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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 604333 times)

Offline VacationLover

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1920 on: March 22, 2018, 02:22:28 PM »
Wife and I are going to be in Milan for a week in April and want to go north into southern Switzerland for 2-3 days. Any suggestions of where to stay and what to see? Spg properties? Thanks for the help!
Cheap Kosher hotel
http://www.mirabeau-hotel.com/
http://www.totallyjewishtravel.com/vacations/ski_and_mountain/kosher-ski-vacation-in-crans-montana-switzerland-with-hotel-mk

BTW, maybe consider this Kosher hotel in Italy - http://www.mykosherhotel.it/
« Last Edit: March 22, 2018, 02:30:57 PM by VacationLover »

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1921 on: March 22, 2018, 02:26:52 PM »
Wife and I are going to be in Milan for a week in April and want to go north into southern Switzerland for 2-3 days. Any suggestions of where to stay and what to see? Spg properties? Thanks for the help!
Check the design hotels. Booked the Giardino Lago hotel in Locarno last year. Gorgeous hotel on the lake for 12k points.

Offline Saver

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1922 on: March 26, 2018, 01:16:56 AM »
Hi! My daughter is looking for a hotel in Geneva airport that is cheap and decent, any suggestions?  Also, she is in Geneva for a day, any suggestions of what to do?

Offline Saver

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1923 on: March 26, 2018, 01:17:40 AM »
If she goes by train, do you recommend going to Wengen or to the French alps? is the french alps also nice and cheaper?


Offline Kabrams1618

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1924 on: April 29, 2018, 09:32:07 AM »
Anyone spend time in basel.  Already did zurich and geneva and the surrounding areas.  Is there enough to do in basel for about 3-4 days including museums and close by hiking?

Offline DTM

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1925 on: May 07, 2018, 01:05:25 PM »
Where is the best place to stay for Shabbos in Switzerland and/or Northern Italy Lake region (but not Venice as we have been there already)

Offline Buruch

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Offline PlatinumGuy

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1927 on: May 07, 2018, 02:15:56 PM »
Where is the best place to stay for Shabbos in Switzerland and/or Northern Italy Lake region (but not Venice as we have been there already)
In July/Aug there is a kosher program at the Kempsinki St Moritz 3h from Milan
״וזה כלל גדול: שישנא אדם כל דבר שקר. וכל מה שיוסיף שנאה לדרכי השקר – יוסיף אהבה לתורה.״ - אורחות צדיקים

Offline DTM

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1928 on: May 07, 2018, 02:44:08 PM »
In July/Aug there is a kosher program at the Kempsinki St Moritz 3h from Milan
Thanks, but I am planning a trip in May or June. Any other good ideas?

Offline G11600

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1929 on: May 07, 2018, 03:55:45 PM »
Where is the best place to stay for Shabbos in Switzerland and/or Northern Italy Lake region (but not Venice as we have been there already)
My Kosher Hotel in Canazei. Not cheap, but really great quality (food, rooms etc) and lovely hosts and location. Highly recommended.

Offline DTM

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1930 on: May 08, 2018, 08:47:33 AM »
Wife and I are going to be in Milan for a week in April and want to go north into southern Switzerland for 2-3 days. Any suggestions of where to stay and what to see? Spg properties? Thanks for the help!
LA5675, We are planning a similar trip. Where did you end up staying and eating; how did it work out, any advice? Thanks

Offline DTM

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1931 on: May 08, 2018, 08:51:14 AM »
Check the design hotels. Booked the Giardino Lago hotel in Locarno last year. Gorgeous hotel on the lake for 12k points.
What can one do for kosher food in Locarno? Thanks

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1932 on: May 08, 2018, 09:33:15 AM »
What can one do for kosher food in Locarno? Thanks
I brought along food from Zurich. There may be other options.
LA5675, We are planning a similar trip. Where did you end up staying and eating; how did it work out, any advice? Thanks
This is how you page someone. @LA5675

Offline Yehudaa

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1933 on: May 08, 2018, 01:04:02 PM »
LA5675, We are planning a similar trip. Where did you end up staying and eating; how did it work out, any advice? Thanks

My name used to be @LA5675, but as I've begun using the forums more, I recently opted for a name that I like more :)

As for your question, we ended up just going to Lake Garda for those 2 days, because most of the destinations that I wanted to go to in the Alps (like Gimmelwald) would've required a ton of extra driving and we only had 2 days to spare between landing in Milan and when we wanted to be in Venice. Lake Garda is directly on the way from Milan to Venice, so it adds almost no driving. you can also look into Lake Como, but it's in the other direction from Milan (away from Venice), so it'll definitely add driving time to your trip.

