Swiss towns / places less visited!
A traveler named Gunzel shares his favorite lesser-known destinations from his 2015 Swiss trip, including stops like Alstatten and Jungfraujoch. He is currently preparing a standby itinerary using the Tell Pass for potential flights from Australia, looking for ideas and advice on must-see spots.
- Consider visiting scenic lesser-known destinations like Murren and Wasserauen for a quieter experience.
- Look into using the Swiss Travel Pass for unlimited travel on the rail network, especially if you plan to hop around various towns.
- Don't miss the local coffee shops and serene spots for a unique experience away from the crowds.
AI-generated summary-
I enjoy reading the forum (and contributing as appropriate) – particularly noticing the same sort of questions that get asked over and over again.
I also notice the same cities and towns tend to get mentioned over and over again.
For another purpose, I compiled a list of the “end of the line” places I visited on my 2015 trip.
Just for fun I thought I’d share a list of the “destinations” (usually the end of a scenic “line”) to see who else on here may have been there too. Trust this is on topic and in accordance with the forum rules.
- Alstatten
- Axalp (a magnificent and underrated post bus ride from Brienz)
- Brienz (the steam train was only running half way up the mountain when I visited). (Boat to Interlaken)
- Harder
- Heiden
- Innertkirchen
- Interlaken
- Jungfraujoch (most common destination mentioned on this forum?)
- Murren
- Niederhorn
- Niesen Kulm
- Schynige Platte
- Stockhorn
- Stechelberg
- Thun (boat to Interlaken)
- Trogen
- Walzenhausen
- Wasserauen
I had a swiss half fare card and used a Bernese Oberland pass, an Ostwind day ticket and a GA day pass (the rules were different in 2015 as I recall). Plus regular point to point tickets for my entrance (Zurich to St Gallen) and exit (Bern to Geneve). Plus the extra fare to Jungfraujoch.
At present, I’m preparing a “standby” itinerary for a Tell Pass. Something I can do at short (?) notice if ever or whenever I spot an “unmissable” flight offer from Australia!
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Hi Gunzel
How I love those places less recognised! From your list, I visited the following during my 3 week Interrail trip in May and June:
- Altstätten – a lovely trip from Gais
- Interlaken (hardly less well known, but I can see why it’s on your list of terminus stations)
- Murren – beautiful!
- Thun (boat to Spiez)
- Trogen – a very quiet place on a Sunday!
- Wasserauen – very busy on a Sunday!
***
I intend to write up the trip in time, but have already referred to some of these places in response to other questions on this site. I wonder what is the best way to refer to these?
Some other places on my trip ‘less visited’ (often not terminus stations, but places where I got off and had a good mooch, and particularly enjoyed the experience:)
***
- Gais, Appenzell, Herisau, Gossau, St Gallen
- Filisur, Wiesen, Litzirüti, Langwies, Alp Grüm, Cavaglia, Poschiavo, Le Prese, Miralago, Brusio, Tirano, Scuol-Tarasp, Buchs
- Lenk, Zweisimmen, Montbovon, Bulle, Fribourg
- Aigle, Leysin, Champery, Les Echenards (the smallest station in Switzerland?), le Sépey
- Lugano, Bellinzona, Göschenen
- Martigny, le Châble
- Yverdon-les-Bains, Ste Croix
- La-Chaux-de-Fonds, les Ponts de Martel, le Locle, les Brenets
- Glovelier, Porrentruy, Bonfol, le Noirmont, Tavannes
- Thun, Spiez, Leissigen, Darligen
- Luzern, Konolfingen
***
It’ll take some time to write this up! Some lovely memories – often of very quiet places.
John
Great stuff John!
Most of the places I’ve visited on my four trips; 1974, 1989. 2013 and 2015.
I’ll look forward to reading your reports. I like your comment about “mooching around” at the end of the line. My lady friend and I usually head for a coffee shop or bar – depending on the time of day – to watch the “passing parade”.
And my lady friend has a new angle; she aims to get her hair done in a most unlikely place – at least once in each country! Never a language problem. A smiling face and money (or credit card) in hand always works.
I guess not too many international travellers, especially on this site, have been from le Locle to les Brenets?
Waldenburg is another good place.
But we possibly digress. It will be interesting to read what others may have to contribute.
Gunzel (aka Paul in Australia)
Hi again Gunzel
‘I guess not too many international travellers, especially on this site, have been from le Locle to les Brenets?’
