Switzerland – Page 3 – European Traveler

Zurich’s Hotel Schweizerhof

Convenient, high-class luxury

By Don Heimburger
Photos by Don Heimburger and courtesy Schweizerfhof Hotel

Especially if you’re traveling by train to Zurich, finding the famous five-star Schweizerhof Hotel isn’t hard. It’s right across the street from the ornate Neo-renaissance Hauptbahnhof, and a 12-minute ride from Zurich’s airport. A few steps out of the station, the hotel’s beckoning facade looms before you.

Not only is the Schweizerhof convenient, it’s highly rated. Trip Adviser, for example, shows it to be the third-rated hotel in Zurich, out of 124 hotels.

One Trip Advisor reviewer said, “I was very impressed with the outstanding service from all the staff, in particular the reception girls Carmen and Dominique, Michael (a porter) and Hans, who provided us with a private butler service and free champagne and chocolates! Okay, I did say we were on honeymoon, but it did not cut much ice anywhere else!”

He added, “This hotel is out to impress (you) and wants you to go back.”

CLOSE TO THE BAHNHOFSTRASSE
The six-story stone-front hotel is also only a few steps away from the famous Bahnhofstrasse, that mile-long elegant street dating from 1864 that’s a combination of Chicago’s Michigan Avenue, New York’s 5th Avenue and Los Angeles’s Rodeo Drive.

In good weather, locals gather early in the morning at the sidewalk cafe in front of the hotel to read their newspapers, talk about politics or the day’s happenings and order coffee and pastries.

With 114 rooms and suites, the Schweizerhof can provide an economy single room with a bath, a moderate single room with a shower or bath, or a standard-plus room, which affords a bit more space.

At a higher price, double rooms with a queen-size bed are offered, as are twin-bed rooms, corner rooms, a junior suite, and a premium deluxe suite. The rooms are decorated with Italian designer furniture, and bathrooms feature Italian granite.

The rooms are comfortable, with firm mattresses, plenty of lighting around the room, and the entire hotel is air conditioned. One great feature also is the triple-glazed windows: noise from the street below never was a problem when I was there.

The hotel offers high-speed internet service, flat screen televisions, beds are electrically adjustable and all rooms have a handy make-up and razor mirror. A mini-bar, hairdryers, trouser press, umbrella, safe, complimentary fruit plate, and pickup service from the railway station is also included.

In the morning, guests can enjoy a complimentary champagne breakfast buffet which includes a personal pitcher of fresh squeezed orange juice, assorted juices,various breads, croissants, assorted jams and jellies, cold meats, fruits, yogurt, coffee to order, including expresso, and there is a menu card just for tea.

In addition, assorted cereals, crepes, Nutella, made-to-order eggs, including eggs benedict if desired, bacon and sausage are available. A special Japanese breakfast of miso soup, salmon, vegetables and fried potatoes is offered.

As an added touch of ambiance, little stools are available just to hold ladies’ handbags next to the table.

The staff is attentive to special requests and diets, and they make notes of special needs for the guest’s next stay. I was told that if I came back next year for breakfast, the staff would remember what my breakfast preferences were. Breakfast is served in a room on the mezzanine, with pleasant surroundings and a cheerful waitstaff.

While restaurants abound in Zurich, the hotel offers Restaurant La Soupiere, a traditional French-style restaurant serving seasonal, market-fresh cuisine and Swiss specialities. The Cafe Gourmet et sa Boutique du Caviar is a cozy, small cafe serving snacks, salads and caviar.

For meetings and business travelers, the hotel offers a number of meeting rooms and banquet facilities.

With style, this Zurich hotel serves a clientele that expects a little bit more, and they get it.

Jörg Rudolf von Rohr is the managing director of the hotel.

More more information, go to www.hotelschweizerhof.com.

