Zurich or Geneva?

[couch.potato]

Which airport is “better” to land and fly from?

Want to make a Switzerland, France trip (maybe Austria). Mainly like architecture (old) and lakes and scenery, not so much into shopping or modern museums etc.

Would reeeeeally like to see Amsterdam but won’t be getting open jaw this time due to price...

Any itinerary to recommend? Last took a self planned Salzburg - Munich - Paris - London trip, and loooooved the alps so was thinking of revisiting in Apr/may.

 

[Ark Law]

You can check out the big Swiss thread for itinerary ideas: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/e...our-itinerary-tips-experiences-4646283-3.html

Personally prefer ZRH.

Plus if scenery is your thing, you'd probably want to base yourself nearer to sightseeing attractions in a particular area (i.e. Luzern, Interlaken, Spiez, St. Moritz, Zermatt, etc).

 

[Din0saurus]

i don't know anything about the swiss alps, but i highly recommend going to chamonix. it's 1.5hr bus from gva. from there you can head to annecy for architecture and lake. food will be better and cheaper too.

 

[manics]

if it is france/switzerland, definitely via geneva (and the fact that Geneva is in the french part of Switzerland)

can drive from geneva and travel around as well.

 

[couch.potato]

You can check out the big Swiss thread for itinerary ideas: http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/e...our-itinerary-tips-experiences-4646283-3.html

Personally prefer ZRH.

Plus if scenery is your thing, you'd probably want to base yourself nearer to sightseeing attractions in a particular area (i.e. Luzern, Interlaken, Spiez, St. Moritz, Zermatt, etc).

I feel like Zurich's architecture is more interesting to me, so I am leaning towards it.
Any recommendations on bases that are great to visit those areas?

i don't know anything about the swiss alps, but i highly recommend going to chamonix. it's 1.5hr bus from gva. from there you can head to annecy for architecture and lake. food will be better and cheaper too.

Thank you for the recommendation! Noted

if it is france/switzerland, definitely via geneva (and the fact that Geneva is in the french part of Switzerland)

can drive from geneva and travel around as well.

Yes, with cursory research Geneva is more "French" and Zurich more "German", but which is more convenient in your opinion? In terms of airport, and transport?

Not sure if we're confident enough to drive yet, trains are super fun in Europe

 

[couch.potato]

Seems like open jaw still ok for pricing.
Fly to Paris/Amsterdam and then return from Zurich airport, or fly to Zurich and return from Paris/Amsterdam...

Zurich > Lucerne > Paris > Amsterdam?
While I would love to see

How is CDG and ZRH and AMS? I have a phobia of LHR

 

[Ark Law]

I feel like Zurich's architecture is more interesting to me, so I am leaning towards it.
Any recommendations on bases that are great to visit those areas?

Depends on how long you are in Switzerland and how well you intend to utilise the Swiss Travel Pass (i.e. those free mountains that come with it). During both times I've vacationed to CH, I've never explored Geneva/Zurich at all.

 

[couch.potato]

Depends on how long you are in Switzerland and how well you intend to utilise the Swiss Travel Pass (i.e. those free mountains that come with it). During both times I've vacationed to CH, I've never explored Geneva/Zurich at all.

Hmm, do you recommend then that I travel directly from Zurich to Lucerne after landing? Right now the plan seems to be 4D3N For each area (Zurich, Lucerne, Paris, Amsterdam). Am open to dropping Amsterdam... though would love to see it.

 

[Ark Law]

Hmm, do you recommend then that I travel directly from Zurich to Lucerne after landing? Right now the plan seems to be 4D3N For each area (Zurich, Lucerne, Paris, Amsterdam). Am open to dropping Amsterdam... though would love to see it.

For 3N, perhaps stay in Luzern. It'll be a good base for you to visit Titlis, Pilatus, Stanserhorn (world's first roofless double deck cable car), Stoos (world's steepest funicular) and Rigi - the last 3 all being free with the STP.

For longer duration, the Bernese Highlands is a nice option. You can choose to base in the touristy town of Interlaken, or in the valley of Lauterbrunnen, or in picturesque Grindelwald, or what I did, one of the many little villages in the region. Lovely quiet atmosphere. Plenty of mountains to choose; from the overpriced and overcrowded Jungfraujoch, to adventure-themed First, to the cliff edges of Brienz Rothorn.

