, I will be taking 6 day Eurail pass so I ain't getting a Swiss Pass.

All feedback and suggestions are welcomed.

 

[kriskris]

this thread has been quiet for some time..
am dng some research for honeymoon next year. Planning for 10 days switzerland + 5-6 days paris..1st timer to Europe. below is the draft itinerary..am i too ambitious?? appreciate any feedback or suggestions

Day 1: Arrive Zurich. Spend 1N in Zurich
Day 2: Lucerne - city tour of lucerne
Day 3: Lucerne - day trip to Bern
Day 4: Lucerne - day trip to Mt Titilis
Day 5: Interlaken - explore Interlaken
Day 6: Interlaken - Thun/Spiez
Day 7: Interlaken - Jungfraujoch
Day 8: Interlaken ->Chur (to catch Glacier Express to Zermatt). Overnight in Zermatt
Day 9: Zermatt - excurison to Matterhorn?
Day 10: Zermatt --> Geneva, enroute stopover at Montreaux & Lusanne
Day 11: Geneva - Paris

Some qns i have are:
1)Between Lucerne & Interlaken, should i just use Interlaken as a base for Day 2-Day 7? Quite bored to stay at same place for so many days, isn't it?

2)For Day 1, make sense to stay 1N in Zurich or better to proceed to Lucerne/Interlaken?

3)For Day 8, the purpose of gng Chur is to take the GE to Zermatt.May i know if GE is really worth the time? if we go by this route, we will have to spend 1 day on travelling.

4)For Day 10, after reaching Geneva, is there a need to stay 1N? i read smewhere saying possible to stopover at Montreaux n Lusanne. If tats the case, can just leave luggage at the train station? safe? how long needed at each place? by the time i reach Geneva could be night time?

hope to get some advise on the above..

 

[lovetotravel]

Dear Kristine,

Itineary looks alright.
1) If you do not mind dragging your luggage, you can choose to stay few days in Lucern and few days in Interlaken. I did that the last time.

2) you can proceed straight to Lucern, no need to stay at Zurich for 1 night. You can always take a train to Zurich any day.

3) can't help on this as I did not go to Zematt.

4) If you are catching an early train to Paris, it is better to stay near Geneva. You can consider staying at small town of Vevey. I enjoyed my stay there.

Any questions feel free to ask. I will help if I can.

 

[rtan]

Dear Kristine,

Just wondering what your itinerary would be like in Paris? We could offer suggestions if you wish.

 

[kriskris]

hi raymond, thks for the offer but i haven plan for Paris yet hope to settle itinerary for Switzerland first...definitely welcome your suggestions if possible..

Peng, i tot if can stay 1N in Geneva, i can probably take a half-day city tour in Geneva before heading for Paris by the late noon train. As to my qns 4, will u be able to advise on Lusanne and Montreaux?

 

[rtan]

Hi Kristine,

Assuming you have five full days in Paris, besides the usual touristy attractions, do consider the following activities and attractions as well. Then you will find Paris a lot more interesting; else it is not the real Paris you are seeing.

1. Walking around Marais and Bastille, check out interesting shops.

2. Visit Bastille market on Sunday morning (and I think also Wed morning, but please check this up).
This market is near Bastille Metro.

3. Catacombs.

4. Cemetry of Pere Lachaise, where many famous people are buried. It is a very peaceful and beautiful place. But be prepared to walk a lot as the cemetry is quite large and undulating.

5. Buy chocolate from famous chocolatiers like Pierre Marcolini.

In fact, here is a great website where you can find interesting things to do; it is written by a French woman.

http://mireilleguiliano.com/content/paris-pleasures-mireilles-favorites

Happy planning.

 

[lovetotravel]

Hi Kristine,

You do not need to stay over at Geneva. There are train station at Montreaux and Luasanne that you can choose to stay overnight. Have you booked your train ticket to paris? If not, I would suggest you take train from Lausanne to Paris instead of Genenva. Geneva train platform is huge and crowded. Its easier to board train at Lusanne especially if you are rushing for time. If I remember correctly, train from Lausanne to Geneva takes only 15 to 20 mins

Do make time for a stroll at Chateau de chillon at Montreaux. Its a beautiful walk.

