Rent a car in Burgdorf for 1 day? Problem finding.

<<"I had to look up Jan Haagls. Sounds like something I'd like to try...yum">>

I have been able to buy them in the USA....

Slowpoke

I'm still mulling over your route options.

Burgdorf and Bern as transfer points both have advantages and disadvantages.

Bern has a much greater capability of tourist services. The luggage office at the train station is open later, more choice of rental cars, no deposit. (BTW, I'd pick Avis, because of it's proximity to the Autoroute/ Expressway and easy routing to Rüegsau) . Your rental car almost surely will have a GPS available, useful in cities that are not built on a rectangular grid of streets. You will have a key drop, and a range of vehicles available. SUV's are not so common as in the USA.

Burgdorf is closer, and you can get off at Burgdorf as you come from Maastricht. (I'd leave at around 7AM, but the trains around 8AM in theory would work. I always like a time cushion for errors.)

The rental car situation bothers me. It has the possibilty of misunderstanding what you will get and whether it will hold all your luggage. If you leave luggage at the station, you have much tighter time constraints, unless you find a locker/lockers.

You have multiple changes on any train route from Maastricht, , and I'd pick the fastest route to get you to Switzerland as early as possible. Take a nap on the train, if there is any segment which lasts long enough, or one of your party watches for the transfer points.

By using the SBB website ( which you can use for any station once you find the place in the menu called "find a station") and looking under Services tab, I find that on Saturday, the luggage office at Burgdorf closes at 1730. If you look under the Equipment tab, you find that there are exactly 6 Large and 12 small lockers, accessible 24 hrs per day.

www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/railway-stations/bahnhof-finden.posid.8005.html

If I check Bern on a Saturday,

www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/railway-stations/bahnhof-finden.posid.7000.html

I find the luggage office open until 1900 every day of the week, and 240 small, 141 medium and 36 large lockers, accessible from 0545 until 0100 the next day

In either station, if you can put some luggage in a locker, which I do routinely, it will increase your flexibility if the SUV does not have enough room for your luggage. At Bern, the Left Luggage office is open late enough (1900) to definitely work for you ( I think.) Maybe not so at Burgdorf... 1730.

That is an example of what I mean by working with the system. Bern is equipped; Burgdorf is marginal.

Possibly, pick up on Fridday in Burgdorf would have time constraints. Bern (especially Avis) probably has longer opening hours. I mentioned it before....I think until 1830.

The biggest problem with Bern would not be the ride to Rüegsau; rather, it would be finding your way back to Avis ( or other) when you return. Burgdorf would be easier, if you know exactly where to turn. A GPS would minimize the problem in either town.

The second biggest problem would be that coming from Maastricht, you would need several extra minutes on the train to Bern (15-20 minutes) , plus a longer drive to Rüegsau.

If you have to haul your luggage to the rental car location, I'd try to find some way other than public transport. In either town, in spite of the expense, I'd consider a taxi. It would be great if they could pick you up.

If you can leave some luggage at the station, then it would be easy to use public transport to Avis or Sixt in Bern, or you could still take a taxi. (Don't know about Burgdorf). 5 people in one taxi is possible only if you can get a van, not the normal car. It is possible. With luggage, it is harder, but not impossible.

Will all five of you be coming from Maastricht?

Your BnB will be about 10 minutes and 6km from Selvam.

From Avis at Bern, It will be about 35 minutes via Worb, then a good secondary road via Walkringen and north to Rüegsau.

Balancing all those items is a difficult exercise.

You have trade off time, money (taxi?) and "quality of result." (Meaning ease of getting the car and having to haul luggage, as well as (I believe) greater certainty due to longer opening hours and dealing with a larger rental car vendor with no deposit if Bern is chosen.)

