Swiss Hotels and Restaurants

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and Restaurants

Complete Index of Articles on Switzerland

witzerland claims, with justification, to have invented the hospitality business. The Swiss are rightly proud of the services a traveler will find. What you get is obviously relative to what you pay, but you'll get more in service and care (relative to price) in Switzerland at every level than you'd get elsewhere.

Their great hotels are among the finest in the world. Many of the most elite hotels in the world are managed by Swiss or Swiss-trained personnel. Even at the bottom end of the price scale, you will find excellent value.

About the Hotels and Our Selections

e've listed places at which we've enjoyably stayed, and others about which we have received reliable (and usually enthusiastic) recommendations from others. The Swiss Hotel Association (SHA) publishes a comprehensive guide to member hotels (probably 90%+ of all hotels in the country) in both book form (available from the Swiss National Tourist Office) and on the Web at http://www.swisshotels.ch/.

Most of our stays have been at four-star hotels, but these selective recommendations cover a broad price range. You'll also find a few restaurant suggestions.If you're new to European travel you might want to glance at our Swiss Hotel and Food Notes. These include information on bargain accommodations and how to locate "Zimmer Freis" (furnished rooms/apartments.) Also, the 'net is great for finding hotel recomendations. Is it the best way to book them? Our answer may surprise you ... read Booking Hotels on the Internet, which also has quite helpful information on how properly to confirm your hotel booking.

Prices and Open Periods

rices provided as a guide, in Swiss francs (CHF) for 2001 except as noted, most from the SHA listings, most for two people in 'twins' with bath. (Check today's exchange rate.)
-- see our hotel information page if you have questions about hotel terms like EP, MAP, half-pension, American plan, stars, or single, double, triple, twin, quad, etc.

Most Swiss hotels have single rates significantly lower. Many hotels, especially those in resort areas, have seasonal rate structures; many have a broad range of rates depending on type of room and view. As well, some of the recommended hotels (especially in the mountains, and resort-type properties) are closed for parts of the year. Restaurant prices are from 1997.

Consult the hotel or the SHA guide for more precise rate information and to check if your choice is open when you want to go. Also a source of e-mail and web addresses.

What's Included?

rices generally include:

	service
	taxes
	Swiss-style Continental breakfast (rolls, butter, jam, coffee, milk, tea or chocolate, cheese, cold cuts, dry cereals, fruit, often fruit juice, and usually müsli.)

Breakfast is rarely included in Geneva or Zürich.

In resort areas (and certainly in the Jungfrau region) half-pension (evening meal)) is available. Sometimes the room price includes the evening meal, often not. (Cost ranges from CHF20-45 pp.)

Some hotels, at peak season, require you to 'take' (read: pay for) the meal. More often than not it's optional. In smaller towns like Mürren, and even Grindelwald and Wengen, there are not many alternatives, and you'll likely find the hotel offering a good value in the market. Four-star hotel meals include five courses. The price includes no beverages except tap water. Unless the meal is required you can receive a credit (usually partial) for it if you wish to eat elsewhere on a particular evening, provided you give advance notice. Noon is usually adequate notice, sometimes later -- ask.

Phoning:

he Swiss country code for dialing is 41. When calling from the US precede the number by 011 plus country code and delete the zero (0) in the city code prefix. The Swiss are updating their phone system. Many numbers have changed recently. In most cases the contacts shown are current as of early '00; check the SHA site if you have difficulty.

If the person answering the phone isn't speaking English, one of the following will be helpful to you:

	Do you speak English?	Does anyone there speak English?
Italian	Parla inglese? par'-lah een-glay'-zee	C'è qualcuno là che parla inglese? chay kwawl-koo'-no lah' kay par'la een-glay'-zee
German	Sprechen Sie Englisch? shpreh'-khern zee aingleesh	Spricht dort jemand English? shprikht dorhdt yea'-mahndt aingleesh
French	Parlez-vous anglais? par'-lay voo zawn-glay'	Y-a-t-il quelqu'un qui parle anglais là? yah-teel' kehl-kahn' kee pahrl ahn-glay'

To Zürich Hotels and Restaurants

Stein-am-Rhein

Hotel Rheinfels - 16th century hotel and restaurant. Excellent freshwater fish. Room prices from CHF 180, restaurant moderately expensive, with 3-course meal at CHF 50-80.
PH: 052 741 21 44 - Fax 052 741 25 22

Murten (Morat)/Meyriez

Le Vieux Manoir au Lac - a Relais et Chateaux affiliate. Superb gourmet cuisine and fine overnight lodgings from CHF280. 3 courses from CHF 68-88, but worth it!
PH: 026 678 61 61 - Fax: 026 678 61 62

Luzern

There are many expensive alternatives in Luzern, most good to excellent. The 5-stars are all a bit inconveniently located for us.

Wilden Mann ('The Savage') - Charming and atmospheric, right out of a picture book. Quite near the river just below the second covered bridge; easy access to the old town side. Parking garage nearby. CHF320-400 in summer.
PH: 041 210 16 66 - Fax: 041 210 16 29

Des Balances - Nicely situated in the Old Town. CHF360-395 in summer.
PH: 041 410 30 10 - Fax: 041 410 64 51

Des Alpes - On the river by the main covered bridge, near the station. CHF180-230 in summer.
PH: 041 410 58 25 - Fax: 041 410 7451

At around $100 there are a few good values. Since Luzern is only 75 minutes by train and 60 by car from the Zürich airport it offers a budget and sightseeing opportunity the day before departure from Switzerland.

