I want to go to Switzerland...

[LeaveTheClocksAlone]

Walking, hiking, kayaking perhaps, one of those mountain coasters if they are nearby, stunning scenery and just all around peaceful. Definitely want to be near water. Nice food. August bank holiday Friday to Monday. Budget around £1,000 not including spending money but I'd want half board to keep it down.

Where do I go and what's the best way of booking this? It's to mark my 40th and I'll be travelling alone.

Tips and advice welcome 😁

Anyone?

Thanks everyone 😃 I've made a list of all your tips!

Where will you be flying to? Lugano and Lake Lugano is gorgeous.

I can't help the level of detail you're after but general observation:

1. Switzerland is so very very very expensive. Food costs a lot.

1. The Lauterbrunnen valley is beautiful.

I think you'll struggle in Switzerland for that budget tbh. As a PP said it's very expensive.

Does it have to be Switzerland? I actually prefer the Austrian Alps - Achensee is where we always go and ticks almost all of your boxes, but most of the lakes in that region are gorgeous and loads to see and do.

Hi 👋 Swiss resident here. My suggestion would be to stay in the Walensee area. Maybe Amden. There is a bus that goes up and down the hill and it’s easily reachable from
Zurich airport. The other side of the valley there is a small resort called Flumserberg- it has a summer coaster.
You can kayak on lake Walensee. Also amazing hiking in the areas and chairlifts are cheaper than the big resorts
this is view from a hike we did recently. Feel free to send me a PM if you want more information about hikes etc.

Op I've only been to basel (flew in there) and into lucerne which was absolutely gorgeous. I had the best glass of milk there I've ever had in my life.
You can go to mount pilates from there also.

I've also heard Zurich is extremely beautiful.

Unfortunately as pp said, uber expensive

@JassyRadlett where would one fly into for achebbse please

Get a tourist rail pass it will save you money.

most restaurants have have a set menu for lunch which is cheap.

flights to Geneva or Basel are cheaper than Zurich and then you can use the rail pass to get around

You can get EasyJet flight to Geneva, and then railpass, which includes buses on from rail stations to all the wild valleys, and many boats too. Just avoid the really touristy areas. You can use YHA too. Honestly not anymore expensive than UK or even France. Or use train from St Pancras to Paris and TGV on to Geneva, Lausanne and on to the Alps or even Lago Maggiore. The opportunities are endless.

Pick a resort and book via activities the skischool. Wengen or Grindelwald, Kandersteg, Saas Fee, Engelberg might all fit the bill. Where would you fly into? Train passes have different options to travel a number of days, not necessarily consecutively. Some give discounts on mountain lifts and railways which are usually private.

We had a nice time using Vevey as a base. Flew in to Geneva. Went on a lake trip on a boat. Got a train to montreux. Vevey has a market on Saturdays. We had a friend with a car so were able to drive to places like Gruyère and go for a walk in hills (sorry not sure where). We stayed in the youth hostel in vevey which is in the centre and has private rooms.

You can do any one of Innsbruck or Salzburg (or Munich at a push) - Innsbruck is closest but flights are more scarce.

If you're hiring a car then it's a pretty simple drive from either of those two airports and about 2 hours from Munich.

It's not too bad to get around by public transport though, especially in the summer. From Innsbruck it's about 30 minutes by train to Jenbach and then a local bus up the mountain. All the local buses are free if you're staying in the area.

@JassyRadlett thank you

I've found one via TUI for just under £850 flying into Zurich from Heathrow, good hotel reviews (Interlaken) and includes buffet breakfast and a three course evening meal. Going by your comments this seems a bit too good to be true!

Interlaken is lovely! And you can easily access eg Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald and Murren for spectacular views as well.

I'm going with Interlaken, the only thing it doesn't include is the mountain coaster and that's not the end of the world. Flying from Birmingham and it's the following weekend - £200 cheaper if I don't go on the bank holiday. I'm not sure how much spending money I'll need to take as food is included, but I'll look into that. I'll also bring a bottle of wine in my suitcase for Saturday night!

Another Swiss resident here.

I came in to say this!

P.S. wine is very reasonable in CH. we make a lot, and drink it rather than export it. So, don't waste your space for that!

From your thread title, I assumed that you meant to visit Dignitas. Says more about me than about you.

Have you considered the German coast of the Bodensee, Konstanz and so on? Massively cheaper on that side of the lake.

Also...

swissfamilyfun.com/best-alpine-coasters-switzerland/

If you mean a summer toboggan run I'm sure there is one nearby,

Fuck me, I didn't think of that! 🤣

Ha, and I was just coming back with this exact link! You've a bit of choice on coasters OP! 😁

Don't worry. Lake Constance is lovely but hardly an alpine lake!