Seeking a lovely spot for our last night - how close to the airport must we be?

We often stay in Freiburg which has some really nice places to stay. Staufen is a small town that is quite scenic that is almost on the Swiss border. I think either would be a nice choice.

Does Staufen have a train station? I don’t see one on SBB. And do you mean Feibourg in Switzerland or Freiburg in Germany? The Swiss city is more than 1.5 hours from the airport and you have to Chang trains in Bern.

I would suggest Bern, a lovely city nestled in the bend on a river you can swim in. A more charming old town than Lucerne. Direct trains go from there right into the airport in about an hour.

Thanks for the suggestions! I am also wondering whether you mean the Fribourg in Switzerland, or the Freiburg in Germany…

How many nights would you stay in Bern?

Also wondering about Basel…

I’m just hoping for an interesting place to stay that isn’t too urban as we wind down our 3 week adventure. :-)

Sasha, I once visited the farmers market on Bainbridge Island! What a beautiful place to live!

Thanks!

Laurie

We have been to Switzerland 6 times in the past 20 years, mainly spending 2 weeks there to hike. We did not discover Bern until our last trip, when we chose to head straight there from the airport to check it out. We were captivated by the charms of the oldtown, the fun and relaxed evening scene there with restaurants spilling out in to the closed pedestrian streets, and the walk along the river with chances to swim (to which my husband succumbed). We are returning next trip for 2 nights.

We spent a night in Basel on our way to Colmar a few years ago, but it did not grab us in the way that Bern did. And it is further from the airport, so not as useful for your purposes.

Thank you, Lola, for this affirmation. I think we will be staying in Bern for the last two nights of our trip. Did you especially enjoy the place where you stayed? I’d be happy for any recommendations on lodging or other activities.

I appreciate everyone’s help… I feel like we finally have the last puzzle piece in place for our eagerly anticipated trip.

Thanks,
Laurie

I have a 1:45 PM departure from Zurich and is staying in Bern the night before.

I have stayed in Bern on 3 trips (vacation apartments, not hotels), and I LOVE Bern!

Please meander in the evenings along ancient alleyways, to enjoy the oldest parts of town, and don't miss all the lovely, elaborate old fountains along the main thoroughfare.

One warning about going for a Swim in the river in Bern: Only do this if you are a good swimmer. And look at how the locals do it. The water moves fast and you have to keep swimming, you can't thread water as you will painfully stub your toes against the bottom...

But yes, Bern is a lovely lave place to spend an evening, especially if the weather is good.

We enjoyed our stay at the Best Western Hotel Bern and have booked there again for our September visit. Also check the Savoy which another forum member recommends; it is a bit closer to the Bahnhof and is well-rated too.

For dinner we loved the Krone and the location on Gerechtigkeitsgasse in the Altstadt. We sat at an outside table and liked the ambiance—-lots of people enjoying a nice summer evening. There are a number of restaurants along there, so check menus to find one you like. The street name is particularly appealing to the lawyer in me. I will be looking at the other restaurant for our September visits because the Krone is closed on Sunday and Monday, the nights we will be there. : (

Thank you very much for the additional information about Bern! And Lola, you piqued my curiosity, and I had to look up why that street name amused you. Gerechtigkeitsgasse = Justice Alley! That seems perfect for a lawyer to enjoy! :-)

I’m excited about our trip-and happy to have more info about Bern. Thank you all!

Laurie

Hi Laurie, I'll chime in to say I also loved Bern. Just returned from the RS 12-day Best of Switzerland tour and the last two nights of the trip we stayed in Bern at the Hotel Baren am Bundesplatz. Great location, I found the hotel to be very comfortable. The train to Zurich airport runs twice per hour, and you don't have to change when the train stops at the Zurich HB so it was easy transit. I took an 8:30 train for a 1pm flight home which worked out perfectly. Happy travels! Susan