Accommodation tips for an 8 day Swiss trip October

  • Removed user
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    1 October 2019 at 17:17:08 #824052

    Hi,

    Need some advice on accom booking. Following from previous thread, I am doing 2 weeks’ trip from Zurich-Vienna-Budapest-Zurich.

    Day 1 22-Oct-19 Tue Arrive ZRH (AM) – Rhine Falls | Leave for Vienna

    Day 2 23-Oct-19 Wed to Day 4 25-Oct-19 Fri Leave Vienna

    Day 5 26-Oct-19 Sat Budapest to Day 7 28-Oct-19 Mon Leave Budapest

    Day 8 29-Oct-19 Tue Montreux (Swiss Day 1)

    Day 9 30-Oct-19 Wed Bern

    Day 10 31-Oct-19 Thu Interlaken / Lauterbrunnen – Staubbach Falls and upper Lauterbrunnen Valley

    Day 11 01-Nov-19 Fri Zermatt

    Day 12 02-Nov-19 Sat Mt Pilatus

    Day 13 03-Nov-19 Sun Lucerne

    Day 14 04-Nov-19 Mon Back to ZRH

    Day 15 05-Nov-19 Tue Fly Out of ZRH (AM)

    1) Should we (2 female travellers) ourselves in Bern and do day trip to the individual places each day? Will this be the best use of Swiss Travel Pass that way? Or should we stay each night in each place? While it may save travelling time by changing accommodation and moving places, seems more hectic but could this a better option?

    Additionally, as we are travelling in and out from Zurich, need to be back Zurich on the last night and Lucerne seems closer to Zurich. To avoid any unexpected delay which may impact on the international flight out of Zurich, I planned Lucerne as the last stop. Or shd i do 2 nights each in montreux, interlaken and 2 nights in Lucerne?

    Please feel free to make any suggestions on the accommodation and sequence of visits.

    Many thanks for your advice! :$

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    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    2 October 2019 at 15:27:14 #923004

    You will waste a lot of time checking in and checking out with that itinerary.

    You should consider basing in Interlaken and doing day trips to Bern, Montreux, Zermatt and Pilatus from there. Alternatively stay days 8 – 11 in Interlaken and 12 – 13 in Luzern.

    How are you getting from Budapest to Montreux?

    Removed user
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    2 October 2019 at 16:39:28 #923005

    Hi Rockoyster,

    We are taking a flight from Budapest to Zurich (arriving at 4.30pm), and take a train from Zurich to Montreux. Is a day enough for Zermatt / Pilatus? Is it better to stay in Bern or Interlaken at this time of the year? I just started to find out that some places are closed for maintenance.

    By the way, I was looking for accommodation in Lucerne. Is Holiday Inn Express Luzern – Kriens considered far by location, in terms of travelling to Pilatus? It seems really far from Google search. What about Wegis area? Too far from a convenience perspective?

    Many thanks for your input! 🙂

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    2 October 2019 at 18:48:16 #923006

    I may not be the best person to provide advice. I’m a kind of “slow” traveller. I like to enjoy one place at a time. I don’t try to jam everything into a trip. I just spent a week in Thun and a week in Montreux. I was sad to leave both places because there was so much more to experience.

    From Montreux I was intending a day trip to Zermatt. But on a day trip what can you achieve? A real life view of the Matterhorn if you are lucky. There are so many pictures of it on the internet. Instead I went to Rochers-de-Naye and got a glimpse of it from there.

    If I was flying from Budapest to Switzerland then Montreux in November would be very low on my list of places to visit.

    But I don’t know what your interests and priorities are so it is difficult to offer advice.

    Gunzel
    Participant
    241 posts
    3 October 2019 at 9:33:46 #923007

    My experience as a mature age male visitor with female travelling companion is to have the smallest number of “bases” and do day trips from each.

    It may mean a little duplication on some rail lines or public transport routes but that’s better than the hassle of packing up and carrying luggage.

    Whilst we, as visitors, may tend to look to stay in the bigger towns and cities, there are some lovely hotels &c close to smaller railway stations – that rarely have less than an hourly train service.

    As rockoyster said earlier, it all depends on one’s interests and priorities; enjoy your travels!

    Paul in Australia

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    3 October 2019 at 12:03:07 #923008

    Hi Paul,

    On your advice from a much earlier post we just took that short ride from Le Locle to Les Brenets. Too cute. 😎

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    3 October 2019 at 12:04:54 #923009

    I’m actually a slow traveler too. It’s quite a last minute trip, so I took the shortcut of following some of the itineraries on the web. Seemed like the ones I saw only did a day in each place. I’m definitely rethinking of the trip now, especially now that I’m discovering that some of the cable cars / expresssways are closed for maintenance.

    I would love to see the Alps more. Would Zermatt or Pilatus be better to spend more time on?

    Thanks again for your advice! 🙂

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    3 October 2019 at 12:11:23 #923010

    Hi Paul,

    Thanks heaps for your input. I can’t agree more. We were probably too ambitious with the initial planning, wanting to see everything and underestimating the balance between travelling time and opening times.

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    3 October 2019 at 12:31:32 #923011

    Hi Dover,

    If you want to experience the Alps I think Interlaken would be a good choice for a base. Some things may not be operating but you can still spend a lot of time “in the Alps” and throw in a day trip to Zermatt if the weather is favourable.

    Thun is delightful but involves more travel to get into the mountains. Lauterbrunnen or Wengen are also options but may be a bit dead at that time of year.

    Pilatus is a half-day excursion from Luzern, not normally somewhere you would spend a lot of time. The cog-wheel railway from Pilatus to Alpnachstad won’t be operating but the cable-way from Kriens will be.

