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Yehudaa - 18-hour Zurich stopover


Kosher food list 2022

Zurich
HOTELS
-The Park Hyatt is fantastic and a 10 minute walk to shul.
Tram stop: Stockerstrasse

RESTAURANTS

Meat:

Florentin - Located inside he JCC https://florentin.rest/
Tram stop: Bahnhof Enge

Grill Cave

Food truck. Check website for opening hours. Burgers, sandwiches, hot dogs etc.
https://www.thegrillcave.co/


Milk/Parve:

Babi's Bagels (Bederstrasse corner Klopstockstrasse 8002 Zürich) Tram Stop "Waffenplatzstrasse"

Bakery:
Ma'Adan Bakery
Manessestrasse/Schimmelstrasse
Has delicious pastries and also sells sandwiches, salads, and some sushi.

Butcher:
Metzgerei Kol Tuv

Can preorder for pickup.
Can also deliver throughout Switzerland by post.
See website for details.

https://www.koltuv.ch/en

ATTRACTIONS
-Walk around the lake area
-Bahnhofstrasse window shopping
-Take a train to Lucerne and buy the golden ticket, included a boat ride on Lake Lucerne, cogwheel train and tram. Then take bus back to Lucerne
-When you arrive in Lucerne you can go to the tourist office to see a live view from Mount Pilatus (Or you can check online). If it's cloudy skip the cogwheel train and just take a nice boatride and explore the town, ancient bridges, and walk on top of the old city fortress walls.




Options in the Alps

Arosa: Metropol Hotel - quaint little old hotel. Not very fancy - it's like honeymooning in your grandmother's house (HT: Mrs. Moishebatchy). The food is very basic, but delicious. Mikva on premises. If skiing is your thing, the have an agreement with one of the ski places (Härtner) not to charge Metropol customers for ski rentals over Shabbos.


Need a meal on shabbes, please PM me (Chuchem). I live 15 minute walk from the hyatt, close to chabad. Zürich has no eiruv!

Major Attractions
“Please edit the wiki to add more attractions”

Central Switzerland
-Lucerne, Pilatus Offers: Cogwheel, Gondolas, Alpine Sliding, Mini Zip-line and fun area
-Titlis Offers: Gondolas, Snow Tubing, Trutti Bikes, Ice Museum, Row Boating
-Brunni Offers: Gondolas, Alpine Sliding, Stroll in Lake(!)

Jungfrau Region
-Jungfrau/jungfraujoch Click here for the Kosher hotel in Wengen / 360-degree panorama of Jungfraujoch-Top of Europe
-Grindelwald Offers: Gondolas, mega Zip-line, Trutti Bikes

Eastern Switzerland
-St. Moritz
Davos / Klosters
Arosa Click here for the Kosher Levins hotel

Southern Switzerland
-Zermatt - "Matterhorn"
-Saas-Fee Offers: Gondolas, Alpine Sliding, Mega Zip-line, Trotti Bikes, (Saas-Grund has Monster Trotteres) and on top of "Allalin" you can go Snow Tubing and Skiing even in the summer!
-Crans Montana You can email the Kosher hotel in Crans Montana Hotelmk@gmail.com  or call them at 0032485640498 or 003233011600


HalbTax Pass

A HalbTax pass (or Half Fare card) is a card designated for tourists and not for Swiss residents (officially...). The card gives you half price on all public transportation like buses, trains, trams, boats and also on "most" cable cars (attractions). There are basically 4 kinds.

1) An annual pass, the price is currently 175 francs. If i remember correctly it has a photo ID of the recipient, so double check before sharing it.
Click here for the annual pass

2) A 30 day pass, the price is currently 120 francs, it does not have a photo ID on it.
Click here or here for the 30 day pass

3) - Recommended for frequent traveling Swiss Travel Pass - you prepay a set amount per day and get unlimited for that day (plus "optional" for a fee, for 1 month including the days you chose, it is a HalbTax, even on the prepaid free days, it's only free for all transportation, on cable cars you only get half off). The price per day depends on how many days you prepay, for example if you prepay 8 days, the price per day will be about 53 francs, if you prepay 3 days the price per day will be about 73 francs. If you are 25 y/o or younger, you can get the Youth Pass which is cheaper - If you prepay 8 days  the price per day will be about 40 francs a day, if you prepay 3 days the price per day will be about 62 francs.
Click here (or here) for the prepaid pass

The card comes with a few days “you could chose your dates later”, officially when you want to use a certain day for the free day you should fill in on the pass that date, and when the first conductor comes he punches that day, but technically you can leave the date blank until the conductor comes, that way you have a chance if no conductor asks you for your card (happens quite often) you can save it for the next day :)

4) Swiss Transfer Ticket" This card costs 141 francs and is valid for 2 trips from and to the boarder or airport, for example you are traveling from the airport to Arosa and are not planning to go anywhere else or take any other transportation, with this card you will effectively pay 71 francs per way. This card is only valid for trips to and from the airport or boarder and no (long) stops allowed. Technically if you will travel one more day, the Swiss travel pass mentioned above will probably be cheaper.