If you're interested in Lake Garda, here's my mini TR for those 2 days. Maybe when I have some more time, I'll add pictures and post it as a separate TR.
 
We rented a Fiat 500L from Hertz in Milan. Wasn’t cheap but was the only viable option if we wanted to see a lot in Lake Garda in 2 days. Came out to 216 euro for 3 days, including picking up in BGY and dropping off in Mestre when we arrived in Venice.

On the way in from Milan, we stopped in Sirmione, which is an old but very touristy town (and apparently one of the busiest in the summer). We were there in the evening, so the castle was closed for the day.

There are tons of (non-points, but) pretty cheap hotel options in Lake Garda (at least in the off-season). We stayed in the Atlantide Villaggio Albergo, which was a simple apartment hotel (beds were not too comfortable) but was very clean and we had a\our own kitchen, which was good because we brought our own food; was pretty cheap; and the views were gorgeous.

On our first morning there, we took the cable car up Mount Baldo, which has stunning views of the snow-capped peaks all around and Lake Garda below. It’s a great panoramic view of the region if it’s a clear day. (It wasn’t clear when we went, which is why we went up a second time, see below.) and then took the cable car halfway down and hiked the rest of the way. It was a fairly difficult hike, so if you do it, just make sure you're in shape and bring lots of water. Then we drove The Gorge Road, (google to find out more) which was stunning. (All the driving was really nice actually!) It was on the other side of the lake, which took almost an hour to drive, but the drive along the edge of the lake was really beautiful.

Next day we walked around some of the small towns on Lake Garda, and then we rented a motorboat on the lake (highly recommend it!) and then drove halfway up Mt Baldo as it was kinda foggy when we went up on Day 1. Cool drive and stunning views.

Overall, I highly recommend it, especially if you only have 2 days between Milan and Venice and don’t want to drive too much. My only warning is that we went on the off-season so the driving was easy and there were no lines anywhere. I have read that in the summer, traffic is really bad and you can wait in lines for hours at things like the Mt Baldo cable cars.

As an aside, if you're going to Venice too and are looking to save money or points, we stayed in the Four Points by Sheraton Mestre, which is less than a year old and nice, and is only a Cat 2 so it was only 4k/night. At some hours of the day there's a direct bus from right near there to Piazzale Rome which makes it really convenient, but at other times of day, you need to take 2 busses or a train and a bus to get into Venice, which can take a while. Not for one who wants to be in the center of things in Venice, but it can be worthwhile if you're being frugal. We stayed there for the weeknights that we were in Venice and then moved to a hotel in Venice for Shabbos.
« Last Edit: May 08, 2018, 01:10:53 PM by Yehudaa »

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1934 on: May 08, 2018, 01:32:15 PM »
Thanks @Yehudaa, much appreciated

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1935 on: May 08, 2018, 03:06:06 PM »
No. I don't know of any European city (besides Venice with an Eirev)
Gibraltar has one

Offline G11600

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1936 on: May 09, 2018, 03:08:12 PM »
Gibraltar has one
As does London (at least 6), Manchester, Vienna, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Strasbourg..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_places_with_eruvin


Offline e-Lawyer

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1937 on: May 16, 2018, 03:54:03 AM »
parve on this list
http://www.irgz.ch/downloads/koscherliste_aktuell.pdf

non cholov yisroel on this list
http://www.icz.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Kaschrutliste_20170802.pdf

Need to know for sure if the torino chocolate bars served in the kosher tray at zrh aspire lounge is takeh kosher and cy, not marked at all. @Moishebatchy ?
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A: Just say "Fees!"

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1938 on: May 16, 2018, 04:41:26 PM »
Hi there all,
I made a United Rewards ticket to Zurich for a few days on the way to Israel. It stops in GVA. After some research we decided to stay in a place in Villars which is much closer to GVA than ZRH. I can't just skip the leg due to my luggage. Any way I can get around the change fee from United? Any other ideas for that matter?     ???

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #1939 on: May 23, 2018, 05:02:28 PM »
Can anyone suggest (from your experience) a good place to stay for shabbos in the swiss alps? I know there are a few options, kosher hotels in Davos, Arosa etc. Just trying to see what the best option would be...