Planning: Thank you RS travel forum members. I also used the local tourism offices who were tremendously helpful and responsive. We used trains the entire time and had a Half Fare card.
Packing: We were going to a formal family wedding and a week’s hiking, and that made packing a challenge. A couple of personal nice to haves: A dry sack for wet bathing suits.A portable charger for your phones. An over the door L shaped folding clothes hanger. A laundry bag with shoulder straps to put our backpack and hiking poles in since we had to check that bag.Laundry detergent sheets: These clean impressively and take up little space. I might convert to them every day.
Flying over- Boston to Geneva through Zurich:
I am really disappointed with the US based Swiss Air customer services and the website. The customer service number on our tickets was a non-working number! There was no number or way to contact a human on the website for rescheduling/flight changes. After missing our connection, we went to the Transfer Desk when we arrived in Zurich. The staff there were amazing. We decided to cancel our Zurich to Geneva flight, and take the train. The agent booked our train, got our luggage identified and off the plane (this took an hour), and ensured our return tickets were not cancelled out.
Several people have suggested that it would have made more sense to plan on taking a flight from Boston to Zurich, and then a train to Geneva since it is a very easy transfer from the airport to the train station and trains run frequently. There are pros and cons to this.
There were seven of us, and two had some mobility issues. At the time we booked the tickets, the flight going from Boston to Geneva through Zurich was about $200 per person cheaper than going from Boston to Zurich.
A couple of things were difficult when traveling by train with older people who have a lot of luggage and have balance issues. There weren’t any seats at the platform/ sector where we were so having a wheelchair was really important (available- you just have to track it down and return it to a service center). There were a lot of people (including us) with really big suitcases and not many places to put them on the train. It was really difficult to get elders with mobility issues seated and the luggage stowed out of the way in the quick transition time before the train left. It is best to go to the top deck of the double-decker trains- more seats available usually, but that wasn’t an option for several of our group. I didn’t think of it at the time, but maybe it would have been worth it to book first class seats. So the jury is out as to which way to Geneva would work the best with elders traveling.
Geneva highlights:
- Bains de Pâquis: The entrance fee is cash only- 2 CHF per person. It is a really spectacular place, beautiful water, a diving platform, sauna, a women only section, and great food.
- The neighborhood has many excellent middle east/world cuisine restaurants. We liked the Little Ethiopia and Tehran Lake restaurants.
- Wheelchair rental: The Old City proved to be too difficult for some as it is very hilly. I found a place to rent a wheelchair for the day. It is located not too far from the Mouette #1 pier in the old City, and the daily rate was about $30 with a deposit required. Mediphy- Cours de Rive 2, Geneve 022-78100-66. www.mediphy.ch.
Gruyères: Getting there by train requires changes. There is a bus from the train station to the entrance to the village (no cars allowed in the village center). Staying overnight here was fabulous, as it is a day destination for many tourists. The evenings and mornings were exceptionally beautiful. The local tourism office is very helpful and had several hike suggestions, one including one to Broc and the Cailler chocolate factory.
Le Saint Georges hosted the wedding and did an amazing job. We stayed in Gruyère-rooms next door.
Posted by
OP
Boston
26 posts
Gruyère-rooms: They have two buildings, one of which has a lift, and some of the rooms have walk in showers, rather than tub /shower combinations. It is important to check when booking since the non-lift building has a winding staircase and some jacuzzi style tubs. As well, if you are in the hot summer months, the top floor units are skylights only and hot.
Leaving Gruyères for Mürren: The travel forum suggestions were great. We took the train to Montbovon and changed there for the Golden Express to Interlaken Oest. We left Gruyères very early, before any of the hotels were open for breakfast, and there aren’t any grocery stores in Gruyères. We were pleased that there was a small grocery store near the Montbovon station with fresh bread, great cheeses and fruit. We had made reservations for this train, as it is very popular. From Interlaken Oest we took the train to Lauterbrunnen, then the cable car and railroad to Mürren. Mürren is also car free. We chose it since it was easy to get from there to several places, yet had some amenities like a supermarket. At almost 3,000 feet elevation, it was a welcome relief to the heat in Geneva.
Highlights from hiking in the Mürren/Schynige Platte/Kleine Scheidegg area.
• The day after an evening thunderstorm was cloudy: hiking in the valley was spectacular as many waterfalls appeared and then disappeared by the end of the day. We went through GimmelWald, and the Pension Gimmelwald biergarten had the only Iced Chai Latte I found on the trip!
• Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg: Incredible scenery- and a gradual downhill hike with the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau in front of you. Absolutely worth it. Even in the high season it didn’t feel too crowded (except maybe on the cable cars).
• Jungfraujoch Top of Europe (3454 meters): I hadn’t planned on doing this- very expensive, but the half fare card does apply. However, I am so glad I did go. The cog railroad goes through the Eiger mountain 50+ minutes, but it doesn’t feel that long. Once you get there, the place is like a vertical mall. Very disappointing. However, if you ignore all that and go to the observation tower on the top, with some luck you’ll have a clear day and the glaciers are amazing to see. While we were there, the glacier gave a thunderous crack that astonished everyone. It is hard to see how much of the glaciers are disappearing, especially with the heat waves. A glacier specialist said that a glacier had lost a meter’s thickness just from the June heat waves.
• Schnynige Platte: We arrived mid-day and hiked over the ridge areas, with spectacular views of both the Interlaken Area and the Jungfrau. We stayed at the only hotel there, Berghotel. We loved it. It has a lot of old world flavor and spectacular views. The restaurant was great. It also allowed us to spend time there in the evening and morning, before the cog railroad was operating. The hotel is four stories with a lift connecting the first two only. The upper floors with the rooms have common bathrooms and shower stalls, like many hostels.
Berne
• If you’re a reasonably good swimmer (I am ok, but not a strong swimmer), swim in the Aare river from the sport complex at Marzilibad. It is surprising to be in the Swiss capital, seeing the Parliament, and floating down a river! The Swiss definitely have a different perspective on liability, as you have to make sure you exit before the bridge and the low rapids. However, there are multiple entry/ exit points with staircases into the river and an inlet that lets you go out of the river to ladders or a staircase. The river is fast and cold, but a small army of people are getting into the river and floating down. There are lockers for your things, as well as several outdoor pools.
• Einstein museum and History museum: Well worth it. Spent hours there.
Posted by
USA
986 posts
Thanks for doing this trip report. I'll be there this time next month and reading your report just makes me more excited!
Posted by
Switzerland
507 posts
Great trip report, thanks for taking the time to write it!
I had to laugh about your comment regarding liability. Yes, it is expected that people know what they are getting into and assess the risks and their own skills and abilities. Very touristy areas (read: Jungfrau Region) put a lot of safety measures in place such as fences along cliff edges, etc. that just don’t exist elsewhere. A high degree of common sense is expected and the Swiss are used to that. As a non-Swiss it was something that surprised me at first. :-)