Hi Everyone,
Please help me decide. Active couple in 50s. Honeymoon (clearly not the first). Starting in Italy April 2nd making way from Venice to Lake Como area ending there possibly 14th (flexible). Flying out of Zurich 18th. Planned this way because we really wanted to take the Bernina from Tirano. Trip is heavy Italy while getting a taste of Switzerland. If we take train on 14th that puts us in Chur around 8 pm. This gives us 4 nights total before we need to fly out of Zurich. We can rent car but only if it makes it easier. Any suggestions on what to do with these nights? We are very into scenery and light hiking and of course food. We don’t need to see it all and we are fine going to one pretty place to enjoy. Problem is I cannot figure out where to go that doesn’t have us spending all our time on a train. Flight out of Zurich 10 am on 18th. Thank you for any advice.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11852 posts
Luzern would be an easy choice with mountains, lake, and a pretty city to enjoy, and it is only an hour from the Zurich airport so no need to spend the last night in Zurich, Chur to Luzern is a couple of hours by train.
Posted by
Switzerland
191 posts
Lenzerheide (altitude 1,476 m) and Arosa (1,775m) are not destinations I would suggest for mid April. I have not been there at that time of year, but knowing what other alpine locations are like in April, you will probably not be able to do much hiking, and mountain lakes are likely still frozen/covered in snow. A lower elevation (such as Luzern) would be a better choice.
Posted by
OP
48 posts
Thank you for the help. Will definitely look into all of this.
Posted by
1 posts
Congrats, Debbie. I have spent a lot of time in Switzerland, not as a tourist, and have a different suggestion. I would never rent a car there as the trains are efficient and very simple to navigate. You can use the SBB app to buy tickets or just get them at the station. That said, these suggestions are via train rather than car. 20 minutes from Chur, is Bad Ragaz, a spa town, small and lovely. The Tamina Therme spa is great, though you don't need to stay at the hotel. Others in town are very close and some come with spa deals. Across the river, via bus and maybe taxi, there are some charming vineyards with dinner options. One of my most scenic meals ever was there. I don't know about April, however. (Be mindful that taxis in Switzerland are about 10 CHF per mile!) The spa would be great in April. You can then take the train to St. Gallen which has one of the most stunning abbeys ever. The town is full of historic architectural features with windows that hang over doors. You can explore that on line first to see if it interests you. It's an easy train back to Zurich from there. Don't neglect Zurich, especially the old town. It's totally worth visiting and perhaps a night. You can get a quick train from the HBF straight to the airport. It's SIMPLE. You can also enjoy Zurich for the day and then just take the train to the airport and stay at the Radisson Blu there so you will already be positioned for your flight the next day. There is easy luggage storage at the HBF. While Luzern is lovely, that's not the best time of the year to be there and it's really only accessible via train through Zurich. I wouldn't suggest it. Mt. Rigi is one of my favorite places to hike, and the lakes are lovely, but April is just not optimal. That said, you should have a lovely train ride with enough snow to make things pretty if it ends up being a good snow year. Hope this helps.