The Villa Maria is a 'garni' (no dining room), and the Goldener Stern a full . Both include a breakfast. A double with bath/shower runs CHF130-146 depending on room and date; both have rooms (typically about half) without bath for less. We've stayed at none. The GS is only 8 blocks from the railway station -- quiet location near the Franziskaner church garden. (The bell can be noisy; you may want to ask for a room on the street.) The Villa Maria is near the Transportation Museum, conveniently about 2 km by Bus #2 from the station; described as Swiss-clean, with English-speaking owners, and quite nice by a recent visitor.
Villa Maria PH: 041 370 21 19 Fax 041 370 21 19 (same)
Goldener Stern: PH: 041 227 50 601 Fax 227 50 61

Restaurants

Old Swiss House - near the Lion Monument. Looked like a tourist joint 20 years ago, does today. But good food and service, and heavily patronized by locals.

On the old town side of the Kappelbrücke you'll note several restaurants along the river east of the bridge with balconies. All serve good food, though a bit expensive ... but it's a lovely way to spend midday if there's space outside and the weather is fair.

Vitznau (Lake Luzern)

Park Hotel Vitznau - a superb property with outstanding service. World-class. A good base for touring by car in the region. Doubles from CHF500 in summer with breakfast.
PH: 041 399 60 60 - Fax 041 399 60 70

Weggis (Lake Luzern)

Hotel Albana - Very comfortable, and a good (moderate-priced) base for touring the region. Doubles from CHF 240. CHF43 for half-pension (per person) (excellent) usually required in peak season.
PH: 041 390 21 41 - Fax 041 390 29 59

Bern

Schweizerhof - Downtown, adjacent to train station, shopping and business district. Renovated in '97. Doubles from CHF345-420.
PH: 031 326 80 80 - Fax 031 326 80 90

Mövenpick Hotel Wächter - Right by the station with relatively newly-renovated rooms. Doubles from CHF158-218.
PH: 031 321 15 21 - Fax 031 321 15 16

Glion-sur-Montreux

Hotel Victoria - good rooms and an excellent table, doubles from CHF260 with breakfast in the summer. A Relais et Chateaux affiliate. Outstanding view overlooking the lake, and the gardens, including view of lake and Chillon, make a wonderful place to relax at the end of day of touring. More accessible with a car, but it's just a very short block from the upper station of the Territet-Montreux funicular that runs down the cliff to a point across the street from the Territet (suburb of Montreux) train station. It's not much more than a 15 minute walk from there to Chillon, and about that or less back to 'downtown' Montreux.
PH: 021 963 31 31 - Fax 021 963 13 51

Lausanne

Hotel Regina , garni - recently remodeled and upgraded to 3-star status, it's located in the heart of the old town and has a friendly and helpful owner/management. As rebalchan@aol.com writes in her recommendation, the price of CHF140/night with breakfast makes it a good buy in Switzerland.
Rue Grand-St. Jean
PH: 021 320 24 41 - Fax 021 320 25 29

Geneva

Geneva is definitely not a city for waiting until you get there to find a room. The city often fills with international meetings, trade fairs and conventions ... sometimes several together. There are many hotel rooms here, but it's not unusual for all to be be reserved. We've known attendees at trade fairs and conventions to have to take rooms as far away as Neuchatel or Brig, and commute every day!

Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza - located at the airport, convenient to the airport train station for access to downtown or elsewhere. Doubles from CHF235 in low periods, 310+ at peak times (no breakfast); 'deals' very often available.
PH: 022 791 00 11 - Fax 022 798 92 73

Cornavin - directly at the main rail station. Completely renovated in 1999. Well air-conditioned with good soundproofing, it's a central, convenient location, but you won't have to worry about noise.
Doubles CHF 220-325.
PH: 022 716 12 12 - Fax 022 716 12 00

Mövenpick Geneve Meyrin - at the airport, a short (3 times per hour) van ride from terminal and train station. This may be only 3-stars, but you'll find the rooms, space, furnishings, lobby and restaurant to be first class.
Doubles CHF170-190, discounts often available, including nearly 20% on weekends normall.
PH: 022 989 90 00 - Fax 022 989 99 99

The Geneva budget bargain may be the Hotel Central at rue de la Rotisserie 2. 29 rooms with toilet/shower - doubles $40-80 American (1997). Breakfast served in your room. We were first told, ...it had everything as advertised...WC, shower, TV...and, being Swiss, was impeccably clean...but entering through the WC was an experience ... plus, the room was 6' wide by 18' long...two small beds facing each other...TV suspended from the ceiling...and there was NO breakfast room, so the poor chambermaid had to serve through ALL the WCs. The location is excellent on the South bank of the Rhone, within a block of the Old Town. A 5 minute walk from the train station. Later visitors have called it an outstanding value for money. (No credit cards.)
PH: 022 818 81 00

City-Hostel Single rooms CHF 50/night, double CHF 75-82. Sink in room, shower (free) and toilets down the hall. Communal kitchen. Rue Ferrier 2, just 5 minutes from Gare Cornavin.
PH: 022 901 15 00 - Fax 022 901 15 60
e-mail: info@cityhostel.ch

Restaurant

A correspondent touts Cafe du Soleil as serving the best fondue in Switzerland. Location pending.

Zermatt

Seiler Mont Cervin - Excellent luxury hotel with all amenities. Doubles from CHF 380 off-peak, 450 peak summer, 580 peak winter - rates include half-pension.
PH: 027 966 88 88 - Fax 027 967 28 78

Seiler Monte Rosa - This is arguably where the Zermatt tourist trade and mountain climbing business began. An excellent first class hotel. Doubles start at CHF 338 off-peak, 390 peak summer, and 502 peak winter, including half-pension. Staying at a Seiler hotel gives you the option of evening dining at other Seiler properties by prior arrangement. (There are several in town.) The Whymper Suite is excellent, and about 80 francs more.
PH: 027 967 33 33 - Fax 67 11 60