[MKTravelGirl]

1 October 2018 at 21:44:18 #818563

Well, we just returned from the most spectacular trip to Switzerland and I just wanted to post because this site helped me more than any other resource in planning the trip. We arrived in Grindelwald on the 19th Sept., and the weather was amazing! Warm, dry, days and cool nights, just what we needed after the rain and humidity of the East Coast. Grindelwald was an amazing place! We stayed at Berghaus Bort, and our view was almost unbelievable. I took a picture of it and sent it to friends who said they thought it looked like a painting. The food there was better than good, and the activities are top notch. We hiked to Lake Bachalpsee one day, then another day took the gondola to Mannlichen and did the hike to Kleine Scheidegg (hope I spelled that right!) Then down to Lauterbrunnen Valley for a little strolling around and checking out Staubach Falls. It was a bummer, but we had to get back to the gondola every day by 5pm. when it stops running. The gondola to First right outside our door was expensive, but nice to have. They brought the cows down from the upper meadows one morning, so we awoke to the bells, threw our windows open, and watched the whole spectacle. We loved it!

Then on to Zermatt, which we love love loved. We had two clear, spectacular days there and got beautiful, clear pictures of the Matterhorn. It rained overnight the 2nd night, but snowed on the Matterhorn, so we got pics of it with and without the snow! We were not prepared for the trip up to Gornergrat. We just sort of did it on a whim, not knowing what to expect. As we climbed higher into the mountains we were stunned by the scenery. Then we got out and hiked down to the next train station. Had lunch along the way that we got from a great little patisserie in town. Fabulous. Again…clear, amazing weather. The Hotel La Couronne was a great place and we had the very best view of the Matterhorn.

Then we went on to Luzern. It’s such a lovely city, and the cafes and scenery are worth just strolling and relaxing in. Our hotel was ok. Our room faced a small street in Old Town and it was a bit loud with the restaurants setting up and taking down tables in the morning and evening, but other than that, it was fine. We took a ferry ride to Weggis, and that was lovely. Just the ferry ride was nice, but the village of Weggis was a treat. We walked around, ate ice cream, and just enjoyed walking in the beautiful sunny weather.

So here’s my advice to anyone reading this, if you are going for the first time:

Going to more than one city? Get the Swiss Travel Pass. It got us all around, and onto the ferry in Luzern too. Half price on everything else… Worth it.

Going to Grindelwald? Stay for at least 3 days. I would have cried if we had left earlier than we did, and I almost cried when we left. I could have hiked around that area for at least another 3 or 4 more days. But alas, we only had 8 days total…..sigh.

Zermatt is a fabulous place and if you go, you must go up to Gornergrat. It’s some of the most incredible scenery you will ever experience. It’s at 10k feet, so be prepared, but we adjusted fine. We had a delicious hamburger at the Brown Cow, and just enjoyed strolling and shopping in this lovely village when we weren’t hiking.

Luzern is beautiful, but you must get out on the lake to see some of the other villages. It’s included in Swiss Travel Pass and there is at least one ferry that is far more modern and luxurious than the others, but either way it’s included in the Swiss travel Pass. No need to pay a tour operator.

Our weather was spectacular pretty much the whole time, but I was realistic and brought clothing for rain…we just never needed it. I wish that upon anyone reading this because the weather helped make it the trip of my dreams!

Have a great trip and enjoy every minute! We sure did!

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[Removed user]

2 October 2018 at 6:43:09 #897136

Hi MKTravelGirl and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Thanks for the report – sounds like a fantastic trip!

It is a little confusing where you note: “Get the Swiss Travel Pass. It got us all around, and onto the ferry in Luzern too. Half price on everything else… Worth it.”

Just to be clear for other members that some routes and attractions are 50% off on the Swiss Travel Pass and some are fully included (and yet others have different discounts). http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity

Cheers and thanks again for the report! Very useful 🙂

[Arno]

2 October 2018 at 11:11:54 #897137

Wonderful report! Thanks for taking the time to share it here. I’m glad to read you were lucky with the weather. If you have some pictures, feel free to post them here.

[MKTravelGirl]

2 October 2018 at 13:10:50 #897138

Yes, so sorry! I should have clarified…that was just our experience with SwissPass and the activities we used it for. We found it to be very easy to use. There was at least a discount in using it, pretty much everywhere we went.

[Removed user]

2 October 2018 at 15:49:57 #897139

No worries. Just don’t want any confusion 🙂

Also the Swiss Pass is a different rail pass – we are talking about the Swiss Travel Pass. Don’t mean to be picky, just don’t want to confuse other members. There are A LOT of rail passes in Switzerland!

Thanks again for the report and Happy Travels!

[MKTravelGirl]

2 October 2018 at 21:27:28 #897140

Absolutely! This being my first time there (and certainly not my last), I’m going to have a lot more to learn about the various rail offerings! Thank you!