Topic Wiki

Trip Reports
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 604061 times)

Offline nescafe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2000 on: July 17, 2018, 11:04:32 AM »
https://www.myswissalps.com/titlis -- "The Titlis station is located at an altitude of 3032 m. Anyone can suffer from (light) altitude sickness from about 2000 m. Usually it helps to take things slow and sit down for a while. Special precautions apply to children under 2 years old, as well as people who are pregnant or in poor health: before visiting areas over 2500 m, you'd better consult your doctor. In most cases though, staying at such altitudes for just a few hours is no problem."

However, I would guess if one would first acclimatize the infant by staying at an altitude of 2,000 meters for 24 hours, it shouldn't be an issue to proceed to 3,000 meters the next day. And worst case, if feeling the symptoms of altitude symptoms -- one can immediately take a cable car down. Just infants cannot communicate.
I guess asking the pediatrician would be the best option

Offline nescafe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2001 on: July 24, 2018, 06:44:48 PM »
Landing Wednesday night in ZRH & checking into hotel in Davos, Thursday.

1. Which hotel should we stay in Wednesday night (basically only for sleeping)? Rather stay in airport hotel & travel in the morning to davening & food, or stay closer to Jewish area?

2. What's a good activity for the day en route from ZRH to Davos. Was thinking about Engelberg/Titlis. Any suggestions/recommendations?

TIA

Offline Matzav26

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2002 on: July 24, 2018, 06:52:20 PM »
Titlis is in the opposite direction from Davos. There aren't really any mountain attractions between Zurich and Davos

Offline nescafe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2003 on: July 24, 2018, 06:55:01 PM »
Titlis is in the opposite direction from Davos. There aren't really any mountain attractions between Zurich and Davos
I don't mind the extra driving. From what I've heard, it's worth the trip. Any other recommendation?

Offline Matzav26

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2004 on: July 24, 2018, 07:06:50 PM »
Tiltlis is a great choice if you don't mind the extra driving. Pilatus is also a great idea, also Mt Rigi. The price of Swiss Alp attraction can be prohibitively expensive, so of the three mountains in the general Lucerne area, Titlis is probably your best bet

Offline nescafe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2005 on: July 24, 2018, 07:18:25 PM »
Tiltlis is a great choice if you don't mind the extra driving. Pilatus is also a great idea, also Mt Rigi. The price of Swiss Alp attraction can be prohibitively expensive, so of the three mountains in the general Lucerne area, Titlis is probably your best bet
Thanks for the advice!

Offline Mendel s

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2006 on: July 25, 2018, 12:25:11 AM »
I got a good deal on tickets to Zürich and planned on going from there to the Swiss alps,  Davos, St. Moritz etc..
I see that transportation, and things in general are pretty expensive in Switzerland, any ideas of a alternative to Switzerland that I can travel to in a few hours from Zurich airport? Any Jewish areas (kosher hotel with minyan or Jewish summer vacation area) in the Austrian alps? Italian alps? German? Places with similar beauty and nearby (train or flight) but not as expensive? For the end of August
Any ideas? Thanks!

Offline Arejay

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2007 on: July 25, 2018, 11:32:06 AM »

Offline eandd

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2008 on: July 25, 2018, 03:00:44 PM »
So if I was planning on going up the Titlis, I should change my plan?
Not medical advice, but my parents took us up to titlis often as infants and we were fine (father's a physician)

Offline rivkao

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2009 on: July 25, 2018, 05:50:36 PM »
So if I was planning on going up the Titlis, I should change my plan?
I went with my two month old up to highest mountains in Arosa and Davos and all was fine...

Offline moish

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2010 on: July 25, 2018, 05:55:44 PM »
I'm not sure how anecdotes prove anything here. Bottom line is not everyone is the same and if someone didn't feel well and needed to descend, he would indicate that to those around him. A baby cannot.


Offline Saulius

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2011 on: July 25, 2018, 06:06:13 PM »
I went with my two month old up to highest mountains in Arosa and Davos and all was fine...

The difference is that those in Arosa and Davos are usually staying there on holiday, so they acclimatize to the higher altitude.
The ones going to ie Titlis are doing day trips and are coming straight from sea level. It's a big difference.

Offline eandd

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2012 on: July 25, 2018, 07:46:31 PM »
The difference is that those in Arosa and Davos are usually staying there on holiday, so they acclimatize to the higher altitude.
The ones going to ie Titlis are doing day trips and are coming straight from sea level. It's a big difference.

We always stayed in Engelberg for a few days, so I guess the elevation difference isn't as drastic (2,000 meters vs 3).

Offline nescafe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2013 on: July 25, 2018, 10:45:53 PM »
Not medical advice, but my parents took us up to titlis often as infants and we were fine (father's a physician)
I went with my two month old up to highest mountains in Arosa and Davos and all was fine...
I asked the pediatrician, who said that it shouldn't be an issue

Offline dealfinder11

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2014 on: July 26, 2018, 07:28:41 AM »
I asked the pediatrician, who said that it shouldn't be an issue
“””””. Just asked a week ago.  WAs completely dismissed.

Offline yelped

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2015 on: July 30, 2018, 02:34:19 PM »
I should really write a TR of Davos-Klosters. It's a really great place to come with their kids...Just stunningly beautiful, great air, and fun things to do on the top of the mountains. Most of it is included in the guestekartes..

Offline ludmila

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2016 on: July 31, 2018, 12:15:26 AM »
I should really write a TR of Davos-Klosters. It's a really great place to come with their kids...Just stunningly beautiful, great air, and fun things to do on the top of the mountains. Most of it is included in the guestekartes..
Please do , never been there.
I was the Best,still the Best, and will always be the Best.
Pele Good,Maradona Better, George Best.

Offline nescafe

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2017 on: July 31, 2018, 12:17:36 AM »
I should really write a TR of Davos-Klosters. It's a really great place to come with their kids...Just stunningly beautiful, great air, and fun things to do on the top of the mountains. Most of it is included in the guestekartes..
I'm actually heading there in August & would love to get some tips

Offline dealfinder11

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2018 on: August 05, 2018, 04:25:55 PM »
Can anyone confirm that the Bäckerei-Konditorei Bad in St Moritz is Pas Yisroel in the summer? Thanx

Offline shapsam

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2019 on: August 05, 2018, 04:29:33 PM »
Where in ZRH can I get a sim card (and not get ripped off)?