Switzerland / Italy Honeymoon

We stayed at the Hotel Alpenrose in Wengen. This is in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. If you stay 7 days you get a pass good on all the trains and gondolas and half price on the JUngfrau train. They have a wonderful meals. The hotel is family owned. They make you feel like you are part of their wonderful Swiss heritage. The terrace view of the mountains and the waterfalls is the best in Europe. We have been to Europe many times and have gone to this hotel three times. If you like hiking and mountains go there. Skip the cities. We stayed in the Lake Como area and felt it was okay. Lak eComo was very hot. The boat trips are okay to the little cities. but Switzerland is wonderful . You can easily get to Wengen by train. You could also stay in Zermatt. We stayed at the Hotel Julen in Zermatt. They have a wonder pool and great health spa. The hiking is great. Wengen is better. Skip Zurich and any large city. The romance of Europe is in the small protected villages like,
Wengen, Rothenburg, Brugges, or Ricquiwihr in the Alscae Lorraine. Every big city is the same.

Hi Roger, thx for your reply. Your description of Wengen sounds great. We are looking into going from Zurich to St. Moritz area. It's a little confusing but we're focusing (as of now) on that with (maybe) a stop in Locarno. We've heard the train route is spectacular, as I'm sure most in Switzerland are. Will keep checking back but will really need to make some firm plans real soon.
Thx

Going from Zurich to St. Moritz by way of Locarno would be waaaaaybout of the way. Check a Swiss rail map and you will see that. You would be better off going to St. moritz via Chur.then after St. Moritz take the Bernina Exptress into Italy at Tirano. Change there for the train to Varenna, 1.5 hours. Very romantic. It is a short hop to Milan from Varenna ( one hour) and youncan transfer from there to your Ticino choice,mother Locarno or Lugano. Ot reach Locarno by the lake route, via Stresa.

I think you would be much happier with the Berner Oberland or Zermatt (as opposed to St.Moritz) if you are looking for a Swiss experience. I agree with Roger about Wengen. Wengen or Murren would be great choices.
St.Moritz is just not that appealing to me.

As a side note, if you wanted a genuine Swiss experience off the beaten path, you could look at places like the Anniviers valley (Grimentz, Zinal) or the Lötschental (Blatten) for example.
Those places have kept their ancestral traditions and dialect.

Thx again. I actually meant Zurich to St. Moritz, then a train to lugano, possibly. However it seems like the Berner Oberland region keeps coming up as the most recommended, Wengen in particular. Is it easy to get frm Zurich to Wengen or a similiar town in that area? Where would be my best base location where we can have access to mountains lakes biking hiking etc, small town feel without a zillion other tourists? Don't want it to feel like Disneyland. Quiet scenic with some activities. How long should I stay can do 4 days give or take 1. Thanks - I know I'm throwing a lot out there, I appreciate the responses.

I think Wengen or Murren would fit the bill. You have access to so many places. You are next to the Schilthorn, the Jungfrau, and the Trümmelbach Falls. You can hike or go experience paragliding.
If the weather is not so great one day, you can go visit Bern, Thun, or take the paddle steam boat on lake Brienz or Thun.

We spend a lot of time hiking in Switzerland and I can think of no place that feels like Disneyland. The mountain villages are real places with real people and real cows; it is not a fake show. Some places have leaned toward the tourist dollar but depending on where you go it may be Swiss tourists, maybe Germans and French, or Brits and other English-speakers, or Asian tour groups, or others. Or a mix. One place we love to go, off the beaten path, is a favorite of Swiss hikers, but one time there we met a group of photographers from Taiwan on tour. They had just come from Zermatt and had gorgeous photos of the Matterhorn. We shared wine and tea and had a great evening. My point is there are a lot of beautiful places in Switzerland, and many are not known to the people on this board. And yes, the Lauterbrunnen area is very scenic, and it has great and hospitable hotels. That is one of many things the Swiss do very very well. I would not be concerned about the Disneyland thing or about having an " authentic" Swiss experience. There are many ways of doing that. Zurich is every bit as authentic as the most remote alpine hut. A night in a Matrazenlager with other people is very Swiss, but not honeymoon material. St.Moritz is a pricy ski resort, but has some beautiful and very traditional hotels. In 10 days going from Zurich to Milan you could see a nice mix of mountains, lakes, cities and mountain villages. But you need to look at a rail map and also reviews and guidebooks to see what is most worthy of your time, and what makes the most sense in terms of travel time.

