MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Pt 1: Trip report Zermatt Nov 2023 & Zurich Christmas Market
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TRIP REPORT TUE 14 NOV – WED 6 DEC 2023
PART. 1 ARRIVAL IN ZURICH AIRPORT & TRAIN TO ZERMATT 14 NOV 2023
This report is a little late as we were getting used to our time zone after quite a long trip to Switzerland. I was debating whether to do a very brief report or a longer one with some travel tips that would be of some help to other travellers. Decided to do the latter. So here goes:
We (2 seniors almost 70yo) departed Singapore and landed in Zurich at 07:35am after a smooth 12.5hr flight. Took the sky train to Immigration/Baggage Claim @ 08:15am and was actually surprised to see the fairly long queue at Immigration. In our June trip just 5 months ago, there was hardly a queue and we were 2nd in line but this time it took 45mins to clear as the Q was surprisingly longer than expected for a “low” season.
++TIP: We usually prepare a printed copy of our return flight ticket and hotel stays to make it easier for the immigration officer to see at a glance. The immigration officers have been very pleasant in all of our visits, esp when we have brief conversations with them.
After collecting our luggages (no checks at green lane) we used our Saver Day Pass (bought 2 months before) to take the 09:45am train to Zermatt with a transfer at Visp.
No matter how many times we have visited Switzerland (this being our 5th), lugging suitcases on board trains is the main stress factor as you never know what to expect at times. We wanted to save time at the airport on arrival and did not use the luggage service since it was just one transfer at Visp. The 6min transfer at Visp from Platform 7 to 3 is doable but it was a longer walk at platform 3 to get to the front of the train where the 1st class carriage was located. There were steps that we needed to haul the bags up. Strangely the 2nd class coaches did not have steps but the 1st class at the end did.
The 1st class coach had bigger panoramic windows and though it was almost filled up, we managed to get seats. We realised on our last 2 visits that the 1st class carriages on popular routes tend to be pretty filled up, so do arrive early to ensure you get your luggage space and seats. It depends on the day and time of travel too. I guess more and more tourists are vblogging on Youtube and it’s natural viewers feel Switzerland has to be on their bucket list (rightly so).
We chose this period of travel as we wanted to just relax and not deal with crowds. Since we have been to the Bernese Oberland 3x and sat all the rides during May and Sept, we decided to visit Zermatt this time round as we wanted to see snow on the peaks and just have a relaxing pace.
Frankly, I was not expecting much during Nov – (think bare trees and pretty gloomy skies. To our surprise, the scenery that greeted us near Randa and Tasch on the way to Zermatt was absolutely gorgeous. It was apparently a long autumn and so the golden larch trees and colours were really beautiful. The skies were alittle overcast when we arrived but that added some mist in between the trees higher up, so the lovely views were amazing!! I really hope the pics I attached will appear on this post.
What a blessed unexpected treat because I always wondered what autumn would look like in Zermatt, having read so much about it. Yeah!!!
The train ticket inspector did the necessary checks about 20mins into Zermatt. A very helpful jolly chap. He asked if we wanted to buy the Gornergrat tickets in advance as it would save us having to queue at the ticket counter. The tickets were valid till 31/12/23 and still cost the same (CHF 44pp with the half fare card) – so why not. That was the only time we saw any inspector offering to sell the tickets onboard for the Gornergrat. Such a pleasure meeting him.
After alighting at Zermatt station, we used the free telephone service to call our hotel for our pick up. The phone booth is located before the iTourist Information office (near the luggage trolleys). The screen display shows the free number for you to call the accommodation.
HOTEL STAY at COUER DE ALPES
This hotel was everything we were looking for and hoped for. Exceeded our expectations. Huge Floor to ceiling windows almost throughout the premises with amazing expansive views all round. Great personal service as it’s not a large hotel inspite of the spacious premises. I would say it’s likely the best view compared to many of the hotels we saw along the way. It was such a comfortable incredible stay that we ended up staying there for 18N and cancelling our accomodation at Nyon and Basel!🤣ZERMATT TRIP TO GORNERGRAT:
We had lovely blue skies the day after arrival in Zermatt 15 Nov. So we promptly took the opportunity to go up to the Gornergrat. They have the timings on the boarding screen at the Gornergrat station (just opp the Sbb train station).We managed to get the seats at the front carriage (on the right side going up) with the ability to bring down the windows. Blessed with the wonderful clear weather, the scenery on the way up was spectacular – the autumn coloured trees against the white peaks of the alps with the blue sky, truly perfect picture postcard views. The majestic snow capped peaks together with the Matterhorn and the golden autumn trees were truly a sight to behold. Gorgeous!
