We are senior citizens who will be staying in Geneva, but would like to plan a train trip to another area, stay a night or two and return to Geneva...My husband is active and healthy; I have knee problems and can walk only short distances, climb very few stairs, but am able to walk with a cane. No hikes for me! What area or town should be our destination? We are able to take most kinds of public transportation .....This will be our first trip to Switzerland......Thank you. E Jenny
Posted by
Dallas, Texas, USA
501 posts
I'm always interested in posts such as yours, just in case I'll be limited in future years. We took my Mother-in-law, age 86, bilateral knee implants to europe, 2 years ago. We took a walker on plane and in rental car, and she was slow but did remarkably well. It was the type walker that had a seat so she could sit if she wished. Annecy by train MIGHT be an option and of course Luzern is one of my choices as well. Pick a waterfront Hotel to limit distance of walking from Train station, boarding the ferries is near the TS in Luzern.
Posted by
Rochelle, IL
263 posts
My wife has MS and has trouble walking. She can't walk for distance or do stairs either. We have done a few trips in Switzerland. You could consider the Golden Pass from Montreux, which is about 45 minutes from Geneva by train. Take that to Interlaken, then take the train up to Jungfrau. Interlaken is not the ideal place to stay....touristy, commercial... but it has hotels close to train stations, which means minimal walking. This would be a two night, three day trip...1 day to Interlaken, spend the night; second day to Jungfrau, spending night in Interlaken, return to Geneva third day. There is some walking. When we reached the top of Europe, my wife sat in a cafe, had coffee, enjoyed the views and I wandered around the trails and sites on top. Lucerne is also a possibility. Train from Geneva to Lucerne, take the Golden Round Trip up Mt. Pilatus (but take the cog train both ways...less walking....) and again, the non walker can enjoy the views while the walker can wander the top. If boats are your liking, you can go from Geneva on a lake boat, possibly to Lausanne, Montreux, Vevey, where there are hotels close to the docks. Boat there, train back for a different view. Of course, all depends on the time of year....boat schedules in the fall are not as flexible as in the summer. Switzerland has lots of hills and stairs. They also have great transportation and outragously expensive taxis, but there are trips you can do that cut down on walking. I am sure other posters will offer additional suggestions. Hope this helps!
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
If you're interested in a relatively flat walk through the mountains at about 2000 m elevation, I can recommend Flumserberg (although it's on the opposite side of the country from Geneva). You can take a bus from the Flums Bahnhof up to Flumserberg Tannenboden. From there, you can ride the ski lift up to the high pasture levels. There are miles of trails up there, many of which a smooth and level.