June 17, 2003
Chill out in Switzerland
JonCamdenTown is doing a whirlwind inter-rail tour of europe this august. He's am going to pass through Switzerland on the way from Italy to Germany. Can anybody offer any advice on the best place in Switzerland to chill out for a few days?
Chill out in Switzerland
Posted by Ant at 02:06 AM
Related: BootsnAll Travel Community, Germany, Italy, Other Travelers in Europe, Switzerland
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If you are planning on staying in Switzerland for a few days I would definately recommend staying in a small town called Gimmelwald. I learned about it from a travel book written by Rick Steves. You should be able to find more information there about how to get there, but it is definately worth it. We stayed in a Youth Hostile for about 10 dollars US per night. There is also another Hotel/restraunt called Walter's Inn. If you choose to stay in the Youth Hostil remember to bring your own food and change for the shower. There is a full kitchen for cooking. You will have to hike or take a gondola to get there, either way the view is breathtaking. It is high in the Swiss Alps. I remember looking down from the path we were hiking on and seeing several waterfalls in every direction, cows and goats roaming the green hillsides, and a helicopter flying in the valley below us. Gimmelwald was probably the most memorable place I have traveled in Europe. It would be a shame to pass up the opportunity to visit.
I would suggest 2 possible places for a multi-day stay in Switzerland. One is the Ticino district in the southeast corner of the country. There you have Locarno, Lugano, the castles of Bellinzona and many other attractions. The other stayover would be Geneva, from which Montreux, Bern, Sion and Lausanne are all an hour or 2 train ride away. Please note that both recommendations are for regions with lots of interesting places to see with just a short train ride.With the possible exception of Geneva there's no city in Switzerland that can sustain a multi-day visit by itself,without daytrips, unlike NYC,Paris or London.
Comment by Adam on June 18, 2003 08:00 AM
If you are planning on staying in Switzerland for a few days I would definately recommend staying in a small town called Gimmelwald. I learned about it from a travel book written by Rick Steves. You should be able to find more information there about how to get there, but it is definately worth it. We stayed in a Youth Hostile for about 10 dollars US per night. There is also another Hotel/restraunt called Walter's Inn. If you choose to stay in the Youth Hostil remember to bring your own food and change for the shower. There is a full kitchen for cooking. You will have to hike or take a gondola to get there, either way the view is breathtaking. It is high in the Swiss Alps. I remember looking down from the path we were hiking on and seeing several waterfalls in every direction, cows and goats roaming the green hillsides, and a helicopter flying in the valley below us. Gimmelwald was probably the most memorable place I have traveled in Europe. It would be a shame to pass up the opportunity to visit.
Comment by Dave Jacobson on June 24, 2003 02:44 AM
I would suggest 2 possible places for a multi-day stay in Switzerland. One is the Ticino district in the southeast corner of the country. There you have Locarno, Lugano, the castles of Bellinzona and many other attractions. The other stayover would be Geneva, from which Montreux, Bern, Sion and Lausanne are all an hour or 2 train ride away. Please note that both recommendations are for regions with lots of interesting places to see with just a short train ride.With the possible exception of Geneva there's no city in Switzerland that can sustain a multi-day visit by itself,without daytrips, unlike NYC,Paris or London.