Make sure to order your pass a few weeks before leaving, it takes about 1-3 weeks for the pass to arrive. But you can always buy it in the Airport, though you might have to wait in line and also if you want to buy the Youth pass (for 25 y/o or younger) they might ask you for proof...

There is also a family pass if you travel with a large family, I am not familiar with that.


Fast Baggage
There is a service via SBB, They deliver your luggage for you!! For example you are traveling from ZRH to Arosa, you don't want to be busy Shlepping around your luggage, You can check in your luggage in the airport and they (SBB) will deliver it to the train station in Arosa. This service is available "from and to" most train stations in Switzerland. You can ask about the Fast Baggage by any train station or read here or here

You can even buy a tag that you put on the luggage before checking in your luggage in any airport (i.e. JFK) and Rail Europe will take your luggage from the airplane in Switzerland and deliver it either to your hotel or to the train station in the city you're going to.  Read about Flight Luggage Here




PS. When doing research and getting to a website in German, just add /en (after .ch) to translate to English.
And Hey, Don't forget to write a TR ;)

Sample Itinerary for 9 hour stopover on Swiss flight from TLV to U.S. that lands at 810 and takes off around 5
Copied from @cholent:
Here it is: landed in zrh, crazy line for entering country but moved pretty quickly, about half an hour. Picked up sim in the airport. Rented car through Priceline from europecar. Drove to Titlis, stunning scenery along drive. Missed a turnoff because I couldn't get Waze to talk and I was trying to do some stuff online while we were driving, added half an hour to get there, but the stunning scenery made it worthwhile. Got there, parked, you pay at the entrance if you're going to park for more than an hour. Paid, took the cable car. Got off at there halfway station by mistake, gorgeous lake. Went back on and back up to the top. It was somewhat cloudy which was a pity. Suspension bridge was fun but no view because of the clouds. Took the ice flyer to the other peak, then went sledding down the hill, lots of fun. No tubing because there wasn't enough snow. We didn't have enough time for the ice cave because of the extra time driving there and we weren't sure where it was anyway. Made some new Israeli friends and took the cable car down with them. Got back to the airport, returning the car took less than five minutes, getting through the airport took a little longer so we didn't have time for showers at the lounge. It was amazing all around, I would definitely recommend

« Last edited by yyzzrh on October 20, 2022, 01:16:48 PM »

Author Topic: Switzerland Master Thread  (Read 604083 times)

Online sillypainter

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2380 on: January 17, 2022, 04:55:51 PM »
kampinski will be open with kosher option Jan 20-30

You need to rob a bank to afford that.

Offline shaya

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2381 on: January 17, 2022, 05:25:36 PM »
Thanks for that info. Ill found out tom if I can rob the bank.

Offline shaya

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2382 on: January 18, 2022, 07:58:53 PM »
Oh yeah. Rob a bank indeed. Phew!!! Arosa it is.

Anyone know anything about cheap train tickets?

Offline yelped

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2383 on: January 18, 2022, 08:12:25 PM »
Oh yeah. Rob a bank indeed. Phew!!! Arosa it is.

Anyone know anything about cheap train tickets?
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/tickets-for-switzerland/supersaver-tickets.html

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2384 on: January 23, 2022, 02:35:57 PM »
Anywhere to get discounted lift/ski rental in St Moritz?
Iirc it's mostly run by one company.
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Offline Baglach

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2385 on: January 23, 2022, 09:21:40 PM »
IS this legit kosher?
https://www.thegrillcave.co/

I know this from a while, but if helps anyone this is a good hechsher

Offline S.S.

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2 day Zurich Grindelwald trip advice needed
« Reply #2386 on: March 27, 2022, 05:25:30 AM »
Arriving in Zurich on a Tuesday evening (in May). Departing on Thursday night. Have reservations in Grindelvald  for Wednesday night with my airmiles. Is a full unlimited swiss rail pass the most economical way to go? Are a lot of the views accessible to those who cannot hike too much?  We have a full Wednesday and Thursday until 7. (Our flight leaves Zurich at 10:30 PM) Any suggestions of itinerary? Should we take the train route through Bern one way and through Lucerne the other way? Any "must stops" on the way?  I have read the previous posts but any clear instructions as to how to navigate would be really appreciated. We plan to pick up some food in Zurich and hope we have some refrigeration in our hotel.
Thank you

Offline VacationLover

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Re: 2 day Zurich Grindelwald trip advice needed
« Reply #2387 on: March 27, 2022, 10:08:34 AM »
Arriving in Zurich on a Tuesday evening (in May). Departing on Thursday night. Have reservations in Grindelvald  for Wednesday night with my airmiles. Is a full unlimited swiss rail pass the most economical way to go? Are a lot of the views accessible to those who cannot hike too much?  We have a full Wednesday and Thursday until 7. (Our flight leaves Zurich at 10:30 PM) Any suggestions of itinerary? Should we take the train route through Bern one way and through Lucerne the other way? Any "must stops" on the way?  I have read the previous posts but any clear instructions as to how to navigate would be really appreciated. We plan to pick up some food in Zurich and hope we have some refrigeration in our hotel.
Thank you
the views you will see from the train will not matter which way you take.

