We fly to Zurich arriving 3:15p Monday, April 17, 2017. We would like to stay in a village outside of Zurich to get over jet lag and enjoy the countryside. Somewhere with thermal baths or a wellness center with warm pools would also be wonderful. Any suggestions? We are a fit couple in our late 60s. Thanks.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
This is one I know, I am sure there are others nearer Zürich: http://www.parkresort.ch/en/
The town it is in (Rheinfelden, "main street" about 5-10 minutes walk from Spa), is pretty with old town walls. Photos:
http://www.tourismus-rheinfelden.de/files/www.wst-rheinfelden.de/ausfluege/altstadt_rheinfelden/01_Rheinfelden_CH_Altstadt.jpg
http://img.myswitzerland.com/mys/n64489/images/buehne/st0035309.jpg
[edit] about 1 hour from Zürich airport by train.
Posted by
Switzerland
383 posts
You could also consider Baden or Schinznach-Bad in Kanton Aargau. These are a bit closer to Zurich than Rheinfelden, which is nearer to Basel. Depends what your further travel plans/activities are.
Baden is not really a village per se, as it is a fairly bustling town, but it is very convenient to Zurich (15-20 mins by train) and worth visiting in its own right. There is a picturesque "old town" area, plenty of restaurants/cafes, nice walks nearby (https://www.baden.ch/en/recreational-activities/day-trips/wandern.html/175) and also close to some interesting attractions (Wildegg or Lenzburg castles, for example). It has been known for its baths since Roman times and there are various hotels offering thermal baths/wellness areas in town (there is even a free heated foot-bath along the river for walkers!). You can read a bit more here:
https://www.baden.ch/en.html/132 and here:
http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/baden.html (if the spa hotels are out of your budget, there are other nice options and you could then just get a day pass for one of the wellness areas)
Schinznach-Bad is about 20 minutes further out from Baden and is much more "rural" in character. This would be more like a spa vacation as the village has few amenities, but there are nearby towns and sights (castles already mentioned, walks along the Aare river, visit to Baden or Aarau etc). There is some info here http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/thermal-baths/bad-schinznach-thermal-baths.html
There is a whole section on wellness and thermal baths within the myswitzerland web page with a few other places, but I think these would probably be closest to Zurich proper.