Once we got to the top, we had to walk carefully as it was quite icy in some areas. Saw 2 people slipping and falling. We love seeing snow and being on top was a pretty chilling affair so we are glad we had our gloves, a beanie + a thick jacket.
Up there, we took a walk to the little quaint chapel. Saw a nice wooden carving ar the altar. Then we walked to the next building on the left where we watched a short film in the “cinema”, after which we went to the area where we could try the virtual experience through the goggles. It is quite tricky adjusting the goggles to get the “Parachute” or “Action” option as the instructions weren’t very clear. Thankfully I got a chance to try it without having to wait. A long Q started forming after I finished and the staff was getting impatient with those who did not know how to handle the goggles.
We walked out into the open and would have wanted to stay a little longer but decided to take the 2nd last train back to Zermatt, in case the last one was too packed.
++TIP: Remember to keep the ticket as you need to scan it when exiting the gornergrat station when you come back down to Zermatt.
As we approached the entrance to the hotel, we were so mesmerized by the pretty sunset near the bridge – seeing the snow covered Matterhorn bathed in those golden pink and orange hues, what a beautiful sight.☺️ A lovely lovely sunset to end the day’s outing.
TRIP TO MATTERHORN GLACIER PARADISE
THUR 23 Nov was another blue sky sunshine perfect day for a ride up. We could actually view the station from our hotel lobby and see what the crowds were like, before walking there. There was quite a bit of construction going on in some parts of the station.We bought the tickets at the counter and there was no Q when we arrived. We took the large gondola from Zermatt to Furi, transferred to the cable car all the way up to the top. The cable car did make a stop at Trockerner Steg but we chose to go to the top first.
We were blown away by the views during the cable car ride up from Furi to the top. As it was just the two of us inside – we marvelled at the wide expanse of what was before our eyes, all the peaks and ski areas was such a sight to behold especially with all the snow all around on a clear day, which made a huge difference. We can never get enough of the snowy landscape because we have none of that in our country. The Matterhorn would also loom right before our eyes when we turned around during the ride.
I realised that the photos does not do justice to the Matterhorn and the peaks around Zermatt – the entire place has to truly be appreciated with the naked eye. This is different from the pics we took from the Bernese Oberland which captured the alpine scenery quite well. For Zermatt, you need to take the rides to truly appreciate the majesty of the peaks and the Matterhorn.
When we reached the top, we did feel a little of the altitude sickness and had to walk slowly initially till we got used to it. Took the lift up to the viewing gallery – the amount of peaks afar off is amazing as it was such a clear day. The viewing platform is not so wide but it was enough to spend a few mins up there since there wasn’t much of a crowd.
++TIP: The toilet up at the top of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise where the cafe is costs CHF 2 to enter That was a total of CHF 4 for a most expensive pee break🤣. To be fair to the cafe, they do offset your food bill if you dine there but as it was quite crowded so we gave that a miss.
I felt the ice sculptures at the ice palace were nicer than those up at the Jungfrau. Thankfully it was easy to move around as there were no crowds.
We did a stop at Trockener Steg on the ride down way – there was more space to walk around outside with some pretty nice open views AND FREE TOILETS. LOL. Worth spending a bit of time enjoying the open space and outdoor cafe.
Once again, we had to watch the time so as not to miss the last ride down to Furi and Zermatt. We did a change at Furi and were suddenly taken aback by the crowds waiting for the gondola down to Zermatt. Imagine what it’s like in the peak seasons!
Bear it mind that they do sometimes shut down the rides on very windy days even on clear days. Eg. The next day after our ride, it was also a beautiful clear day but because of the strong winds up on the peaks, they shut the rides to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise.
