Wow! What a fantastic 2 weeks spent in Switzerland. We explored and enjoyed a good portion of the country with family and friends (11 total). While a few in our group had some deviations in their itinerary, DaK spent time in Geneva, Zermatt, Montreux (Lausanne & Bern), and Zurich (Lucern). My cousin, Greg, did a fantastic job planning our itinerary.
We paid for a 15-day Swiss Rail Pass, which worked extremely well, and included pretty much all forms of ground transportation (boat, bus, tram, and rail) within Switzerland and free entry into many museums and tourist attractions. We also discovered COOP convenience stores for reasonably priced food, drinks (including beer) and other items. They were extremely prevalent everywhere we stayed and saved us quite a bit of money. B.T.W., Switzerland has the highest cost of living in Europe and the exchange rate did not help.
We have done annual trips with this group before (Yellowstone and Innsbruck) and it’s always a wonderful mix of group activities with enough time built in for individual interests (e.g. biking). But the standout take away with this group is laughter. I never laugh this hard or consistently as when we are all together. So much fun!
GENEVA
We were very impressed with Geneva. The bike paths were extensive and very well maintained, the city was clean with efficient transportation (train, tram, bus, boat), and there was such a variety of things to do. Beautiful Lake Geneva is right at your doorstep with its swimming and boating, Old Town is absolutely charming, and the social scene is fantastic (concerts, waterfront dining, shopping, etc.).
On our second day in Geneva (1st full day) we used Marriott’s complimentary bikes to traverse along Lake Geneva 15 miles, to the Old Town of Nyon, Switzerland. We spent a few hours (including lunch) exploring the quaint old town of Nyon. After lunch we made a last minute decision to leave our bikes in Nyon and take the 1927 steam paddlewheel boat across Lake Geneva to the medieval village of Yvoire, France (claimed to be France’s most beautiful medieval town – no arguments here).
ZERMATT
Beautiful Zermatt was the place where our entire group all met and stayed at the same hotel. The Jagerhof hotel was great (again thanks to Greg’s research and planning) and the hotel staff was very accommodating for our large group. They went above and beyond refrigerating our beer, wine, and food. They even provided a private dining space for our last day together.
Our group decided to split up and have two adventures viewing the Matterhorn. Greg, Cheryl, Andrea, and DaK took a cog train up ~8,500 feet to the main viewing area for the Matterhorn. Rick, Nancy, Bill, Susan, Larry, and Leo decided to see the other side of the Matterhorn (via cable car) at ~11,000 feet, where they could also get a good view of Italy. Afterwards most of that group got off the cable to hike down the bottom half of the Matterhorn.
Karen and I rented e-bikes in Zermatt as soon as we returned from our cog train trip. We biked 30 miles (r.t.) up the Matterhorn side that we didn’t see. The e-bikes definitely helped going up, but it was extremely tough coming down due to the constant braking to avoid flying over an edge. By happenstance, we ran into cousin Larry hiking down from his morning excursion.
It was fantastic having the whole group together in Zermatt. We all caught up with each other shared experiences and laughed so much throughout our time in Zermatt that I had to carry something to wipe my eyes most of the time. We really enjoy each other’s company.
From there our core group (Greg, Larry, Cheryl, Leo, Andrea and DaK) continued along to the places mentioned in this blog. Others (Rick, Nancy, Bill, and Susan) pursued different interests and itineraries around Europe before returning home.
MONTREUX w/ day trips to Lausanne, Bern & Gruyeres
DaK arrived in Montreux 2 days before the rest of our group, giving us time to get some riding in and a day trip to Bern. We were very pleased (except for no upgrade) with our Marriott Grand Suisse Hotel, right on Lake Montreux. The city was just starting to set up for the Montreux Jazz Festival. The promenade was lovely and the views from our dining area were spectacular!
On our first evening in Montreux we caught the last CGN boat (included in the Swiss Rail Pass) to Chillon Castle knowing we only had 10 minutes to quickly view the castle to see if we wanted to return another day. Well, the castle was more impressive than we expected and we missed the last boat back. So we found the nearest bus station (also included in the Swiss Rail Pass) and figured out how to get back to our hotel.
Before the rest of our group arrived, DaK set out on an epic 38 mile (r.t.) bike ride that took us from Montreux (along Lake Geneva) to the small town of Lutry, to Lausanne (for lunch), then up to a significant elevation along bike Route 9 (in the Swiss Alps) to get back to Montreux. Because we deviated from the suggested route, the near mile up to Route 9 almost overwhelmed our ability. We had to push the e-bikes up the mountain for nearly a half mile as the incline was too much for the e-bike motor to handle. After a few necessary breaks we found Route 9, running along vineyards with spectacular elevated views looking down on Lake Geneva.
On our other day, before the rest of the group arrived from Zermatt, we took a day trip to Bern (the capital of Switzerland). Barstow was our walking tour guide and provided a very insightful overview of Bern and its history (past and present). The downtown was overrun with (what seemed like) an all day running marathon. So it was exceptionally festive and crowded. The old clock, the drinking fountains along the main street, and the Aare River were some stand out features of the city. Overall, we really liked the city and may return to spend more time there.
Very famous clock in Bern
-Upon returning to Montreux we took a CGN 2 hour boat tour across Lake Geneva. We really do jam pack our days to get the most out of our time while in Europe.-
ZURICH w/ day trip to Lucern
This time Larry accompanied Karen and I to our next (and final) stay in Zurich, a day before the remainder of our group. Before we even had time to unpack, the three of us were off onto a guided walking tour on a somewhat grey/drizzly day (really the only “not great” weather day on the whole trip). While it was not a stellar tour, we still learned about some of the history and got to know the old town part of the city.
Karen and I took a day trip from Zurich to Lucern. The train ride was just a little over an hour, with only one stop. The Old Town of Lucern was another one of those well preserved cities that just captures your attention. Around every turn was another marvel. One could easily get lost in the history and beauty of the city.
After our morning, walking Lucern’s Old Town, we rented bikes near the train station for an afternoon ride that took us out of the city. We had no expectation, other than some exercise, on our 24 mile ride. But wow! It’s not often you get to ride through this kind of spectacular scenery. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.
What a trip! This was our first “deep dive” into Switzerland and we really loved the experience. Aside from Switzerland being very expensive, our overall impression was, clean, friendly, beautiful, diverse, precise (like their watches), and a very well run country. We definitely plan to incorporate Switzerland in our future plans.