Hi,

we are a couple in our early 30s and will be travelling to Switzerland for the 1st time in early August. This is kind of a last minute trip and the only thing we know is that we'd like to fly from London to Zurich, travel around Switzerland for 7 days and then fly out of Geneva. My main questions at this point are:

1) Transportation. We initially planned on renting a car, but our travel agent advised against it due to expensive gas and parking. I don't mind getting an 8 day train pass and explore the coutry by train but I'm worried about always having to drag all our things around. Which way of travelling would you recommend?

2) Itinerary. We'd like to stay in small picturesque villages along our way from Zurich to Geneva, ideally in small cottages/family-owned B&Bs. I started doing research on the B&B website I found here but there are so many, I am not sure where to start. Which villages/towns would you recommend on the way from Zurich to Geneva?

3) Any other tips/advice on a 7 day trip will be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

Sasha

Haven't been to Switzerland for a couple years, but we used to get gas in Switzerland because it was much cheaper than France. It's expensive everyplace right now; I wouldn't let that limit my travel choices. Just budget for it. We returned a week ago from five weeks in Europe driving. Get a very fuel-efficient car and drive where you want to go and take public transportation while you are there.

We particularly enjoyed Gruyere but I don't know your interests. There's a lovely castle, a cheese factory visit and a delightful Old Town section. The views from the castle are outstanding.

Hi,
as already mentioned, don't cancel the car-rental-option, you certainly would regret it!
Although it's peak-season by the first weeks in August, there are so many nice and small B&B's, very conveniently accessible when driving your own car!
As an option for your itinerary I would go Zuerich - Lucerne/Vierwaldstaetter-Lake, -then southwards closer to the alps and stay there for one or 2 days, then westwards towards Lake Thun and then up to Bern and Bienne, Lake Geneva.In Switzerland distances are quite acceptable and the highway-system is excellent, as well as road conditions.
Good Luck !

Hi
Zurich to Luzern, then to the Interlaken area (but stay in either Grindelwald or Murren) perhaps Appenzell (nice village with great houses) Gstaad is nice too and from there its only a short drive to Gruyere. You must go to Zermatt (car free town though) and spend a couple of days there.

If taking the train, suggest Zurich (1/2 nights), Luzern (1 night), Interlaken area (2 nights), Zermatt (2 nights) - that's it, although if you only spend i night in Zurich you would have another night somewhere else.

If you have a car, then you could take in Appenzell and Gstaad/Gruyere as well.

It also depends on what you like to do. If you are into hiking and the Alps, then I would just spend my time between Interlaken area and Zermatt for such a short trip.

Check out: http://www.zermatt.ch/index.e.html
http://www.grindelwald.travel/en/welcome.cfm
http://www.appenzell.ch/en/
http://www.gstaad.ch/en/winter/gs-index.htm
http://www.luzern.org/en/welcome.cfm


Hope this helps,
John

The solution to the luggage problem is picking one place with good train connections as a base and setting out for day trips from there. You can stay practically anywhere in Switzerland and have more than enough to do for a week within day trip distance.

Your travelagent seems not to be well informed.
Yes, gas is expensive nowadays.
But consider the following calculation.
For 250$ gas you can drive 1000miles with a fuel efficent rental car.
And remember, Switzerland is 250 miles from east to west and 150 miles from north to south.
Parking is only expensive in city centers, don't worry about that in more rural areas.

Have fun in Switzerland
Peter

I agree with Katherin that you could base yourself in one or two places and do a seven day tour of Switzerland without the car.However if you are too used to car travel,then go ahead.I personally would find it a bother to find parking,check out maps periodically etc..The train system is excellent with good connectivity and convinient stops.
Since you mentioned small towns,I would recommend,Saas Fee,Wengen and Murren near Zermatt,also near Geneva side.
From Zurich,you could cover the Schauffhausen Falls.Check local member Tripack's pages,they are very informative.
My personal favourites are small towns of Saas Fee and Grindelwald(which is near Interlaken)
Hope you have a great trip,
Vpas

You could try the following b&bs that I stayed at and found them to be good.
Hotel Imseng at Saas Fee
Hotel BelAir Eden at Grindelwald
You would find both at www.bedandbreakfast.ch
Hope this helps,
Regards,
Vpas

When travelling by train you can use the SBB's luggage forwarding service, so you don't need to carry all your stuff with you.

You guys are great! All the responses were very helpful. I'll start working on the itinerary and then can hopefully ask some more specific questions. Thanks so much for your help!

Sasha

one correction,wengen and murren are near the interlaken area and not near zermatt.Saas fee is near zermatt.
Sorry for that mistake.
Enjoy,
Vpas

I wouldn't worry too much about gas prices - they're much the same as in the UK. Take a boat trip on Lake Zurich - £3.50 for 1½ hours ride. Visit Appenzall - about an hours run from Zurich - very pretty. Also Rhein Falls about an hours journey from Zurich in the opposite direction - simply stunning cost 1 SW Fr - then there's the pretty town of Schauffersen. For cheap and good eats go to Manora. Think twice before you cancel the car rental option. Parking was on par with France and UK

Hi
Its me again!

Should mention if renting a car ask for a diesel engine as diesel is cheaper to buy and goes further. With a small diesel car you could equal or do better than train costs. Plus the added advantage of flexibility.

Try: http://www.webcarhire.com/

You should be able to rent a small car with drop-off fees for about $60 per day on the above site.