 

[kriskris]

Thanks Peng & Raymond for all the advises given!
Will discuss with my partner and if any further qns, will post here again..

am thinking maybe i wun do GE route n go direct to Zermatt from Interlaken..cos to take the GE route is beri time consuming..still considering our options on this..as its a honeymoon, i dun wish to rush here n there as if on a tour package

 

[ey99]

Dear all

I erroneously made a double booking for a hotel in Zermatt via www.booking.com. I made reservation for 2nd hotel and forgot to cancel the 1st reservation before the free cancellation deadline.

Therefore, I would like to let go of the hotel booking at a discounted price of CHF300.

The room is south facing and has a balcony. Price for the same room is CHF380 now at Booking.com

Please let me know if you are interested. Thanks!

===============================================
Details as follows:

Booking summary

Hotel Details

Hotel

Alpenstern

Address

Untere Mattenstrasse 39
Zermatt, 3920
Switzerland


Your reservation details

Check-in

Saturday, 7 July 12, check-in 14:00 � 20:30

Check-out

Monday, 9 July 12, check-out 07:00 � 10:30

Quantity

1 room

Total room price

CHF 360.00

Please note: additional supplements (e.g. extra bed) are not added to this total
3.80 % VAT is included.
CHF 2.10 city tax per person per night is included.

Room 1, Double Room with Balcony

South-facing room with a balcony. max. 2 people.

(strictly non-smoking)

Meal plan:
�Buffet breakfast is included in the room rate.


Prepayment :
�No deposit will be charged.


Cancellation policy:
�If cancelled up to 35 days before date of arrival, no fee will be charged.If cancelled or modified up to 15 days before date of arrival, 50 percent of total price of the reservation will be charged.If cancelled later or in case of no-show, the total price of the reservation will be charged.

Cancellation Cost in local hotel time:
� Until 1 June 2012 23:59 [CEST] : CHF 0
� From 2 June 2012 00:00 [CEST] : CHF 180
� From 22 June 2012 00:00 [CEST] : CHF 360


Room price
CHF 346.82
+
VAT (3.80%)
+
CHF 13.18
Total cost of this room
CHF 360


Hotel policies

These are general hotel policies. As they may vary per room type; please also check the room description.

Cancellation & prepayment policy
�Please check the specific policy of each room above.

Children and extra bed policy
�All children under 2 years stay free of charge for cots.
�All children under 6 years stay free of charge when using existing beds.
�All children from 7 to 12 years are charged CHF 45 per night per person for extra beds.
�All older children or adults are charged CHF 80 per night per person for extra beds.
�Maximum capacity of extra beds/babycots in a room is 1.

Extra beds and baby cots are upon request and need to be confirmed by the hotel. Supplements will not be calculated automatically in the total costs and have to be paid separately in the hotel.

Internet
�Wi-fi is available in the entire hotel and is free of charge.

Guest parking
�No parking available.

Pets
�Pets are not allowed.

Credit Card / Guarantee / Payment information

Payment

You have now confirmed and guaranteed your booking by credit card.

All payments are to be made at the hotel during your stay, unless otherwise stated in the hotel policies or in the room conditions.

Please note that your credit card may be pre-authorised prior to your arrival.

This hotel accepts the following forms of payment:

American Express, Visa, Euro/Mastercard, Maestro

Important information

Zermatt is a car-free resort. You have to park your car in T�sch and proceed by train or taxi. During winter it is recommended to reserve a parking space in T�sch well in advance.

Customer Service Info

Wishing you a pleasant stay

 

[breet]

Switzerland offers activities and tours in a country that is famous for its mountains, lakes and many other sights.the famous attractions of Switzerland are-;

* Zurich
* Geneva
* Interlaken
* Montreux
* Zermatt
* St. Moritz
* Berne
* Lausanne
* Basel
* Lucerne
* Lugano
* Davos
* Verbier
* Grindelwald
* Gstaad
* Wengen
* Muerren
* Crans - Montana.