Switzerland with Avanti

by Tabitha Regoli

 Day 1 – Arrived in Zurich!  There was a group of 8 on this FAM trip; 3 were from Avanti and the other 5 were Travel Advisors.  The Travel Advisors were from Chicago, Cincinnati, Alabama, Nebraska and of course Montana.  We met up with our hosts, Heidi and Marie Louise with Switzerland Travel Centre.  They accompanied us throughout our journey in Switzerland!

We stayed our first night at the Hotel Schweizerhof.  This small hotel was located across the street from the rail station in Zurich.  However, you could not hear the noise from the station at all in your room (my room faced the train station).  There were lots of restaurants and shopping close by the hotel as well.  It was an easy walk to explore Aldstadt (old town).  The rooms have all been renovated and were very comfortable. 

Note: breakfast at all the hotels offered a variety of breads, meat, cheese, cereal, fruit, yogurt, juices, coffee and tea.  Some hotels even offered “American” breakfast (scrambled eggs, French toast).

We spent the rest of the afternoon taking a boat cruise around Lake Zurich and exploring Zurich’s Aldstadt with a private guide.  The boat cruise was a relaxing 1-hour ride with beautiful views and cocktails too!  It was a pleasant way to start your vacation after your long haul flight.

Dinner was at the Viadukt restaurant located in a newer, trendy part of Zurich.  The restaurant is built into an ancient viaduct that is similar to the Roman viaducts throughout Europe.

Day 2 – The morning was spent doing site inspections at Hotel Schweizerhof, Hotel Glockenhof and Hotel Seidenhof.  The hotels Glockenhof and Seidenhof were located a little farther away from the rail station.  There are plenty of restaurants to choose from in the area along with lots of shopping!  Both hotels are very nice with the Glockenhof having a simple décor and the Seidenhof was more elegant and cozier.

We had lunch at Hotel Seidenhof before catching the rail to Lucerne.  This rail took about 50 minutes.

Note: The Swiss Travel Pass is a wonderful tool for transportation in Switzerland.  This pass includes unlimited use of the train, bus, and ferries throughout Switzerland.  It can be purchased in increments of 3-, 4-, 6-, 8- and 15-day passes.  This includes the scenic/panoramic trains (seat reservation an additional fee), a 50% discount on the mountain railways and free admission to 500 museums.

Upon our arrival in Lucerne, our luggage was ported off to the hotel Grand National and we met our guide for a walking tour of Lucerne.  We saw the famous Chapel Bridge, the main square where Mardi Gras starts and explored the old town area.  The evening was spent enjoying cocktails at the Grand National bar and dinner at the Restaurant Lapin.

Day 3 – Today we took the ferry from Lucerne to Vitznau to board the cogwheel to the top of Mount Rigi.  The ferry offers indoor and outdoor spaces to enjoy the scenery.  There is also a small café for breakfast/light lunch and drinks.  The cogwheel ride up the mountain provided beautiful views of Lake Lucerne, the mountains and the Swiss chalet style homes.  And of course the Swiss cows and sheep that provide the milk for the delicious cheese from the region.  At the top of Mount Rigi there are small restaurants and hotels with views galore.  You can see into Germany along with more lakes and small villages.  We hiked about 40 minutes down the mountain to Lok7 restaurant for lunch which was Swiss style mac n cheese with applesauce and local beer!  Who knew mac n cheese could taste so good.  We rode the cogwheel the rest of the way down the mountain to catch the ferry back to Lucerne.

The evening we inspected the Hotel Wilden Mann along with an aperitif (cocktail hour) before having dinner at Stadtkeller restaurant.  Hotel Wilden Mann is a historical hotel dating back to 1860.  The rooms are all different with a classic style.  There are lots of stairs since the hotel is made up of 3 different buildings (different floor levels). 

Day 4 – After breakfast we hopped on the train to Grindelwald then caught the cogwheel up to Jungfraujoch!  This mountain is 13,642 feet high!  This is the highest I’ve ever been (other than flying). 

We had lunch in the Top of Europe restaurant then had a walking tour INSIDE the mountain and glacier!  It was a little creepy thinking about being in a tunnel and “what if there was an earthquake?” kept going through my mind.  It was snowing outside so did not spend too much time in the cold.  Just enough time to take a group picture and throw some snowballs at each other! 

We rode the cogwheel back down through the mountain.  Yes, I did write that correctly.  The cogwheel runs though a tunnel in the mountain on the way down!  The Swiss like their tunnels!  Once back in the town of Interlaken, we checked into our hotel, the Hey Hotel which is a funky, bright hotel in the center of town.  We walked to inspect the Victoria Jungfrau Grand Hotel and Spa.  Beautiful luxurious resort hotel with fitness studio, indoor pool, tennis courts, spa and kids program which are all included in the hotel rate (expect for spa treatments).  We had dinner at the hotel’s Pizzeria Sapori.  Wonderful charcuterie, pizza and risotto!

Day 5 – This morning we enjoyed a walking tour of Interlaken.  We walked along the riverbank to the rail station to ride the cogwheel up to Harder Kulm.  It was a foggy morning so was unable to see the mountains surrounding the Interlaken valley.  But we walked around the area at the top where there is a small restaurant with amazing views, at least that is what we were told!  We grabbed some coffee and Glühwein for the trip back down the mountain.  As we walked towards the rail station in Interlaken we watched several paragliders land in the park and did a little shopping along the way.

This afternoon we rode the Golden Pass Panorama Express from Interlaken to Montbovon.  The Golden Pass is one of five scenic railways through Switzerland.  This scenic railway is included in the Swiss Travel Pass with seat reservations for an additional fee.  The Golden Pass was under maintenance and was unable to take the rail through to Montreaux.  However, starting December 1st, the Golden Pass will run directly from Interlaken to Montreaux.  There are rail stops along the way, but a beautiful train ride through the countryside and mountains.

We checked into our Montreux hotel, the Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic located on the Montreux Riviera.  The views of Lake Geneva with the mountains in the background were amazing!  Beautiful hotel near the main rail station and Christmas market.  We were treated to a Fondue dinner at the Restaurant le Museum!

Day 6 – This morning we walked along the shores of Lake Geneva while people were preparing for the Christmas market that opens mid-November each year. 

We toured the Castle of Chillon which is where Mary Shelley wrote her book “Frankenstein”.  Lunch was served at the hotel restaurant before we took our last rail adventure from Montreux to Geneva.

Our last night was at the Hotel Bristol which is centrally located in the city.  It was an easy 15-minute walk from the rail station to the hotel.  We experienced a watch making class at Initium.  We actually learned how a watch works then took one apart and put it back together!  Very interesting class.

Our farewell dinner was Steak Frites served tableside at Restaurant Chez Boubier.  Steak Frites is basically thin steaks cooked tableside in a butter and herb paste served on a bed of french fries.  So delicious!  Highly recommend!

The next morning, we all had early departures home.  The hotel provided boxed breakfast with juice and a choice of coffee for our early morning transfers to the airport.

Goodbye Switzerland!  Already planning to return!