TIP: It’s always best to check the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise website to see the daily updates for the rides up there..
So the big question: Gornergrat or the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise? Its really a very very tough choice – please do both if you can. That’s my recommendation based on our experience when both places had quite a bit of snow (that’s why we chose this season). We would not enjoy the scenery as much if it was without much snow.
To be contd…
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Hi Traveljet,
Thank you very much for your trip report and beautiful photos! We appreciate your contributions – always very helpful and informative.
It’s wonderful you managed to experience Switzerland during different seasons.
On to the next trip report.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thanks for sharing your experiences and your beautiful Matterhorn pictures traveljet! They’re amazing. I agree with your advice concerning Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Gornergrat. They’re quite different, and it’s great to visit both.
Your tips are very useful, as travelers often wonder whether visiting Switzerland in November is worth it. Your report shows it definitely is!
Thank you for the trip report and beautiful photos! Did you really stay 18 nights in Zermatt? What a dream! Our whole trip 1-1/2 years ago was 13 days (including travel time), so can’t imagine the luxury of staying that long in such a beautiful place!
Hi EASW,
Yes we had 18 wonderful days (18N) in Zermatt because Hotel Couer Des Alpes was sooo comfortable and the views of autumn+winter was more than what we could ever imagine. I attached 2 photos of the hotel showing the autumn and winter scenery of the same area. It was such a treat to be staying at that time esp when the hotel was only opened because of the ski championships. After having those gorgeous views and service of the hotel, I can’t imagine wanting to stay elsewhere in Zermatt.
Since you live in Switzerland, at least all the incredible places are still within reach without having to fly 12+ hrs to get there.
We were initially worried about dining options before the trip but the quality of food at Grampi’s, Republic and Hotel Julen were very good and tho not cheap, it was frankly not really more expensive than other restaurants in Switzerland. Thankfully we had the budget for it.
Regards.
Attachments:That really is a beautiful location–thank you for sharing the pictures! When we were there we stayed at Hotel Europe and had a lovely view of the Matterhorn. We were fortunate one clear morning to see the sunrise as it reflected off the Matterhorn, turning it a brilliant gold from the tip down.
We live in the U.S., so unfortunately traveling to Switzerland is still a good 11-12 hours for us. If we lived closer we would definitely travel there more often!
Hi EASW, wonder why I thought you were living in Switzerland. Ah if we could just take off to one of their picture postcard towns or villages easily on a weekend whenever we liked. Blessed are those who can. 🙂
What a fantastic report and very timely.
We are having our first visit to Zermatt in late September, and can’t decide between the Hotel Europe and the Coeur des Alpes. The des Alpes appeals to me more, and now your report has cemented it.
My only worries are that there is no restaurant, are there plenty of choices within walking distance?
My second concern again concerns location, having never been to Zermatt, is the location good for getting to Gornergrat and Glacier Paradise?
Unfortunately while we do have eighteen nights in Switzerland, we can only spare three for Zermatt, which I am quite sure will not be enough.
Thanks for any tips in advance. I am now off to find more of your trip report, or to watch out for it if it isn’t done yet.
What a fantastic report and very timely.
We are having our first visit to Zermatt in late September, and can’t decide between the Hotel Europe and the Coeur des Alpes. The des Alpes appeals to me more, and now your report has cemented it.
My only worries are that there is no restaurant, are there plenty of choices within walking distance?
My second concern again concerns location, having never been to Zermatt, is the location good for getting to Gornergrat and Glacier Paradise?
Unfortunately while we do have eighteen nights in Switzerland, we can only spare three for Zermatt, which I am quite sure will not be enough.
Thanks for any tips in advance. I am now off to find more of your trip report, or to watch out for it if it isn’t done yet.
Hello DebH,
I gave more details on Hotel Couer on Pt. 2 of my trip report – did you manage to read it?
In the Pt 2 report, I gave recommendations for the restaurants. I am sure more will be open in late Sept compared to the season that we went.
It really depends on preference – usually we like to have the hotel provide half board for convenience esp after a long day of walking or sightseeing. The reviews for Hotel Europe’s meals are pretty positive.
