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Dan
Yungerman
chucksterace
VacationLover Part 1
VacationLover Part 2
Chapshnell
Tzadik Nistar
@Yehuda - 1 day trip
sam28
Sam28 St Moritz Switzerland kosher Grand Hotel Kempinski
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 604764 times)

Offline CR

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #920 on: May 14, 2015, 01:16:36 PM »
Not for me, its for my parents. Need only spg.

Offline philbenjoe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #921 on: May 15, 2015, 07:34:32 AM »
What should I do for a 15 hour stopover in ZRH?
"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" Dr Seuss

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #922 on: May 15, 2015, 09:25:13 AM »
What should I do for a 15 hour stopover in ZRH?
If it is during the day then probably Pilatus

http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=973.msg1054365#msg1054365

Offline ddfried

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #923 on: May 15, 2015, 09:58:46 AM »
I have been lurking on ddf for weeks trying to find the perfect vacation idea. I want to take my 4 kids (ages 1-7 on a memorable summer trip. I would love to settle in somewhere with a scenic view that has attractions within an hour drive of the hotel.

I have been to Vermont, New hampshire, Bushkill falls and Pennsylvania. I want to try something out of the typical but I can't seem to find anything that fits the bill. All of the above mentioned vacation spots I have been to for a week and was a smashing success. Don't want to lower my expectations ..

Any ideas would be appreciated,  the ones with hands on experience get extra credit...

Thanks

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #924 on: May 15, 2015, 10:49:17 AM »
I have been lurking on ddf for weeks trying to find the perfect vacation idea. I want to take my 4 kids (ages 1-7 on a memorable summer trip. I would love to settle in somewhere with a scenic view that has attractions within an hour drive of the hotel.

I have been to Vermont, New hampshire, Bushkill falls and Pennsylvania. I want to try something out of the typical but I can't seem to find anything that fits the bill. All of the above mentioned vacation spots I have been to for a week and was a smashing success. Don't want to lower my expectations ..

Any ideas would be appreciated,  the ones with hands on experience get extra credit...

Thanks
Please post here http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=20823.0

It depends on your budget, Age of children etc. Again, please post in the thread designated for your question.

Offline philbenjoe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #925 on: June 03, 2015, 06:13:55 PM »
What should I do for a 15 hour stopover in ZRH?
went to Titlis.... It was amazing.
"Why fit in when you were born to stand out?" Dr Seuss

Offline sruly101

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #926 on: June 10, 2015, 07:55:29 AM »
Can you buy or order kosher food in Saas Fee?

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #927 on: June 10, 2015, 08:16:16 AM »
No.

Offline Saver

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #928 on: June 14, 2015, 10:40:15 PM »
Hi! I have been searching the threads but didn't read through everything. We are iyh flying into Geneva for two days. There were cheap tickets from Israel and we were able to pay with miles from Geneva to NY.  Now we are wondering where you recommend staying or going.  Any ideas?  Would you take a train to Zurich? Or somewhere in France? or in Switzerland?  Any recommendation of where to stay that is affordable and nice in the $100 range?  We are only two people. Please tell me your recommendations and if there are any places to eat.  We don't mind taking a train somewhere not too far. But, we only speak English.
Thanks so much!

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #929 on: June 14, 2015, 10:55:12 PM »
Hi! I have been searching the threads but didn't read through everything. We are iyh flying into Geneva for two days. There were cheap tickets from Israel and we were able to pay with miles from Geneva to NY.  Now we are wondering where you recommend staying or going.  Any ideas?  Would you take a train to Zurich? Or somewhere in France? or in Switzerland?  Any recommendation of where to stay that is affordable and nice in the $100 range?  We are only two people. Please tell me your recommendations and if there are any places to eat.  We don't mind taking a train somewhere not too far. But, we only speak English.
Thanks so much!
Zurich is really far from GVA not worth traveling there. the closest major attractions IN SWITZERLAND would be Montana, (about 3 hours) or Saas Fee, GVA also has a huge lake with boat rides if that interests you. I think that France (less than an hour from GVA) offers some nice attractions but i don't know details

Regarding hotels, SPG has a few nice hotels in GVA, other than that you can search on any travel site for a cheap hotel or contact the Kosher hotel in Crans Montana for complete Kosher needs (probably pricey) you can find that in the wikipedia

Offline Saver

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #930 on: June 14, 2015, 11:21:29 PM »
thanks so much for your response. Would you instead go to Lyon, France?  It is only one hour and 44 minutes away?