If you have to return the car to Selvam by, for example, 4PM, and if they do not have a key drop (?) you may have lost enough time in the Emmental to make up for travel time to/from Bern.

if you are going to get your Berner Oberland Passes in Bern, I think that you will get them at the ticket window (open late) , rather than via the moderately easier process at the SBB travel bureau (Reisebüro) nearby, which will likely be closed ( at 1700, I think, uncertain) by the time you get there.

Add to it the uncertainties of being in a new country and tired; even though a rain ride can be restful, it is not when you have five train changes and haul luggage.)

Everyone has there own perspective. If I were comfortable with the rental car situation, especially car return, in Burgdorf, I'd go that way. If I were worried about the rental car issues, with 5 people and luggage, I'd select the more inconvenient but surer Bern option.

That's me; might not be you.

It certainly focuses the whole decision process around the rental car. I note that you have recognized that; you have been working hard on it.

So, what if the rental car at Selvam works well? Great. Definitely the way to go. The earlier that you can get there and sort that out, the better. There are trains from Maastricht departing at 0657 and 0711 that get into Burgdorf at 1506. I'd try to get one of those if i could get up in time in the morning.

(use the SBB Timetable - www.sbb.ch/en/home.htm l

What if you get off at Burgdorf and find a problem? At 4PM (1600) on a Friday (actually 1630 before you figure out the problem) it is not completely impossible to go on to Bern by train and get to Avis by taxi by 1830, but it would be an adventure. If you get into Burgdorf at 5 PM (1700)....not possible. All the better if you get to Burgdorf at 1506. If you can do that, you give yourself some useful flexibility.

You could rent two cars at Selvam, trading off cost for convenience with luggage, if not with any change in any return time constraints. Rüegsau is close to Burgdorf, but the traffic on the roads (though not heavy) is not fast.

Slowpoke

Hi Liz-

Ich wünsche Ihnen eine gute Reise.

In German-

"to travel" is "reisen,"and,

"he travels" is "er reist.

A trip is "eine Reise."

If Google translate encounters your family name Reist, it tries to translate it as "Travels".

Or have you figured that out already? ;-)

Slowpoke

Hi Liz-

A couple of useful maps, and a comment about where to buy some.

One attached map shows the overlook (Lueg) above Sumiswald that you will appreciate. I have attached two pictures from up there You can look out to Trachselwald or to Sumiswald.

Lueg is Swiss dialect for Ausblickpunkt....look out point.

The second map shows the Schaukäserei at Affoltern, where I recommend a lunch. Some of the food can be pricey; stick with the simple stuff. If you don't get an English menu ( which I recommend for you) many of the listings will be in Swiss German. Fun.

Nearby is a famous Lueg, shown on that map. My attached image is not the best quality, my edited ones are on a different computer, but you can get the idea. Sorry for the poor quality.

it is a short walk up the hill from the parking place. Highly recommended on a clear day; mornings are often better for visibility.

Maps-

For a perspective of the whole area, you need a paper map, no matter what sort of tablet or smart phone you have. Here is where to buy maps....that I am aware of.

In Bern, I mentioned the Stauffacher in the pedestrian tunnel in the main station.

In Burgdorf, the Aperto or Kiosk at the station is likely to have some local maps...often 1:50,0o0 (recommended, brown covers) as well as 1:25,000 (green covers, with too little area coverage for a reasonable cost.

Swiss tourism gave me this...looks good-

emmental.ch/fr/contact /office-du-tourisme/

German for map is die Karte, plural Karten. ( that is also the word for a menu card in a restaurant.) In most restaurants, the inexpensive plat du jour , Tagesplatte, is called das Menü just to be confusing. be sure to ask for die karte, or Speisekarte ( food card) because if you ask for the Menü you might get plate full of food.

Your BnB host might have some maps to lend.

In Sumiswald you can find maps at the Papeterie Buchmann at Pfarrgasli #1, also named Papeterie Grünenwald, near the main intersection along the side road as you go away from the intersection toward the Gasthof Bären, It is on the left. I could not find opening hours.

