Talk to me about Switzerland

DH and I have a 4 day weekend coming up and would like to head down to Switzerland. We'd like to stay in a B&B, relax, bike ride, hike, etc. It'll be over Easter weekend so most things will be closed, so no need for touristy things.

We don't want to go to Zürich, Bern, or Geneva. We'd like to stay in the German part b/c it's closer for us, but we are warming up to the French part. I know, we're picky.

We are thinking Interlaken, Lucerne, or Lausanne.

If you've been to any of these, tell me about them!

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

I'm dyyyyyying to go there!!!!!! I'd love info, too! and pics!

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

Definitely Interlaken. I loved it there. We stayed in Wengen and absolutely fell in love.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

Love, love love Switzerland!

I went there with a girlfriend and we did Zurich, Bern, Lucerne and Lugano.

Lucerne was gorgeous!

Beautiful river, covered bridges, mountains in the background.

Sounds perfect for your purposes.

Enjoy!!

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

I did an overnighter in lucerne while on a tour and it was beautiful. The town was very nice for walking. We stayed at a round hotel at the top of the mounfain- have to take a lift or cog railway to the top. I "think" it was Hotel Bellevue. If I remember correctly there is a restuarant at the top too.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

I was all over Switzerland 2 years ago and I LOVED it. here is my review!

going to read through it and see if I can remember anything else and will add here.

oh, and you should totally check out the Appenzeller region. it's GORGEOUS and underrated!!! and the cheese!! it's totally funky but pretty tasty.

I can try to find the place we stayed at if you like. it was so surprisingly awesome. and we did a nice hike in the area as well.

Message edited 2/7/2011 2:06:32 PM.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

I've only been to Interlaken...but it was years ago. It was good if you are outdoorsy! we went up Grindlewald and on a railway of some sort, I think we even went dog sledding...

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

Interlaken is great! I went there in college and stayed at Balmers which is a youth hostel but they offer tons of fun outdoor activities. I'm not sure of the age limit on anything though.

My family lives in St. Gallen which is a beautiful city in the German region. There is definitely more of a nightlife and things to do/see there than in Interlaken.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

Thanks for the responses and the reviews.

Ophelia- what cities did you go to? I only saw Zuerich and Geneva, did you stay in any little towns?

I think DH and I are leaning toward Lucern. I found a nice hotel with a good package deal and it's an hour closer to us. However, the package deal is for only two nights and we'd like to do three, so we may check out another city close by for a night.

I've been to Interlaken and I liked it but it was 11 years ago. We are outdoorsy to the point of hiking and cycling. I still haven't ruled it out yet.

Thanks for all the help, keep the suggestions coming!

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

oh boy..we stayed in the Appenzeller, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Gimmelwald (awesome) and a few other towns.

Gimmelwald is really tiny with a great Hostel and some wonderful hiking near by.

but honestly, this was so fabulous. I took this from rick steves and we did this hike and saw this church. it is incredibly beautiful and it was a great hike. the hotel he recommends is wonderful too. they even have an indoor pool.

5. Sleep with a hermit monk.
A century ago, a hermit monk inhabited a humble church in a cave called Ebenalp, high above the town of Appenzell. A humble cliff-hanging guest house was built around the corner to accommodate pilgrims who hiked up to pray with the monk. While the monk's long gone now, the guest house survives and accommodates hikers communing with nature. The Berggasthaus Aescher-Wildkirchli is run by Claudia and Beny Knechtle-Wyss and their five children. The Rösti (Swiss hash browns) is hearty, there's running water (but only if it's rained recently), the piano was brought in by helicopter, the guest book goes back to the 1940s, and the kids welcome you to help feed the goats. For details, visit www.aescher-ai.ch.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

DH had to go to Geneva for work and said it was horrible, there really wasn't anything to do.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

Thanks for the suggestions. DH and I decided to go up to the Netherlands and do a cycle tour there. We're going to wing it with hotels and just bike until we find something .

We're going to do Switzerland at a warmer time of year, so I'll definitely keep these ideas in mind. Oh and I tried the Appenzeller cheese, it's good. They sell it in the supermarket here.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

I love Lucerne. We spent a few weeks there.

One of the best weekends of our months abroad was in Engelberg. Its so quaint, charming and picturesque!

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland

What about Bodensee? I spent a summer between Konstanz and Lindau (German side) and loved it. I don't know much about the Swiss side, but I went to Stein am Rhein for a day.

Re: Talk to me about Switzerland