As always, pray for good weather.

Spoiler

A matter of personal preference. I didn't like Amsterdam. Sure there's heritage and museums, but I hated the crowd. Others love the hustle and bustle. Result was I had a headache in Amsterdam having come from the German countryside. To be fair, I'm sure there are scenic places apart from the windmills in NL, but NL still is a flat country.

 

[couch.potato]

For 3N, perhaps stay in Luzern. It'll be a good base for you to visit Titlis, Pilatus, Stanserhorn (world's first roofless double deck cable car), Stoos (world's steepest funicular) and Rigi - the last 3 all being free with the STP.

For longer duration, the Bernese Highlands is a nice option. You can choose to base in the touristy town of Interlaken, or in the valley of Lauterbrunnen, or in picturesque Grindelwald, or what I did, one of the many little villages in the region. Lovely quiet atmosphere. Plenty of mountains to choose; from the overpriced and overcrowded Jungfraujoch, to adventure-themed First, to the cliff edges of Brienz Rothorn.

As always, pray for good weather.

Spoiler

A matter of personal preference. I didn't like Amsterdam. Sure there's heritage and museums, but I hated the crowd. Others love the hustle and bustle. Result was I had a headache in Amsterdam having come from the German countryside. To be fair, I'm sure there are scenic places apart from the windmills in NL, but NL still is a flat country.

Thanks! That was helpful.
I meant 4D3N in Zurich and then 4D3N in Lucerne. Or would you recommend another combination?

Hotels seem oddly expensive when I checked today (was much cheaper ystd), for dates Apr 24 on. Might check out airbnbs...

People said I would like Amsterdam, I disliked Munich, partly because of the crowd as well, so now you’re making me rethink it. Maybe Bordeaux instead of Amsterdam..

 

[Ark Law]

Thanks! That was helpful.
I meant 4D3N in Zurich and then 4D3N in Lucerne. Or would you recommend another combination?

Hotels seem oddly expensive when I checked today (was much cheaper ystd), for dates Apr 24 on. Might check out airbnbs...

People said I would like Amsterdam, I disliked Munich, partly because of the crowd as well, so now you’re making me rethink it. Maybe Bordeaux instead of Amsterdam..

Flew into Munich, but never visited Munich. Headed straight to the countryside district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen upon landing. I've never been a fan of going to another city overseas.

If you intend to have 6N in CH, might as well skip Zurich altogether if you want to focus on sightseeing. Airbnbs are aplenty. Staying in a village means extra 20-40mins commute time (both ways) daily, but in return, you get to experience a superbly tranquil night, plus a mix of friendly hellos and cold, weird stares

3N in Luzern (get a place closest to the main train station), then shift base to Berner Oberland region for the next 3N. Again, always great to have a place near to a train station. To give you an idea, I've stayed in Brienz West and Erlenbach im Simmental Airbnbs instead of touristy Interlaken.

There are many other places in Switzerland which have great scenery, such as canton Graubuenden, the Jura region, the famous Matterhorn (aka the Tolberone mountain) in Zermatt etc etc. Though I feel those are abit further away given the length of your stay.

 

[Din0saurus]

For 3N, perhaps stay in Luzern. It'll be a good base for you to visit Titlis, Pilatus, Stanserhorn (world's first roofless double deck cable car), Stoos (world's steepest funicular) and Rigi - the last 3 all being free with the STP.

For longer duration, the Bernese Highlands is a nice option. You can choose to base in the touristy town of Interlaken, or in the valley of Lauterbrunnen, or in picturesque Grindelwald, or what I did, one of the many little villages in the region. Lovely quiet atmosphere. Plenty of mountains to choose; from the overpriced and overcrowded Jungfraujoch, to adventure-themed First, to the cliff edges of Brienz Rothorn.

As always, pray for good weather.

