Where to go in Switzerland

geekman

geekman

geekman

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I'm planning a long weekend break with some friends from Paris, and as Switzerland is kind of in the middle of us (ish) we've chosen that as the destination.

I've driven through there a few times but never really explored it, and I know quite a few people on here have been there so I was hoping to get some advice.

It needs to be a town which is accessible by either plane or train from Paris, so we were thinking either Zurich, Bern or Geneva. We're looking for the usual tourist type things - good food, good scenery, nice bars but other than that we're not that bothered.

I'm leaning towards Geneva as it's slightly closer to me, very easy to get to from Paris, and the route looks like it'll take me through some stunning scenery. And it looks big enough that there should be plenty to do. But I don't know enough about any of the cities we've looked at to make a valid judgement.

So, where would OCUK go? (inb4 Rhyl) :p
 
I lived in Biel/Bienne for five years. Go to Geneva. Take the Panoramic Express from Montreux to Interlaken if you want scenery details here. Or go to the village of Gruyeres and check out the Giger museum and have a fondue (best fondues in the world at Gruyere). There are usually some good gigs on in Geneva.
 
Geneva itself is nice...you can see a lot in a day or two.

I don't recall there being much in Lausanne, but Montreux was particularly nice and I've stayed there for a few days.

Have a few photos on Flickr if you are interested in seeing what they are like.
 
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Lauterbrunnen, Grindlewald, Zermatt, Lucerne are the obvious choices. But its the more quiet places I like, e.g. Zinal, Arolla, Leukerbad, Bettmeralp, Adelboden, Gruyere

Actually, pretty much choose any small alpine village and enjoy the stunning scenery.

Pretty pointless going to somewhere like Geneva or Zurich. Sure, fly in to one of these but take the train out to mountains as soon as you have arrived.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. We're going to at least have to start out in a big town as I'm the only one with a car, so they won't be able to easily get from Paris to Lauterbrunnen for example.

So I'm thinking maybe meet in Geneva, then take my car and go along Lac Leman to Montreux and back? All the way to Interlaken and back from Geneva seems a bit far for a long weekend, although it does look amazing....

Oh, and none of them are car people so the motor show is out, sorry :p
 
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beh said:
It would be quite easy to get from Paris to Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen by train.
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From my googling it's 3 trains and around 7 hours as opposed to 1 plane to Geneva which takes 1 hour. I suspect the plane would be significantly cheaper as well.
 
Being Swiss, and thus having a huge bias, I'd say go to my home town of Lugano. Take a boat trip around the lake, eat and drink in the pretty squares and take in the wonderful art galleries. If you've got a few bob the shoppinng isn't bad either and if you get bored Milan is about an hour away by car tops or lake Como.
 
BigT said:
Being Swiss, and thus having a huge bias, I'd say go to my home town of Lugano. Take a boat trip around the lake, eat and drink in the pretty squares and take in the wonderful art galleries. If you've got a few bob the shoppinng isn't bad either and if you get bored Milan is about an hour away by car tops or lake Como.
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Beautiful area!
 
Another for Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen. The whole area is interconnected by trains and cable cars which run all year so there are plenty of incredible villages you can get to including a James Bond set and the Jungfraujoch. The region is by a long way the most beautiful place I have ever been to. I went in the winter but a friend went in the Summer and it seems equally amazing and I am keen to go back
 
geekman said:
I'm planning a long weekend break with some friends from Paris, and as Switzerland is kind of in the middle of us (ish) we've chosen that as the destination.

I've driven through there a few times but never really explored it, and I know quite a few people on here have been there so I was hoping to get some advice.

It needs to be a town which is accessible by either plane or train from Paris, so we were thinking either Zurich, Bern or Geneva. We're looking for the usual tourist type things - good food, good scenery, nice bars but other than that we're not that bothered.

I'm leaning towards Geneva as it's slightly closer to me, very easy to get to from Paris, and the route looks like it'll take me through some stunning scenery. And it looks big enough that there should be plenty to do. But I don't know enough about any of the cities we've looked at to make a valid judgement.

So, where would OCUK go? (inb4 Rhyl) :p
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You should make some time to go here.
 
Zurich is the best of those three... I lived in Basel for 4 years.

Geneva is nice but boring - not much to do.

Bern is very very boring... absolutely nothing to do - one day is enough for Bern.

Zurich could keep me happy for a week at least. I recommend visiting Hiltl for a nice meal that you won't have had before.

Remember how pricey it is... especially with current exchange rate... be aware of that.
 
Contract came to an end... couldn't get another job... had to leave or couldn't eat - been chasing for unemployment support from Switz since March last year ;)
 
If you use Geneva as a base, recommend heading back into France and going to Annecy. It's truly one of the prettiest places I have ever visited.
 
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