Nicest City in Switzerland
Dec 21, 2006, 5:09 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Melbourne
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Posts: 130
Nicest City in Switzerland
I am thinking of adding Swizerland to my RTW itinerary. I hope to fly from London to Switzerland on the way back to SIN then MEL. I won't have a lot of time so I want to make sure I go to the nice places.
What cities can I reach from a London airport?
What is the nicest city of these belowto fly into?
Geneva
Zurich
Lucerne
Bern
Thanks.
What cities can I reach from a London airport?
What is the nicest city of these belowto fly into?
Geneva
Zurich
Lucerne
Bern
Thanks.
Dec 21, 2006, 5:37 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: CGK
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Posts: 5,677
Since your profile says Mileage Plus, I'm guessing you're on a *A RTW ticket.
Then your options are as follows:
London Heathrow - Zurich (on Swiss)
London Heathrow - Geneva (on Swiss)
London City - Basel (on Swiss)
London City - Zurich (on Swiss)
London City - Geneva (on Swiss)
You can also fly from LHR or LCY to Berne via Munich on LH.
Lucerne does not have an airport, you'll have to take a train there if you want to visit. Check www.sbb.ch for details and prices (quite reasonable fares). I would consider ZRH the most convenient airport for Lucerne.
Personally, I would recommend flying into ZRH unless you're going to the western part of Switzerland, which is better served through GVA. The train station at Zurich Airport is a major transport hub for central and eastern Switzerland and you can easily reach most places of interest in less than two hours.
Then your options are as follows:
London Heathrow - Zurich (on Swiss)
London Heathrow - Geneva (on Swiss)
London City - Basel (on Swiss)
London City - Zurich (on Swiss)
London City - Geneva (on Swiss)
You can also fly from LHR or LCY to Berne via Munich on LH.
Lucerne does not have an airport, you'll have to take a train there if you want to visit. Check www.sbb.ch for details and prices (quite reasonable fares). I would consider ZRH the most convenient airport for Lucerne.
Personally, I would recommend flying into ZRH unless you're going to the western part of Switzerland, which is better served through GVA. The train station at Zurich Airport is a major transport hub for central and eastern Switzerland and you can easily reach most places of interest in less than two hours.
Dec 21, 2006, 7:17 am
#5
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Posts: 55,189
I've only been the western part of Switzerland. Lake Geneva is breathtaking and what I think is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Geneva, while very expensive, is such a great city. Excellent public transportation and the airport is easy. Take the train to Montreux to see a smaller beautiful city on the other side of the lake. Let the trains take you all over. Get a train pass which best suits the time you have to travel.
Dec 21, 2006, 11:23 am
#7
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Lucerne is definitely worth visiting and is only a short train ride from Zurich.
The Swiss Federal Railways, SBB CFF FFS, operates a train every half an hour from Zurich's main railway station to Lucerne's station, one of the trains infact originates from the airport railway station, so you can infact get to Lucerne directly from the airport.
From Zurich's main railway station, trains depart on the :04 and :35 of every hour. The train departing from the :04 is the one coming from the airport and actually makes two fewer stops, so the journey takes only 45 minutes on that train versus 50 minutes on the other train.
Lucerne can also be reached from Geneva as well, trains operate every hour and take 2 hours 55 minutes.
If you are in the Lake Geneva region, make sure to try to visit Lausanne and Montreux as well.
There are 5 trains an hour with the two InterCity trains taking only 33 minutes, the two InterRegios taking either 39 minutes or 44 minutes (this one makes two extra stops which is why it is longer), and the RegioExpress taking 51 minutes. Avoid the RegioExpress as the trains themselves are not as nice and it makes many stops on the way, so it ends up being a long journey.
Montreux is served by two trains an hour from Geneva, the same two InterRegio trains that go through Lausanne, with one taking 1 hour 3 minutes and the other taking 1 hour 9 minutes. The latter one makes two extra stops which is why the journey is a bit longer.
If I had to pick between Lausanne and Montreux, I would probably pick Montreux because of the sheer natural beauty. It is in the center of the area known as the Swiss Riviera which spans from Vevey all the way Villeneuve. However, Lausanne can easily be made as a little side trip either on the way to Montreux or on the way back to Geneva, so if you can put an hour aside for it, it's worth it.
Just so you know, Switzerland's biggest cities are as follows in order:
1) Zurich (local name is Zürich)
2) Geneva (local name is Genčve)
3) Basel
4) Bern
5) Lausanne
Lucerne (local name is Luzern) is the 8th largest city, but it is one of the more important cities in Switzerland.
Bern is also worth a visit, but visit it only if you have time. Don't try to visit Bern instead of the Lake Geneva region or Lucerne however. Zurich is a pleasant city and is worth spending several hours. Basel is not very special, but I've only visited it once. Geneva is a great city as well.
If you have a while to spend in Switzerland, then it would definitely be worth going up some of the mountains such as Pilatus (from Lucerne), Jungfraujoch (from Interlaken), and the famous Matterhorn in Zermatt (from Visp or Brig).
You can search train itineraries on SBB's website:
http://www.sbb.ch/en
Enjoy your trip! Switzerland is a beautiful country.
The Swiss Federal Railways, SBB CFF FFS, operates a train every half an hour from Zurich's main railway station to Lucerne's station, one of the trains infact originates from the airport railway station, so you can infact get to Lucerne directly from the airport.
