[Removed user]

26 October 2015 at 14:11:09 #808065

Hi ,We are from argentina and this is our first trip to switzerland! Coming from our first step trip in London, we don´t want more rain..! We can be in Swizterland for 8 days 15/12 till 23/12. Then we will go to spain..sevilla.

don´t want skiing butno big cities and nature,little towns and sightseeins ar our priorites and lots of enthusiasm!

car?(in winter I´m not shure..) or train ,a city base ?

thanks thanks!!

Gustavo

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[Slowpoke]

26 October 2015 at 17:58:00 #846681

<<“we don´t want more rain..”>>

Not to worry. You can have snow. 😉

More later….I just couldn’t resist a quick note.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

26 October 2015 at 18:16:39 #846682

jajaja ok always the true! agree! thanks!

[Slowpoke]

27 October 2015 at 0:34:15 #846683

<<“don´t want skiing butno big cities and nature,little towns and sightseeins ar our priorites and lots of enthusiasm!”>>

From that sentence, I can not tell if you do or do not want “nature.”

Please help.

You arrive at the opening time of the Winter season in Alpine resorts. They are very busy from December 15 onwards.

Apart from skiing, they do have stunning natural Alpine scenery…mostly covered with snow.

On the other hand, there are quite a lot of small villages and little towns throughout Switzerland, and they are in every kind of region from the Alps, the Italian-speaking Ticino, to the rolling hills of the Emmental farm country, to the Three Lakes region near Neuchatel/Biel-Bienne/Murten.

It will be cold and generally not sunny…perhaps more sun in the afternoons. Winter in Central Europe is kind of grey.

If you could expand on

<<“and nature,little towns and sightseeins ar our priorites and lots of enthusiasm!”>>

it would help us to respond. What kind of sightseeing? What kind of towns, if you can say? On foot or from a train window? Any preferences for the different regions which speak German, or French, or Italian, or Romansch?

It is not a good idea to get a car, generally, and especially in Winter, but there may be advantages in some cases.

The trains and other public transport are prompt, frequent, on time, and let everyone look out the window. There are discount schemes to reduce the cost of public transport-

http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses

Many first-time visitors like Luzern. Although it is, indeed a city, it is not very large, and the surroundings offer a lot of variety.

http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

27 October 2015 at 14:00:22 #846684

Thank for the reply and the ideas!

Yes we want nature and good weather! we know that winter have to be consider that`s why we need an efficient schedule..so ok train is the best please in a window seat ,language is not a barrier nor important in where to go..so having a loop in the country of course if is posible alps-snow, lake,towns to walk and a scenic train also..we are flexible for the beauty..

and were is the best weather also!

it help`s?

thanks!!!!!!!

Gustavo

[Slowpoke]

28 October 2015 at 7:14:39 #846685

Hi Gustavo –

Lets take this in pieces.

Weather –

See:

http://www.myswissalps.com/ab outswitzerland/nature

Weather forecasting is not very reliable, even for the next day. The geography and the altitude are very important.

Winter in central Europe can have day after day of grey skies, even if there is no precipitation. The Swiss solve that problem by going up. Say, above 2000 meters (above sea level). Often, there is sunshine above the clouds.

So, the high altitudes around the Jungfrau are a good target. (Keep track of the weather up top by TV, Internet, webcams and displays of information at rail and tourist offices in the region. A trip up to Jungfraujoch is quite expensive and can be disappointing if it is cloudy up top.)

http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland

http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion

Zermatt is another.

The timetable will help you plan journeys:

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

A good map can help with local details, hiking trails, as well as broader outlines of the rail network for planning a loop journey.

This is a very powerful map.

Open the menu and check “maps displayed” to get hiking trails, for example.

