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We are looking for suggestions on a resort to spend seven days in Switzerland in late summer 2021. We have stayed in Grindelwald many years ago when we did a lot of walking, and loved it although we found that it was a bit over run with Japanese tourists which tended to take over the place. We are older now and not fit enough to do much hiking, but love mountain scenery and are still mobile enough to do very short walks. We also like being on lakes, boat and train trips so possibly Lucerne or some of other lake areas may be suitable for us.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
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Last time I was there, not many Japanese, if any, but over run by Chinese it was. I think Lucerne is an ideal place for your needs.
Hi Popples –
Welcome to My Swiss Alps-
Thanks for the description of your interests and abilities.
Although there are many ways to meet your wishes, some are more dependent than others on selecting travel dates for avoiding masses of tourists.
The area around Lake Lucerne clearly meets your needs.
http://www.myswissalps.com/centralswitzerland
Luzern itself can be overloaded with tourists. I use the German spelling, to match the local language and signs that you will see.
http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne
However, your experience will vary with the time of year when you travel, especially in Luzern itself.
So, staying somewhere around the lake or in an outlying village can make sense. The groups of tourists tend not to stay in the smaller villages.
Could you let us know your travel dates? It can make a difference in recommendations. Also, the general type or level of accommodation that you seek?
Slowpoke
Hi Popples
I suspect there are hundreds of places in Switzerland that would meet your needs. Luzern obviously but we really enjoyed Locarno and the Ticino region. Lovely lakes and scenery. The mountains are not as high or spectacular as the Alps but still very scenic. There is much to see and do and we did not find it overly crowded with tourists, Japanese or otherwise.
I have heard very good things about Sils Maria near St. Moritz. I was scheduled to go there this September but will likely not go. Supposedly very scenic and small. I suspect there are a number of such places in the Engadine Valley area.
Mark
Thank you Mark, Slowpoke and plonk for your advice. I have had a very short stop in Lucerne whilst on a river cruise last year and was very impressed. Will have a look at all your suggestions, Locarno appeals too. Think I’d be going in September so shouldn’t be too crowded.
Hi Popples-
I have spent many weeks around the shores of and on the mountains surrounding Lake Lucerne.
The variety ( and price, sophistication, and quality ) of accommodation and cuisine is quite large. If you give us some guidance on any preferences you might have, several forum members would likely have some suggestions.
While it is certainly nice to stay in Luzern itself, for the ambience and variety, there are many very nice places easily accessible by bus, train or lakeboat that offer comparable quality, more peacful surroundings, and lower prices.
Slowpoke
My choice will be Bernese Oberland – given a chance. I stayed in Interlaken for a week. There are so many places to visit specially countryside. Definitely I suggest to avoid Jungfraujoch very pricy and very touristy. (My personal opinion) but 2 lakes and many mountain. Some visitors do not like Interlaken as it is very touristy but I used it as a base for visiting many places. It is a good transport hub with 2 train stations, restaurants and accommodation. Also I thought May or June will be a good season since it is shoulder season with mild climate and less crowd (compared to July and August)
Hi Popples,
after these many ideas I suggest you one too, if you like lakes and mountains, Lake Geneva (http://www.myswissalps.com/lakegeneva) is wonderful. If you are staying in Montreux (http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/activities) you can reach also the mountains easily, in 1 hour by train. (Leysin, Villars, Glacier3000 etc.)
Other lakes and mountain tops in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/naturalsites
Panoramic train routes: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/scenictrips/train
Boat trips: http://www.myswissalps.com/boat
Happy planning 🙂
Ildiko
Hi Slowpoke, I don’t have specific dates at the moment but usually prefer to go our summer holiday in September. I prefer hotel accommodation, preferably family run & traditional style which offers good standards of food, & with pool if possible.
Also, if going to Luzern area, I’d prefer not to stay in city itself but rather some smaller place in the area with easy access to the lake & other towns.
