Switzerland......2020
 

Planning a vacation to Switzerland either next year or perhaps when I retire in 2021.

Must do's .......

watch museum / tours
trains
chocolate
general sightseeing

to those that are in the know, suggestions, thoughts, ideas ........

I will be watching intently… I want to go to Baselworld next year.

Dave, I know you’ll enjoy this activity. :D https://blog.eurail.com/how-to-go-be...ains-one-trip/

My wife and I vacationed in Europe a few years ago which consisted of stops in England, France, Switzerland and Italy and I can tell you that Switzerland is the the most beautiful place I've ever been.

I lived there for awhile in Lausanne. I think three weeks to a month is a good amount of time to really get a feel for the place, meet some locals, and slow down a bit.

The trains are efficient, clean, and easy to use.

I highly recommend staying on or near Lac Léman in one of the small lakeside towns for a week and exploring the countryside from Lausanne to Montreaux and beyond. The Swiss wines are excellent and you won’t find them outside Switzerland because the Swiss drink all the wine they produce!

Of course I know you will take the train from St. Moritz to Zermatt. :)

While In Zermatt spent a few days to hike around. Take in a mountain restaurant - Riffelhous is a good one.

There is a really interesting cheese experience in Gruyere. I’m sure there are others in different towns. You sample the grass the cows eat, taste the cow’s milk, and then taste the cheese made from it.

The Swiss Post busses will take you anywhere mail is delivered and for a reasonable price. This is an experience in and of itself.

The Swiss Alpine Club runs a series of high mountain huts. It is very easy to plan a hut to hut hiking trip and carry just a small daypack with you.

https://www.sac-cas.ch/en/

All the major cities are worth exploring - they are easy to navigate, clean, and safe. Most have an historic central city area and markets.

One thing I would caution about - there are only so many castles, museums, and cathedrals you can visit before they all start to look the same. So choose a few really interesting ones and skip the rest.

To me the magic happens on the byways and in the small towns.

Tom

Thanks Serge, yep, that's me in a nutshell !

Tom, great recommendations, thanks a bunch !! ... :thumbsup:

keep 'em coming boys and girls !!

Switzerland......2020
 

I lived in the Zürich area as a child and have been back many times (my dad was Swiss and I still have lots of family there). Just a few thoughts:

The city of Lucerne is beautiful, as is the Lake of Lucerne. In the city, see the monument to the pope’s guards and enjoy any of a number of excellent riverside cafes and restaurants. Take the boat (river boats are part of the transport system) up the lake to the village of Vitznau and in Vitznau take the Rigibahn cog railway up the top of the Rigi. Mark Twain hiked this mountain and wrote a quite amusing travelogue about it. The food at the restaurant at Rigikulm is excellent, you can have a very nice lunch, hike down to Rigi Fïrst, along the Felsenweg (wonderful views of the lake and surrounding mountains) over to Rigi Kaltbad and catch the railway back down.

The Appenzell district is another beautiful area to visit. In the St Moritz area, if you want the old-school posh Swiss hotel experience, try the Suvretta House - expensive, but so is everything in St Moritz. St Moritz and the Upper Engadin valley are incredibly beautiful, but so is the Lower Engadin and not quite as well known.

If you like to hike or walk, the opportunities are endless, and can be as challenging or easy as you like. Most walking is on well groomed paths, with good signage telling you how far to the next village - and unlike hiking in the States, you’re never more than a half hour from some little mountain inn or restaurant with great beer and sausages.

I've been there several times, stop overs in Geneva before heading in to France. I had no interest in watches back then, mores the pity as the excellent VC museum is in the city center, and the various ateliers are fairly near by. I also banged the gong of peace near the UN building, as you do. Gruyere cheese is very nice to, they export that.

Thanks Tony and RT !

I would love to get to Basel and hear these guys.............

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJVdnMAGIt8

Dave.......That was incredible! . :applause: