Never been to Europe before. Taking my father to Switzerland next May to see where our family came from over 100 years ago. Flying in and out of Zurich. 6 days. Anybody have any recommendations for places to stay, eat, sleep, visit in the Buchs, Grabs, Werdenberg, Wildhaus area (Eastern Switzerland). I read about Appennzell in the Rick Steves book. How about a place to visit for a day in the Black Forest region? Will be getting around completely by train. Looking at a swiss saver pass. How does this work? I'm assuming it's like a discount card that you present when you buy a train, bus or gondola ticket? Thanks for the help!
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Vernon, Canada
32363 posts
David, As this is your first trip to Europe, my first suggestion would be to pre-read the Guidebook Europe Through The Back Door. That will provide you with a lot of very good information on "how" to travel well in Europe. Does the six days include your flight times? You'll need one day to travel TO Europe (you'll arrive the day AFTER you departed) and one day for the flight home. With only six days in Switzerland, I'm not sure you'll have time for a trip to the Black Forest region. It's difficult to provide suggestions, as you didn't say which city you'd be staying in? A short trip to Freiburg should be possible, as the travel time is only about two hours each way (using Lucerne as the departure point). Regarding the Swiss Saver Pass, you might find it helpful to download the free PDF Rail Guide from the Railpasses section. Click the "Go Green" link at the bottom of the page. That will provide you with information on the various passes. If possible try for at least a day trip to Appenzell, as it's an interesting and beautiful area (I was there in June, but unfortunately it rained most of the time). Does your Father speak Swiss-German? I'm told the version spoken in Appenzell is quite "unique". With such a short time frame, be sure to plan well and allow for adequate travel times between the places you'll be visiting. Happy travels!