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Visiting Western Switzerland

After two weeks exploring the Alps we would like to look about western SWitzerland.
From Neuchatel to Biel, La Chaux fe Fonds, Basel ending up in Zurich.
Any ideas on locations or specific sights to see?

Posted by
13 posts

Absolutely go to Berner Oberland although it's mid country rather than west. It is too gorgeous to miss and I way preferred it to the Matterhorn. We did the Jungfraujoch train and if you pull up a Utube video, you need not spend the half day doing it. I've had two trips, staying in Murren on each and will hopefully return a few times before I croak. Ballenberg is a really cool outdoor museum with some 70 structures from the various parts of die Schweiz going back to the late 1600's and is 20-25 min east of Interlocken. Castle Chillon near Montreau is worth a visit and Greniere, the cheese place is a gorgeous little short stop. The landscape there is wunderbar. Drove thru Biel I believe and am forgetting if that is where the chocolate town/train is. Near the cheese place and we got there early evening so didn't feel like we missed anything. I've been to Lucern three times and each one was less interesting and will never go back. We had a great time in the Oberammergau area, what a great little town and area but that's getting too far east for you probably. That's my two Swiss pennies.

Posted by
18 posts

We have stayed many times at the Hotel Alpenrose in
Wengen in the Lauterbeen Valley. Rick recommends Gimmelwald. We like Wengen because it is car free, you can walk to the Manhlican Cable car, hike up the mountains, take a gondola down to Grindelwad . If you have only two days in Switzerland stay here. Zermatt is wonderful but too far away. Wengen and the Lauterbeen valley has the best hiking, best views, and is only 2 1/2 hours by car to the Zurich airport. The Hotel Alpenrose has great food, and some of the greatest views of the valley. It is reasonable for Switzerland if you buy the meal plan. They also have a cheaper apartment rental plan. The Alternative is to go to Chamonix 3 hours from Zurich, 1 hour from Geneva. This is great for chair lift hiking and a little bit cheaper than Switzerland. We stay at Rick's out of town hotel, Aquille du Midi, relatively cheap, nice swimming pool, great meals, but small cozy rooms.