Suggestions for my upcoming trip to Switzerland

  • Removed user
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    7 June 2015 at 20:55:49 #807363

    Hello. I will be arriving in Zurich on June 15th. I have a room booked in Zurich and then I will be going to Adelboden for June 16 and 17th. (I am a Canadian and I learned that my great grandfather and other relatives lived in Adelboden. I am excited to see where my family came from) .

    I need to be in Chur on June 22nd.

    I would love to hear any suggestions for my route and what to do between June 18th – 22nd that works from Adelboden on the 18th and gets me to Chur on the 22nd.

    I am most interested in seeing the scenery and pleasant walks/hikes.

    Thank you in advance for your suggestions.

    Linda

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    Annika
    Moderator
    7103 posts
    8 June 2015 at 19:05:44 #843698

    Hi Linda,

    It sounds so interesting to go back to where your family came from. I’m sure you’ll like what you get to see. Activity tips for the Bernese Oberland can be found here. Be sure to do some hiking around Adelboden.

    From Adelboden, you can take a bus to Frutigen, then a train to Brig. From there you can follow the Glacier Express route to Chur.

    Removed user
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    8 June 2015 at 19:26:27 #843699

    Hello Linda, welcome to the forum and how exciting for you to be visiting the place where your relatives lived!

    Reading your post I am not sure how long you plan to spend in Adelboden and whether you already have plans for the 16th and 17th. If you have some spare days there and don’t need to leave straight away for Chur, on the 18th, I have a couple of suggestions for you. You can take a bus from Adelboden to Adelboden unter dem Birg then the cableway up to Engstligenalp where you will be able to enjoy a flat, peaceful round trail surrounded by mountains (you will hear marmots whistling though you are unlikely to actually see them). There will be goats and cows grazing and some pretty wild flowers and a choice of two places to enjoy a tasty lunch.

    Adelboden doesn’t have a railway station so for my other two suggestions you will need to take the bus to Frutigen to catch a train. You can take the train to Kandersteg where you can find the cable car to Oeschinensee. From the top station you walk down to the lake – there is an interesting sculpture trail there. You can return by the reverse route or, as we prefer, walk along the trail that follows the river down to Kandersteg.

    Also from Frutigen you could take the train to Mulenen where you take the funicular railway up to the top of Niesen. There are great views from the top of Lake Thun and the city of Thun. If you are adventurous you can hike down to Mulenen.

    If you have a day to spare in Chur, I would recommend the scenic train journey to Arosa. On a clear day it is worth taking the cable car from there up to Weisshorn, terrific views and a lovely restaurant. Back down in Arosa, there is the “squirrel trail” through the woods where the squirrels are not shy or afraid of humans.

    To travel to Chur, if you can leave early you can take the bus to Frutigen, train to Brig and the Glacier Express to Chur. You will need to reserve seats on the GEX but you can follow the same route on regional trains, though it takes longer because there are train changes to make.

    You can use the sbb timetable to research all the times of buses and trains. Be sure to put Andermatt as a via station on way to Chur or it will give the quicker route via Zurich.

    Do you plan to use a rail pass? I would recommend the 8 day Swiss Travel Pass for convenience as it covers all your buses and trains and gives you 50% discount on cable cars and funicular or mountain railways. Arosa is included in Pass as is Glacier Express though not the reservation cost. Just board the trains and buses and show pass as requested by personnel. Show pass to buy discounted tickets for cable cars etc.

    I hope I have been of some help and that you enjoy your stay in Switzerland

    Maggie

    Removed user
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    8 June 2015 at 22:36:41 #843700

    Maggie thank you so much! I so appreciate your thoughtful recommendations. I love how clear you are about the routes etc. Your descriptions of the places you have suggested make me even more excited about my upcoming trip. I will print your message to take along so I can follow your directions.

    Again, thank you so much for taking the time to respond.

    🙂 Linda

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    9 June 2015 at 2:01:34 #843701

    Hello again Linda, you are very welcome.

    In July we will be making our 15th consecutive summer trip to Switzerland. We base ourselves in Thun and travel all over the place! I have just remembered another hike we have done from Adelboden. The trail is described on this website – go to What to do – then hiking – on the second page you will find the hike Sillerenbuhl to Hahnemoos – all the details are there. It is a pretty trail in the spring because of the flowers along the trail and the views are special too.

    Enjoy your trip.

    Maggie

    Removed user
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    9 June 2015 at 3:30:41 #843702

    Sounds lovely.

    Thanks so much.

    Linda

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