Swiss travel pass is indeed the cheapest way to travel.

Why not stay in Wengen? Grindelwald is nice, but you're so close to the 'real stuff'

Anyways, Regarding attractions there are sooo many things in that area, depending what you enjoy to do/see.

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2388 on: March 27, 2022, 06:36:13 PM »
Thank you so much for your reply. I think hat I locked myself in with the airmiles (canadian) booking so I cannot change.  We love and appreciate the scenery.  (The Canadian Rockies are our go-to place as we live in Western Canada) If you have specific recommendations of what to really chap arein, we would really appreciate it.  Will we get to enjoy most of it from the train ride?  Also is there anything that you can recommend near the Jewish area of Zurich for the first night if we have energy. Zurich has nostalgic meaning to me as my mother escaped there during the war... The house she stayed in though has been converted...
Also does the supermarket Koscher City or LeShuk have take-out food that would be good for lunch and dinners?  Thank you

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2389 on: March 27, 2022, 06:52:56 PM »
Thank you so much for your reply. I think hat I locked myself in with the airmiles (canadian) booking so I cannot change.  We love and appreciate the scenery.  (The Canadian Rockies are our go-to place as we live in Western Canada) If you have specific recommendations of what to really chap arein, we would really appreciate it.  Will we get to enjoy most of it from the train ride?  Also is there anything that you can recommend near the Jewish area of Zurich for the first night if we have energy. Zurich has nostalgic meaning to me as my mother escaped there during the war... The house she stayed in though has been converted...
Also does the supermarket Koscher City or LeShuk have take-out food that would be good for lunch and dinners?  Thank you
Do you like just embracing in nature and scenery? Or activities? Jungfrau is awesome but needs a clear sky. You can check out my TR for a general idea of that region here https://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=46155.msg964500#msg964500

I am not sure about Kosher food from Zurich.

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2390 on: March 28, 2022, 03:44:05 PM »
Thank you for your reply.  Yes Scenery is what we are looking for. At this stage not sure that we could get up from any of the other activities  :)... I saw your report and really enjoyed it.  Hopefully we will figure out the navigation.  I know that everyone says that Switzerland's train system is easy....although it seems a bit daunting to me.  May these be our biggest worries. Kol Tuv.

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2391 on: April 24, 2022, 10:07:15 PM »
Does anyone know of the most economical way to get a PCR covid test in Grindelwald or Jungfrau, Switzerland area that would be valid for travel to Israel? Thank you

Offline Saulius

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2392 on: April 25, 2022, 07:05:21 AM »
Does anyone know of the most economical way to get a PCR covid test in Grindelwald or Jungfrau, Switzerland area that would be valid for travel to Israel? Thank you

https://www.portmann.ch/covid-testcenter-grindelwald

CHF 160

Lowest price you will find is CHF 100 in Zurich https://testzentren.ch/en/collections/pcr-test/products/pcr-spucktest-einzel

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2393 on: April 25, 2022, 06:34:42 PM »
Thank you for the information on the PCR in Zurich.  Sounds like you know Zurich.  Just checking again that it makes sense to buy a full Swiss travel pass even if we are only there for 2 days but travelling up to Grindelvald, Jungfrau etc.

Also does Le Shuk and the other supermarket have a fwide choice of takeout food?   Thank you in advance for any info that you can give me.

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2394 on: April 25, 2022, 07:17:11 PM »
Thank you for the information on the PCR in Zurich.  Sounds like you know Zurich.  Just checking again that it makes sense to buy a full Swiss travel pass even if we are only there for 2 days but travelling up to Grindelvald, Jungfrau etc.

Also does Le Shuk and the other supermarket have a fwide choice of takeout food?   Thank you in advance for any info that you can give me.

To see if it's worthwhile, plan your itinerary, and check out the fares on https://www.sbb.ch/en/ and see if it adds up to buy a travel pass. Travel pass will only give you a 25% discount for the highly priced Jungfraujoch fare - and you would want to check the weather forecast and web cameras first -- as you do not want to spend a fortune to just see clouds and fog.    https://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/live/webcams/#webcam-jungfraujoch-top-of-europe

You are not going to find "takeout food" in the supermarkets. There is also a butchery https://www.koltuv.ch/en and a bakery https://www.maadan.ch

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2395 on: April 25, 2022, 11:25:48 PM »
You are not going to find "takeout food" in the supermarkets. There is also a butchery https://www.koltuv.ch/en and a bakery https://www.maadan.ch
The butcher and the bakery both have delicious items, as well as some items that you won't typically find elsewhere.

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2396 on: April 26, 2022, 11:53:08 PM »
Thank you both for that information.

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2397 on: May 10, 2022, 12:24:31 PM »
Is anyone here familiar with any drivers who can take a family from ZRH to St. Moritz and the price range for such a service?

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2398 on: May 10, 2022, 01:50:17 PM »
Try Shimon Malka, +41791291650. Dunno about price. Price it out on Uber to see if it makes sense...

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2399 on: May 15, 2022, 10:23:18 AM »
TourPlus is renting this year Maloja Palance, one of St. Morirz' outskirts.
https://tourplus.co.il/package/switzerland-summer/