Need some recommendations, please. My wife and I, late 60s, going to Switzerland for the first time this May. We have up to two weeks to be there. The YouTube videos that have peaked our interests are places like Gimmelwald and lauterbrunnen valley. We prefer a rural setting, With, Swiss charm. We might do some light hiking, but are looking to really relax and enjoy the views and the Swiss culture. Does anyone have any recommendations of quaint lodging, that is not like a typical Hotel. we would prefer less crowded areas, perhaps with a balcony so we can enjoy the views right from our room if we choose. Also, anyone that has any itinerary they would like to share, with length of time being spent in different regions, that would be great. We have looked through Rick‘s travel books, and there is lots of information that we are trying to get through. So personal recommendations from anyone who has been there would be really appreciated. Thank you. Ajs
Posted by
528 posts
We were in Wengen on the RS’s Europe tour and we loved this setting. I think the hotel we stayed in was the Bellevue. It has hiking trails including one going down to the town of Lauterbrunen. We have such nice memories of the place that we have plans to revisit this summer for a week. We are also going to Lucerne, Bern and Colmar, France on this trip and we will get around by train. Let us know how it goes with your itinerary.
Posted by
Green Bay
21341 posts
If you stay in Gimmelwald (Rick's favorite), there are a couple of simple hotels and hostels, definitely not 4-star properties.
Posted by
Denver
5 posts
Gimmelwald might be what you are looking for in terms of being rural. We enjoyed Murren and stayed at the Hotel Edelweiss there, in a room with a balcony and views. It was wonderful! The advantages of Murren: 1) relatively easy to get to via a cable car and train and 2) no cars other than hotel vehicles. You can do a lot of exploring from Murren: 1) Schilthorn Summit via Cable Car; 2) Allemandhubelban Funicular (from Murren up to Flower Trail Loop and other hikes); 3) Lauterbrunnen; 4) walk to Gimmelwald; 5) Other side of the valley (we did not have time to explore this area).
p.s. this is not responsive to your question but if you have up to two weeks, it might be worth checking out Rick's Best of the Alps tour. We followed that itinerary but rented a car. It was an unforgettable and wonderful trip. p.p.s. We traveled in late May, early June. It was a great time to be there in that it was not too crowded. But we did encounter a mixed bag, weather-wise, including a fair amount of on/off fog/cloudcover and on/off drizzle/rain.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you all for your replies. Any and all replies are really appreciated as it gives us more and more information. We really appreciate specific hotel recommendations