Rick Steves' Switzerland 2005
If you've traveled with this guidebook, please help us improve it for future travelers. How can it be more helpful and accurate? Did any recommended hotels, eateries, or sights disappoint you? Do you have any new experiences or new places we should consider? Any warnings or tips for people traveling with existing edition?
Please note: Rick Steves' Switzerland is a new title for 2005. If you have are traveling with Rick Steves' Germany, Austria and Switzerland 2004, feedback is still available.
Berner Oberland Pass
On page 112 of the Switzerland 2005 book it states that "If you're staying for a week you can save money with the Berner Oberland Pass (includes all trains, buses and lifts for 7 days,220 SF.)"
THIS IS NOT THE CASE; only three days are unlimited and the other 4 are half price. We planned our budget around this and it has caused a great deal of last minute problems. Maybe we would be better off to keep our car during that time, but that doesn't really help since we're staying in Murren. Hope this saves someone -- can't believe nobody noticed this until last night when I called to check on the pass.
Joanie <email>
WEST PALM BECACH, FL USA Fri 05/27/2005
swiss museumpass
According to the TI in Bern on May 12,2005, the Museumpass is only available for a year, not 30 days. Please check, info@museumpass.chI think they said the price was CHF150.
J. I. Paddock <email>
USA Thu 05/12/2005
City Hotel Luzern - DO NOT STAY HERE!
WARNING!!! DO NOT stay in the City Hotel in Luzern, as recommended in the 2005 Switzerland guide book!!! Things must have changed since the recommendation was written (my husband and I were in Luzern April 2005) because the hotel is on a block where all of the businesses beside it are boarded up and vacant. It turns out that the area is quite seedy - it became very clear to us during our stay that the hotel is being used by prostitutes...no joke. I saw the same provacatively dressed woman get off the elevator with one man earlier in the day and then get back on with a different man later in the day. I also saw two other women who were dressed in a similar manner. Other than these guest sightings, the hotel was practically empty. We must have been the only respectable guests staying there, as evidenced by the fact that the breakfast room had a table set and coffee/juice waiting for just one couple - us! We were so disgusted that we left first thing without eating breakfast - luckily, we were only there one night. If we had stayed in Luzern any longer, we definitely would have switched hotels.
Amanda <email>
Atlanta, GA USA Tue 05/10/2005
Why Leukerbad was left out of the guide?
How come no mention of Leukerbad? I know someone who went to Switzerland many years ago and said Leukerbad was the highlight of her trip (the hot-water natural springs).
Rajul <email>
Dublin, CA USA Sun 05/08/2005
Apartment in Stechelberg
Year after year we stay at Frau Nelly Beer's apartments in Stechelberg, Switzerland. She is a wonderful hostess, and the location and price cannot be beaten anywhere in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Nelly Beer's husband Christian is a very pleasant man - wish my Schweiz-Deutsch was better for communicating with him.
Wes <email>
OR USA Mon 05/02/2005
Hotel Lötschberg
Hotel Lötschberg in Interlaken was a great find! Quaint, clean rooms at reasonable prices (129swf). Central location. Contact info: hotel@lotschberg.ch
Jessica
Chicago, IL USA Mon 05/02/2005
Trummelbach Falls
I saw Rick Steve talking about Trummelbach Falls on Foxtel just before we went to Switzerland in June last year. I had never heard of it but as we were staying in Grindelwald we decided to visit. It was awesome and the kids thought it was one of the highlights of Switzerland (except for the chocolate. If you ever wondered what it was like being in a washing machine then Trummelbach Falls is a must.
Michele Bond <email>
Perth, WA Aust Sun 05/01/2005
swiss driving sticker
if anyone is going to switzerland and driving you need a 40.00 sf driving sticker. if your going i have one that i bought but unfortunately did not use. Long story. It is good until jan 2006. i just came back On saturday april 17, 2005. Please email me if you would like to buy it. jik992003@yahoo.com
USA Tue 04/19/2005
Gimmelwald
If the lift isn't working, you still get there by taking the funicular to Mürren, and walking down from there---it's only 20 minutes on a nice paved path, suitable for rolling luggage.
Lura
Seattle, WA USA Fri 04/15/2005
St Moritz area
Another fabulous trip using RS guidebook. Stayed in Pontresina, stayed at Hotel Eng. ate at all the recommended restaurants and saw most of the sights. All was very accurate and enjoyable.
JS
Ca USA Mon 04/04/2005
Travelers to Gimmelwald, be warned!
We were planning on going to Gimmelwald on April 26-28 and staying at Walter's Hotel Mittaghorn, but when I called Walter to make a reservation he told me the lift would be shut down for maintenance that week. He said it would be extremely complicated to get to Gimmelwald by another route, and that the Schilthorn would be closed. If you were planning on going to Gimmelwald that week, you may want to make other plans. I don't have the Switzerland 2005 guidebook, but the fact that the lift shuts down periodically for repairs was not in the Best of Europe 2005 guidebook. There should probably be a warning in there for future travelers so that they won't be as disappointed as we are.