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swisstopo&lang=e n&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo .pixelkarte-farbe&layers=ch.swisst opo.zeitreihen,ch.bfs. gebaeude_wohnungs_regi ster,ch.bafu.wrz-wildruhezonen_portal,c h.swisstopo.swisstlm3d -wanderwege,ch.swisstop o.swissalti3d-reliefschattierung&lay ers_visibility=false,f alse,false,false,false &layers_timestamp=1864 1231,,,,&X=212000.00&Y =676500.00&zoom=4

This map is simpler, but displays travel timetables at specific stations if you zoom in with transportation (traffic) displayed. If you are zoomed in far enough, and mouse over the icon for a station, a brief timetable pops up.

map.classic.search.ch/

In another message I’ll talk about rail journeys and villages.

http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips

Also, where to start your stay.

Depending on how and where you enter Switzerland, you may wish to spend some time around Lake Geneva, or, perhaps, stay a day or two in Luzern. Luzern has many of the features you arr interested in, all nearby, and is not a big city. It is easy to walk around. It is a reasonable base for some scenic train rides, and has easy fast rail access to a variety of cities, such as Bern, which is quite attractive, and is also not a big city.

http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

Note that Lucerne ( French) Lucern (English) and Luzern (German) are all the same place;-)

I tend to use Luzern, because the canton and city are German speaking. The forum tends to use Lucerne — useful for searching.

http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/lucerne.html

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

29 October 2015 at 2:07:10 #846686

Hi! I really appreciate all the effort and the information you give..is really fantastic,again thank you very much!Finally I decide to see a little of Alsace with Colmar in France from Basel Airport and then go to Lucern like a good base 2 or 3 days doing your page suggestions.I’m a little concern staying in a little base like Murren or Wegen and if the weather is bad not have the possibility of going up the mountain..Perhaps is better for me to take the Golden pass and go to Montreaux but were is better to stay one night in the route? or were to stop..and seewhich part of thre route is better for scenic views?Then go the last day only to Geneve to take the flight…Do you think is ok?thanks!!!!gustavo

[Slowpoke]

29 October 2015 at 16:26:35 #846687

<<“Basel Airport and then go to Lucern like a good base 2 or 3 days doing your page suggestions.I’m a little concern staying in a little base likeMurren or Wengen and if the weather is bad not have the possibility of going up the mountain..Perhaps is better for me to take the Golden pass and go to Montreaux but were is better to stay one night in the route? or were to stop..and see which part of thre route is better for scenic views? Then go the last day only to Geneve to take the flight…Do you think is ok?”>>

All of that makes sense.

The Jungfraujoch, or, less aggressively, via the cograil train from Lauterbrunnen, the villages mentioned actually can be reached from Luzern in 3 hrs 15 minutes to Kleine Scheidegg. Trains every hour at xx05. The route is through the Brunig Pass, which is quite scenic.

It is along haul, but the latter parts in the LBValley near the Jungfrau are scenic, and the views from Kleine Scheidegg are pretty good. It could be a way to sample the area.

With your information about the itinerary, it is possible to add some ideas. First of all, with 7 or 8 days available, you can easily select two bases, possibly even three bases. Luzern is an excellent starting point, as you have seen.

And, you have begun to put together some possible rail routes.

There are other possibilities from Interlaken, so we could discuss that if you decide to stay in the Interlaken/Jungfrau region. One that I like is the very scenic ride through the Kandertal (via Kandersteg, not the new lower level and boring tunnel) to the Rhone Valley at Brig, thence along the Rhone to Montreux, Lausanne, Geneva. It would not make much sense unless you were staying somewhere close to the route, so its is just for background information.

I’d like to address your interest in getting close to nature and walking in smaller towns. Since it is Winter, you will not see the kind of scenery that I have photographed in the attached images taken in the Emmental. Although no single town is worth a journey, the visit to a few Emmental villages that are close together, along with walks, puts you in the heart of old Swiss country culture, and has very nice villages. If it were Spring or Fall, I’d recommend it. It is between Bern and Luzern, and easily accessible from Basel, as well. But, “nature”is likely going to be a bit drab and cold in mid-December. (Sometimes you get sunny days…can be very nice for walks.) See pictures.

