Scotland to Zurich. Looking for Advice

tunzafun001 on 29/03/2017 - 18:27

Hi all,

We have booked a flight to Edinburgh mid April, Departing from Zurich on May 1st. Looking to spend around 2 weeks touring Scotland, and then leave a few days at the end to visit and depart from Zurich. So a couple of questions:

  1. Where is the best place to depart from Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness etc) to get to….

  2. Where should we go to? and how should we do it? Sometimes the Journey is more important than the destination. Looks like there are a few train / ferry options, or should we fly to somewhere else, ie maybe Amsterdam? and then catch a train in via…? etc. In other Zurich posts I'm hearing Bern, Interlarken, Lucerne, Montreux. In my vision I would like to have a quiet beer with great scenery, possibly some fun in some snow and hope it wont cost the earth.

3.Getting to the airport to fly home? We have a 10am flight out, any tips/ traps to get there on time?

Cheers all!

Travel

Comments

  • bex000 on 29/03/2017 - 18:59

    I suggest going south through the lakes district to Manchester and fly out there to Zurich. Spend a couple of days in Zurich then fly home. You can get to and from Zurich international via their very awesome train system.

  • iSamurai on 29/03/2017 - 19:29
    +2

    Do you know rome2rio.com? Try different departure airports and see which ones are cheaper. Usually larger airports are cheaper. Also check out rail. You might want to catch the train from Paris, Amsterdam or something (London is expensive especially eurostar if not booked early) to Geneva then to Zurich.

    • tunzafun001 on 29/03/2017 - 22:22

      Cheers! Never seen this site before. Will go in the bag with kayak, optifly, hipmunk and itamatrix and airfares.sg

  • evol on 29/03/2017 - 19:32

    If you have a limited amount of days I'd suggest basing yourself in either Lucerne or Zurich and taking day trips out by rail to see the amazing scenery Switzerland has to offer.

    If it's the journey you're after perhaps look into the scenic train lines in Switzerland? e.g. Bernina Express, Glacier Express, Golden Pass, Gotthard and then build your itinerary around that? There are also various train/ferry combo passes you can buy in each region to save money. (e.g. Tell Pass)

    IMO, Switzerland is possibly the most expensive country in the world to visit, but the scenery is breathtaking and well worth it.

    • tunzafun001 on 29/03/2017 - 22:11

      Cheers. This sounds like the go. The Chur to St Moritz sounds good. But I'm sure stmoritz will be $$$. What's the best value base, lucerne I'm guessing?

      Definitely Getting the vibe Switzerland is expensive, with loop holes for those in the know. Some half price rail card? and avoid certain food places. Beers cheap? Will appreciate any loop holes.

      • evol on 29/03/2017 - 22:46

        I stayed in Lucerne previously as it had great attractions right at its doorstep, is compact enough to explore by foot in a day and has excellent train connections (incl. ~1hr direct train to Zurich airport). It's also central enough to make day trips to a bunch of places like Mt Titlis and Interlaken. Value wise it was expensive but more peak-season Sydney $ than say Maldives $.

        There are various travel passes you can buy to reduce the cost. However if you're just going to be in one region it might be better to get a region specific pass. Tell pass is a good option if you base in Lucerne.

        The half price card you mention is a bit different to the passes. Info here.

        Not really any "loop holes" come to mind - it's an expensive place either way! I didn't drink beer but I recall 2 x Burger King "value" meals costing me ~AUD$35. High end dinner for 2 costed around AUD$200 and the food was superb. No regrets though, Switzerland was an amazing experience :)

        • tunzafun001 on 30/03/2017 - 00:35

          Lucerne, Titlis and Interlaken might just do it. Won't be going to Burger King so all good there. Must be some good value local eating spots around?

  • Stewardo on 29/03/2017 - 21:11

    You could get the train to Hull
    Ferry to Rotterdam
    Train to Amsterdam
    Train to Zurich

    • tunzafun001 on 29/03/2017 - 22:06

      Yeah, seat 61 suggests this method. Seems like the train journey into Zurich will be good.

  • Stewardo on 29/03/2017 - 23:06

    Those ICE trains are good. Hull is the 2017 European city of culture.
    Plenty to see in Amsterdam too
    If you want to drink beer I would recommend Brussels.

  • bringbring on 30/03/2017 - 02:22

    Hull is the UK city of culture, not European! :P

    not that I've been, but I have doubts of it being a stand-out tourist destination. I would also suggest having a think about transport if you're only there for a couple of weeks. I've traveled around Europe a lot by train, and while it's lovely to see the country side and drop by a few locations, it takes time. Flights are often cheaper too.

    It really depends what you want to see - Edinburgh and Glasgow are obviously at the top… some countryside… visit some whisky distilleries if you like. Then maybe get a flight to continental Europe and the train down to Zurich? Allow ~2 days for Zurich but make sure you get out to Lucerne or Interlaken. In my opinion however, Switzerland is very similar to parts of Austria but ~1.5x more expensive. Definitely worth seeing tho :). Also places like Munich and Neuschwanstein are fairly close and well worth a visit.

    p.s. if you are traveling a lot by rail in the UK, consider getting the 'two together railpass'. And book your tickets well in advance if they are 1-way, it makes a huge difference. Use trainsplit.com or takethetrain.co.uk

    Also, if you're crossing country by rail into Switzerland (i.e. if you fly to Munich first), make sure to book with by Deutchebahn. The Swiss site will cost more for identical tickets.

    • tunzafun001 on 30/03/2017 - 15:04

      We are heading to Scotland in 2 weeks, Zurich in 4 weeks, too late for 'well in advance' discounts?

    • tunzafun001 on 30/03/2017 - 22:55

      Got me thinking about flying into Munich. Quick hofbrauhaus visit. Is the train ride in to Zurich good? Or more likely Munich to Lucerne. Visit Mt Titlis another day and then on to Zurich and off.

  • tunzafun001 on 31/03/2017 - 01:24

    Just saw flights are cheap into Geneva. Could start there then head in the same direction stopping at few places along the way to Zurich. Any suggestions adopting this strategy?

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join