Vic1

Good afternoon,

My husband and I are thinking of spending about a week in the Romansh/Italians parts of Switzerland in August and would love to get some advice from the very knowledgeable people here.

As a background, with the kind help of people on this board, we planned an excellent trip to Switzerland last August. First, we visited Luzern, which was marvelous! Then, we spent 3 days in Berner Oberland. We stayed in Interlaken, though now we would have chosen something up in the mountains for a less "touristy" feel. We went on all the best train rides, Jungfrau, Schilthorn, etc., and "hiked" around a bit. Finally, we spent a day in Montreux. Although the ride there in a scenic car train was excellent, that was the only not-so-exiting destination because it reminded us too much of France, where we were heading right afterwards. To us, Luzern and BO seemed more "authentic" Switzerland .

Now, in an effort to enjoy a somewhat similar experience of Swiss mountain villages, lakes and overall beauty and tidiness, we are considering visiting the St. Moritz region and possibly either Lugano or Locarno. (We may go to Italy afterwards, so we would want to try to avoid places that are very similar to what we would see on the "other" side.)

I would greatly appreciate any advice on how these areas compare to BO/Luzern (that is, given our wonderful experiences there, are we likely to enjoy these parts of Switzerland); and best places to visit in those regions.

With much gratitude,

Vicky.

Intrepid1

Not to be nitpicky and with the very greatest of respect for you, I suspect that the Bernese Oberland and Luzern semmed more like the "stereotypical" Switzerland as opposed to the "authentic" since if wherever it was was IN Switzerland then it is obviously "authentic."

Intrepid1

Sorry..hit the "post" button too quickly.

In the St. Moritz and surrounding areas I don't think you'll be reminded of Italy (where you may be headed) all that much but once you get into the "Italian Swiss" regions it stands to reason that this will seem more "Italian" since you are practically there anyway.

You may just have to accept it for what it is.

gradyghost

Hello Vicki:

You may encounter a problem in heading south from St. Moritz, intending to end up on the "other side' as you call it. If you visit Lugano, you may never continue. It is IMO the most pleasant, relaxing place on earth, especially if you stay somewhere with a view of the lake. Gradyghost

swandav2000

Hi Vic1,

The Romansch part of Switzerland is really very, very different from the Berner Oberland -- I don't think you'll find it "similar" at all (well except that there are mountains). The villages, tidy of course, are not made up of cozy brown-wood chalets but rather stone houses with sgraffiti decorations on the outside, and village squares will be paved with stone. This lends an overall grayish tone to the towns (broken up, of course, by the colorful sgraffi'd walls). The Engadin Vally is steep -- narrow at its base at the Enn River with towering peaks, and lots of glacial lakes.

You can get some idea of the tone/architecture/landscape of the Engadin from Ingo's many Engadin pages at Virtual Tourist:

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/4166c/a88f9/4/

Here is a link to the photos of my visit to Zuoz:

http://community.webshots.com/album/79095617dhIGaT

If you really want something "similar" to the BO but just a bit different -- I suggest you look into maybe the villages at the western edge of the BO (Kandersteg, Saanen, Gstaad) or the eastern edge of Vaud (Chateau d'Oex, Rougemont, & Rossiniere). The landscape is more gentle than around Interlaken, with multitudes of rolling green hills, and the villages have that brown-wood-chalet-I-must-be-in-Switzerland feel.

Let me know if you'd like more info --

s

taxatty

I would suggest 3 days in Pontresina or St. Moritz and use it as a base for seeing the Engadine, most of which is accessible by postbus or train. There is great hiking everywhere in the area. You could then take the very scenic Bernina Express train from there to Tirano, followed by the bus from Tirano to Lugano. An alternative would be the Palm Express bus from St. Moritz–Lugano. The Engadine (except for the Poschiavo area) and the Ticino could not be more different in terms of food, culture and scenery--but both are great. In Lugano, the funicular up Monte San Salvatore followed by the walk to Morcote on the lake is nice (but the "quick" way down to Morcote is steep and hard on your knees). Day trips to Locarno and Lake Como are very doable from Lugano.

LoveItaly

Lugano is beautiful. We stayed at a hotel (in Switzerland) right on the lake. Beautiful hotel with dining outside on the deck lakeside. Breathtaking scenery. Unfortunatly I don't remember the name of the hotel.

However, everyone seemed rather cold and remote compared to the Italians.
I guess I love Italy so much because of the people.

LoveItaly

Ooops, didn't mean to hit the reply button.

Anyway, what I was going to say is that perhaps it is because I understand the Italians so well and also because I prefer their way of doing things.

Someone else (and I know a few friends) would feel the complete opposite. Italians overwhelm them and they did not enjoy Italy as I and my family do.

jmw44

Hi Vic. After reading your intro, I'm afraid to recommend Lugano or Locarno, because they have a very Italian flavor to them. That is, unless you will not include an Italian lake in your itinerary (Como, for example). I love both Lugano and Locarno, their lakes and their villages. But I've traveled with friends who, like you, were happy when we returned to the Switzerland they had seen in calendars.

To be on the safe side, why not take Swandav's advice re the mountains of the vaud, (the towns she mentioned are beautiful), and combine that with your visit to the Engadine. There are lots of posts around about the area, but you know, I think the best advice that S' gave was to look at photographs to see which areas match your concept of the perfect Swiss trip. Have fun planning.

Ingo

I think swandav's reply is to the point. (and thanks for giving links to my page ;-) )

Vic, you may seriously consider swandav's suggestion of Gstaad and surrounding villages. Or the Valais (which is not my favourite region, though).

In case you really want to spend your vacation in canton Graubünden, there are places with that typical "Swiss" feel - the wooden chalets, flowers in boxes etc. Klosters e.g. is, although only 30 km from the Engadine, similar to the BO style. And you could do day trips to the Engadine (Guarda!) and see if you like it ...

Re: Locarno / Lugano: both are typically Italian. But there are differences - the mountain valleys north of Locarno have houses of mostly granite stones (also roofs) with some wooden elements, the area around Lugano (esp. south of the town) have houses with plastered facades, colourful and roofs with red tiles.

Depends on which area of Italy you will visit afterwards ...

Vic1

Thank you for everyone's very informative replies. The problem, at this juncture, is that everyone's enthusiasm about each of the regions mentioned is truly contagious. (In particular, I greatly enjoyed reading fodorites' adventures in Engandine and Ingo's travel report; thank you also for posting pictures.)

I will look again more carefully at all the options and then ask some follow-up questions.

Thank you again for so much information!