I am visiting my girlfriend for a month in SWZ from Feb 1. I am planning to touch the usual places - Basel, Bern, Laussane, & Zurich. I was planning on Gimmewald and the Golden Scenic Railways. Any other suggestions? I dont see posts on winter plans apart from skiing :)
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
"I dont see posts on winter plans apart from skiing" Probably because that's the main reason people travel to Switzerland in the winter. In the Alpine towns, almost the entire winter economy is based around winter sports. It would be like going to Disney World and not going on any rides- they assume that if you're there, you came to ski, or at least accompany people who ski.
Posted by
Atlanta
3250 posts
I like Pontresina in southeastern Switzerland for hiking if the weather is o.k. From there, you can take the train into northern Italy!
Posted by
Oklahoma City, OK, USA
430 posts
The Maria Theresa scenic train runs Zurich to Salzburg and would be awesome in the winter.
From Basel you could easily side-trip to Freiburg Germany, which would be cool in the winter. If you do go there, go to the trouble of going to their ski spot outside of town and ride their gondola to the top of their little mountain. Good restaurant at the top has nice views (though possibly anti-climactic if you've seen the Schilthorn in the last few days... maybe see Freiburg as a warmup for the Schilthorn.... )
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16167 posts
The Swiss Alps are just as beautiful in winter as summer, or more so. Even a non-skier can enjoy the mountain villages; many of them have walking paths and other activities. Or just sit by the fireplace and soak in the scenery.
One problem with winter, however, is that the skies are more likely to be cloudy. Also, many of the towns that are ski areas have higher prices at hotels, and many have a minimum stay of a full week. This would not be true in a small place like Gimmelwald, but you may not find many places open.
You might add Luzern to you rlist of places to visit, and take a day excursion up Rigi my boat, train, and cablecar. The views from the top (on a clear day)are beautiful.