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 😁

Fly easyjet into Zurich, Basel or Geneva. School finishes beginning of July in most German cantons and kids go back mid August so plan around that for best prices?

Use Aldi Reisen (CH) for hotel deals.

www.aldi-suisse-tours.ch/de/RESULTS

Grindelwald and the Gelmerbahn train up to the glacial lake is a real experience. You can stay nearby in Meiringen where Sherlock Holmes fought Moriarty. The Aareschlucht Gorge is a beautiful walk, lit up at night in the summer months.

If you want a great train experience the Belle Epoque goes from Zweisimmen to Montreux and it's the same price as a normal train but you can pay extra to reserve seats to ensure you get the right train.

journey.mob.ch/fr/

The SBB website has latest train deals and is in English too.

Schilthorn (Piz Gloria) do a great brunch in their rotating restaurant after a really beautiful cable car trip up from Lauterbrunnen, and there are various hikes around the area. There are cheapish hotels in Interlaken nearby as its a traveller hot-spot.

Bern is very underrated in my opinion and is also a beautiful city to visit. One of my favourite things to do is brunch over the Aare here..

www.schwellenmaetteli.ch/en/restaurant-terrasse

Either Heimwehfluh or Grindelwald are easy to reach from Interlaken for the rodelbahn. Schnigge Platte is a lovely ride up to meadows too. You can get a local travel pass www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/

Forgot to say Piz Gloria is where they filmed the Bond movie "On her Majesty's Secret Service" if you are a Bond buff. 😅

Are there any surprise nasty resort fees? Like they do in America?

Not usually.

There'll be visitor tax per night most likely. Check the small print of your hotel.

www.interlaken.ch/en/info-service/gaestekarten/Interlaken-guest-card

If you book a package through tui it should say if local taxes are included.

Interlaken and Grindelwald. I've been for Xmas and summer and both times were amazing.

All the places mentionned above are in very expensive ski/year round resorts. One of my sons lives in the Fribourg region and works in Lausanne, so we visit often. There are some beautiful parts of Switzerland which are not touristy and we are always amazed that simple Hôtels and B&Bs are much cheaper than in the UK.

You can get rail passes, and even day cards- that include trains, buses, many boats and even gondolas, and the timetables are incredibly well integrated. The Montreux to Interlaken train for instance, is included in your passes. You can even go to Italy from Lausanne, on the train card, day or several day pass, to Domodossola, take the train over the wild Italian Valleys and forests called the Centovallis, to Locarno, on Lake Maggiore (Majeur). Incredibly good value.

We have a chalet in Champery part of the Ported de Soliel and it's so great in the summer

It's £900 for a direct flight into Zurich, including breakfast and a three course evening meal and the train from airport to hotel. Given the location and the lake view room I'd say that's pretty good?! Decent flight times too flying out early morning flying back evening.

I'd say that is pretty good value. It is not a cheap country but a great location. Alternatively a flight to Basel might bring cost down.

Murren and Lauterbrunnen are amazing.

I’m still trying to work out how I could live there.

Another vote for Interlaken, my absolute favourite holiday.

We flew into Geneva and stopped a night in Bern, too

lucky you. We have skied there many times, hopping in and out, France, Switzerland, France, and back again!

www.instagram.com/reel/C6HIMMXI7nq/?igsh=OXV0bjRjeHB3c2Qw

This just popped up on my Instagram

Booked! The website told me to enter a code to get £100 off too as a solo traveller! I can't wait.

Thanks everyone for the advice it looks amazing x

Yes, eating main meal at lunch time with the 'Menu du jour' is by far the cheapest option.

Lucerne. It is an easy train ride from Zurich and you are on the lake, with Mount Pilatus above you. You can go up Pilatus by cable car or funicular railway and also include a boat trip to the railway. I worked in Lucerne as a student and have taken my family there twice. There is loads to see and do and it is very beautiful.

🤣

Can I come?!

We went to Interlaken when I was a tween. Never forgot it.

I'm now inspired to plan something similar. We have a week in August still to book and are aiming to avoid the Med (too hot).

I'll have a lot of planning to do over the next couple of months, realistically I probably won't arrive until 4pm Friday but I'll probably not leave until 1pm on the Monday so a good amount of time for a long weekend. I want to do kayaking for absolute definite. My hotel provides lunch as well as breakfast and dinner so I doubt I'll need to buy food at all. I want to balance between doing as much as I can without being too rushed. Alcohol won't be involved, I don't have time for a hangover!

I've been to Interlaken twice - as a teen and an adult. Its spectacular! As others have said v expensive so it's great your package covers all the basics.

If you can, do try to do day trips to Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald and the Schilthorn. Won't be cheap but worth it!

I live here too. You’ll have a great time op. Intercalaient is beautiful!

hightide.ch/en/experience/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwrcKxBhBMEiwAIVF8rMMbpjVU-1SBcJlT46qXf3HR2c1IruHpMGaGzzVJbjFJN1gyThvHvBoCgcwQAvD_BwE