[arnoldjess]

19 October 2023 at 13:31:55 #830912

Hi all,

Thought I contribute back to this forum.

My wife, my kid, myself and my elderly mother-in-law went late Sept to early October.

We travelled by train to Lucerne, Interlaken, Zermatt, St Moritz, Lugano & Zurich; did the Bernina, Gotthard & Glacier (also rated in this order).

THE GOOD

Every time we went up to the mountains peaks, it was super clear.

1st class swiss train pass was worth it for us. Less people, we have seats 100% of the time, even during peak hours.

Bernina Express was beautiful and hugely underrated. We didn’t manage to book the bus from Ticino to Lugano. So, we took the Italian train from Tirano to Varenna, then the ferry from Varenna to Menaggio, and finally a cab from Menaggio to Lugano. Totally doable but tough with 3 large luggages, a kid and an elderly.

Paragliding in Interlaken was worth the experience.

Getting tax refunds in Zurich Airport was a breeze; hardly anybody there.

Lugano was beautiful and the day trip to Como was worth it.

Managed to do some shopping: cliched the sold-out Cartier Solarbeat in Interlaken and the sold-out Loewe Puzzle Tote.

THE BAD

Lugging 3 huge luggage around, and up & down the train was tough. TIP: Travel as light as possible. Or use luggage transfer.

Landed in Zurich, had to queue for almost an hour for passport control. TIP: Try to land when it is working hours for the Swiss.

Queued for an hour just to eat Swiss fondue. TIP: Reserve in advance.

Don’t expect any smile from any service staff: Swiss airline, train staff, etc. They are just doing their job and getting their pay checks, nothing less and nothing more. TIP: Just have zero expectations, especially if you come from Southeast Asia.

THE UGLY

A Swiss senior woman asked me whether we are in the correct class. We looked East Asian. I insisted we are and offered to show her our swiss passes. Obviously, she didn’t get the memo from Swiss Tourism Board to treat all tourists nice.

<<removed by moderator>>

Rude and rushed service at Glacier Express; totally overrated in terms of service and scenery.

A young man harassed me just because I was dressed slightly androgynous that day (a la JW Anderson).

<<removed by moderator>>

Interestingly, I helped my wife and mother-in-law to try out shoes by bending down and putting on their shoes. The salesgirl remarked to my wife that she has found a good husband. In Asia at least, this is just basic gentleman manners.

All in all, it was a good trip. But we won’t be going back anytime soon. I guess in the end, deep down, we are the proverbial city mice: the museums, the food, the shopping and the entertainment… enough hiking to last us for a while.

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[Pam19]

19 October 2023 at 14:39:01 #958894

Thank you for the helpful information. But so sorry to hear how you were treated by some. That was painful to read, and I’m sure to experience. Thank you for sharing.

[Sewchek]

19 October 2023 at 16:01:48 #958895

We had a similar ugly experience on a train with a white middle age frumpy overweight woman on the train. Just ignore her and walk past her , and told her to look in the mirror and mind her own business. The look on her face is priceless and makes me laugh. Her skin color and behavior defined her , not others.

in general we find people helpful, pleasant and kind. We enjoyed our holiday in Switzerland, and look forward to coming back soon.

[Yolanda]

19 October 2023 at 16:24:08 #958896

Hello arnoldjess,

Thank you for sharing your recent Swiss trip with the forum. Lovely photo of the Matterhorn.

That’s very unfortunate you had some negative episodes during your time here but glad to hear it was not all unpleasant and on the whole you had a good time.

Kind regards,

Yolanda

[Yolanda]

19 October 2023 at 16:31:11 #958897

Hi Sewchek,

Sorry to hear you also had a unfortunate experience too. It’s certainly unlucky especially whilst on holidays.

Glad it did not dampen your trip too much and that you look forward to visiting again soon.

Kind regards,

Yolanda

[arnoldjess]

20 October 2023 at 13:18:56 #958898

Hi all,

Thanks for the concern from the nice people here!

I might have given the wrong impression that the 2 ugly encounters define the Swiss people.

You know how we tend to remember the bad things and ignore the rest?

Here’s the (forgotten) appendix:

THE BEAUTIFUL

1. The young lady at the Swiss passport control was all smiles and greeted my kid.

2. There was this wonderful guide on the Bernina Express. She was basically trying to engage with every SINGLE group within that carriage. She made the Bernina experience totally memorable. She even reminded us to go to the 2nd class carriage so that we can open the windows. I told her she made this particular train ride special.

3. The sales lady at Christ in Lugano was wonderful as well. We discussed about the state of Swiss watches and realised she’s an Italian married to a Swiss.

4. Then, the sales girl at Loewe, Zurich was nice as well, who reminded me about the On Running collab and drop. She’s from Germany though.

So, like all things in life, there are two sides of a coin and in between, endless shades of grey.

We just need to see the brighter side of things.

Thanks people!

[hockeyfan]

20 October 2023 at 14:38:22 #958899

Thank you for taking the time to share such a detailed report of your trip. I love the Matterhorn reflection photo.

[traveljet]

23 October 2023 at 4:51:53 #958900

Hi arnoldjess,

Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy your trip as much as you would have liked. It’s good you also mentioned the good side after mentioning the ugly side.

As in every country, there are unfortunately the sporadic rotten apples we may encounter. These are the only 2 we experienced in our 4 trips to Switzerland:

1) one really nasty waiter in Murren many many years ago who yelled when we needed an extra fork. Suffice to say we did not take that attitude lying down and called the manager, getting his name as well. He was not native Swiss but from Portugal I think. Thankfully this rotten apple was an exception – there were many other wonderful Portuguese staff we encountered.

2) The train inspectors have always been pleasant when asking for our passes. Last June, we were seated in 1st class train carriage and there was this chap standing near the door at the 2nd class. He kept staring at us with that look that we were “trespassing” in 1st class. Finally after being stared at rather unpleasantly for a few minutes,, my husband got out of his seat and approached the man, telling him that we have 1st tickets and can more than afford 1st class. The guy didn’t apologise but nodded his head and looked sheepish after that.

By and large, we found the Zurich immigration staff very pleasant and polite. For those who are concerned, we find that starting with a smile and hello when we encounter the people does make a difference.. Also striking up a conversation with them breaks the ice.

Our encounters with the people in Switzerland have been pleasantly memorable and we hope that won’t change when we return next month for our 5th visit. This trip we will try out the luggage service for a change.

Regards.