From Zurich's main railway station, trains depart on the :04 and :35 of every hour. The train departing from the :04 is the one coming from the airport and actually makes two fewer stops, so the journey takes only 45 minutes on that train versus 50 minutes on the other train.
Lucerne can also be reached from Geneva as well, trains operate every hour and take 2 hours 55 minutes.
If you are in the Lake Geneva region, make sure to try to visit Lausanne and Montreux as well.
There are 5 trains an hour with the two InterCity trains taking only 33 minutes, the two InterRegios taking either 39 minutes or 44 minutes (this one makes two extra stops which is why it is longer), and the RegioExpress taking 51 minutes. Avoid the RegioExpress as the trains themselves are not as nice and it makes many stops on the way, so it ends up being a long journey.
Montreux is served by two trains an hour from Geneva, the same two InterRegio trains that go through Lausanne, with one taking 1 hour 3 minutes and the other taking 1 hour 9 minutes. The latter one makes two extra stops which is why the journey is a bit longer.
If I had to pick between Lausanne and Montreux, I would probably pick Montreux because of the sheer natural beauty. It is in the center of the area known as the Swiss Riviera which spans from Vevey all the way Villeneuve. However, Lausanne can easily be made as a little side trip either on the way to Montreux or on the way back to Geneva, so if you can put an hour aside for it, it's worth it.
Just so you know, Switzerland's biggest cities are as follows in order:
1) Zurich (local name is Zürich)
2) Geneva (local name is Genčve)
3) Basel
4) Bern
5) Lausanne
Lucerne (local name is Luzern) is the 8th largest city, but it is one of the more important cities in Switzerland.
Bern is also worth a visit, but visit it only if you have time. Don't try to visit Bern instead of the Lake Geneva region or Lucerne however. Zurich is a pleasant city and is worth spending several hours. Basel is not very special, but I've only visited it once. Geneva is a great city as well.
If you have a while to spend in Switzerland, then it would definitely be worth going up some of the mountains such as Pilatus (from Lucerne), Jungfraujoch (from Interlaken), and the famous Matterhorn in Zermatt (from Visp or Brig).
You can search train itineraries on SBB's website:
http://www.sbb.ch/en
Enjoy your trip! Switzerland is a beautiful country.
Last edited by BA; Dec 21, 2006 at 12:29 pm Reason: typos
Dec 21, 2006, 11:47 am
#8
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The old town of Zug is nice- about a 10 minute walk from the train station. And it's on the same train route from Zurich to Lucerne. Leaving every half hour from ZRH- 30 min to Zug, get off, spend a few hours in the old town and walking around the lake, get back on and another 20 minutes to Lucerne, where a boat ride is in order.
Enjoy!
hurlimann
Dec 21, 2006, 11:47 am
#9
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I''m going to echo BA (sorta) and voice my support for Lausanne. I took a day trip there from Bern, which I liked but not as much as Lausanne, back in June 2005. It only took a couple of hours for me to fall in love with that place!
Dec 21, 2006, 1:08 pm
#10
Join Date: May 2000
Location: Naples, Florida
Posts: 7,419
If I had only a choice for one, I would go to Geneva. Very nice scenery .. may be a boat trip on Lake Geneva. Also a very nice Old Town.
A real nice old town nearby is Annecy (in France, on Lake Annecy).
Dec 21, 2006, 1:40 pm
#11
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 230
I would second the previous recommendation to go to the JungFrau mountain. It is very impressive to be able to take the train until the moutain and end up at 11,300 feet. You can also visit the Schilthorn revolving restaurant on an adjacent mountain. You can stay in Lauterbrunnen, a small town outside of Interlaken. It is a good place if you want the rural atmosphere of Switzerland, and would be a good place for 1-2 days.
Dec 21, 2006, 1:53 pm
#12
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I would second the previous recommendation to go to the JungFrau mountain. It is very impressive to be able to take the train until the moutain and end up at 11,300 feet. You can also visit the Schilthorn revolving restaurant on an adjacent mountain. You can stay in Lauterbrunnen, a small town outside of Interlaken. It is a good place if you want the rural atmosphere of Switzerland, and would be a good place for 1-2 days.
However, that takes a fairly serious time investment (as would a trip to Lausanne); and, it doesn't sound like the OP can afford that. Switzerland is certainly not my favorite country in western Europe, but I'm starting to think that you're doing yourself a disservice, cheap pacific fares by not spending more time there!
Dec 21, 2006, 2:14 pm
#13
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I would second the previous recommendation to go to the JungFrau mountain. It is very impressive to be able to take the train until the moutain and end up at 11,300 feet. You can also visit the Schilthorn revolving restaurant on an adjacent mountain. You can stay in Lauterbrunnen, a small town outside of Interlaken. It is a good place if you want the rural atmosphere of Switzerland, and would be a good place for 1-2 days.
I'd give my vote for this too.. for the JungFrau, just make sure the weather is
clear or close to clear before you head up. No view if its
foggy.
Dec 30, 2006, 3:33 am
#15
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Lake Geneva is breathtaking and what I think is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Geneva, while very expensive, is such a great city. Excellent public transportation and the airport is easy. Take the train to Montreux to see a smaller beautiful city on the other side of the lake. Let the trains take you all over. Get a train pass which best suits
plus from Montreux its a must to take a train up to Rochers de Naye - the Marmot's paradise ^