Thank you Ildiko. Lake Geneva looks lovely too. I think I need a few trips to Switzerland!
Hi Popples!
September is a great month to visit Switzerland, one of my favourite months: http://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit.
Have a look at our list of recommended hotels in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/hotels. You can filter by destination once you know where you will go 🙂
Lake Lucerne is beautiful too, smaller, quieter lakeside towns close to Lucerne are Hergiswil and Küssnacht. Hotel ideas in the Lake Lucerne area can be found at http://www.myswissalps.com/lakelucerne/hotels.
Ildiko
Hi Popples,
If you stay in the Lucerne area my vote is the village of Weggis. My wife and I have stayed there 3 times. It just a pleasant ferry ride from Lucerne and it sits at the base of Mount Rigi with easy access for a round trip via nearby Vitznau, (boat, cog railway and gondola back to Weggis). There’s also a daily direct connection to the Kehristen Burgenstock boat landing where you can catch the cog railway up to the new Burgenstock resort to hike the pleasant cliff trail with great with great views of the lake below. Being in Weggis also affords shorter cruises to lovely areas of the lake in the Brunnen area. There are several hotels a short walk from the Weggis landing where you can enjoy walks along the lake and for viewing the ferries as they come and go along the lake. We always make Weggis our first stop in Switzerland. We catch the train from the Zurich airport to Lucerne, walk across the street to the ferry station and are soon in Weggis!
As Eiger Tyger mentioned, Weggis has several nice lakeside hotels.
I’ve stayed several times over the last ten years years at Central am See, which has really upgraded the kitchen in the last couple of years. It was family run until the management change, but, is not anymore, I believe. It has a pool.
Prices went up when the kitchen got better. ;-(
Here is one that is family run, with a Michelin-starred restaurant-
Hotel Edelweiss up on the Rigi at Rigi-Staffelhoehe has an outstanding kitchen, fantastic views, but is a bit of a trip away from the lake. I have stayed there once, but would have stayed a few more times, except that they were booked when I wanted to be on the Rigi.
Recently, looking for inexpensive lodging on train line with good service to Luzern, I have been staying at the Gasthof Engel in Sachseln.
Lacks scenic grandeur, has good kitchen, 3 trains per hour to Luzern. Not in any sense a “resort.” A village inn of good quality.
That’s a start
Slowpoke
Thanks Eiger Tyger & Slowpoke. Weggis sounds an ideal place for me. Will do some searching with different travel companies as I prefer the security of a package holiday. That limits my choice I know but happier to do it that way.
Hi Popples,
It’s good to know that you are planning ahead.
Agree with many, I think Lucerne is an ideal base for you for the activities you are interested in. Many tour operators operate in Lucerne or use it as a focal pick-up point, so this would be convenient if you prefer travelling with a guide or on packaged tours. Do check this page out: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/scenictrips/bus. It has a list of guided and packaged tours that might interest you. They can be done as a short excursion, day trips or overnight trips.
For more suggestions, please use this link: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities and use the search menu to look for guided tours.
Hope that helps!
Regards,
Anna
Hi Tyger –
<<“There’s also a daily direct connection to the Kehristen Burgenstock boat landing where you can catch the cog railway up to the new Burgenstock resort to hike the pleasant cliff trail with great with great views of the lake below.”>>
As I’m sure you know, that walk can take you to the elevator ( lift) to Hammetschwand, where there is a nice small cafe with great views over the lakes and the valleys in all directions.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammetschwand_Elevator
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/hammetschwand-lift-and-felsenweg-path/
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/the-hammetschwand-lift
That last thread has a good picture of Weggis and the lakes.
I make it a point to go there on almost every trip to the area.
I’ve not checked the recent timetables, but I think that you are correct in that there is only one cross lake boat scheduled per day. So, you can take a bus and train beck to Luzern from Bügenstock, or use the fairly frequent boat between Kehrsiten and Luzern. Thence to Weggis.
Slowpoke
This might be of interest, from the SBB train service.
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