There are quite a few smaller towns and villages in the Western part of Switzerland that you could reach, especially if you stay a day or so in a location north of Geneva…..

I’ll not post links at this time, but you can search this web site and MySwitzerland.com. I’ll try to add some more information later.

I have visited all of these places, often for day trips or a few hours, and enjoyed walking around them. I have stayed at many of them. All are accessible by public transportation; most by train, some require a bus.

Get out your map. There are a lot of secondary/local rail lines in the area north of Lausanne, and they offer nice views of the country while you ride to many of these places.

For that matter, the lake side community and walk/promenade/trail below Lausanne, at Ouchy, is a long time scenic harbor and lakeside destination.

Look at a map and zoom in on Ouchy by the lake.

map.classic.search.ch/

There are many hotels and restaurants. The walk along the lake continues most of the to way Vevey (with a few gaps requiring walking on roads.) You are walking directly below the vineyards, and the views of the lake,vineyards, small villages and mountains are very attractive. There is train line with you can pick up at, for example, Villette or Cully after you have walked a few km. Or you can catch it closer to Lausanne, but for example, at Lutry, the train station is up the hill a bit. At Villette and Cully the stations are very close to the walking route.

Romont

Gruyeres

Avenches

Murten/Morat

The old city down by the river in Fribourg

Schafis/Ligerz/Twann on the Bielersee

The old city part of Bern, with a walk from the station down through the old town too the Nydegg Bridge, and up to the scenic overlook at the Rosegarden. Not so many roses in December…;-(

Yvoire, in France, on lake Geneva

As far as I am concerned, and as far as the Unesco World heritage Organization is concerned, the most attractive village in Switzerland is Guarda. That, and the other Lower Engadine villages of Ardez, Ftan, Scuol, Sur-En (tiny) make a good destination. They are quite out of the way in the southeast corner of Switzerland, and probably don’t fit your schedule. The lower altitudes (Scuol) are probably snow free, but the peaks and ski areas will probably have skiers on them in late December.

Three pictures attached.

http://www.myswissalps.com/lo werengadine

Next trip.

Slowpoke

[Slowpoke]

29 October 2015 at 16:31:25 #846688

<<“Perhaps is better for me to take the Golden pass and go to Montreaux butwere is better to stay one night in the route? or were to stop..and seewhich part of thre route is better for scenic views?Then go the last day only to Geneve to take the flight…Do you think is ok?”>>”>>

The whole journey is scenic. The best part for me is from Montbovon to Montreux through the vineyards.. The panoramic windows on the Golden Pass Trains are nice, but the regular trains cover the same route, and you can see out nicely.

I’d probably stay at or near Montreux if I did that trip, because there is a lot to see near there.

http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux

Slowpoke

[Slowpoke]

29 October 2015 at 16:36:05 #846689

<<“Finally I decide to see a little of Alsace with Colmar in France from Basel Airport”>>

I have heard many good things about Colmar, but have never been there. It is famous for its flowers. I suspect that the flowers will not be quite so nice in December, as in warmer times. Let us know how you liked it afterwards.

Slowpoke.

[Slowpoke]

31 October 2015 at 21:12:58 #846690

<<“and then go to Lucern like a good base 2 or 3 days doing your page suggestions.I’m a little concern staying in a little base like Murren orWegen and if the weather is bad not have the possibility of going up the mountain..Perhaps is better for me to take the Golden pass and go toMontreaux but were is better to stay one night in the route? or were tostop..and seewhich part of thre route is better for scenic views?Then go the last day only to Geneve to take the flight..”>>

To follow up on this idea-

Perhaps I did not comment clearly on it before.

It would make sense to –

1.- Spend a few nights in Luzern, because there are a lot of different things to do in Luzern or traveling from that base.

The tourist info office by track #1 is very helpful and very knowledgeable.

2.- Take the train to Luzern through the Brunig Pass via Meiringen to the Jungfrau Region. Stay a couple of nights, or, at least, one night. That is part of the Golden Pass Route, sometimes called by other names

If the weather is good, you can find out at many places, and perhaps choose to go up to Jungfraujoch. Alternately, Schilthorn.