Spoiler

A matter of personal preference. I didn't like Amsterdam. Sure there's heritage and museums, but I hated the crowd. Others love the hustle and bustle. Result was I had a headache in Amsterdam having come from the German countryside. To be fair, I'm sure there are scenic places apart from the windmills in NL, but NL still is a flat country.

thinking of spending 3 nights doing touristy stuff when i travel from geneva to zurich.

do you think it's better to base myself in Grindelwald or Kleine Scheidegg? probably gonna do a via ferrata from Eigergletscher station. maybe Jungfraujoch as well?

 

[Ark Law]

thinking of spending 3 nights doing touristy stuff when i travel from geneva to zurich.

do you think it's better to base myself in Grindelwald or Kleine Scheidegg? probably gonna do a via ferrata from Eigergletscher station. maybe Jungfraujoch as well?

I'm not sure about via ferrata as I'm not familiar with the activity. A quick search on shows there's one in Murren and another in Wengen. So maybe you could base in Lauterbrunnen/Wengen/Murren/Interlaken (further out).

Also with the Swiss Travel Pass, you can venture onwards to the Schilthorn from Murren for free.

 

[Din0saurus]

I'm not sure about via ferrata as I'm not familiar with the activity. A quick search on shows there's one in Murren and another in Wengen. So maybe you could base in Lauterbrunnen/Wengen/Murren/Interlaken (further out).

Also with the Swiss Travel Pass, you can venture onwards to the Schilthorn from Murren for free.

Thinking of doing this:

https://m.myswitzerland.com/en-sg/eiger-rotstock-with-a-feel-of-the-north-face.html

Cheaper to buy equipment than to hire a guide. Zzz. Was contemplating climbing Mönch but 1k sgd for a day climb feels a bit overpriced.

Where would you go if you have 3-4 days to travel from Geneva to Zurich?

 

[ksapple]

I would say zurich better choice, but if can go open jaw, land amsterdam

Previously my final part is smthing like this

Amsterdam is abit boring maybe just me lol.

- Strasbourg (Train in to Basel for tax refund T.T)
- Colmar
- Black Forest
- Stuttgart
- Munich
- Interlaken
- Grindelwald
- Zurich

Just take note 1 ting if u are going for tax refund dun fly from switzerland. Anything u buy in EU cannot refund from Switzerland airport.

 

[Ark Law]

Where would you go if you have 3-4 days to travel from Geneva to Zurich?

I personally am more of a sightseer. So I'd have these itineraries in mind (tailored around the 4D Swiss Travel Pass);

1. Central Alps:
D1: Train to Interlaken via Goldenpass route. Train to Luzern base via Brunig line
D2: Stanserhorn [FOC] / Rigi [FOC] / Stoos [FOC]
D3: Same as D2
D4: Same as D2 or choice between Pilatus [CHF36] and Titlis [CHF46]

2. Bernese Highlands Alps:
D1: Train to Interlaken base, via Goldenpass route. Schynige Platte [FOC], Harder Kulm [CHF32]
D2: Schilthorn [FOC]
D3: Choice between First [CHF30], Mannlichen [CHF23-26.50], Brienz Rothorn [CHF46], Niesen [CHF28.50], Stockhorn [CHF28]
D4: Same as D3

3. Bernese Highlands Alps [+ 4D Berner Oberland Pass*]:
D1: Same as D1 above. Schynige Platte, Harder Kulm
D2-D4: <choose>

*costs additional CHF188 on top of your Swiss Travel Pass. Allows travel to any of the included mountains anytime and unlimited times. So you gain flexibility plus you can bypass queues for most places.

For D4, maybe pay for those lockers at big train stations to store luggage while going to the mountains before returning back for the train to ZRH

As for $1k, how about some paragliding instead?

 

[Din0saurus]

I personally am more of a sightseer. So I'd have these itineraries in mind (tailored around the 4D Swiss Travel Pass);

1. Central Alps:
D1: Train to Interlaken via Goldenpass route. Train to Luzern base via Brunig line
D2: Stanserhorn [FOC] / Rigi [FOC] / Stoos [FOC]
D3: Same as D2
D4: Same as D2 or choice between Pilatus [CHF36] and Titlis [CHF46]

2. Bernese Highlands Alps:
D1: Train to Interlaken base, via Goldenpass route. Schynige Platte [FOC], Harder Kulm [CHF32]
D2: Schilthorn [FOC]
D3: Choice between First [CHF30], Mannlichen [CHF23-26.50], Brienz Rothorn [CHF46], Niesen [CHF28.50], Stockhorn [CHF28]
D4: Same as D3

3. Bernese Highlands Alps [+ 4D Berner Oberland Pass*]:
D1: Same as D1 above. Schynige Platte, Harder Kulm
D2-D4: <choose>

*costs additional CHF188 on top of your Swiss Travel Pass. Allows travel to any of the included mountains anytime and unlimited times. So you gain flexibility plus you can bypass queues for most places.

