MileJunkie

5 of us are traveling by car from Dusseldorf to Switzerland for a week in October. Initial destination is Zurich, the rest is open. Any hotel recommendations for Zurich and/or other places? What should we expect to pay for a single/double room (need 3) at a medium-priced hotel in Zurich? Is it possible to come to Switzerland without hotel booking and just "wing it" (all of us are adults, no special needs), by stopping in one of the places along the road? Are lodges a good alternative?

Also, is it practical to stay in Zurich and drive to places like Interlaken (sp?), Montreux (sp?), Lucerne? Or should we plan on staying in Zurich for a few nights, then moving on to the other part of the country?

Finally, did anyone ever travel to Lake Como from Zurich? Google maps shows 243 km. Is it really a 2-3 hrs drive, or am I dreaming?

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

Seat13F_AC_CRJ

Yes. You should allow 3 hrs. And as the scenery is quite spectacular along the way, you may want to allow even more time. Bellinzona is a nice stop for lunch with it's 3 castles, city hall courtyard and restaurants/pizzerias. Just remember that in Southern Switzerland and Italy, restaurants in smaller towns will stop serving lunch by 2pm.
Note: you will be approx 45 mins out of Zurich before hitting major highways, and part of that (if you go via Lucerne/Luzern) will be down to 80 km/hr.
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13F

lrn_atl

Hi Mike,

We traveled to Zurich in February and can definitely recommend our hotel. We stayed at the Leoneck Hotel - www.leoneck.ch. Rooms were spotlessly clean and everyone was very pleasant. We were extremely comfortable and would not hesitate to return. We did not eat at the hotel though, only for the croissant and coffee one morning. The hotel is located not even five minutes from the main train station so it is very convenient to everything. However, it is situated on a slightly less traveled street so road noise was not a problem. Better yet, a tram stop is directly out the front door. We enjoyed riding the trains around so you may consider leaving the car. We were with a friend with a car part of the time and did spend some amount of time trying to find parking. For travel around the city, we used the 3-day Zurich card. It was a super buy. We love Zurich and hope you have a wonderful time!

ContinentalFan

In Zurich: the Hilton by the airport and the Hyatt downtown.

ranles

A nearly perfect stay at the Marriott Zurich! Well located. Warm reception. They made us feel like we were important guests. Unusual for a large chain in my experience. This 5 star may prove too expensive. We used points and stayed 5 nights. No trouble finding things to do.

Renaissance (sp wrong) was also a good place to stay. Poor location, but near airport. Okay if you have a car. Unknown parking fees. Again, a bit of an upscale hotel.

We did not like the Swisshotel (one night), as much for the train noise as anything.

As far a traveling with Zurich as a base, seems like a stay here and there would be more fun, if you are not packing adverse. We found check in and out not a problem.

Lucerne is a place for more that one night (perhaps 3), and therefore would likely be best to stay there rather that commute, eating up too much time. Our tour did not stay in Lucerne.



Geneva was not much of a visit too us. If you are into the UN or the Red Cross, etc. you might find it more interesting. We stayed at the Hotel Warwick. www.warwickgeneva.com A bit larger room. Internet CAfe nearby. Smallish lobby and elevator. McDonalds and grocery shopping nearby.

Villars is a small mountain town. We really like the area. Great respite stop. While a Villars Palace is a Club Med, we stayed at the Hotel du Golf. The rooms were large, views great and the dinner was very good. Breakfast was marred by 1 minute eggs, BOTH mornings! I would still recommend this hotel and its town.

Zermatt is a bit tough to get to, with its vehicle restrictions. This is the "door" to the Kleiner Matterhorn. We stayed at the Alpen Resort Hotel (Best Western). It actually was a series of hotels adjecent to each other. The rooms were old and sort of a 2-3 star to me. I would not recommend the hotel, but would the town and the trip up the Matterhorn ("little").

Lugano is a beautiful lake side resort. We stayed at the Grand Hotel Eden (in Paradiso. www.edenlugano.ch The rooms were mid sized, had a nice balcony with view of the lake (all the rooms may?), The breakfast was excellent. The property is a bit out of town, a 15-20 minute walk, viewable from the hotel. You can also take a "kiddie train" for 8sf round trip. We visited the Sunday markets from here in Italy. This is a huge market place. Bought a leather belt for 15sf. (10 euros). There is a chocolate factory/Museum to visit in Lugano. You can tak3e a funicular (sp) up the mountain for dinner.

St. Moritz is not like I expected, and I am iffy on recommending it. I just did not see the glamour that this place congered up in my mind. We stayed at the Monopol. Modest rooms size, but lots of furnishings. Lake views were sketchy. The breakfast buffet was poorly handled and replacement food very slow to arrive. The Valley of St. Moritz is quite spectacular to view.

Interlaken, the land between the lakes (Brienzersee and Thunersee). These lakes are connected by the Aare River. The town in managable size and worth a visit. We stayed at the Royal St. Georges. A verydated facility. Bed was horrible. The clock tower strikes all night! The street noise is bad. We had a huge balcony, but shared it with a dozen others.

Mount Pilatus. What view of Lucerne! A 15 minute 4618 meter train ride at up to 48 degrees built in 1889 will take you to the summit from the back side. You can stay up on the mountain at the Hotel Pilatus-Klum, built in 1870 or the Hotel Bellevue, built in 1960. We did neither so I cannot say for the experience. Mt Pilatus is a big deal and I do recommend it highly. The trip down to Lucerne is a gondola ride followed by a cable car.

We stayed at the Ramada Treff Regina in Engelberg. The room was small but adequate. Same with the balcony. It is covered, a great benefit in the rain. Internet available for 5sf for 30 minutes. www.remada-treff.ch The hotel sun terrace provides a great view the Bern and Wallis Alps.

SeattleFred

We stayed one night at the Renaissance near ZRH last week. It was very nice and very convenient to the airport. We got a same day booking on Priceline for $100; I suspect we could have gotten it for a bit less.

We didn't arrive until midnight. At check-in, I asked for a non-smoking room and for an extra bed for my 5y/o daughter. Both requests were graciously accomodated and they moved us to a junior suite (which had a rack rate of 451 Swiss francs ~ $350). Parking was 24 euros.

Our suite was spotless, roomy, and quiet. TVs in each room. Very comfy bed and a terrific shower. It was the perfect place to end our vacation.

snod08

kind of reviving this thread....didnt want to start a new one...

I am looking for a hotel (100-150$ per night) in Zurich for 2-3 nights. In the middle of July.

Does anyone have any updates / ideas / recommendations on decent hotels for the above price range?

Thanks.

snod08

bumping...
hoping friendly FTers will give some great ideas!

soitgoes

Until last week, I would have had a great idea, as Holiday Inn Zürich Messe was available as a Priority Club PointBreak redemption (you could have bought points if needed).

snod08

Thanks for the tip.

cesco.g

On a THU-SU stay mid-July the Swiss Hotel Oerlikon at $ 149 looks like a decent deal (most rooms are usually in the $ 200 + range). There is ample public transportation for the 10 min ride to downtown.

Also, the Holiday Inn Messe comes out to $ 114 / night.

snod08

THanks a lot Cesco G

stut

I found Zurich itself quite poor value for hotels, so used to stay at the Hotel Sedartis in Thalwil, 9 minutes from Zurich HB, and a stop on the mainline to Luzern. There's also a (not quite so regular) ferry service from Thalwil to central Zurich, which gets you a pleasant ride on the lake.

snod08

This is a good thought stut. Will definitely keep this option!

cesco.g

You're welcome. For a central / near old town location you might also check out this one:

http://www.hotel-foyer-hottingen.ch