Hotel Schweizerhof Zürich
Bahnhofplatz 7
8021 Zürich / Schweiz

Tel. +41 44 218 88 88
Fax +41 44 218 81 81

To learn more about Zurich, go to www.zuerich.com, or www.myswitzerland.com/en/zurich.html

The Bellerive Au Lac in Zurich

By Don Heimburger

Ah….walking along the wide pedestrian walkways on Lake Zurich’s east side in Zurich on a bright, sunny day, is worth at least one trip to your stress doctor. It’s a pleasant walk, and the view is great. Down the street called Utoqaui, right on the banks of the lake, is a first-class hotel called the Bellerive Au Lac, part of the Steigenberger Hotel Group.

Situated about a mile from the center of Zurich, you can take a local tram to get there if you come in from the main train station or the airport (about 7 miles from the airport). The Bellerive Au Lac is not well seen from the backside or the street the tram takes you down, so you may have to ask for directions. With 47 rooms and four suites, it’s not an exceptionally large hotel, but it does include two very fine restaurants and a bar, as well as a winter garden area. The food, and wine, is delectable in the restaurant, and the winter garden atmosphere is tops.

For meetings, the facility offers six conference rooms for up to 60 people and limo service on request. Fitness area, sauna, solarium and massage are part of the wellness offerings of the hotel.

TripAdvisor posted two reviews from people who stayed at the Bellerive:

“We had a nice stay in this hotel. Our room was updated, clean, and our room had a fantastic view of the lake and downtown Zurich. The hotel’s location is a 10- minute walk along the lake to central downtown Zurich. The hotel staff was very friendly and as helpful as you needed them to be. The breakfast buffet was more than acceptable as was the service. Zurich is a beautiful clean city and the views of the lake are spectacular. We will definitely stay in this hotel during our next trip to Zurich.”

And another review states: “Just back from my tenth or so stay at the Steigenberger. Once again, from the moment of check-in to the time of departure, the reception staff was magnificent. The room was spotless, as always, and stylishly comfortable. Views over the lake were amazing, especially with a summer thunderstorm rolling in. Breakfast hearty and comprehensive, interent access via wi-fi fast, though pricy. Looking forward to my next visit to Zurich, a trip always enhanced by staying at this great little hotel.”

Rates for one double bed, 1920s-style textiles and design furnishings, balcony, internet connection, air conditioning, satellite television, direct-dial phone, safe, minibar, complimentary fruit bowl, bathroom with hair dryer, bathrobes and toiletries, non-smoking room, was quoted as $415 U.S. dollars.

For further information, go to www.zuerich.steigenberger.ch or e-mail to bellerive@steigenberger.ch.

Starbucks Serves Swiss Rails

Photos Courtesy Swiss Travel Systems

The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) and Starbucks have collaborated on a pilot project to launch the first ever Starbucks store on wheels.

SBB and Starbucks will open traveling Starbucks stores on two intercity (IC) 2000 bi-level trains between St. Gallen and Geneva, Switzerland; the project converts the current onboard restaurants into mini Starbucks stores small enough to fit inside double-decker trains.

Travelers can buy and sip their favorite beverages onboard and having the comfort of a familiar drink, while reading a favorite book, or gazing out the window at the Swiss scenery are sure to enhance travels even more. With this project, SBB plans to target young guests and business travelers looking for a quick afternoon pick-me-up.

SBB’s subsidiary, Elvetino, remains in charge of onboard restaurant operations. Elvetino operates 90 railway dining cars, 198 minibars and is in charge of onboard restaurant services of SBB trains throughout Switzerland, Germany, France and Italy.

Switzerland and Starbucks have a long history together: Starbucks opened the first store in continental Europe in Switzerland more than 10 years ago, and the coffee machines used by Starbucks were developed exclusively for Starbucks by Thermoplan, a manufacturing company located in Central Switzerland.

With the new Starbuck’s on-board train service, passengers will be able to stay alert to the inspiring Swiss landscape outside the window.