Or, even with cloudy weather, you will be amazed by the scenery and enjoy triding the cograil train which goes from Lauterrbrunnen to Wengen to Kleine Scheidegg to Grindelwald. The branch route to Jungfraujoch heads up from Kleine Scheidegg.

The Luftseilbahn from Wengen up to Männlichen will be open and worth the trip, even if the trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg is not open. That trail is cleared during some part of the winter….it might be open. If you are able to take it, make sure you wear boots or sturdy shoes with lugged soles.

You can walk the LB Valley…waterfalls, etc. Lots to do even if the weather is not sunny. The one thing you don’t want to do is pay a lot to go up to the Jungfraujoch and discover that all you can see is clouds and fog. So, stay lower if that is an issue, or even on the Lake or visit Brienz and Thun.

http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion

3.- Take a train to somewhere around the northern part of Lake Geneva….such as Montreux (good tourist destination) or Lausanne ( Olympics museum.) Golden Pass line via Zweisimmen or Lötschberg route via Kandersteg. If you choose the Lötschberg route, you can later at another time ride on the very nice last part of the Golden Pass route from Montreux to Montbovon, if you choose to go to Gruyeres from Montreux..

Spend a few days on and near the lake, at Chillon Castle, or riding through the vineyards ( Vevey to Puidoux) and also exploring a few of the towns I mentioned before that are north of Lausanne

4.- Go to Geneva to catch your plane.

I’ll expand on those towns in another post.

Slowpoke

[Slowpoke]

1 November 2015 at 16:11:04 #846691

<<“towns to walk and a scenic train also”>>

Here are links to some of the towns I mentioned.

I’ve given times from Lausanne or Montreux, whichever is a better route.

Frequent trains connect Montreux and Lausanne- 30 or 40 minutes.. If you are going to

stay in Montreux, and want to go up the main line toward Fribourg and Bern, it is common to go to Lausanne and then change to go north. However, there is a really nice shortcut very scenic train from Vevey to Puidoux ( on the mainline north) which cuts off a lot of time. But, you have to watch the connections at Puidoux to get back on the mainline. Use the timetable and a map.

http://www.montreux-vevey.com/en/CL-ar/Culture_Lavaux_en/a ctivites_lavaux/trainv ignes

The trains in the area are generally not special scenic trains, but the scenery will keep you watching out the window most of the time, even on the local and secondary routes.

Romont

Founded by the Romans as Mons Rotundus. A well preserved hilltop town from the 10th century, with nice views to the alps and some good buildings to explore. 30 to 40 minutes from Lausanne. If you take the 0857 from Montreux to Vevey, change for Puidoux-Chexbres, change for Palezieux onto the main line for Romont it will take you one hour and 12 minutes. Arrive at 1005. Sounds complex, but it is easy.

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/romont.html

From there you might go on to Fribourg or Bern, or go west to some of the other towns.

Fribourg-

Further up the main line between Lausanne and bern, Fribourg has a nice Old Town down by the river. It is on the French/German language line, so there are two cultures overlapping. it is accessible by bus from the main station, or, by a historic funicular a few blocks from the station )(in the park) which takes you up and down. It is an interesting piece of engineering.

An interesting 2 to 3 hour long walk goes eastward from the old town along a stream in a valley or gorge called the Gotteron Schlucht. Out to the eastern end, then a loop to the south then west on trails over the fields brings you to le Bourgillon, with nice views of the city, and a short walk downhill returns you to the old town.