    Your reference to “expressways” has me puzzled. If you are perchance considering renting a car then please read this http://www.myswissalps.com/ca rversustrain.

    Maybe get a handle on travel times. Zurich Airport to Montreux is 3 hours.

    By far the best way to check timetables, find fares* and buy tickets on-line if required is using the SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi). In the unlikely event you don’t have a device capable of running the app then you can use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B). If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on this page – http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.

    * The SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, the mobile app allows you to nominate whether to show full or half-fares (by editing the passenger details in settings) and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sa verdaypass) if that offers the best fare. The app also show a platform map (at least at the larger stations) to help you make conections.

    Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.

    ps I was wondering what you weren’t getting more feedback on your question but just noted you posted in the accommodation forum. Maybe a moderator might move it to a better spot.

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    3 October 2019 at 13:16:52 #923012

    Thanks, Rokoyster.

    My typo from “Glacier Express”. :$ I’m planning to use public transport throughout, not driving.

    Yes, I did try to post under miscellaneous but wasn’t getting the accommodation feedback initially. Thus, I tried to put this specifically under the accommodation thread, which I am very thankful for your responses. I was panicking as the day draws near. I still have 6 nights of accomm to book. :$

    By the way, is it a good time for snowboarding at this time? Don’t seem to find much at either Pilatus or Zermatt.

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    3 October 2019 at 14:47:04 #923013

    Pilatus is not a ski resort. Zermatt is, but what sort of skiing is available in November is hard to say.

    Back to some earlier questions I missed . . .

    Holiday Express Inn Kriens is about 15 minutes by bus from Luzern Bahnhofstrasse and 7 minutes by bus the Kriens Zentrum Pilatus – the nearest stop to the cableway station. You can type your hotel into the SBB timetable to find nearest stations and bus stops.

    Weggis is not such a good location for such a short stay.

    If you are thinking of the Glacier Express you can cover the same route on regular trains.

    Maybe consider:

    Day 8 – Luzern

    Day 9 – Pilatus then to Interlaken

    Day 10 – 12 Interlaken

    Day 13 – Zermatt

    Day 14 – Zermatt to Zurich via Chur (covers much of Glacier Express route)

    Virgingorda
    Participant
    58 posts
    3 October 2019 at 15:02:52 #923014

    There’s also a train that takes you from Kriens to Lucerne.
    The validity map doesn’t show it but SBB does. We took the train back and forth several times, short walk from the Holiday Inn Express Kriens. We used our IHG hotel points to stay. Their hand-kneaded breads and croissants at breakfast were quite good, freshly baked and warm, and better than those at the Coop and Migros. They gave us free wine upon early check-in and late check-out the next day, so overall a decent stay.

    Virgingorda
    Participant
    58 posts
    3 October 2019 at 15:14:55 #923015

    Also, if you want to stick with Holiday Inn, there’s one just outside of Bern. Convenient tram ride from hotel to central Bern.

    The hotel gave us free access to the amazing and humungous spa in a shopping mall connected to it. It’s like a water park for adults literally. So many different types of pools and jacuzzi at different temperatures and various and weird water massage features and waves. And the pools were all in shiny super cool stainless steel. Really relaxing sauna and steam rooms, tanning beds. Even a big and powerful and scary water slide for adults! The men sauna/steam room is co-ed, but watch out! I wandered in by mistake and had to divert my eyes from all the casual displays there. One guy even walked around in his full glory to show me the exit when I was lost in this giant cavern.😲 Maybe we Americans are too prudish!.

    The spa was open late until 10 pm so really nice to go there and relax after a whole day of sightseeing. We ended up staying for 2 nights because hubby was feeling under the weather by then and the spa helped revive him.

    Not sure it’s free for all hotel guests or because of our status.

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    3 October 2019 at 15:20:42 #923016

    Indeed, that would be the S4 train to Kriens Mattenhof station. The #14 bus stop is a little closer to the hotel.

    I clearly need to get my Holiday Inn point count up a bit! 😎

    Gunzel
    Participant
    241 posts
    3 October 2019 at 18:16:45 #923017

    I doubt if many on here have “done” that one! My visit was in 1974.

    Paul in Australia

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    3 October 2019 at 18:20:51 #923018

    It probably hasn’t changed a lot – colinchurcher2019.blog spot.com/2019/09/frida y-6-september-jura.html.

    (apologies for going a little off-piste here Dover) 😉

    Anna
    Moderator
    6274 posts
    4 October 2019 at 6:20:19 #923019

    Hi Dover360703,

    Instead of staying each night in a different place, I too would personally pick just 2 or 3 places as a base. Otherwise I’d be spending less time travelling and more time packing and unpacking, and checking in and checking out.

    Looking at your itinerary, I think Interlaken is pretty central for visits to Lauterbrunnen. Lucerne and Montreux. Zermatt is a bit further away so perhaps you could make that your next base. I think 1 or 2 days would be just nice to explore the area.

    Since you will be flying out of Zurich, you could perhaps base yourself in Lucerne last and still plan day trips to Bern and Pilatus. This time of the year is still too early for winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, unfortunately.

    To help you with your accommodation search, please use the following links:

    Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/hotels
    Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels
    Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/hotels
    Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/hotels
    Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/hotels
    Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/hotels

    Hope this helps

    Anna

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    5 October 2019 at 14:39:43 #923020

    Thanks, Anna.

    I’m now thinking doing 1night in Bern on 28th fm Budapest, since we arrive back in Zurich at 4.30pm – worried that there’d be no place for food by the time we reached Montreux. We can go to Montreux, for 2 nights, move to Interlaken for 2 nights and 2 nights in Lucerne.

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