We are planning a trip to Switzerland/France in late September 2022. We are planning a 15-day trip. We are finalizing flights and hotels and need assistance with the following:
1. Flying in from US. We are interested in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We thought 3 nights there followed by 2 nights in Luzern, Bern or another city before we head to France. We're asking other travelers for recommendations of which city if we enjoy museums, walking, dining out and a leisurely pace. We are semi-active seniors in our mid-60s .
2. From Switzerland we plan to take a train to Avignon and use it as a hub to visit other places. We have 7 nights. We will not have a car so are looking for following recommendations: a) which cities should we not miss. b) Vineyards? c) Tour guides? We love history, walking tours and food classes.
3. Last question, we are looking at AirBnBs as a way to save money since we like to cook. However, we are open to recommendations for a budget hotel.
Thanks in advance.
Maria
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6455 posts
We enjoyed the Einstein museum in Bern. Bern has an incredibly interesting old town and is situated on a river. As much as we enjoyed Bern which we did on a day trip from Luzern, Luzern was stunning and you will want your full 2 days there and more! We went to the small art museum and the panoramic painting. We also took a boat ride across the lake and up to the top of mt Rigi.
Posted by
Green Bay
21142 posts
From the US, you ill probably want to arrive at Zurich airport, Switzerland's largest international airport with lots of flights from the US. It will be easiest to go directly from the airport to Luzern, since it is only a 70 minute train ride. From there to Lauterbrunnen.
From Lauterbrunnen to Avignon is through Geneva. That is a 7 hour train trip, so maybe you want to break that up. You could go a slower, more scenic route to Montreux via Zweisimmen and stop there or in Geneva. You could also go via Basel with fewer train changes in 7 1/2 hours.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
Thank you Jules and Sam. Many others agree that Luzern has the edge. Will definitely look into those train rides too.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6455 posts
In Luzern, we stayed at Drei Koenig. Compared to other places, it was inexpensive and had an excellent breakfast. Our room was huge and the staff was helpful. It does have a restaurant as well. It was about a half mile from the train station and a bit over half a mile to the river, bridges and the old town. We stayed at an Airbnb in the Lauterbrunnen valley.
Posted by
Grand Rapids, MI
768 posts
Another accommodation option in Lauterbrunnen is to rent a trailer/mobile home that has it's own kitchen. You can check them out at https://www.campingjungfrau.swiss/en