I guess even fewer have been from Porrentruy to Bonfol! Both of these lines were rare examples, for Switzerland, of looking shabby, unkempt and wonderful!
John
Porrentruy to Bonfol is on my “bucket list” along with the other lines in the area. Missed during my fairly thorough coverage in 1974.
Hi Gunzel and John!
Great thread topic to start – very useful! I’m going to move to trip reports. Please feel free to add as you or any other member sees fit!
I admit, in my 3 years in Switzerland I hadn’t ventured too far off the tourist path myself!
Perhaps St. Gallen and Wasserauen was as close as I got! :). Hiking up the Ebenalp was not busy on a weekend though – everyone takes the gondola of course.
Stein am Rhein was busy but mostly with Swiss and German tourists…didn’t notice many non-German speakers there.
1.- Le Noirmont –
Worth a detour and the prices:
http://www.georges-wenger.ch/en/
Right by the railroad station.
Nearby, need a car, but La Goule is an interesting diversion The narrow road still had the WWII pillbox and places in the road for explosives, left from WWII.
map.search.ch/?pos=561212,230498&z=10 24
2. – In the Emmental:
Mettlenalp ( Fankhaus)
My pictures are on film, not scanned, so this will have to do:
map.search.ch/?pos=639098,204812&z=12 8
Last bus stop on one route to the Napf.
Bus service is now down to about one in and out in the AM and one in the PM on Sundays, for hikers.
Along the road in to Metlenalp from Trubschachen, where you can see the inn from the 15th century (attached image) you pass by many large Emmental farmsteads.
Picture of one is attached, near Fankhaus ( or Fankhus, in Swiss German).
On the way in, only about 3 km. the bus route swings off the road to go through the village of Trub.
My only handy picture is taken from the road on the ridge above, but the old houses and gardens, as well as a Gasthaus or two make a pleasant place for a walk.
3. – I’ve mentioned this before on this forum:
The local stops on the Bielerfuss line, such as Ligerz.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/suggestions-solo-traveller-for-2-3-nites-feb-2018
4.- In the East-
Santa Maria Val Mustair:
map.search.ch/?pos=829249,165484&z=25 6&poi=bergbahn,haltest elle,kirche,parking,vi asuisse,zug
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/val-muestair-biosfera.html
and, at the end of the rail line, Scuol, in the Engiadina Bassa.. There has been some coverage on the forum. Both Alpenrose and I have posted pictures.
5. – <<“Waldenburg is another good place.”>>
The Liestal-Waldenburg line is the only 750 cm. gauge line in Switzerland.
Not for from there, the Oensingen -Balsthal line, a short standard gauge spur may be the shortest standard gauge line in Switzerland. The rail car company in Balsthal has a boneyard, some of which is accessible to some one who wants to walk around.
map.search.ch/?pos=619379,240239&z=20 48&poi=bergbahn,gebaeu de,haltestelle,parking ,viasuisse,zug
That image shows fewer old pieces of rolling stock than I recall from my last visit there.
At Balthstal there is a pass the through the Jura, and the ruins of an old castle above are a nice short walk. If you take the bus #94 towards Waldenburg, and get off at the second stop (Holderbank) , you can walk in from behind and avoid the steep climb up to the castle from the town.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/castles-circular-trail.html
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Neu-Falkenstein_Castle
map.search.ch/?pos=620577,241336&z=40 96&poi=bergbahn,gebaeu de,haltestelle,parking ,viasuisse,zug
I agree that the Jura lines are well worth riding.
A useful book, for guidance, still available though out of print, is:
Switzerland by Rail, author Anthony Lambert, 1996. ISBN 1-56440-701-2
Slowpoke
Dear John,
So pleased to see POSCHIAVO on your list – what a charming town which also fitted in with one of my “interests” while travelling to different parts of the world, cemeteries! It’s not for nothing that the German for a burial ground is a Friedhof, a place of peace, and although in the Italian/Romansch speaking part of the country, the one in particular in Poschiavo is charmingly delightful 🙂 It is simple, no ostentatious gravestones, and peaceful, a small area next to a church and a total escape!
My others to add to the list are UFENAU island in the middle of the Lake of Zuerich which is a boat ride from Zueri after which one continues the journey to RAPPERSWIL whose imposing old castle houses a most interesting museum of Polish history (yep! :-)) Rapperswil has some delightful restaurants at the water where the boats dock and is an easy train ride back to Zueri at the end of a fabulous day out in the fresh air.