As for the distance – my suggestion is to use google map to chart the distance and compare it with Hotel Europe and Hotel Coeur. We did not have any issues with the walking distance at all (again Pt 2 of my trip report). Because we took our own sweet time walking to the restaurants and the Gornergrat station on the traffic free road (the traffic free one is just outside the hotel and not the one which the shuttle takes on the lower road) I timed it as 20mins to Gornergrat. If you walk at a normal or brisk pace, you could do it in 10-15mins. Do chart the distance form the google map.
Frankly, I don’t really know how to advise if you should stay in Hotel Europe or Hotel Couer since I have not tried the former. They both have such good reviews.
Hotel Coeur has many different types of rooms – extremely spacious but with different designs.
We had one of the Standard Suite which was facing the front with gorgeous unblocked views from almost all sides – our fav of the 3 rooms we had during our 18N. Request if that one is available if you decide to stay there in this room category.We also had the Tina Loft which had its own private sauna – truly God sent when winter set in during the last few days of our stay. The views are great when you go out to the spacious patio that’s part of the room. I have attached a few photos of the Tina loft here. Actually I took lots of videos but this website does not allow videos to be uploaded.
Finally we had the Gallery Suite which had 2 rooms separated by stairs. It was spacious but we realised our footsteps on the upper room could be heard from the lower one. Because it was at the top, the sloping roof obscured a little of the views.
I am sure you would have looked at all the reviews and pics on Hotel Couer’s website which are spot on.
Assuming all the points eg service, rooms, breakfast are of the same standard between the 2 hotels, the biggest difference is whether you prefer to dine in at Hotel Europe and avoid the hassle of deciding which restaurants to go and also making reservations. (see my Pt 2 report on those we tried but bear in mind many others were closed during our visit).For us, the staff, the lovely owners Leni & Thomas, the amazing expansive views (I think are even better than Hotel Europe – that sunset photo was taken just outside the hotel) and great breakfast (buffet spread with freshly prepared eggs and coffee), free tea all day in the lobby and Nespresso+tea bags in the room….
The biggest plus point for Hotel Europe is being able to dine in which can be really convenient. If you travel schedule is tight, then dining in is a real plus point.
Hope you will be happy with whichever you choose.😉
Hi traveljet, thanks so much for replying. Yes, I have now read all of your reports, which obviously makes things a lot clearer.
I did what you suggested re distances, and there is really only about 3 minutes difference between the two hotels in the distance to the station and to what I assume is the main area.
We aren’t really half board people, although I can well see why it might be popular in Switzerland, giving the eyewatering prices! It seems that there are lots of restaurants to choose from in Zermatt, so I am sure we will find places to eat, and for us it is only three nights anyway.
We do have the standard suite booked, and they have assured us we will have a sensational view, which is what is very important. Because it is our 40th Anniversary, we want something special and that hotel seems to provide it.
I think I will go ahead with Coeur des Alpes, it feels right too, which is important.
Thanks once again.
Hi DebH,
I am sure if you let them know it’s your 40th anniversary during your correspondence with them, they will give you that Standard Suite 201 if you request for it. Let them know the couple from Singapore (Chris and Eileen) mentioned it to you. When we were there, the staff Christiana (she does a great job with breakfast), Laura and Florian at the reception were very helpful and friendly. Of course Leni (I am sure she will remember me as we had some precious time together) and her husband Thomas (great stories of how the hotel was built) are truly great hosts.
Just be sure to do your table reservations as the restaurants are not very large and they give up your table if you don’t turn up within 10-15mins. The reservations website for most of the restaurants are easy to book or cancel and you can view the menu as well. Actually most of the restaurants stretch out quite a bit but walkable – if you look at Grampi’s location, many of the restaurants are around there, with a few scattered near the Gornergrat station.
Don’t miss the lamb at Restaurant Julen – we preferred the one on the street level as it was brighter compared to the basement outlet.
Feel free to ask more questions.
Thanks again traveljet. I will certainly email them, they have been incredibly responsive so far.
I love lamb, so will certainly look at that. Lamb has been so expensvie here in Australia that I always order it when we eat out.
I also read some other excellent review for Grampi’s, so will definitely look out for that one.
It seems that most places now only allow 15 minutes or so lee-way, so we are used to it.