Melinda <email>
Whittier, CA USA Fri 04/01/2005
Best way to experience Switzerland in Winter
The best way to experience Switzerland in the winter is skiing the major resorts. Whereas in the summer you pay an arm and a leg to use the lifts in the winter your ski pass covers unlimited mountain access and on skiis you can cover more mountain terrain than you can on foot. A week long ski vacation in Switz, France, or Austria can be less than an equivalent ski vacation in the states (at least before the dollar dived). The expansive terrain of some of the European resorts dwarfs even the largest US ski areas and provides for convientant way of interacting with Europeans. Unfortunately Rick's guides are geared toward summer travel. For winter travel get a book like Ski Europe or check out the many internet sites on skiing.
John Doe
USA, USA Tue 03/22/2005
Let's get this site going again.
Since nobody is reporting on their winter trips to CH, let me make some additional comments on a trip we took last October:MURTEN-BIEL Cruise: This dull trip became torture when the weather turned too wet to stay on the decks outside and with the passenger cabin too smokey to remain indoors without shortening one's lifespan significantly. There's no scenery with which to distract you from your misery. We should've jumped off at Neuchatel when we had the chance.VIERWALDSTATERSEE: It was raining (again!) in the Lauterbrunnen valley so we rode the SBB-Brunig train out of Interlaken Ost to Luzern and cruised Lake Luzern all the way to Fluelen. This lake boasts some wonderful scenery despite the clouds obscuring the lofty mountaintops. We'd love to return and maybe ride the funiculars up Mt Pilatus and Mt Rigi. Even the Interlaken-Luzern rail trip had some nice scenery along the Brunig Pass rail line. This route is noteworthy because it becomes a cog railway in the hilly sections and because it is the only SBB line that's narrow-gauge (1000mm vs the standard 1435mm).
Paul Kakazu <email>
Walnut, CA Mon 03/21/2005
Alter Silvester 13th Jan
Sorry ... I was off on the time, instead of 12:30pm, it's 2:30pm at Restaurant Sonne. As it is later than I would like it to be, I would be hiking in the morning towards Santis looking for Silvesterclausen. Wear hiking boots and pop by the tourist stand in the center of Urnaesch if hiking is what you want to do. Otherwise, it's 2:30 in the late afternoon. FYI, 31st Dec is a different schedule. Have fun & Happy New Year again!
P. Wang-Kolner
Zuerich, ZH CH Fri 01/07/2005
Photos on Silvesterchlausen
Pardon for double posting but here are urls of Silvesterchlausen photos for people unable to go see it ...http://www.fotografin.ch/silvesterchlaeus/silvester.htmlhttp://www.photowildworld.com/Silvesterklause.htm
P. Wang-Kolner
Zuerich, ZH CH Thu 01/06/2005
Celebrating Alter Silvester (Old New Year's Eve) 13th Jan '05
Don't give Urnaesch in Appenzell a miss if you are going to be in Switzerland on 13 Jan. Old New Year's eve is celebrated with much fervor in Urnaesch. Men in groups of 6 to 9 dressed up with hats decorated with their livelihood scenes, 2 will have 13 round bells on them and the rest, 1 or 2 big cowbells, weighing around 40-50lbs, all will have masks on them. It's hard to describe but here is the URL (http://www.urnaesch.appenzell.ch/e/brauchtum/alter_silvester.htm) and you can read all about it. It's an eye-opener for sure. The groups go from house to house to wish everyone a happy new year and in turn they get, a sip of wine to drink and money (for their costumes et al). The money is passed when they shake hands, it's typically given to the first and last men (dressed up as women). The costumes are all hand-made and wood carved. As it is quite difficult to know what their route is ... best thing to do is to go to Restaurant Sonne at Schwägalpstrasse 60, 9107 Urnäsch, +41 (0)71 364 11 05 Phone. They (Silvesterchlaeusen) will be there around lunch time and you can hear and see them ringing their bells and jodeling. Careful not to stand too close to them especially when they start ringing their bells strap on them. If you are a big group, make reservations. Traditional dishes to have are sausages from Appenzell and cheese spaetzle (made from egg & flour), you will see it in the menu as Käsespätzli mit Siedwürsten (don't forget to peel the skin off the sausage, it's not typically eaten, but afetr saying that, my daughter usually eats it). Take bus 65,67 (from Urnaesch Trainstation) and get off at Urnaesch, Sonne Thal (name of bus stop: Sonne Thal) and it's a 4 min walk to Restaurant Sonne. But please doublecheck you are going in the right direction, it's only a 3 min bus ride. I'll be there around 12:17pm. Whoever's going, I hope you have lots of fun! It's done twice a year, 31st Dec and 13th Jan.
P. Wang-Kolner
Zuerich, ZH CH Thu 01/06/2005