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swisstopo&lang=e n&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo .pixelkarte-farbe&layers=ch.swisst opo.zeitreihen,ch.bfs. gebaeude_wohnungs_regi ster,ch.bafu.wrz-wildruhezonen_portal,c h.swisstopo.swisstlm3d -wanderwege,ch.swisstop o.swissalti3d-reliefschattierung&lay ers_visibility=false,f alse,false,false,false &layers_timestamp=1864 1231,,,,&X=183685.00&Y =580525.00&zoom=7

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/freiburg.html

17 to 27 minutes by train from Romont

1 hour 10 or 15 minutes by two trains per hour from Montreux via Lausanne. Also, a slower train at 1 hour 31 minutes. that takes the “Wine Train” route from Vevey to Puidoux-Chexbres, with more easy connections.

Bern-

I hour 33 minutes from Montreux via Lausanne of which one hour 6 minutes is the journey from Lausanne to Bern.; 1 hour 54 minutes via Vevey/Puidoux-Chexbres.

Lots of nice walking and sights.

I like to walk down through the old town to the Nydegg Bridge, where there are some good places to eat, and up to the Rosegarden. Not many roses in December, but stunning views of the city, and, of course, a place to eat.

On the return, you can pick up a tram at the Nydegg Bridge that will take you back to the main station quickly.

http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/bern.html

.

More later.

Gruyeres is east of Lausanne and Fribourg.

Murten is northwest of Lausanne and west of Bern

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

1 November 2015 at 20:32:36 #846692

Slowpoke ,I dont have word for th good vibes of your mails and recomendation…

and of course I´m studying a lot!!!

very good information!!!

near to close the roundtrip!

thanksssssss!!!!!!!!!!

gustavo

[Slowpoke]

1 November 2015 at 23:19:52 #846693

Thanks.

Glad to hear that you are studying. That is a very nice part of a trip to Switzerland….there is a tremendous amount of information available to help the tourist, and you can get at it ahead of time.

Once you decide where you will stay, perhaps some of the towns north of Lausanne will stand out for ease of access.

Luzern, the Jungfrau region, and Montreux all are close to high mountains. In contrast, the towns I have listed are in what is called the Mittelland…..more rolling hill than mountains.

Slowpoke

[Slowpoke]

3 November 2015 at 19:53:09 #846694

<<“towns to walk and a scenic train also..we are flexible for the beauty..”>>

A few more towns –

Gruyeres –

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/gruyere-castle.html

Full of tourists in summer, has a nice show dairy. From Montreux, the route through Montbovan takes you along a very scenic part of the Golden Pass route, though the vineyards above Montreux.

Murten/Morat

West of Bern, on one of the three lakes in that region. A nice walled town. Plenty of restaurants. Popular with tourists.

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/murten.html

Avenches

Extensive Roman ruins. It was a huge Roman town

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/aventicum.html

You’d likely enjoy walking around any of these.

Slowpoke

this thread has some interesting comments

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/biking-in-murten-through-the-vegetable-path

[Slowpoke]

9 November 2015 at 7:45:00 #846695

<<“towns to walk and a scenic train also..we are flexible for the beauty..”>>

Hi Gustavo –

Ligerz and the Bielersee (Lake Biel)

This is the last message about towns to walk within reach of Montreux. One hour and 37 minutes by train from Montreux to Ligerz via Lausanne. About one hour from Bern via Biel; the train along the shore of Lake Biel is a slow local train.

It is the last message because it is the furthest from a base in Montreux, and is not a single town, but a couple or three close together towns. The region is called the Three Lakes Region, or sometimes, the Lake Region. In German , “die drei Seen Land.”

http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/three-lake-country.html

These particular towns along the lake shore are not an area that gets many tourists, except in September and October during the wine festivals. The tourists then are mostly Swiss.

Fairly close (in km.) to Murten.

A couple of maps will orient you (attached).

In the next post, following this one, I’ll post a few pictures.

It is possible to walk along the lake shore between Ligerz and Twann. There are train stops in those towns. It is also possible to walk in the vineyards above those towns. The village of Schafis is very close to Ligerz and the train station there. There is a funicular going up into the vineyards, just across the street from the Ligerz station. Infrequent service in the winter….maybe only once per hour. You can walk up to the church, although the funicular has a stop near the church. The region has many interesting old towns, such as Le Landeron, Erlach, Sugiez, Motier, and a nature reserve on the peninsula of St. Peters Island in the lake. Unfortunately, to see or walk in all of those towns is best done with an automobile to supplement or shorten the various routes by public transport. The Ligerz-Twann area , although not a single town, is easily accessible and has good trails for walking.