Thanks once again. We haven’t been to Singapore since pre-covid, it must be almost time for another visit!
Hi DebH,
Given the high exchange rate for the CHF, it’s definitely not cheap dining in Zermatt or Switzerland. We budgeted CHF 100 per day just to be on the safe side – some days the bill was around CHF65 and others around CHF 110 depending on whether we had wine or not. We usually skipped dessert. We found the ingredients and preparation to be of high in quality and I think they have some kind of regulation where restaurants have to support their local farmers within a certain radius. That’s really 👍🏼. We enjoyed all our dinners because the meals were very satisfying.
Restaurant Julen kept the bottle of wine for my husband when we returned the next day to finish it. They did not charge us for the tap water but I don’t know if it’s because we ordered wine as well. I know they definitely charge for still or sparkling water. For the other restaurants, we just go with the beer and my regular FeverTree Bitter Lemon on ice (around CHF 5.50) without asking for water.
There was another cafe called MANUD (the daughter of Hotel Coeur owns it). I think they close by 5pm so it’s best to check if you are curious. We tried the Pulled Pork bun which was pretty good and suited our asian tastebuds. However, it was not enough for a proper dinner so we only had it once and needed to do a takeaway soup from the Soupi kiosk (the tomato soup is nice but spicy).
As for Singapore, prices have risen😟over the past few years. Actually the amount we paid staying in Hotel Couer per night, with that level of service, views and breakfast is way way better than what we can get for a staycation in one of our pricey local hotels. So be prepared if you do decide to drop by.
Regards.
Hi DebH,
You can read all about reaching Gornergrat and the Glacier Paradise in the below links:
- Gornergrat: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gornergrat/
- Glacier Paradise: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/matterhorn/
Do check the weather forecast before heading out or purchasing tickets. Best to have favourable weather.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Thanks for the links Yolanda. We will definitely check the weather, it is exactly why we have planned for three nights, but I am aware that we still might not see the Matterhorn. Disappointing if that is the case, but weather is weather!
Traveljet, thanks for more hints. I have emailed the Coeur, but haven’t had a reply yet. Of course our trip is still nine months away, so there is no real rush.
Regarding your pricing for meals, that is actually somewhat less than I was expecting. Is that per person, which I assume? We will always have wine, I don’t drink beer or soft drinks, for me it is wine or tap water, with a very occasional cocktail. I am very much looking forward to trying Swiss wine!
As for Singapore, we were last there just before the pandemic, and the prices had already risen then. We have always stayed at the Pan Pacific Marina Bay in a Club Room, and my parents always did too. When they looked at prices last time, they changed hotels as it had increased so much.
We won’t be back for a while anyway, as we want to spend the next few years visiting Europe before we get too old for the 24 hour journey! We can return to Asia later in life which is of course much closer.
Thanks once again for your assistance.
Hi DebH,
I looked at our meal expenses – so as a gauge:
Restaurant Julen – 1x lamb knuckle, 1x lamb sausages (2 thick pieces with rosti), 1 bottle of Syrah wine (Chf68) = 2px CHF 144.00. We requested tap water which they did not charge (not sure if it’s because we also had wine and they recognised us as we dined there 6x during our stay)
RESTAURANT JULEN – 1 Lamb stew (hubby) + 1 Mixed salad with almonds and raisins with lamb fillet Chf 25 (this was enough for me as I was not so hungry that night). Choc lava cake (recommended). We still had some Syrah wine left from the previous visit = CHF 80.00 for 2px.
Grampi’s: 1 beer, 1 bitter lemon, 1 tomato soup Chf 11.50, 1 mixed salad Chf 13.50 and 1 ribs to share Chf 38.50 = CHF74.50 for 2 px without wine or water.
Grampi’s Bolognese CHF24; pizza frutti di mare CHF 27; 1 mini tiramisu Chf 6; bitter lemon chf 5, 1 cardinal beer Chf 8.20 = CHF 75.20 for 2 without wine or water.
Republic National Burger: 2x Lord Bacon burgers with sweet potato fries; 1 bitter lemon chf5 and 1 draft Chf 7.50 = CHF 76.50 without wine or water.
