I used the 2014 Rick Steve's (RS) Switzerland to plan and enjoy the trip, with my wife, from July 7-22, 2015. We decided to tour the Central and Western part of Switzerland, leaving out the Appenzell, Pontresina and Lugano areas because of the larger distances and less interest to us. Booked the automatic car from Dollar (493 CHF) through Priceline and took their CDW insurance ($143) too. Flew Swiss Air from Los Angeles to Zurich non-stop arriving at 3:40pm on July 8. Get a SIM card for a smartphone as soon as possible to use the local cellular system & GPS. Try the Post Office in the airport (system was down for us). Got the car and started for Luzern. Had the route worked out with MapQuest before I left, but the roads are well marked and just followed the signs to Luzern. Needed the MapQuest at the very end to reach the Hotel des Alpes. All the hotels had breakfast included. We usually bought sandwiches at the Coop or Migros grocery stores, or at a bakery, and carried a water bottle, for lunch. Dinner was our leisurely restaurant enjoyment. All the roads are well marked and it is easy to drive around with a smartphone GPS. If you have to park at a parking garage for several days, pre-pay immediately, for in and out privileges and package deals. Used RS recommended hotels. Almost every one speaks English.
2 Nights in Luzern at Hotel des Alpes (265 CHF/night, fan in room). Did not care for the RS rec. Opus restaurant.
En route to Muerren in the Berner Oberland we visited Aareschluct, Reichenbach Falls and the Swiss Open Air Folk Museum from the East entrance (did not care for it).
4 Nights in Muerren with a splurge at Hotel Eiger (340 CHF/night for a large view room and the best breakfast of any we had in Switzerland). We stayed an extra night to accommodate cloudy weather; we did not have any and the Berner Oberland is the best place to spend an extra night.
En route to Villars-sur-Ollon, south through the Lotschberg tunnel (car on train) to visit Zermatt and view the Matterhorn from Rothorn as it was a clear day. Then West to Villars, the only long day of driving.
2 Nights in Villars-sur-Ollon at the Hotel du Golf & Spa (261 CHF/night with free parking). This was a plan to accommodate cloudy weather at the Matterhorn the first day. Visited Taveyanne, Les Diablerets and played golf the second day. Would have reversed it if we had cloudy weather in Zermatt the previous day.
En route to Lausanne we visited Chateau de Chillon, Montreaux (listened to some Jazz at the festival) and took the lake road below the Corniche de Lavaux vineyards.
3 Nights in Lausanne at Hotel Elite (190 CHF/night with AC and free parking). Visited Geneva one day (very worthwhile even though RS does not think so).
En route to Murten we visited Gruyeres, Cathedral in Fribourgh and Amphitheatre in Avenches.
2 Nights in Murten at Hotel Murtenhopf & Krone (180 CHF/night). Visited Bern the second day.
Returned the car at the Zurich airport and took the train (24 hr Tageskarte ticket covers all transportation) into Zurich for
1 Night at Hotel Bristol (200 CHF/night). Flew Swiss Air non-stop to Los Angeles.
Did the RS Self Guided Walks and Hikes in each place. Did the Schilthornbahn (holiday pass) rather than the Jungfraubahn: the ride is open-air; great views of the Eiger, Monch & Jungfrau. 007 exhibit is great at the Piz Gloria. Olympic museum in Lausanne and Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva are fantastic. Driving Route de Vignoble in the Unesco Lavaux vineyards is wonderful. Reserve at Relais de la Poste in Grandvaux for the best French dinner, wine and views over the vineyards and lake Geneva. Chagall windows in Fraumunster, Zurich are worth seeing. The car took care of luggage, let us visit out of the way places easily, and was cost effective for two. Switzerland is a wonderfully clean and beautiful country with friendly people, punctuality and the most amazing transportation system that makes it easy for tourists to enjoy their country.
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
So how much did you spend on car rental, insurance, petrol, parking, etc?
Posted by
OP
3 posts
As mentioned 493 CHF for rental and $143 (paid in the US) for insurance, for 2 weeks. About 150 CHF for gas. About 130 CHF for parking. The overall convenience and flexibility was worth it to us, in our 60's.
Posted by
Vacaville, Ca
1368 posts
Sounds like a great trip. Switzerland is my 2018 trip plan.
Posted by
18 posts
Sounds like a wonderful trip, and great deal on the car! hadn't thought of Priceline when I was looking for a 2-day rental. Swiss transport is terribly expensive without passes. We are a family of 4, and ended up buying train tickets for those 2 days instead; pretty surprised at how much it added up to (we were waiting to activate our Berner Oberland Pass as we were going to be exclusively in that area for 8 days, so were biding time until then). Definitely inspired to do a driving tour next time, as we'll want to branch out more - thanks for the report!
Posted by
Knoxville, TN, USA
7209 posts
Those distinct regional passes aren't always the best way to go. A Half Fare card would have given you 50% discount on EVERYTHING all over Switzerland...even in the Berner Oberland.
Posted by
15 posts
Was curious of the drive time from Zermatt to Villars-sur-Ollon? We will be Villars for a few day - any recommended day trips?
Posted by
OP
3 posts
The drive from Zermatt is straightforward but a bit long at 2 1/2 hrs, for Switzerland. Along the way you pass the vineyards of Valais and the city of Sion. Villars-sur-Ollon is a lovely resort area.
From Villars you can drive to Taveyanne, a little isolated village with a restaurant. Take the Route de la Croix towards Les Diablerets and turn off at the sign just past the Golf course entrance. You can hike around the area with beautiful mountains and countryside all around. Carry on to Les Diablerets along Route de la Croix, a picturesque town, and you can take the cable car to the top of the mountains to enjoy the glaciers if you wish. Rick Steves' guide has information on both these. If you stay in Villars, the hotel provides you with a transportation pass that gives you free access to trains and busses. The hotel will give you information on the fun train routes that take you to Bretaye, a town from where you can see Mont Blanc. You can also see Mont Blanc from the 1st Tee of the golf course, the club house, the golf course drive as you approach the club house, and many places along Route de la Croix between Villars and the Golf course. It is a big hulk of a mountain in the distance and you need to know the direction in which to look. The local tourism office may have wine tasting as an event in Ollon, but you need to sign up early (ask at the hotel). Ollon is at the base from where the road climbs up to Villars-sur-Ollon. Have fun.