Two seniors would like advice from experienced travelers in Switzerland. Here is our schedule: arrive in Zurich on a Thursday, must be in Zermatt from Saturday to Saturday (7 nights), then travel to Vaduz, Liechtenstein for three nights (Sat.,Sun., Mon). We depart Zurich at 7:30 am on Thursday thus we must be near Zurich airport.
It may be possible to reduce the seven nights in Zermatt to five nights and four days, (these must be any consecutive days,) if this will permit more flexibility. Zermatt and Vaduz are locations that must be included no option to eliminate these locations.
Questions. What suggestions for the Thursday and Friday before Zermatt? Suggestions for final Tuesday and Wednesday before departure? Suggested day excursions from Zermatt? Suggestions for modified itinerary? What is the most economical method train tickets or pass? Suggestions on economical hotel for Wednesday night prior to early morning departure ? Thank you
Posted by
1 posts
We loved Zermatt but also Lauterbrunnen near Interlaken. Lots to see in that area as well. We have stayed at the Bellair Hotel in Zurich before flying out. There are buses or the train to get you to the airport. Swiss rail passes are the best thing going and include your train travel, buses, boats, museum passes, cable car discounts--lots of pluses. Enjoy your stay, Also Two Seniors
Posted by
Green Bay
21139 posts
If mountains are your thing, you can go straight to the Berner Oberland from the airport. If a nice city to relax in and recover from jet lag, go to Luzern.
For the transfer from Zermatt to Vaduz, suggest taking the Glacier Express to Chur and continuing to Vaduz from there. Here, a little flexibility in travel dates is in order, as you want to do this on a nice day with good visibility. So you may want to cut short your time in Zermatt if it looked like Friday was the best travel day. You can always spend a night in Chur, which is an interesting city in its own right.
Last two nights there are many options. Apenzell is one, Bregenz, Austria on the Bodensee, is another.
I would look at two 30-day Half Fare Cards at 120 chf each. Better than a pass IMHO. Then all the fares are half price, and you have the option of going 1st class if you want.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
If you spend a full week in Zermatt, will you plan a lot of hiking or skiing in that area? If not, then you might prefer a shorter stay to allow more variety in the total trip. Located at the end of it's own train line, Zermatt is not an ideal location for day tripping to other towns that Rick covers in his book; most are 2.5 - 3.5 hours away. However, I'm sure there are also attractions closer to Zermatt that I'm not familiar with.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32350 posts
Mal,
"We depart Zurich at 7:30 am on Thursday thus we must be near Zurich airport."
You can stay right in Zürich on the night prior to your flight, as the airport is only about 10 minutes by train from the city. I stayed at Hotel Walhalla on my last visit to Zürich and it's right next to the main station, so a very convenient location!