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My husband has business in Switzerland and I plan to travel with him. We will be in Switzerland for three weeks during September. He will need to work from his office in the Sion/Martigny area for a good amount of the trip, but we will have three long weekends (Thur-Sun) to travel around. We did this last year but only for two weeks. Last year we stayed in Wengen for an extended weekend and then Zermatt for an extended weekend. We loved both! This year we plan to take the Mont Blanc Express to Chamonix for a long weekend. We are also planning to go back to the Wengen/Mürren area since we loved the hiking so much and there is so much more to do. I am looking for suggestions for other places similar to the Wengen/Mürren area that offer spectacular views and sites. We love to hike. I was thinking about going to Davos but it looks like it is a five hour train ride from Sion. Just wondering if it would be worth the lengthier train ride for a long weekend. Other option I am considering is the Lucerne area since that is more on our way to Zurich. Would love to hear suggestions for where to spend our extra weekend.
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Davos is a bit like a city in the mountains, not a quaint resort – not recommended.
You could try going north west from Sion to the Jura mountains – a lovely area hardly ever mentioned here. Neuchatel and the mountains along the north edge of Switzerland are very pleasant, with several lakes too.
Hi mcbryl,
Have you thought about the area of Neuchâtel? Beautiful, charming city north of Lausanne and closer to Bern. Or even Lausanne itself. Plenty of hiking through the vineyards in the area. Montreux nearby also with the Castle Chillon. The Rochers de Naye, they say is one of the finest views of Lake Geneva.
You certainly can’t go wrong with the Lake Lucerne region on your way to Zurich. Plenty to do/see there.
Another place I may suggest is one of, or both villages overlooking the Aletsch Glacier from the other side. (Bettmeralp or Riederalp are the villages.) Basically its the opposite end of the Aletsch Glacier from the Jungfraujoch. An enormous amount of hiking to be done there, including possibly right down to the glacier itself. One can even see the Matterhorn from there also. It can be reached in about an hour and a half from Sion. The station to get off at would be either Morel (for Riederalp) or Betten Talstatuin (for Betmeralp.) The trains run along the same rail line towards Andermatt through the Rhone Valley. It’s not exactly Wengen or Murren, but it does afford phenomenal views of the glacier down below. (I’ve not yet been, but have been researching a lot on google maps, and its on my list the next time I go to Switzerland.)
I hope this helps you in some way. Enjoy your time there.
Regards,
Danielsan
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Hi mcbryl and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
There are lovely places in canton Wallis as well, like Saas-fee and Saas-Grund (http://www.myswissalps.com/saasfee) or Leukerbad (with 3 thermal baths and hiking options).
My fav hiking place is the Leysin – Les Mosses area, it is not as high as the mountains in the Jungfrau region, but close to Martigny and there are fewer tourists there.
Ildiko
MySwissAlps.com recommends to read this: Hiking in the Swiss Alps
Thank you, everyone!
We will leave Martigny in the afternoon on Thursday, September 22. Our flight back to the U.S. leaves Zurich on Monday, September 26 at 1PM. Since we have four nights, I am thinking about spending the first two nights in either Bettmeralp or Grimentz. On Saturday, September 24, we would head to Lucerne for our final two nights then catch a morning train to the airport in Zurich for our departure on Monday, September 26. Wondering what you think of that itinerary for four nights? If so, would you choose Bettmeralp or Grimentz? We would like to experience the Lucerne area since we have never been, but we really enjoy small, quaint villages and would like to do some scenic hiking. I was thinking that two nights in Lucerne would be enough. We will not have a car, so we plan to use public transportation to get around.
Thanks, again, for all your helpful advice!
Hi mcbryl,
The bus ride to Grimentz is very scenic. Grimentz is fairly small but you can plan various hiking and sightseeing trips in the surrounding areas. Bettmeralp also offers plenty of hiking opportunities and a chance to view the Aletsch Glacier from Bettmerhorn. In my opinion, Bettmeralp is more easily accessible. You can check the transport routes and connection from the SBB timetable.
Regards,
Anna
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