So, I have to stay in Zurich as I am attending an event that starts from there. I have one day to myself. I have been to Lucerne before. I am hoping to find a cute mountain town to explore for a few hours. Is Einsiedeln a good choice? Any other suggestions?
Thank you!
You could try Arosa, it is about 2.5 hours from Zurich by train.
Engelberg, 1h50 from Zürich HB, changing at Luzern. Official website: http://www.engelberg.ch/
And, if the weather is clear, you can go up my favourite mountain, Titlis: http://www.titlis.ch/en
Thank you - both of those locations look beautiful. Is there anything that is a shorter distance from Zurich? I was hoping for 1 1/2 hous maximum travel time each way as I will have arrived from the US the day before and may still be a bit jet-lagged :-)
Zurich to the charming town of Appenzell takes 2 hours each way, with another half hour for the train/lift up the mountain to Ebenalp.
Thank you for your replies. Still looking for a location only 1.5 hours or less travel time from Zurich.
The problem is that Zürich is in the northern flatlands.
The mountains are (predominantly) in the more southern part of the country. To get to the mountains - especially a cute mountain town - takes time.
I've never heard of Einsiedeln. How did you come across it?
I like the mountain town of Flumserberg, which is about an hour southeast of Zurich. It's one of those high-altitude settlements perched on the side of the mountain. Unlike the more well-known villages of the Berner Oberland, it is accessible by car. Flumserberg is not really a distinct town or village, but rather several interconnected hamlets. Except during the shoulder season, you can ride a lift to the summit and there's plenty of trails to walk around.
Flumserberg looks great but, while it's only an hour by car, it's a 2hr train ride. I'm not sure the OP will find a 'cute mountain town' close enough. There are nice towns on lakes with lovely mountain views, but for getting up in the mountains it's gonna take about a 2 hr+ train ride plus usually a gondola or lift ride up. Zug (on the Zugersee) and Thun (on the Thunersee) are both less than 1-1/2 hrs by train. Andermatt is in the mountains but it's also just shy of 2hrs on the train each way.
Zurich is away from the mountains. You will need to go to the mountains. Flumserberg sounds interesting, might want to try there. Otherwise Engelberg and go to the Brunnihuette.
Thank you for the additional replies! I thought since Lucerne was a short ride from Zurich that I might be able to find something that same distance. I can't remember where I heard of Einsiedeln - it looks cute in google photos, but hard to tell how many mountains are around it.
Have you tried working with the myswitzerland website?
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/destinations/mountains.html
I typed myswitzerland zurich in google and got to a page that had a map so I could specify parts of the country and then select destinations such as mountains. I got four results. There may be places that are not in the heart of Zurich but might be interesting to explore. Felsenegg comes up.
I have no personal experience with Zurich or its surroundings, but I think the tool may prove interesting and allow you to explore.
thanks Debbie! I was not aware of that site. I will check it out!