Compiled by Brittany Petrillo

For more info, go to: www.sbb.ch/en, or www.myswitzerland.com

Take a Ride on the Cheese Train

Photos courtesy Lake Geneva Office of Tourism, Switzerland

The GoldenPass Cheese Train in Switzerland will take you from Montreux to Château-d’Oex every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. through April 27, where you can discover the specialities of the Pays-d’Enhaut region.

CHEESEMAKING DEMONSTRATION

Le Chalet is a typical mountain chalet, serving fondue and dessert.

MUSÉE DU VIEUX PAYS-D’ENHAUT (SILHOUETTE MUSUEM)
This museum of folk art was established in 1922 and gives an insight into the lives of the Swiss forefathers. The museum is well-known in particular for its collection of over 60 well-preserved scissor-cut silhouettes.

The art of paper cutting produces images that look like lace. They are carefully cut with scissors or cutters and are traditionally produced in one piece, in black and white. A paper cutting may also have different shades of color or formats, and sometimes it looks like a collage of colored papers.

Also in the Folk Art Museum there is painted wooden furniture, sculptures, statues, military paraphernalia, cow bells and skis, all from the XIV century. These objects are displayed throughout 15 individual rooms. The museum has also recreated rooms which depict the life of blacksmiths, alpine cheese-makers, country kitchens and a bread oven which dates back to 1665.

For more info, go to GoldenPass Cheese Train

Hike Through Switzerland’s Sunny South on the Trans Swiss Trail

Photos courtesy Switzerland Tourism

Switzerland is a hiking paradise, especially in fall, when the trees turn colors, the light is magical and the views most clear. With more than 37,300 miles of marked footpaths, 9,300 miles of cycle routes and mountain bike trails as well as charming canoe trips on lakes, outdoor activities are easily accessible to all.

Switzerland has integrated its outdoor trails into a single network: Switzerland Mobility. Thanks to high quality trails, all clearly marked, you can explore Alpine peaks, rolling hills, traditional villages and historic towns in delightful backdrops all by yourself.

FOUR SCENIC STAGES FROM BELLINZONA TO MENDRISIO
If you are looking for a hike through the sunny, southernmost canton of Switzerland, called the Ticino Canton, the section from Bellinzona to Mendrisio of the Trans Swiss Trail includes four scenic stages, passing through glades of ferns and forests of birch, by pretty lakes and over panoramic peaks.

1ST DAY: BELLINZONA–TESSERETE (12.5 MILES)
Bellinzona’s three castles, which became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, make a fine backdrop for the start of this hike, which begins with a dramatic climb of 2,300 vertical feet until you are high above the Magadino plain. The trail then drops into the Val d’Isone and climbs the other side to the former lake of Gola di Lago, now just a marsh. You continue through glades of ferns and thin birch woods towards Monte Bigorio and then down to Tesserete, passing Switzerland’s oldest Capuchin monastery: Santa Maria, occupying a heavenly position high above the surrounding villages.

2ND DAY: TESSERETE–LUGANO (5.5 MILES)
The trail continues along a thickly wooded ridge until the chapel of San Bernardo, where it reveals spectacular views over Lugano and its lake, draped between the surrounding hillsides. You experience Lugano’s Mediterranean charm down in the city center, especially on warm summer evenings, when people gather in the outdoor cafes and along the lakefront to chat, stroll, celebrate and relax in style.

3RD DAY: LUGANO–MORCOTE (8.5 MILES)
The funicular ride up San Salvatore, a climb of 2,000 vertical feet, starts your day. The walk onward to Vico Morcote is a classic, ideal for all the family. The spectacular trail falls gently as it passes in and out of woodland and through pretty villages. All along the way, you’re never far from the next “grotto” (traditional Ticino restaurant).

4TH DAY: MORCOTE–MENDRISIO (8 MILES)
The day starts gently with a romantic boat ride across the lake from Morcote to Terniciolo, and the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Monte San Giorgio. The mountain is famous around the world for its fossils: see some of the finest at the new museum in Meride.

For more info, go to MySwitzerland.com