[Removed user]

3 January 2017 at 20:32:37 #810514

We are starting to plan our honeymoon, flying from Boston to spend 7 or 8 days in Switzerland. We are both history teachers who love the outdoors and so are looking for a mix of history/culture along with outdoors sights and walks/hikes. We are thinking about spending the first 2-3 days in a more populous area with attractions, museums, etc., and then 4-5 in the mountains, perhaps in Murren or nearby area. We would greatly appreciate any specifics—our hope is to base ourselves in just the two different areas/hotels and take day trips from there. Many thanks!

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[Removed user]

4 January 2017 at 10:53:15 #857774

Hi TJiles! and welcome to MySwissAlps!

I believe I read the other day that either American or United had some great cheap fares from Boston to Zurich via Montreal (under $400)! Maybe they have something on your travel dates?

Either way you come, it will probably be into Zurich (the largest city) and it is a good option for museums and art and an introduction to Switzerland.

What kind of hikes are you looking for? Nice strolls or more adventurous alpine hiking (and are you prepared for that)? Zurich offers some lovely hikes from Uetliberg mountain which is easily accessible from town by train (20 minutes) right to the top. Or you can take a leisurely hike up of 1.5 hours from the base. Once you are up there you can hike along the ridge for several hours with a wonderful view of the city and Lake Zurich and surrounding villages – so nothing strenuous and restaurants are frequent to refuel you with food and beer. 🙂

For more adventurous hikes, basing yourself in Wengen or Interlaken for the 2nd part of your trip are top choices and offer good access to nearby mountains and hiking. See my links above with further details of what you can see and do near those towns. Other members have their favourite areas and can give more options as well.

Have a look at our travelling by train page as well for details on tickets and passes and promotions (some of which you can pre-order and have delivered to your home.

There are several rail experts here and on the rail forum that can also give you further details.

Let me know if you have further questions
Lucas

[Slowpoke]

6 January 2017 at 19:22:42 #857775

Hi TJiles-

Here is a start, in addition to the links that Lucas provided.

What languages can you use? Besides American English, that is?

Here are a few museums that are well worth a visit.

Two of my favorites:

http://www.bundesmuseen.ch/ro emerholz/index.html?lang=en.

The only defect is that even the light meals in the small cafe take forever to be prepared and presented. 😉

Really nit-picking, don’t you think?

Winterthur is a short train ride from Zürich. the museum is a 10-15 minute walk from the main station in Winterthur.

This one is a real powerhouse:

http://www.luzern.com/en/muse um-collection-rosengart

3 minutes from Luzern main station

the Rietberg in Zürich has an exquisite collection:

http://www.rietberg.ch/en-gb/home.aspx

That is just a start of course.

With the time you have available and the time of year you are traveling, a reasonable plan would be to fly into Zürich and transfer immediately to Luzern ( about 1-1.5 hours away by frequent trains).

Stay there a few days, appreciating the variety, and using it as a travel base, and include some nice hiking.

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-hammetschwand-lift

Then, and transfer to the Bernese Oberland, near the Jungfrau for 3 or 4 days. Best to allow several days in case the weather up top ( Jungfrau, Kleine Scheidegg, Männlichen, First) is cloudy… Changes rapidly, but not easily predictable.

The town if Schwyz, not far from Luzern, is interesting for its history.

http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/schwyz-and-the-ital-reding-house

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

This is a useful map. Play with the overlays under Points of Interst/Traffic (and Gastronomy- which includes hotels…)

map.search.ch/https:// map.search.ch/

Zoom in for train lines.

This will help you plan your travels:

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

If you are intersted in the culture and history of democracy in Switzerland, this link will be informative:

http://www.swissinfo.ch/direc tdemocracy/how-to

You also might enjoy Professor Steinbergs’s book – “Why Switzerland, 3rd. edn., Cambridge Univ. Press.

This review of the 2nd edn. is relevant:dannyreviews.com/h/Swi tzerland.html

http://www.amazon.com/Why-Switzerland-Jonathan-Steinberg/dp/052170955

Slowpoke

[Removed user]

9 January 2017 at 18:13:41 #857776

Thanks for your replies…they have been tremendously helpful! We have booked our flights; we are flying into Zurich and will proceed to Luzern for a few days and then off to Murren for a few days. Now off to check out the rail passes and start looking into some of your recommended side trips—-we are so excited!!

[Slowpoke]

9 January 2017 at 19:05:16 #857777

Hi TJIles-

<<“Thanks for your replies…they have been tremendously helpful! We have

booked our flights; we are flying into Zurich and will proceed to Luzern

for a few days and then off to Murren for a few days. Now off to check

out the rail passes and start looking into some of your recommended side

trips—-we are so excited!!”>>

You are welcome.

Even though you have chosen Mürren, this link may interest you:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

A little light reading about the area.

Also, although the Swiss are used to misspellings and mispronunciations of German words with umlauts, and often have there own spin on the pronunciations, and will understand you if you say “muhren,” the correct spelling is Mürren, with an umlaut on the “u”. If you cannot do umlauts, an alternative is Muerren.

Google translate approximates the pronunciation if you try that source.. The “”ü” sound is lighter than our “u” and actually is a diphthong of u-e. That diphthong is kind of slurred together, so that English “mirror” actuallly comes fairly close , for the first vowel. Various regional German dialects or accents may say it in different ways, too.

Have a great trip.

Eine gute reise!

Slowpoke