Back I go at the end of September!!
Dear Lucas,
Don’t mention Stein-am-Rhein too loudly … far preferable to Schaffhausen which is over-run at times with noisy tourists!! <lol>
I also love WINTERTUR for its relative calm (despite being the 6th largest city in Switzerland according to Swiss Tourism), not far from the centre of Zueri, a few great coffee shops and restaurants and the Rosengarten with its stunning views, the Swiss Science Centre Technorama, the Technical University and GALLERIES … several wonderful art galleries like the KUNST MUSEUM, the MUSEUM OSKAR REINHART and the wonderful FOTOMUSEUM; sadly the Nabis Collection which was housed in its original setting in the Villa Flora has been moved to Bern.
Hi Tours-
The boardwalk from Hurden to Rapperswil is nice, and has some history.
Slowpoke
Attachments:
Thanks, Slowpoke, you are too kind!! 🙂
I have a better understanding of the distinction between the forum (questions and answers) and trip reports.
Thanks Lucas!
Hope this thread gives some incentive to explore places rarely mentioned on these pages. Although I appreciate the group title is “alps”.
The only journey I recall in Switzerland that wasn’t overly interesting was the train from Thun to Konolfingen.
And yes, Slowpoke, I’ve been to both Balsthal and Waldenburg (with the bus in between).
Another interesting connection was the local bus from Buttes to St Croix.
The ride to Uetliberg (not far from Zurich) is another enjoyable experience.
The noisy tourists who travel in large groups can be a bit tiring?
We’ve started something here? Let’s here more thoughts?
Don’t worry – we aren’t limited to mountain only topics just because we’re called “My Swiss Alps”!
Anything Swiss related is fair game 🙂
Hi Lucas
Technical point – how do I show a link from this topic to things I may have written, especially in Rail Forum, and vice versa? I’m sure it’s blindingly obvious, but escapes me so far.
John
… like Slowpoke did, above …? 🙂
I was once shown KANDERSTEG and the OESCHINENSEE … totally unspoilt, peaceful and beautiful, way off tourist “must do” routes, I reckon …
Hi John,
You can click on your nickname to find a list of the posts you have written in.
Then just copy and paste the URL into your post here.That is what you are looking for?
Interesting discussion here. Thanks everyone, and Slowpoke for the images as well. A few towns that come to mind are listed below. Some are “just” a good not too touristy base for exploring the area, others are also very nice towns. Some have already been mentioned above.
- Bever
- Brienz
- Corseaux (great views of Lake Geneva)
- La Punt-Chamues-ch
- Rheinfelden (base for Basel)
- Spiez
- Stans
- St. Niklaus (Valais)
- Uitikon Waldegg (base for Zürich)
- Zuoz
- Zweisimmen
I don’t mind touristy places by the way, as long as it’s no too crowded or noisy. For example, I stayed in Locarno at the lively lakefront, with great views of the lake and mountains, and all facilities at walking distance. Very comfortable. I certainly get why some towns and peaks are mentioned over and over again. It’s a natural thing for first/one time visitors, which is the majority I guess, to focus on the highlights. So people go to Lucerne, Interlaken and Jungfraujoch, and to New York and London. MySwissAlps needs to focus on the highlights too, as that’s how we can help more people, but we do aim to offer a mix in the end. So there is a page for Mount Niesen for example, but first timers don’t ask about it that much and frequent visitors know where to go 🙂
Mount Niesen was part of my most recent visit (2015) and how refreshing it was to speak (in beautiful English) with a waitress who told my companion and I that they rarely saw English speaking visitors.
You mentioned Spiez; who else has “done” a short trip on the boat (i.e. across the lake) to find you’ve just missed the hourly bus to the railway station and have a fairly long (but still pleasant) uphill walk to the station?
I like your paragraph:
“So people go to Lucerne, Interlaken and Jungfraujoch, and to New York and London. MySwissAlps needs to focus on the highlights too, as that’s how we can help more people, but we do aim to offer a mix in the end.”
I guess it would be a little naughty to refer t the places mentioned as “hack spots”? (Asks me with a smile on my face).
A little yes 😉 Many places are popular for a good reason, they really have something to offer. Some are also marketed very well, that’s how things work. So that’s where people go (first). I went on the famous Bernina Express too during my first visit to Switzerland. It was great!
Thanks to all for this lively conversation! I have determined to add at least one destination on “the road less traveled” to our itinerary of our first & alas, too brief, 10-day holiday.
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