Best things to do in Bern & Zurich and a boat ride
A traveler is planning a multi-city trip in Switzerland, including Lucerne, Bern, Lauterbrunnen, Zermatt, and Zurich over 11 days. They are seeking advice on adapters, must-see attractions in Bern and Zurich, easy hikes suitable for their age, and boat ride options in Lucerne. They also want to know about nearby towns to visit and the location of the 'Honesty Shop'.
- Use a Type J adapter for US chargers when traveling in Switzerland.
- For a quick day in Bern, explore the old town and check out local attractions.
- In Zurich, take a scenic walk near the lake and explore shops on Bahnhofstrasse.
- For easy hikes, check out recommended routes around Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt suited for older adults.
- Lucerne offers great boat rides on the lake; consider visiting Weggis or Vitznau.
AI-generated summary-
Our itinerary is as follows:
Lucerne – 3 days
Bern only 1 day
Lauterbrunnen 4 days
Zermatt 2 days
Zurich 1 day
Questions 1. Do I need a type C or J adapter, or both?
2. Best things to do in Bern if only have 1 day.
3. Best things to do in Zurich if only have 1 day.
4. We love to hike, but are in our 60-70s, so need easier hikes in/around Lauterbrunnen and Zermatt.
5. We would like to take a boat ride possibly in Lucerne or Interlaken. Which would you suggest?
6. What are the best little towns near Lauterbrunnen to visit for views, easy hikes… Murren, Gimmelwald, Grindelwald, Wengen, are some I have read about.
7. Where is the “Honesty Shop”?
Thank you so much for any help/suggestions.
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From our one trip to Switzerland so far, that included stays in Zurich & Lucerne, I’d recommend:
3. One day in Zurich – Take a walk around the old part of town. We crossed the river opposite the train station, walked towards the lake taking a few minor detours, looked at a few churches (Grossmunster), crossed the river, and continued a meandering stroll down to the lake, then back up the Bahnhofstrasse to the train station again. Where we found an Octoberfest set up in the main concourse. We did not take a boat ride on the Zurichsee, but may next time.
5. Boat ride(s) in Lucerne – Highly recommended. We stayed in Lucerne five days last year, and took the boats many times. The docks are next to the train station, the boats are frequent, and there are many stops along the lake. We went to Weggis for lunch on a sunny day, Vitznau to catch the cogwheel up to Mt. Rigi, Brunnen to visit the Swiss Valley Knife Museum (kind of disappointing to us), and caught boats back & forth as we adjusted our daily plans. We also took the boat back from Alpnachstad after visiting Mt. Pilatus, but in retrospect I’d skip that and just take the train back.
Sounds like you’re going to have a great trip.
Hello Ladkins1216,
I’m afraid I don’t know what a C or a J adaptor are, any chance you can tell me? Then I might be able to answer it..or another more tech savy member can answer that question.
2. For recommendations what to do in and around Bern see:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn/activities3. Same for Zurich here:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/activities4. For inputs about possible hikes and additional important information on hiking please see below links:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/activities, hikes are at the bottom of the page
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/activities, hikes are at the bottom of the page
– http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/preparation
– http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king5. Both areas offer boat rides:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/la kelucerne
– http://www.myswissalps.com/la kebrienz
– http://www.myswissalps.com/la kethun7. I don’t know it myself but just found this online, it’s in Gimmelwald:
– http://www.hotel-pensiongimmelwald.ch/e n/the-honesty-shop/Happy exploring and get back to us anytime.
Best,
Steph
To answer Q1 – Coming from the US, we used a Type J adaptor (three round pins) instead of a Type C adaptor (two round pins) to plug in our phone & laptop chargers. We bought a set from REI in the US that included three Type J adaptors because we thought we’d need more than one adaptor. But we really only needed two Type J adaptors, since each adaptor allowed us to plug in two US-style power plugs (one for plugs that had a ground pin, one for standard two-prong blades). So that was sufficient for charging two phones & one laptop at the same time.
The power “brick” for most modern electronics will automatically adapt to the power source voltage & frequency, i.e., going from 120v in the US to 230v in Switzerland, without frying your phone or laptop. Check the fine print on your power “brick” if in doubt; mine indicate they are rated for 100-240v, 1.5A (laptop) or 0.5A (iPhone & iPad), 50-60Hz.
Thank you so much CabinJon. The info on adapters is much appreciated.
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