I enjoy the photographic opportunities and the general character of the region. I stay in Ligerz often. Gasthof Kreuz is not expensive and always has fresh lake fish on the simple menu.

Here are a couple of maps.

Slowpoke

[Slowpoke]

9 November 2015 at 7:55:52 #846696

Gustavo –

Here are the images referred to in the previous post. They make a lot more sense if you look at a detailed map along with them:

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swisstopo&lang=e n&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo .pixelkarte-farbe&layers=ch.swisst opo.zeitreihen,ch.bfs. gebaeude_wohnungs_regi ster,ch.bafu.wrz-wildruhezonen_portal,c h.swisstopo.swisstlm3d -wanderwege,ch.swisstop o.swissalti3d-reliefschattierung&lay ers_visibility=false,f alse,false,true,false& layers_timestamp=18641 231,,,,&X=214940.00&Y= 579720.00&zoom=5

I have on my computer a large number of pictures of the area of Ligerz and surrounding towns and villages, all prepared for other purposes.

I have selected 10 to show the character of the region. There may be some duplication, because I used what I had easily available.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

10 November 2015 at 22:47:23 #846697

OHH REALLY THANKS SLOWPOKE FOR ALL!!

fantastic pictures and information! want to go to all the places!.!

last neurotic question..which city you consider for base to give 3 nights ..bern montreux ,friburg

no bother more promise!

thanks again and thanks for the patience!

gustavo

[Slowpoke]

11 November 2015 at 1:18:59 #846698

Hi Gustavo”\-

<<“last neurotic question..which city you consider for base to give 3 nights ..bern montreux ,friburgno bother more promise!”>>

Don’t worry about it. I like help people who are clear about what they want. Glad you like the pictures.

The standard (and easy and simplistic) answer is Montreux.

If you really want to visit some or the non-touristic places that I have shown, Bern or Fribourg might be better as a base, Lausanne works, too.

Please note that if you visit those places, you are automatically promoted to “Experienced Tourist of Non-Famous Places in Switzerland.” Normally reserved for those on their third (or more) trip to Switzerland.

Your gold medal will be sent after you register and when the Swiss decide to give away gold. 😉

And, the address to register is hard to find. ;-o

Did you find particular interest in any of the places that I mentioned?

Let me think about it.

Are you having fun yet?

Slowpoke

[Slowpoke]

13 November 2015 at 15:18:13 #846699

<<“Did you find particular interest in any of the places that I mentioned?Let me think about it.Are you having fun yet?”>>

To answer your question about where to stay, it would help if you can answer my question.

For travel convenience to all of those smaller towns, I’d pick Lausanne or Fribourg. Lausanne has the lake, and the Olympic Museum. Are your children interested in sports?

Lausanne is not a normally recommended tourist stop, but there are a few things available such as a walk along the lake shore from Ouchy (below Lausanne) and the vineyards between Lausanne and Vevy.

Fribourg also is good for travel to those various towns.

However, if you stay in Bern, although you are further from some of the towns and Lake Geneva, you can easily fit i a splendid walk in an odd moment. So, it could work too. Personally, I think I’d tend to make Bern a day trip.

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

13 November 2015 at 16:17:45 #846700

hi!! I´m alive and with one more year..yesterday was my birhtday..but I work instead..finally decide base for neurotic face personality..Bern ..central nice and near lot of places you recommend.. in an hour ,hour and half ratio..jaja
and making my counts I think is better to buy a half fare card,but I´m having problems to buy it in argentina because the rail europe here says that with this card you can´t have a family card..but I understand in the swiss page that you can have family card with half fare card..Do you know how is it?Thanks again and again!!

gustavo