Have a great time
John

In Switzerland Diesel is more expensive than Gasoline, so you shouldn't really bother getting a Diesel.

We've recently been in the USA, France and Italy and diesel was more expensive than gasoline. There are truckers' strikes in Europe because of this. The only advantage to diesel is the cars usually get more miles per gallon. Get a fuel efficient small car and you'll be fine.

Wow. I am in in my early 30s and although I live in Zürich, I only get to dream of my wife letting me loose for 7 days with my camera and a car.

I am going to assume you are staying 6 nights in my itinerary, but feel free to add a night at either end, or to jump a night on the way if need be. None of the distances here are too big. But I also assume you don't want to go straight along the motorway between Zürich and Geneva, so am recommending what I would do... mountains, castles, quaint villages, and amazing roads.

The petrol costs shouldn't hold you back, and parking, as mentioned by others, is really cheap (if not free) in a all smaller locations, and that is where my trip will take you. Forget the 'tourist traps'.

Most locations mentioned have albums at Picasaweb under the AlmostSwiss gallery, and you can also use my site swisstopia.ch to follow the journey on a map which includes webcams, castles, and more all marked up.

-- 7 Days with a Car through Switzerland --
Day One - Travel from Zürich via the Motorway to Chur. Continue on Motorway to Thusis, where you should turn off the Motorway and head in the direction of Tiefencastle, Filisur, Albula. Your destination for the night is Bergün. As you go past Alvenau Bad, you will see a golf course and thermal bath complex on your right. Shortly after this, look out for the Landwasser Viaduct on the left in front of you. You can walk there from a carpark in around 20 minutes.
Continue on to Bergün, where you might like to stay at the Weisses Kreuz Hotel. Simple rooms, good food, reasonable price. The Bergün website has links to B&Bs etc too.
In the afternoon/evening, you could take a train to Präda (8km away up the valley) and walk back down to Bergün (a lovely gentle walk) or explore the little village of Latsch (above Bergün) by car and foot.

Day Two - Travel on over the Albula Pass to the Engadin Valley. Turn left and head down the valley towards Austria. Look out for signs pointing just off the road to the left to Guarda. This is a very pretty village and typical of the Engadin style. It is a beautiful place to wander and maybe stop for a drink.
Now turn back and go back up the valley. A brief interesting stop could be made in Zuoz. If you want to visit a Glacier, turn towards the Bernina Pass as Samedan and continue on past Pontresina to the Morteratch Glacier (car park with access by foot). Back in the main Engadin Valley, continue up (checking out places like St. Moritz (if you like tourist traps), Sils, and Silvaplana). At the top of the valley, drop down the Maloggia Pass and stop for the night in Soglio (again, very beautiful small village) very close to the border of Italy.

Day Three - You could choose to go over the Italian Pass (SS36 - never travelled this one) or back up the Maloggia Pass and then over the Julierpass (from Silvaplana) to depart the Engadin. Either way, go back to Thusis, and then on the Motorway until your reach Tamins. You want to take the off-ramp that is signposted as leading to Ilanz, Disentis, etc.
Continue up this valley and stop for the night in either Disentis area (Curaglia, just of Disentis on the Lukmania Pass is really cute) or even over the next pass at Andermatt. This depends on what accommodation you find. I cannot recommend the place I stayed in Sedrun on this leg recently.

Day Four - Continue from your location to Andermatt... and then travel over the Furka Pass (direction Oberwald) and then turn right and go up and over the Grimsel Pass to Meiringen. You could choose to stay here in Meiringen or to continue on to Brienz, Interlaken, or Lauterbrunnen at your discretion. You really need to explore what these places have to offer. In Lauterbrunnen, the Hotel Silberhorn is a good place to stay and offers real Swiss food on their menu.

Day Five - Are you tired yet? Need a little break from driving? Drive up the Kandertal to Kandersteg (from Interlaken to Spiez, left to Kandersteg) and drive your car onto the car train for a 15 minute ride through a tunnel to the Valais. At the end of the tunnel, don't go straight down to the Valais, rather, turn back on yourself and drive up the Lötchental threough Wiler and on to Blatten. This is another of those really photogenic Swiss mountain villages.
Now head down to the Valais and find yourself a place to stay the night. There are many options for you here. You could go to Zermatt (no cars, take train from carpark) and see the Matterhorn (don't miss the train up to Görnergrat) or alternatively head for Leukerbad and soak away your pains in the mountain-surrounded thermal baths.

Day Six - Travel down and out of the Valais and make your way towards Gruyere (it is a cute wee spot and if you like cheese...). at Aigle, turn through to Le Sepey (right) then turn right again to Ormont-Dessus, Gsteig, and Gstaad. Left back down through Chateau-d'Oex to Gruyere. find a place to stay in this area and just relax around the castle and village. Or on one of the nearby lakes.

Day Seven - Meander along the roads through Lausanne, across the top of Lac Leman and on to Geneva.

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I know this looks like a lot of travelling, and granted, there is a little driving to do. But I assure you, this is a trip that would show you the real Switzerland and you would certainly see some absolutely beautiful sights along the way.
By all means... if you want someone to pack your car, and pass fresh camera batteries to you, let me know. Now I really want to go for a drive. How unfair.

Are you really sure, to have the right Nick??
There is nothing "almost" in your tip! Congratulations - I saved it for my next trip to Switzerland!

I just saved this one too. Great trip!