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Today is our last of eight in Switzerland. We used this forum and the resources on the site so much that I wanted to thank you all. We have had an amazing time. We travelled from New Zealand to Greece and then on to Switzerland. We pre purchased the Swiss travel Pass and all the ‘ majors’ along the way, as we had no flexibility in days. We are both in our 60s and our NZ dollar lends itself to no more than midrange accommodation!
A little about our trip…
We had planned to visit in 2020 when our daughter was living in Geneva but we all know what happened to that plan… fast forward to 2023 and daughter is now back in New Zealand but we decided to start in Geneva anyway. We flew into Geneva and used the train/ bus with the Geneva Card our hotel had emailed. We stayed at Hotel Sagitta which was perfectly placed for ease of walking around the city. Good price, very clean, friendly staff. We really enjoyed Geneva- so calm and relaxed for a big city. We wandered around the old town, walked across the bridge and wandered the waterfront, caught up with friends of our daughter’s.
We then moved into Vevey which was the most beautiful little town. Stayed at Guest House Le Charlot. The location was perfect and we had a beautiful view over the square and waterfront. The room was lovely although limited in facilities- a microwave but no cutlery, for example. However lots of lovely restaurants and cafes nearby! Our favourite was Au Cep D’Or which had really interesting small plates to share. The waterfront was fabulous for walking, stopping for a wine or an ice cream and people watching. We caught the train to Montreux, enjoyed wandering there, then the boat into Chateau Chillon, which was busy but well worth a couple of hours. A bus back to Vevey was straightforward. That afternoon we caught the train to Chexbres Village and walked the path through the vineyards down to St Saphorin. It was stunning. We were a little disappointed to find that most cafes were closed in the mid afternoon on a Saturday and we struggled to find one yo try the local produce. However this may have been a lack of good eyesight!
After two lovely days in Vevey we continued on to Zermatt. My goodness what a stunning trip in and continuous views over the visit! The Matterhorn was as clear as it could be- the weather was superb. We stayed at Hotel Soledad and Arca, which was out of the way if the busy centre but only about five minutes walk from it and with a handy little supermarket for afternoon drinks and sandwiches. Again a good price ( our NZ currency is dreadful when converted so we are budget conscious) a great location with a balcony to sit on and a view of the Matterhorn and very friendly staff. The highlight of our couple of days was the Gornergrat cogwheel. This was breathtaking. The views at the top were truly once in a lifetime. We enjoyed the Museum in Zermatt which gave us some insight into the history around us. We found the Sunday we arrived exceptionally busy, but Monday was much quieter in the town.
Next stop the beautiful city of Lucerne. We traveled to Andermatt via the Glacier Express. We had an interesting experience because there was a holdup of about 15 minutes in Zermatt and then again in Brig- something to do with carriages. The staff was exceptional – apologised, a free drink, and then informed us that if we’d made online reservations we could claim that back because of the inconvenience. Truly excellence in action- I have emailed to claim, so we will see! None of the issues hindered the beauty of the ride to Andermatt and from there we continued via normal service. In Lucerne we stayed at Hotel de la Paix which as an excellent location, somewhat tired in facilities but clean and again friendly staff. We loved Lucerne- very walkable, enjoyed the waterfront area and the old town, took a wee cruise on our arrival- such a stunningly beautiful city and lake. We also travelled via boat to Lucerne to Vitznau, took the fabulous cogwheel up to Rigi Klum and again were blown away by the views. It was very busy up there but nothing detracts from the natural beauty. In the way down we took the gondola. This was a disappointment as it was absolutely crammed with people. Literally we could see nothing but the people around us. Wouldn’t recommend it- but the train was fabulous.
Today we leave to travel to Como. Switzerland has been beyond expectations in every way. We had perfect weather for the entire stay, except a little overnight rain in Geneva. The natural beauty of your country is incredible.The chocolate is of course supreme and we did sample quite a bit! People are friendly and helpful. The transport system is fantastic. The Swiss Card was well worth purchasing for easy travel and for access to so many extras. The rail staff were so helpful at every location.
Finally thank you to this friendly accessible website for all the information we gained from it.
Goodbye beautiful Switzerland- we are so glad we visited!
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And the SBB app was invaluable!
Hi Kiwirose,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write your trip report.
We really appreciate it and very happy to hear you found our forum and website productive and beneficial.
So glad to hear you have had a great time too – the weather has cooperated and all the handy tips with regards to accommodation, the travel, your thoughts on the Swiss Travel Pass, which will most certainly help others planning their travels here.
Thank you again and enjoy the next leg of your trip to Como.
Beautiful photos by the way.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Just realised I posted in the wrong section- apologies!
No problem Kiwirose,
I’ll ‘move’ to the appropriate section.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thanks Yolanda.
Hi Kiwirose,
Very nice pics. I’m so glad you had great weather and glad you had a great trip. I hope your time in Italy is just as great.
Regards,
Danielsan
Thanks for sharing your experiences and your beautiful Matterhorn pictures Kiwirose!
Hello,
So great to hear about your trip! We are going in November on the 8 day travel pass and much of our itinerary matches yours from Montreux to Lucerne however we are doing a stop in Lauterbrunnen in between Zermatt and Lucerne.
Here is my question – once in Lucerne we are also going to travel to Andermatt. I ski and plan to ski for the day but my husband does not. Did you do any sightseeing in Andermatt – I am trying to figure out what he could do while I ski. Any suggestions?
Thanks again for sharing – enjoyed reading about your wonderful experience!!
Regard,
Denise
Hi Denise- sorry no we literally changed trains at Andermatt! So I can’t help you.
Hi Denise,
Andermatt is a popular ski resort but offers plenty of other activities for non-skiers such as winter walks, hiking and snowshoeing. He doesn’t have to ski to ride the gondola to Gemsstock and enjoy the views from the top. Optionally he could explore Andermatt on foot and check out the various shops and restaurants in the village. If he prefers a quick day trip, I recommend hopping on the train to Bellinzona – the journey takes roughly 1.5 hours. Bellinzona is well known for its medieval castles.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
Hi Kiwirose, thank you for your report. I totally understand the $$$$ exchange rate as the CHF is currently very strong. Inspite of our SGD being strong, budgeting for meals in Switzerland takes a huge chunk even when we dine in those moderate cafes or restaurants. We can’t handle the migros takeaways as my gut is a little sensitive at times. Thankfully our hotels should have good hearty breakfasts that will fill us till we have an early dinner. We had the Half Board which included dinner at the hotel in our previous trips but this coming trip, we don’t have that available. So the meal budget is going to be expensive this time round.
This coming trip in mid Nov we will do Zermatt and the Lake Geneva region for the first time. Then head to Basel for the Christmas markets. Nov isn’t the best of times to visit Switzerland as so many rides are closed (thankfully we have done much of that in our previous visits). But we wanted to visit some museums in MORGES, Lausanne and Zermatt at a quieter time and head for the Christmas markets for a change.
The Swiss alps absolutely blow us away whenever we visit. Hope one day you will have the chance and budget to visit the Bernese Oberland Lake Brienz, Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg Grindelwald region. and stay for a few days to do all the amazing rides. I tell my friends if they only have one week, to just do this region and soak it all in.
New Zealand has its own beauty especially the South Island and we enjoyed our time there more than 10yrs ago.
Glad you had a good time and enjoyed the beautiful views during your Swiss trip. .Thank you once again for sharing.
Ok thanks anyway!!
Thanks Anna. That is very helpful!!
Hi Kiwirose,
Thank you for your report and for the spectacular photos of the Matterhorn – so glad the weather was beautiful while you were there!
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