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Where to Stay For 3 nights/2 days

We have a High Ortler hut to hut traverse scheduled for end of July into early August, with 7 days of hiking and a night at the beginning and end in Merano, Italy. From Merano we plan to take the train to Switzerland on Monday morning, which looks like it will take the better part of the day. We have two full days in Switzerland before flying back to California out of Zurich Thursday.
Where would you suggest we stay to make the best use of those two days? It's just my husband and me and we can be very flexible. We prefer to avoid crowded areas (we get enough of crowds in Los Angeles). Charming towns are preferred.

We will obviously have done plenty of hiking already. I would love to do a cheese tour.
Our flight departs at 11:15am from Zurich. Should we stay in Zurich the night before our flight?

This forum is so full of wonderful info - I really need to narrow down the choices.

Posted by
21139 posts

You could go to Appenzell. Plenty of cows there and where there's cows, there's cheese. Two ways to get there, both taking 7 1/2 hours.
1. Meran to Brennero to Innsbruck to Buchs to Gossau to Appenzell.
2. Meran to Mals by bus, then bus to Zernez passing through the Swiss National Park, then train to Landquart, then to Gossau, then to Appenzell. This route is hidden on rail planners because the bus from Meran to Mals only shows up on the Suedtirol Mobil website. Normally there is a rail line connecting them, but a reconstruction project means it is now an hourly train replacement bus.

Appenzell to Zurich airport can be done in 1 1/2 hours with a single connection. So depart at 6:30 and get there at 8. You could go the night before and stay at the airport if that makes you nervous.