MANUD 2 Pulled pork buns no mayo CHF34 + 1L Appenzeller tap CHF8 + 1 hot ginger apple no alcohol = CHF 48.00 for 2 px.
Take Away from Soupi – 2 tomato soups (spicy and thick) CHF 18.00
I agree with you about travelling to the faraway places whilst our bodies can still take it. For now, we will likely keep to Asia esp Japan (blissful soaking in their hotsprings and food plus top notch service). Because of the lower Yen, it’s surprisingly cheaper to holiday there than in Singapore. More value for money.
Have you finalised your itinerary for Switzerland? Moderators and visitors can always give tips about your travel. We usually do bookings which allow around 3- 15 days cancellation without charge or payment. That worked well when we changed our minds during our stay in Zermatt.
Regards
Traveljet, thank you so much for those detailed figures, much appreciated. I do have some idea of what to expect, we have visited Switzerland a couple of times before, but only for a few days, and of course I can read menus online. The biggest issue at the moment is the dire state of the AUD, making it much, much more expensive than we spent some time in Lucerne and Zurich a few years ago, and even Basel right before the pandemic.
Our original family holidays were always to Asia, Sinapore, Thailand many times, Malaysia a few times. We had Vietnam on the list but covid cancelled that one. Our adult daughters both moved to the UK though, as that is where I was born, so they have British passports.
Naturally we had to go and visit them, and see my relatives. That was just over a decade ago, and we have been to Europe at least once a year since, with a couple of breaks when we visited the US. Asia then became just a stopover destination on the way to or from.
Unfortunately my husband doesn’t have enough leave now for stopovers, so hence we haven’t been for a few years, but we will get back, when we are older as I said.
As for our itinerary, yes it is all organised, and possible I have posted it on the forum, but I can’t remember. We are starting in Varenna in Lake Como. We have been before but stayed in Bellagio last time and absolutely loved it. It was actually the catalyst for this trip, when my husband asked, Deb, what is over those mountains? I replied Switzerland, the St. Moritz area, and he has wanted to visit since. We are booked into Hotel du Lac in Varenna.
We are moving to Tirano and spending a night because I don’t want to be stressed about missing our reserved seat on the Bernina Express to St. Moritz. The seat reservation is done, but obviously not the ticket yet. Then we have two nights at the Schweizerhof in St. Moritz. Lots of people on lots of forums advised against staying in St. Moritz, but my husband has his heart set on it, and he is the one who works every day to pay for this, so St. Moritz it is. It actually looks like there will be plenty to occupy us for a couple of days.
Next we have Excellence Class reservations on the Glacier Express to Zermatt. We both really love trains and have caught many around Europe, so so long as we aren’t fogged in this will be a wonderful experience for us.
There are the three nights in Zermatt then, currently booked at Coeur des Alpes. This is followed by a week in Grindelwald at the Belvedere. We will use that week to visit the surrounding lakes and villages, with a little bit of walking or hiking, nothing to strenuous. We will purchase a Berner Oberland pass for this week, along with a Half Fare card.
Finally we have seat reservations in Prestige Class on the Goldenpass Express to Montreux. We were spending six nights there at the Suisse Majestic, but just recently cancelled the final night and will spend it in Geneva, where we are flying home from. We were always doing a day trip to Geneva and now we will see it by night too. We are staying at the Hotel Bristol in Geneva.
Every hotel we have booked is fully cancellable, and with the exception of Geneva and Tirano, all have balconies with wonderful views so we can’t wait.
Obviously the seat reservations aren’t cancellable but that is why we have travel insurance.
We are very, very excited and we have been looking forward to a return to Switzerland for a very long time.
Now we need to hope that the Australian dollar improves!
Thanks once more for your help and interest.
Hi Deb,
I did a very lengthy trip report of our trip in June last year. Maybe you can get some tips of my time in the Bernese Oberland if you have time to read it.
Thanks for sharing your itinerary – sounds good and exciting indeed. Please strengthen your immunity with quality supplements the next few months before and during your trip, so as to ensure you keep in good health. We made sure to have what we needed during our travel as there were some visitors who fell sick upon their 1st few days of arrival.