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #931 on: June 14, 2015, 11:59:05 PM »
thanks so much for your response. Would you instead go to Lyon, France?  It is only one hour and 44 minutes away?
It's up to you.

Me personally would go to Saas Fee in the summer (and Montana in the winter).

Actually As per Trip Advisor Lyon is a regular touristy city without alps, in that case you are better off staying in Geneva. GVA is nice, very nice! it offers a beutiful lake and a lot of historic sites and parks. So it depends if you want to see, feel and breath the Swiss alps or you are fine with regular touring which in that case GVA is more than enough

Offline flyingace

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #932 on: June 21, 2015, 09:10:06 AM »
Stopping in Switzerland for 10 hours. Landing in ZRH and departing GVA. Is there an Alps destination that would make sense between the two?
Should we take connecting flight from ZRH to GVA and spend some time in GVA instead of trying for something in the mountains?

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #933 on: June 21, 2015, 09:25:55 AM »
Stopping in Switzerland for 10 hours. Landing in ZRH and departing GVA. Is there an Alps destination that would make sense between the two?
Should we take connecting flight from ZRH to GVA and spend some time in GVA instead of trying for something in the mountains?
this is a tough question.

Option 1) travel from ZRH to GVA via train is about 5-6 hours or more, depending on your route. So that wouldn't give you enough time for actual touring but WILL give you a nice (full screen...) view of nice and beautiful sceneries.[You may want to travel via scenic city's/towns

Option 2) fly ZRH-GVA probably with 15k UA points. But still wouldn't give you enough time to travel to any attraction not to mention no time to enjoy. But WILL give you some time in GVA for a boat ride etc.

So probably option 1 is better for views and option 2 is better for local touring (not mountains)
« Last Edit: June 21, 2015, 09:35:43 AM by VacationLover »

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #934 on: June 21, 2015, 10:01:09 AM »
Thanks for the tips, at the end, we are iyh planning to fly into Geneva and stay overnight in Wengen and the following night stay near the Geneva airport. Any ideas for an affordable hotel where to stay in Geneva?

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #935 on: June 21, 2015, 10:14:30 AM »
Thanks for the tips, at the end, we are iyh planning to fly into Geneva and stay overnight in Wengen and the following night stay near the Geneva airport. Any ideas for an affordable hotel where to stay in Geneva?
check on kayak.com etc for hotels. Where in Wengen are you staying?

Offline flyingace

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #936 on: June 21, 2015, 10:56:19 AM »
this is a tough question.

Option 1) travel from ZRH to GVA via train is about 5-6 hours or more, depending on your route. So that wouldn't give you enough time for actual touring but WILL give you a nice (full screen...) view of nice and beautiful sceneries.[You may want to travel via scenic city's/towns

Option 2) fly ZRH-GVA probably with 15k UA points. But still wouldn't give you enough time to travel to any attraction not to mention no time to enjoy. But WILL give you some time in GVA for a boat ride etc.

So probably option 1 is better for views and option 2 is better for local touring (not mountains)
Will be able to connect at no charge with a one hour connection time. That sounds like the better choice.

Offline G11600

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #937 on: June 21, 2015, 01:56:43 PM »
thanks so much for your response. Would you instead go to Lyon, France?  It is only one hour and 44 minutes away?

If you're looking for kosher, not much pickings in Lyon. I used to go there every month or two for about 8 years!

5 pizza places, 3 sushi places, and one burger place. Last time there was a new chinese place, but not sure it will last...

Offline Hershelsdeals

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #938 on: June 21, 2015, 02:44:04 PM »
Which kosher hotel is the closest to ZRH or GVA?

I want to stay in Switzerland with my family in August, but afaik most the kosher hotels are at least 2.5 to 3.5 hrs away.

Offline Tzadik Nistar

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #939 on: June 21, 2015, 02:48:19 PM »
Which kosher hotel is the closest to ZRH or GVA?

I want to stay in Switzerland with my family in August, but afaik most the kosher hotels are at least 2.5 to 3.5 hrs away.
If you are referring to kosher hotels on the alps then your closest options are 2-3 hr.