For D4, maybe pay for those lockers at big train stations to store luggage while going to the mountains before returning back for the train to ZRH

As for $1k, how about some paragliding instead?

nice suggestions! lots more research to do now.

D1: Geneva to Montreux
Montreux Jazz Train?
https://www.montreuxjazzfestival.com/en/content/montreux-jazz-trains
12:53 - 17:19: Montreux - Wengen via Golden Pass Line

D2: Rotstock via ferrata/Monch

D3:

D4: 14:03 - 17:16 Wengen to Zurich

is all that i have more or less fixed right now. Not going paragliding for sure. i did it in chamonix last year and it was alright, but not worth the price. maybe with a partner next time...

 

[Ark Law]

I assume you'd be basing in Wengen? In that case, it's a no brainer to have Schilthorn for D3 as it'll free with your Swiss Travel Pass. For D4, since you're already basing in Wengen, I'd do Mannlichen before checking out in the afternoon, cablecar is behind the train station

Additionally if you don't mind an additional hour of travelling, you can journey to ZRH via Luzern (1303-1713h) instead, allowing you to enjoy the views along Lake Brienz and the Brunig Pass.

Also, I'm pretty sure the moment at 3:25 is part of the via ferrata at Murren

 

[Din0saurus]

I assume you'd be basing in Wengen? In that case, it's a no brainer to have Schilthorn for D3 as it'll free with your Swiss Travel Pass. For D4, since you're already basing in Wengen, I'd do Mannlichen before checking out in the afternoon, cablecar is behind the train station

Additionally if you don't mind an additional hour of travelling, you can journey to ZRH via Luzern (1303-1713h) instead, allowing you to enjoy the views along Lake Brienz and the Brunig Pass.

[YOUTUBE-HD]fmxTUCHHNZI[YOUTUBE-HD]

Also, I'm pretty sure the moment at 3:25 is part of the via ferrata at Murren

planning to base myself in wengen for now. accoms still not booked. tentative plan for now:

D1: Geneva to Montreux (first train is 08:02 - 09:11 but that means i have to leave chamonix at 6:30)
Montreux Jazz Train?
https://www.montreuxjazzfestival.com/en/content/montreux-jazz-trains
12:53 - 17:19: Montreux - Wengen via Golden Pass Line

D2: Rotstock via ferrata & Mannlichen

or Monch

D3: Schilthorn

D4: 13:03-17:13 Wengen to Zürich Flughafen via Luzern

Wengen to Zürich Flughafen via Luzern makes more sense since i have to check out by 11am. 2hrs is perfect to do an unhurried lunch and leave.

eating at Piz Gloria seems like a must-do. Does Schilthorn really take an entire day? Was thinking of squeezing it into D2 afternoon so that i have the option to climb Monch. If I start early and move fast, I can catch the 12:10-14:27 transport from Eigergletscher to Schilthorn.

 

[Ark Law]

I think it totally depends on how much you want to rush/squeeze things.

There's also another route on top of the default (fastest) route shown by the app. You can also do it via the BLM (add Grutschalp in the via box to show this route). A gondola from Lauterbrunnen takes you up the side of the valley. From there, it's a single carriage train journey on the 125+ year old line to Murren. Reaching Murren, it's a leisurely stroll (~15mins) across the village to the Schilthorn cable station.

Also, the SBB app doesn't show that you'll need to change gondolas at Mürren and Birg, so if there's a crowd, journey time is extended as you won't be able to take the immediate one. Not sure if there's a change at Gimmelwald as I didn't go up/down via Stechelberg.

Also, I'd imagine you'd want to do the thrill walk at Birg first instead of heading straight up to Schilthorn