I'm headed out on the Best of Switzerland tour this September. I would love to hear feedback from any tour alums from this itinerary. Any suggestions about what to do pre or post tour? Free time tips. Restaurant recommendations. Hotel reviews. Anything that would help me prepare. I've been on 11 previous tours and have found this type of advise to be invaluable. So lay it on me, fellow world traveler's.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Of all the countries in Europe - Switzerland would be SOOO very easy to do on your own without a tour. Every place on the itinerary is well served by the A+ Swiss Public Transport so get a rail pass and just hop on the train/bus/boat/gondola/funicular.
Posted by
Florida
610 posts
Tim, a lot of us take tours because we love them, not because we are afraid to plan the trip ourselves. I've traveled on tours and independently, but I love what RS tours offer us: a knowledgeable guide that can share cultural and historical insight as we go; comfortable, worry-free travel where we don't have to be thinking about connections and details; a group of educated, like minded friends to share the experience with; and well planned itineraries with surprises we never would have found on our own. We can see much more in a short time on a tour than we can on our own since we don't waste time waiting on transportation, waiting in lines, checking in and out of our hotels, etc. There are surely merits to both ways of traveling, but it seems many people who travel independently believe that those of us who take tours do it out of fear of managing on our own. Just my two cents. :)
Dneilg - I hope you'll write about your trip when you get back, as I'm very interested in this tour. Happy travels!
Posted by
Walnut Creek, CA
368 posts
Hi.
I took the inaugural tour of this tour in 2016 and I loved it. Pre tour in Lucerne you can take boats on the lake, take gondolas to the top of the local peaks. I am blanking on the names. There is an interesting modern art museum and a castle you can hike to.
In Lugano take a boat trip on the lake and there is a nice church to see.
Everywhere was stunning in its beauty. All the hotels were very nice. My least favorite was the hotel des alps. I went as a single traveler and the room was not that nice.
I went in may so we had a lot of rain. What I will tell you is that Switzerland is VERY expensive. We got a lot of our meals at grocery stores. Also the store Manor in Lugano has the best cafeteria you will ever eat st.
Please feel free to PM me. This was my 8th trip with rick and was my favorite. I am actually thinking about taking it again
I won't say much but day the bus takes the train is amazing😁😁😁
You will love it!!!!
Posted by
Ohio
2161 posts
Hi d, this is a relatively new tour. We took it in September 2016 and enjoyed it very much. It was interesting to see the German, Italian, and French regions of the country. It's almost like you're visiting different countries. We flew into Zurich a day early and took the train to Lucerne. We spent the extra day in Lucerne just exploring the city and getting over jet lag.
The hotels on the tour were all good to very good, larger than normal (for Europe), and clean. The group meals were good. We had a great cheese fondue in Lausanne and a wonderful dinner in Sonogro. Our final dinner in Bern was also very good (salmon).
Food is expensive in Switzerland. For lunches on our own we had sandwiches or salad from Coop or Migros, perfectly fine and filling. We had several good pizzas for dinner.
The scenery is the star of this tour so in our free time we hiked(walked) and explored. During our free day in Murren we did the Schilthorn and the Thrill Walk in Birg, fantastic day! We also had a free day in Lugano. We didn't have a plan for that day and ended up just wandering around. You may want to do some research about things to do in the area.
We really enjoyed Switzerland and we're planning to return again this year on our own.
Posted by
Central Florida
8 posts
Hi
We were also on the inaugural tour last year (hi Barbara!) and thoroughly enjoyed it.
We arrived 2 days before the tour started. On the one sunny day pre-tour, we went to Mt. Rigi which was breathtaking. One gem we discovered in Lucerne during free time was the enchanting forest behind the Chateau Guetsch. There are trails to walk, offering a nice respite from the city. Also we enjoyed the Glacier Garden and the odd but fun Alhambra hall of mirrors. In Lugano, we took the boat ride to Gandria (we took the boat back too) and had lunch at one of the restaurants recommended in the RS guidebook. Can't remember the name but it was good. Murren was our favorite stop and is high on the must-do-again list.
Post-tour, we went to Zurich for a day before flying home. We had a great time walking around and enjoyed a surprise orchestral concert in a plaza while eating dinner.
Feel free to PM me if you want more info.