"an " authentic" Swiss experience." I would think nowadays, that would mean working for a pharmaceutical company in Basel or an investment bank in Zurich or Geneva.

^^ Exactly, Tom. I will not write a piece again on this, but I roll eyes at people thinking only people dedicating to farming, cattle raising or forestry are "true locals" or that only places where such activities take places are "authentic (Switzerland/Italy/Austria/Ireland etc.) Indeed, I find these relations of rural life = "true xyz-place life" offensive, judgmental and condescending on the probably 80% or more of Swiss/Italians/Austrians/Irish who do not dedicate themselves to these trades. Of course, there is absolutely nothing wrong wanting to visit a remote, sparsely inhabited area full of natural parks to explore. I myself like such areas a lot. But to throw a "by doing this you are getting in contact with true Swiss or the real Switzerland" is to trash down the Rhine everybody else not living those lifestyles.

One of the reasons St.Moritz is popular is that it enjoys exceptionally good weather which is not the case for the Berner Oberland. St.Moritz is not very charming however. It feels like a little town and the architecture is not the traditional alpine wooden chalet style tourists associate with Switzerland.
Not that I would dismiss the Engadine and I would highly recommend it for a second visit for example. The upper part (Tarasp castle, Scuol) is stunning.

Not sure if the eye rolls are directed at the person wanting a "real Swiss" experience or the people suggesting places in the mountains to find it. sure Zurich and Basel and other cities are real Swiss and most Swiss people live there. But would spend your honeymoon there? Jess has asked for scenery, a quiet place, hiking, biking, etc. That is not Zurich. Someone suggested St. Moritz to them but I think Mark's comments are well-taken. The architecture in Graubunden lacks the charm of the Bernese Oberland and Valais. That is where you will find the wooden chalets with balconies and flowers. That is the traditional style there and it is just as much real Swiss as the ultra-modern buildings in Basel. Since Jess asked for someplace quiet and scenic, with hiking, and since they are going from Zurich to Milan for their flights, I am going to suggest a place near Lucerne which is close to that path (the train route between zurich and Milan) bu also quiet and remote. You get their by boat from Lucerne to Vitznau and then train from there up above Rigi Kaltbad. Check out Hotel Edelweiss and the honeymoon (hochzeit) package. Very sweet and romantic place, and there is good hiking up on Rigi, with views over the lake to the Alps. No tour buses anywhere near this place.

Sasha, Rigi-Kaltbad is a good idea. The views are wonderful from up there. Regarding the "Real Swiss experience" request, I just read it as the OP looking for the most distinctive and memorable experience when coming from a big US city.
I agree that there is almost nothing in common between the culture of a French speaking watch maker of Huguenot descent and an Appenzell farmer (the source of the well known Swiss identity crisis "le mal Suisse").

From the perspective of the Swiss, St. Moritz is as close to Disneyland is it gets. Set that idea aside and focus instead on central Switzerland and/or Valais. Most people on this board follow Rick Steves in routinely recommending the Berner Oberland. It's a lovely region, but the same is true of many other areas. It really does come down to what kind of experience you're after. You can spend days hiking/walking the wanderwegs and nights in mountain huts & hotels along the way. Or you can settle in a town like Luzern and use it as a base. Whatever you choose will, I'm sure, be picturesque and offer opportunities to experience "genuine" aspects of the Swiss culture. But the reality is that as a tourist with limited time, your insight is limited. That's true for all of us, regardless of our destination, when we're mere tourists. Rick Steves has been here in Switzerland dozens of times and no doubt has many a Swiss friend, yet his guide book write-up on Swiss cow culture is unquestionably that of an outsider and he misses the mark in several respects. Like Rick, your "real Swiss experience" will be that of an outsider, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. Happy honeymoon to you!

Hey Jess--- how are we doing? Any thoughts?

Well first thank you for your thoughts & guidance, really helpful. I didn't mean to offend anyone by stating I was looking for a real Swiss experience. I live & work in a large US city & I'm just looking for a scenic view, to appreciate the beauty of the country. Working for a big pharma co or living in a big Swiss city doesn't diminish or minimize those folks, it's just not why I would travel so far, & spend my honeymoon in Switzerland. I never said anything negative about that or belittled it, at all. Next
It's looks like we will spend 1/2 days in Zurich (after wedding/travel want to chill in 1 place for a day or two) then head to the Berner Oberland region for 3/4 days. A lot of recommendations to go there. Maybe base out of Lauterbrunnen & take in the environment there with a day trip to Thun or Brienz ?? Thx All