Four of us will be traveling in Switzerland for 5 days (by car) after disembarking a Viking cruise in Basel. On our last day, we will be leaving the Lucerne/Zug area to cut across Lake Zurich over the bridge to Rapperswil-Jona, and would like to see the Switzerland area south of Lake Constance. What should be on our list of places to see and things to do on the last day of our vacation before heading back to the U.S.?
Thank you in advance for any help you can give us.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33820 posts
do you mean in the morning before a flight, or a full day before heading home?
Posted by
Paris
10193 posts
And where do you need to be the last night (I.e. what’s your airport for departure to head back home?)?
Posted by
OP
Northeast U.S.
8 posts
We will be flying out of Zurich on September 7th and staying at a Zurich airport hotel the night before. But we have a full day prior to our flight home that we will spend driving from Lucerne or Zug (haven't decided yet) to the region of Switzerland south of Lake Constance. Some areas that I thought look interesting are St Gallen, Appenzell and Kreuzlingen, but was hoping for more ideas/feedback. I always get the best advice from R.S. Forum fans.
Posted by
Washington DC
28073 posts
The area around Appenzell is very pretty; there's lots of hilly dairy country (cheese!). Appenzell itself is cute as a button. I can't be more specific because I stayed there about 30 years ago.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8967 posts
There're the Rheinfalls near Schaffhausen, and the picturesque town of Stein am Rhein. Not far from Basel or Zurich.
Be wary of the travel time between locations, as it can eat up a lot of your day, and not give you much quality time in any location.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
33820 posts
My first choice would be Mainau Island, just beyond Konstanz, towards the western end of the lake. If your cruise is happening there is a good chance that Mainau Island will have reopened.
Owned by a Swedish royal family the gardens are spectacular. Parking is easy and in my opinion the gardens are worth every coin.
Very easy from Zürich and Winterthur.
Posted by
Niagara, Ontario
1677 posts
A lot depends on how early you rise and how far you are willing to drive for a day trip. My first choice would also be Mainau, which can be combined with Insel Reichenau. Get to Reichenau for an early morning coffee, a bit of sightseeing and pleasant, easy walking.
If you want to stay in Switzerland, Stan's idea of combining Rheinfalls/Schaffhausen and Stein is a good idea. Stein is very pretty.
My memories of Appenzel are as old and about the same as acravens. Get there very early and move on to St Gallen for the rest of your day.
I also once visited Ittingen, a museum in a former monastery. It's in an idyllic setting, has nice gardens, with walking trails above. It's a slight detour on the way to either Schaffhausen or Mainau.
Posted by
OP
Northeast U.S.
8 posts
Thank you, thank you, thank you! All of your input is just exactly what I needed. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out. Now I'm really excited about this trip!
Posted by
Washington DC
28073 posts
My mother and I loved Mainau Island; I just thought it might be a little too far off your path.
Posted by
Austin, TX
110 posts
If you're willing to go to the north shore in Germany, you can take a Zeppelin ride in Friedrichshafen - see https://zeppelin-nt.de/en/homepage.html