painintheuk

Sorry if this isn't the best forum - feel free to move it...

I need to get to Gerzensee for a conference in July from Exeter. My naive plan is to fly from LHR to either Zurich or Geneva and rent a car, but I'm not sure that it is a good plan. Is there a better London airport (coming from Exeter) Am I better taking a non-*A from Bristol to somewhere and rent a car?

I will be bringing my bicycle (in a slightly oversized suitcase), so perhaps the *A luggage allowance would be valuable.

I'd rather not have to change planes.

What should I see while I'm in the area? Great rides? Great hikes/runs?

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

Reteli

Well, I grew up close by Gerzensee, so I can tell you that there is an airport closeby. Its about 5km away, so you could even ride your bike from the airport to Gerzensee :-)

The airport is BRN (Berne) and as I know Darwin Airline has direct flights from London City to BRN. Check it out on their website.

http://www.darwinairline.com/indexd.php?nfl=

Alternatively check swiss.com for LCY to BRN as they supposedly codeshare on this route and might help you with the *A luggage limits (however do not know if that applies for codeshares)

What I cannot help you with is whether Exeter is close to LCY, but you should know better than me. If that does not work, go for Geneva or Zurich, both have direct train connection to Berne (1.5 hours) and you can take the bike on the train for 10 CHF.

Best
Reto

painintheuk

Thanks for the local detail Reto.

Unfortunately it looks like the codeshare won't take my bike . I did look into Berne, but couldn't find a decent way to get there.

I think that I am going to rent a car in any case. It looks from the map like Gerzensee is a ways from anything. For the cycling that might not be a big issue (though some big Tour climbs might be worth driving to), but it might also be nice to see some more of the country and do some hiking. How easy is that just by bus?

If I have to rent a car and drive from Geneva or Zurich, which is the easiest to get into and out of for a stranger?

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

SmilingBoy

http://www.darwinairline.com/d1a.php?id=5&pg=a&un=5#c10

"The carriage of bicycles, golf equipment, surf/windsurf boards, ski/water-ski and empty diving oxygen tanks is possible, subject to an additional fee between CHF 50.- and CHF 75.-."

SmilingBoy.

Pocoloco

As SmilingBoy said, BRN is probably the most convenient airport to Gerzensee. If the extra baggage allowance doen't work on the LX code share, would still consider paying the 50 francs as gas from/to Zurich is easily 30-40 francs(obviously, depends on the car).

If you fly to Zurich or Geneva, I'd probably opt for Zurich (more daily flights). Also, from my estimate, the drive from ZRH to Gerzensee is probably a bit faster than from GVA.

I guess you are staying at the Swiss National Bank's study center. I would really recommend to rent out a car if you want to explore the Berner Oberland (only 30-45' minutes drive away). From what I recall there was a public bus that stopped rather close to the study center but it seemed to run only every two hours or less...

Cheers, PL

rorschi

Just a question about those LCY-BRN-flights operated by Darwin: As this are code-shares, is it possible to collect miles when flying with an LX-ticket? Has somebody tried it?

I speak just about the LCY-BRN route, and not about ZRH-LUG and BSL-BRU/AMS, where LX has a wetlease agreement with Darwin (no commercial flight number for Darwin). As we know, this former STC-Partner is no more a M&M-Partner.

Patrick

painintheuk

I am staying at the study centre. Probably the main reason for a car would be to get to see some of the sites, including the Berner Oberland. My flight won't leave until Saturday afternoon on the way back, so regardless of how much time I have the rest of the week, I'll have part of a day to explore at least.

That said, I'm now leaning towards taking the train direct to Berne from ZRH airport. I'm terribly indecisive lately .

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

painintheuk

With Aeroplan, the miles earned are based on the actual operator, regardless of codeshare. This is important not just for getting >0 miles, but also when different carriers offer different bonuses to Aeroplan members.

So my guess is no, though this might be different with M&M.

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

curt

I'd take the train from ZRH to Bern, change trains and get off at Wichtrach (at least that's what I did when I was at Gerzensee). The study center normally offers a shuttle service from the train station to Gerzensee.

The german cycling magazine Tour featured some routes through the Berner Oberland in June 2005. You can download the article (in german, don't know if that's helpful for you) here.

painintheuk

Our group has a shuttle coming to Berne to pick us up, so I just bought a ticket for the train. I may take your route on the way back, though.

That's really helpful! Thanks for the link. My German may be rusty, but I can make it through a cycling article without too much reliance on my dictionary . I'm much more worried about deciphering the Swiss dialect than reading. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how much time I'll have to actually ride. I've never been to this conference so don't know how much time is 'free'. At the very least, though, I should be able to do a 3-4 hour ride on Saturday morning before catching my train back. Two of the rides in the article would work if I can get there and back fairly easily.

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

curt

Yep, the universal language of cycling.

I couldn't decipher it... and German is my mothertongue...

I haven't cycled in the Berner Oberland myself but a friend of mine recommends at least a 13-27 cassette. But then again, we are not used to mountains, we only fight against the constant wind here in Northern Germany.

painintheuk

I have a triple on my Airnimal, so the slopes shouldn't be an issue, even with my excessive bulk these days . Double digit slopes are pretty much standard in my neck of the woods, but it's the length, the altitude and the heat that could be an issue.

Unfortunately, I've chickened out of bringing my bike . I'm a pretty junior guy, and although I almost NEVER worry about being myself, somehow this conference is intimidating me a tad. I just don't want to SEEM that I'm not serious about the opportunity that this conference offers by having my incredibly distinctive neon yellow bike on show while the others are doing world changing research. So it's running shoes for me, I guess. I am pretty sure that I'll regret not having my bike, though .

On the dialect issue, I've decided to try to stick to French and English. Would that be inappropriate for a (high) German speaker in that area?

Thanks,

Dr. PITUK

airoli

Maybe not "inappropriate", but definitely very awkward. The locals will undertand "high" German perfectly well, and, if prompted, will manage to respond in what to them is their best German (and to the Germans a milder version of the Swiss dialect).