We enjoyed the Engadine area in 2018 and took a day trip to St. Moritz during our stay at a pretty lil village called Sils il Maria and also Pontresina. The pass given by the hotel allowed us free travel on the buses and rides to some of the peaks. I highly recommend the horse drawn carriage into the Fex Valley if you have the time. The views were gorgeous when we were there around late Sept and that activity is forever etched in my memory.
I am sure My Swiss Alps have the necessary websites. But I will just include those I used during one of our trips there:
SIGHTS IN ENGADINE (covered by hotel card) GRAUBÜNDEN PASS
https://www.graubuenden.ch/en/discover-regionshttps://www.engadin.stmoritz.ch/sommer/en/berge/overview/
Engadine card for local transport, mountain railways and cable cars. For the cable cars and lifts in the entire region and for the public buses ranging as far as Soglio and Chiavenna and the Rhaetian Railway line to the Bernina Pass and to Alp Grüm.
LIVE CAMS
https://www.corvatsch.ch/en/current-news/livecams/https://www.sils.ch/en/your-stay/summer/hiking.html
https://www.sils.ch/en/news/informations/weather-webcam.html?view=webcam
VAL FEX HORSE DRAWN CARRIAGE: highly highly recommended🤩
We took the private horse carriage ride from Sils Maria (return CHF 160 at that time) They picked us from Hotel Maria, nice typical small swiss B&B hotel with half board.. We used the Coretti company for the ride. Very nice driver.Started from Sils and Stopped for 15mins at the chapel in the middle Fex Crasta. Then proceeded further up to Fex Curtins, the end where Hotel Fex is.
The most scenic part is between the middle Fex Crasta to the end Fex Curtins. The ride allows a 1.5hr stop at Fex Hotel so we could enjoy the cafe there.
The path now climbs slightly: in the distance, you will see the small chapel of Fex Crasta, which is adorned with frescoes dating back to 1511. Smugglers from the Muretto Pass once prayed here for protection against falling rocks and avalanches.
Continue for a further 3 km and you see Fex Curtins. This is the last hamlet in the valley and has been inhabited for more than 700 years. The charming Fex Hotel, which was built in 1900 and is located towards the end of the Fex Valley, welcomes hikers, climbers and gourmets.
https://www.sils.ch/en/your-stay/discover-sils/fex-valley.html
https://www.sils.ch/en/your-stay/explore-sils/activities-providers.html?
We also enjoyed going up to CORVATSCH – 3,303metres and chilling out at the mt restaurant. Also DIAVOLZZA with great views again. At St. Moritz you can try going up to PIZ NAIR and enjoy the outdoors cafe if its still there..
But the highlight for us was the horse carriage ride into the end of the Fex Valley..
During that trip in 2018, we were shocked at how expensive it was to dine in Switzerland even back then. At Pontresina, we found this italian restaurant that was the most affordable amongst the other restaurants and ate there for all the 8N. The food was so good that we were never tired of the same dishes.
There’s so much to share but this is just some nuggets of information. Looks like you can always return to spend a longer time in this region😉
Thank you once again, I have put your trip report aside to read later, my adult daughter is coming over for dinner in an hour or so.
Yes we will be careful with our health. We only got back a couple of months ago from Paris, London, Edinburgh, Inverness, Belfast and Dublin with our brother and sister-in-law. I managed to pick up a mild sniffle but my BIL was sick for a few days.
The year before we were in Spain and France, and we both got sniffles there too, again only mild for a day or so.
Both trips we had a covid booster a month before and will do the same before we leave for Varenna.
Such a long time until September, but there is no leave available for another trip, and with the Swiss costs, probably no money either lol.
Hi DebH,
Yes, September is still a few months away but no doubt, it will come around quick. Your trip will be amazing. As well as Traveljet’s trip report, if you have time, there are lots more to read in the Trip report section of our website: https://www.myswissalps.com/community/
That’s great you’ve chosen the Berner Oberland Pass and the Swiss Half Fare Card. There are some purchase options via the below link, if you wanted to cross something off your ‘to-do’ list.
- Berner Oberland Pass: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/#tickets
- Swiss Half Fare Card: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-half-fare-card/#tickets
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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