We have two weeks this summer and would like to visit these 3places. We will fly into Zurich. Can anyone give a good itinerary on how to do this trip. Car? Train? Will I need a car in Appenzell? How about Lucerne? Good buss or taxi service in Lucern? Any favorite places to stay on the lake in Lucern?
Any reccomendation for places to stay in Appenzell? Ebenalp ? Any advice on must see places in these locations are greatly appreciated If we travel by train will be restricted in Appenzell? We have been to Murren so we understand that area pretty well and know we won't need a car there. Thanks in advance for your input
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32201 posts
Jay,
A few thoughts on your travel plans.....
If you fly into Zürich, my preference would be to go straight to Lucerne from the airport rail station. You can easily buy tickets once you arrive there, and as I recall the trip to Lucerne is only about an hour. There lots of great sights to see in Lucerne, including cruises on the lake or day trips to Mt. Rigi or Pilatus. I don't know of any places to stay "on the lake", but I was very pleased with my stay at Hotel Stern, which is about a 10 minute walk from the lake.
Then head for Mürren by train and since you've been there before you know the route through Interlaken Ost and Lauterbrunnen.
After your stay in Mürren, travel by train to Appenzell (more on using a car below). The trip will be about four hours or so from Interlaken, with two or three changes and it's very easy to get there by train. I was very pleased with my stay at Hotel Adler and would highly recommend it. They have an on-premises bakery as well as an excellent restaurant, so you may find that you put on a few pounds during your visit there. I quite enjoyed their Rösti.
I was in Appenzell in June and at that time the weather was somewhat miserable. The locals told me that visiting Ebenalp may not be possible as snow was expected, so I didn't make it up there. As far as staying at the mountainside Hostel at Ebenalp, I probably would only spend one night there. Unless you're hiking or enjoy the mountain air, there's wouldn't be a lot to do. Staying in town would offer more options in terms of restaurants, local music performances or whatever. During the time of my visit, a large celebration took place over a period of several days, commemorating the town being burned to the ground 500 years ago (there have been several fires in the history of the town). It was fascinating to see medieval soldiers and so on marching about the town. There were musical performances as well, including from a Swiss Bagpiper, who played several different versions of the instrument.
Whether a car would be of benefit for Appenzell will depend to some extent on what touring you want to do in that area. I mainly wanted to see the town and perhaps Ebenalp, and managed fine with public transit. You may want to have a look at the Switzerland guidebook, as it has a lot more specific information on all the places you'll be visiting.