Switzerland Pre or Post Trip- TRAIN TRAVEL

I departed on the non-stop United flight from Chicago to Zurich the day before. That flight isn't the greatest because you depart Chicago at 4 p.m. It is hard to get excited about sleeping at 6 p.m., so you might need a little sleeping pill to help!

I arrived in Zurich this morning around 8:30 a.m. I was met by my representative who got me to the train in the airport and rode with me to Zurich Main Station where I caught a train to Lucerne. I'm glad I had that assistance as it would have taken some brain power to figure out the Zurich Main station, and I was tired after the long flight.

The train from Zurich to Lucerne is just over an hour; I was in Lucerne by 10:25 a.m.

I had a short walking tour of Lucerne. A beautiful little town right on the lake. The train station is right in the old town. I walked to my hotel in about 5 minutes.

I stayed at the Hotel Les Balances. A 4* hotel in a perfect location in the Old Town. Located right on the river, it is a great base for exploring. It is a 4* hotel and there is nothing fancy about it. It is a typical European hotel in a historic old building. Lots of quirks- TINY bathrooms and winding hallways. Staff was very friendly. Nice little breakfast buffet and a la carte menu as well.

I know a lot of people like the Hotel Schweizerhof. I walked through the lobby and it is a bit tired. Lively bar and excellent location.

The only hotel that is Virtuoso/DL is the Mandarin Oriental. It is a good 15-20 minute walk from Chapel Bridge, but right on the lake with a lot of outdoor space to have drinks or a meal. Lovely bar. My guide wasn't thrilled with it because it is pretty typical of any Mandarin around the world, but it was by far the nicest hotel I saw in town. (I did not see a room.)

I also walked through the Ameron Luzern Hotel Flora because I have clients staying here in a week. I didn't see a room, but the lobby is great- modern, trendy and a great little restaurant. It was a great price point for a 4* hotel and only half a block from Chapel Bridge and a 5 minute walk from the train station.

Today I did the Mt. Pilatus route- Gondola to Cable Car to Cogwheel Train to Ferry back to Lucerne. The weather can be drastically different at the top of the mountain, so dress accordingly and bring a rain coat. You purchase the ticket at the bottom for the entire day. The Gondola goes about half way up and then you will board a cable car to get to the top. There are only maybe 8 seats on the cable car, and they are first come first serve, so most people will be standing. It probably holds 25- 30 people. It is maybe a 10 minute ride. Once at the top, speak with the attendants at the Cogwheel Train to reserve your spot down. They only run every 30- 45 minutes and they do fill up. You can have lunch at the top. It is cafeteria style and nothing to get excited about, but if the weather is clear, it has an amazing view. There are a few outlooks you can walk up to and trails from here. I would say an hour and a half is probably plenty of time for lunch and a little exploration. The Cogwheel Train back down is one of the steepest declines of any train and at some places is 48%! The seating on this train is also first come first serve, so I do suggest getting in line a bit early so you have your first choice of a seat. When you exit the train, you walk under the road through a tunnel to the ferry port and board a boat back to Lucerne. It is worth paying for a first class seat on the boat, as it is about an hour or so boat ride and the first class seats have their own beautiful outdoor seating space as well as a nice indoor seating area. If someone is tired after that long day, there is a train that will get you back to Lucerne in 15 minutes.

If you have longer to stay in Lucerne (and you should! One night is not enough), here are some suggestions from my guide. I did not do these myself:

Mt. Rigi: The "sister" mountain to Mt Pilatus.

Zug: Quick local train for a charming old town and beautiful lake.

Sempach: Also a local train and charming town. Very local; not many tourists.

Stans: You can take an open air gondola up to the top of the mountain from here.

Lots of hiking trails and water activities in the summer.

I asked for a very typical Swiss restaurant for dinner and was referred to the Zuufthaus Restaurant. It does have very typical Swiss food, but felt quite touristy (I don't feel like there were any Swiss people there.) Had clients go to Weisses Kreuz and Stadtkeller.

Specialties unique to Lucerne that you should try:

Chuegelipastetli: A puff pastry filled with lamb meatballs and a mushroom sauce.

Linzertorte Klein: A soft and delicious gingerbread, and I am not a gingerbread person!

This morning I departed Lucerne for Interlaken. The train track on this routing had been washed out by the mudslides, so I had to transfer via car. It was just over an hours drive and very scenic. You can take a longer way that drives around the lakes, but the area was still being cleaned up from the flooding and we took a shorter, but still very scenic route, past waterfalls, lakes and gorgeous mountains.

I checked into the Interlaken Hotel. Another solid 4* offering. My Small Double Room for Single Use was cute and clean and had a small balcony. The bathrooms are VERY tiny, but this is a good option for someone more on a budget. The Victoria- Jungfrau Hotel and Spa is our only preferred partner (Virtuoso) and is also a Leading Hotel of the World. The Royal St Georges is a Sofitel property and we may have some pull there.

I dropped my bags at the hotel and boarded the first train from Interlaken to the Grindelwald Terminal at 11:30 a.m. The train station is right in now and was just a 5 minute walk from the hotel. On arrival at the Grindelwald Terminal, I went straight to the Eiger Express Cable Car to Eigergletscher. The cable car seats about 30 people and takes about 20 minutes. You then transfer to a Cogwheel train that takes you up to the Jungfraujoch. It takes about 30 minutes and travels the entire way through a tunnel blown through the rock in the mountain. (Meaning you don't see a thing.)