I did find this link about the Anabaptists' history in the region with a good map attached-

www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/sumiswald-trachselwald.html

Slowpoke

Too funny Slowpoke! I had definitely NOT noticed that.

<If Google translate encounters your family name Reist, it tries to translate it as "Travels".

Or have you figured that out already? ;-)>

My spouse were both chemistry majors and had to take a semester of German because many of the important journals were in that language. Of course this was back in the late 1960s, well before online translation, etc.

Our remaining memories of German usually allow us to get the general idea from menus, but not without some struggles!

Good news! The Selvam folks in Burgdorf have confirmed our minivan reservation, and for the original price.

I see that their location is actually very close if we disembark at the Burgdorf Steinhof instead of Burgdorf Banhoff. It requires a connection to another train, but the schedule seems to be timed so that the transfer can be made fairly easily. We should arrive there around 4 PM with any luck.

This means we can perhaps have dinner in Sumiswald. Recommendation?

Thanks for all your help. :-)

<<"This means we can perhaps have dinner in Sumiswald. Recommendation?">>

The single best place in Sumiswald is the Gasthof Bären.

I have stayed there many times, including last year when my favorite, the Sonne in Affoltern was closed on their Rühetag.

The Sonne in Affoltern has a very good kitchen, too. The owners of the Bären have told me that they go there not infrequently for a good meal.

Many swear by the Landgasthof Lüeg neat the Lueg in Kaltacker. I did not like the service the one time that i was a guest, even though I had a room at the hotel, and the atmosphere lacks a lot.

A special place, which as struggled a bit to keep going is the Löwen in Heimiswil. Dates back to 1300.

Absolutely beautiful house. Spectacular inside, although you may only see a small part of it.

I go there whenever have a chance, but the last couple of times I noticed that it needed paint. Food was still good. Herr Lüdi, the proprietor, has picked up on some of the cooking...used to have a 5 person cook staff in the really good days in the 2005 time period. He is a good cook, so that is not a problem..

If you go to the Sonne, and Herr Walter Briggen, the inn keeper, stops by your table which is the custom unless they are very busy, mention that an American contact who stays there regularly recommended his inn. I'll try to figure out a way to get you my e-mail address without posting it on the forum, and I can then give you my name to use. Tell him that I recommended his inn. He'll know my name. If he does not, I'll kid him about it next trip. He and i have swapped few bottles of wine - California for Swiss.

Are you the meteorologist? Maybe we can connect via Linked in.

The Sonne is known throughout Switzerland by people who like to eat well.

Since it will be Friday night, you'd best make a reservation. If you cannot make, please call to cancel. Might not need one at the Bären Sumiswald, but it would be wise to be safe. Sometimes those places have groups.

The Bären is famous throughout Switzerland for its history, and the kitchen is OK to Good.

Slowpoke

HI Liz-

<<"My spouse were both chemistry majors and had to take a semester of German because many of the important journals were in that language. Of course this was back in the late 1960s, well before online translation, etc.">>

Ich bin auch ein Chemiker.

Swiss German is very different...you'll never translate that menu.

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke - I just noticed this: "Are you the meteorologist?"

No! Dang that weather woman in Lincoln! Hahahah

She is a generation younger and just happened to move to Nebraska for her job. We were born there, but have not lived in Nebraska since high school. Before 5-10 years ago, I was the main "Liz Dorland" on google. Look down a few entries and you'll still find me there. I was in chemical education for 35 years. I am indeed on Linkedin. Look for the Elizabeth Dorland with gray hair. ;-)

LD

When I get home, I'll send you a note on linked in, and perhaps I can get you my name to use at the Gasthof Sonne Affoltern

Tomorrow late or Friday.

Slowpoke

Hi Liz-

I figured out how to send an "in-mail" to you on Linked In.

Free trial for one month of a wildly overpriced service. I'll definitely shut down before one month is up.

I provide my e-mail address.

Please use my e-mail address, as described, if you need to.

Let me know here if you did not get it.

Slowpoke