More questions, more advice from the wiser :) Switzerland

So I will be in Switzerland for 2 weeks, unfortunately I wish I was going for less because I'll be milling around until its time to go to Hannover.

So two big questions

1. I'll be in Zurich but there's only a handful of things to see/do in 2-4 days should I go see all the other major cities like Berne, Basel, Geneva, Luasanne, etc? (I think this costs more journey-wise too)

2. Again, I'll be in Zurich when I start my trip, I have also thought and pretty much decided to just hit up some towns/villages in a loop going from Zurich to Rapperswil, Wallenstadt, Sargans, Vaduz, Rorschach, St Gallen, Winterthur, Basel etc? (there are lots of other small towns in between some of these I mentioned.

obviously I think its really going to depend on my comfort level and bravery as some of these towns have less English speaking (and I think it would be good to build up my confidence)

What would you pick? 1 or 2? (if you aren't sure where those cities are, it can't be missed if you follow the main road out of Zurich heading south where it borders Liechestein (heck I could go there! That place is TINY!)

mynetdude wrote:obviously I think its really going to depend on my comfort level and bravery as some of these towns have less English speaking (and I think it would be good to build up my confidence)

I have no experience in Switzerland (although I'll be flying into Zurich in a month), but I don't think you should let language be too much of a barrier in your travels. You'll likely find that you can almost always find your way around and make yourself understood.

Markus wrote:

mynetdude wrote:obviously I think its really going to depend on my comfort level and bravery as some of these towns have less English speaking (and I think it would be good to build up my confidence)

I have no experience in Switzerland (although I'll be flying into Zurich in a month), but I don't think you should let language be too much of a barrier in your travels. You'll likely find that you can almost always find your way around and make yourself understood.

Well I have first time jitters, I'm not as brave as I used to be but that doesn't mean I can't be brave.

Have fun on your trip

I'm still curious as to which type of travel I should do, big cities or hit up a bunch of small towns in a loop; I obviously have no idea what there is in every small town or what/if there is anything worth doing/seeing.

I'm flying into Zurich because we're visiting my girlfriend's extended family just on the other side of the German border. I mentioned I've never been there, but she's spent a lot of time in the region over the years. This advice is hers:

In Zurich you should visit the main cathedral (Fraumunster) to see the stained glass by Marc Chagall.
St Gallen is very beautiful. She considers it a must do.
Geneva, specifically Lake Geneva and the surrounding alps, are breathtaking, english speaking, and tourist-friendly.
Interlaken is tourist-friendly and is the chocolate bar wrapper picture of Switzerland. Might be expensive if you're there during ski season... which now that I recall, you will.

She says that the villages are the real charm of the country, but that's where the english speakers start to get more sparse. The cities are interesting, clean and efficient, but money/business oriented and lacking soul.

It sounds like a good plan might be Zurich > Lucerne > Lausanne > Geneva > Zurich > St Gallen > Zurich, stopping at any smaller villages along the way if the opportunity presents itself.

She really thinks that it would be worth crossing into Germany to visit Konstanz on the Bodensee. She's biased though, as that's where her family is.

Sorry that's a little all over the place. You can bike into Switzerland from where we'll be staying with her family, and she has other family in Switzerland that she's stayed with. Her views on the country are a bit all over the place so she tried to give suggestions that would fit someone who doesn't speak German or stay with relatives. Hopefully it'll do until someone else drops in with some more first-hand information.

Well I have first time jitters, I'm not as brave as I used to be but that doesn't mean I can't be brave.

My girlfriend and I have both traveled a fair bit, and we were just talking about the pre-trip jitters. For some people, it almost never goes away unless you're going back to the same place over and over. Just have faith that it'll ease up once you're on the ground and dealing with the day to day!

Markus wrote:I'm flying into Zurich because we're visiting my girlfriend's extended family just on the other side of the German border. I mentioned I've never been there, but she's spent a lot of time in the region over the years. This advice is hers:

In Zurich you should visit the main cathedral (Fraumunster) to see the stained glass by Marc Chagall.
St Gallen is very beautiful. She considers it a must do.
Geneva, specifically Lake Geneva and the surrounding alps, are breathtaking, english speaking, and tourist-friendly.
Interlaken is tourist-friendly and is the chocolate bar wrapper picture of Switzerland. Might be expensive if you're there during ski season... which now that I recall, you will.

She says that the villages are the real charm of the country, but that's where the english speakers start to get more sparse. The cities are interesting, clean and efficient, but money/business oriented and lacking soul.

It sounds like a good plan might be Zurich > Lucerne > Lausanne > Geneva > Zurich > St Gallen > Zurich, stopping at any smaller villages along the way if the opportunity presents itself.

She really thinks that it would be worth crossing into Germany to visit Konstanz on the Bodensee. She's biased though, as that's where her family is.

Sorry that's a little all over the place. You can bike into Switzerland from where we'll be staying with her family, and she has other family in Switzerland that she's stayed with. Her views on the country are a bit all over the place so she tried to give suggestions that would fit someone who doesn't speak German or stay with relatives. Hopefully it'll do until someone else drops in with some more first-hand information.

Well I have first time jitters, I'm not as brave as I used to be but that doesn't mean I can't be brave.

My girlfriend and I have both traveled a fair bit, and we were just talking about the pre-trip jitters. For some people, it almost never goes away unless you're going back to the same place over and over. Just have faith that it'll ease up once you're on the ground and dealing with the day to day!

I know a bit about Konstanz that's where my friend does his weekly shopping; he doesn't buy swiss products unless he needs it right then and there otherwise he waits and gets it there (and your GF will know why as do I) so he tells me about that area a bit.

I'm not sure how much I can cram/handle in 2 weeks time so if I make it to Konstanz, great; if not I'll be back. I am planning on going to Germany to Hanover anyhow and then from there to Berlin (2 weeks or so there too) and then a day or two in Frankfurt as I leave the continent for another.

I had been to NYC when I was 17, I knew it would be crowded and busy; I went last year for the first time by myself for 4 days and it looked a LOT worse at first especially in Times Square on a Saturday night at 10:45pm rolling in from La Guardia; but it wasn't as bad as I had imagined/looked and I still survived despite losing my smartphone and getting a new one the day before I left. I'd go back again! The more I do this the better I get at it so you're right the more I stay and not shelter myself I'll do fine.

Be sure to visit the Kunsthaus Zürich, one of the best 'little' art museums in Europe.