Once at the top, there is about an hour and a half worth of things to do and see. Clients should know that there are only an average of 15 days a year that see above 30 degrees and that you only have a 35- 49% chance of having a sunny day. I was not lucky and the snow and fog were so bad, you couldn't see a foot in front of you. There is a place where you can hike up to the glacier, but it was too cold and snowy and I wasn't dressed appropriately, so I can't speak to that. There is a cafeteria and one sit down restaurant. I ate lunch in the restaurant and it was decent food and would have had a great view on a clear day.

Once you are finished, you take the cogwheel train back down the way you came, or you can go to Kleine Scheidegg for different scenery. This train is about 30 minutes. You connect to a 20 minute train to Lauterbrunnen and then to a 20 minute train back to Interlaken. I arrived back at the hotel at 5:30 p.m. It is a long day and a lot of transfers.

I had drinks at the Victoria Jungfrau. Lively bar and had a piano player. I stopped at the bar at the Hotel Royal. It was cute and trendy looking, but not a soul was in there. I ate at Taverna; in the Interlocken Hotel. It was crowded and lively and had a traditional Swiss menu.

Three days at least in this area. Other suggested activities for your stay:

Interlaken is located between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. There are a lot of options for getting out on the water in a boat. See the St. Beatus Caves, Aare Gorge, Giessbach Falls, and the many castles and charming towns that dot the lakes.

Harder Klum train can be boarded right in downtown Interlaken.

Day trip into Grindelwald town (short 25 min train ride). You can do the Glacier Canyon hike or the Canyon Swing.

Canyoneering, hiking and paragliding.

Walked to the train station early for my 9:08 a.m. departure from Interlaken to Montreux on the Golden Pass Panoramic Train. I purchased the first class ticket, which gets you a larger seat and expanded service. They serve light snacks and drinks on the journey. Arrival into Montreux at 12:20 p.m., so it is a longer ride, but absolutely stunning. Waterfalls, rivers, snow capped mountains and green forests the entire way. Well worth the time spent on the train.

Montreux looked gorgeous, and I wish I had scheduled a day there. It is one of the larger cities I saw on this trip. The train transfer to Visp was easy and takes about an hour and ten minutes. This is not a scenic ride; very industrial and not much to look at. Once in Visp, it was another quick transfer to the train to Zermatt, where once again, stunning scenery the entire way. This leg is also about an hour and ten minutes and I arrived in Zermatt at 3:15 p.m.

The only cars allowed in Zermatt are electric cars. Most of the hotels have little golf cart shuttles that pick you up at the train station. There is no need to call; they arrive about every 10- 15 minutes.

I stayed at the Alpenhof Hotel. By far the best of the hotels I stayed in. Located right on the river, my deluxe double room was spacious and had a nice balcony overlooking the river. The bathrooms are still minimalistic, but nice. Decorated in a trendy, mountain manor. The lobby, lobby bar and restaurant have a great design. There is a spa with an indoor pool and outdoor hot tub as well.

I walked up to the Omnia Hotel. They have a restaurant I had hoped to try but it is closed on Sundays. It is high up on the hill, but has an elevator that will take you up and down to the main part of town. Beautiful outdoor patio that looks directly to the Matterhorn. Great place to go have a drink even if you aren't staying there. The Unique Hotel Post has a great bar and cute restaurant and the hotel looks really interesting (I did not see any rooms). I stopped by the Mont Cervin Palace (Virtuoso) and it was closed until December 5.

Ate dinner at Schaferstube. Traditional, and good, Swiss food in a "cozy in the winter" kind of place. You will need a reservation.

This morning I boarded the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur. I had first class seats. The cars were lovely. Nice, large seats had outlets and a good sized table. The seats come as a bank of four facing each other or two facing each other. Wifi is spotty, but available. You can choose to purchase the set lunch or dinner, which I did. I would advise against it. You save a little money by purchasing it in advance, but I would have rather just ordered something from the a la carte menu.

The ride was over 5 hours, and I was a bit worried I would get bored, but the scenery was so lovely and I listed to my book on tape and loved every minute of it. The ride from Zermatt to Brig is not as stunning as the Brig to Chur leg. The most famous parts of the ride are actually on the Chur to St. Moritz leg and highly recommended if it can work in the itinerary.

I arrived in Zurich late afternoon and checked into the St. Peter Hotel by the Sorell Hotel Group. 4+ star option in an excellent location, great, trendy and lively common area and the rooms were a really good size. I had a Business King room on the ground level that had a full walk out patio into an interior courtyard.

I spent the late afternoon walking around the Old Town in Zurich. Had dinner and left the next morning.

NOTES ON TRAVELING TO SWITZERLAND

*The SBB Mobile app is imperative. You can load your trips into the app and check the departure platforms, where exactly the coaches will be and any time changes.

*There are no porters in the train stations. Clients MUST pack light and count on having to get their own bags on and off the trains so it is very important to pack accordingly.

*Switzerland has an incredibly clean, well run and efficient public transportation system and they expect you to use it. Anything under a mile is considered walkable, even with luggage! Swiss Select is great, but I do think they don't know how to handle a client that needs a lot of hand holding.

*It is worth paying for a first class rail pass, even with the wonderful state of their public transportation, especially with families. The first class cabins always have seats . Second class families could be stuck not sitting next to each other.