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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 604049 times)

Offline yelped

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2120 on: January 20, 2019, 04:06:29 PM »
Hi, how would i know what times there are trains from the airport? wanna book tickets accordingly.
TIA
Would help if you mentioned to where. You could look it up on SBB.CH

Offline elihak7

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2121 on: January 20, 2019, 04:47:36 PM »
Would help if you mentioned to where. You could look it up on SBB.CH
You're right. sorry.
from zurich to davos.

Offline MoYS

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2122 on: January 20, 2019, 04:49:26 PM »
I plan on being in Switzerland for two nights and a day, I have a few questions if anyone has experience with this, is it worth it to by the Halbtax pass or just pay by the train, we need to get from the airport to the hotel by night get back and forth to the mountains and then back to the airport the next day, I have no idea how much to expect to pay for the trains and 120 chf doesn't sound too bad, although i noticed in dans tr that he got a $35 pass. Also I don't know which area of the alps to go to, I realize I could run around to see all the alps but I would prefer to go up and spend time on the mountains so where should i go to get nice views and put in a few actitvities? Lastly which hotels are the best to be paid for in that area (southern alps, unless there is someplace else in Switzerland better to go to)? TIA

Offline elihak7

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2123 on: January 20, 2019, 04:59:34 PM »
I wanna travel to davos for a few days with a 1 yr old baby, can anyone tell me for how long it pays to go (min. to enjoy)?  is it worth for a shabbos or midweek rather?

Offline ABC

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2124 on: January 21, 2019, 03:18:58 PM »
Which hotels in Switzerland are Kosher during the winter?

Crans Montana
He has now a special offer going on, 4th night free.
(BTW there's good deals now with ELAL from TLV $149)

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2125 on: January 22, 2019, 03:08:10 PM »
I plan on being in Switzerland for two nights and a day, I have a few questions if anyone has experience with this, is it worth it to by the Halbtax pass or just pay by the train, we need to get from the airport to the hotel by night get back and forth to the mountains and then back to the airport the next day, I have no idea how much to expect to pay for the trains and 120 chf doesn't sound too bad, although i noticed in dans tr that he got a $35 pass. Also I don't know which area of the alps to go to, I realize I could run around to see all the alps but I would prefer to go up and spend time on the mountains so where should i go to get nice views and put in a few actitvities? Lastly which hotels are the best to be paid for in that area (southern alps, unless there is someplace else in Switzerland better to go to)? TIA
A lot of the answers depend on where you're flying into. I can help you with the CHF 33 half fare card (Schnupper Halbtax) if you're arriving before February 6th. It took hours to find online but well worth it  ;D

Offline MoYS

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2126 on: January 22, 2019, 04:02:39 PM »
A lot of the answers depend on where you're flying into. I can help you with the CHF 33 half fare card (Schnupper Halbtax) if you're arriving before February 6th. It took hours to find online but well worth it  ;D
I didn't book the first leg yet although it looks like I'm flying into ZRH as its where I'm flying out of but I was considering Milan also, I'm going at the end of march.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2019, 04:20:59 PM by MoYS »

Offline jmz

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2127 on: January 23, 2019, 08:09:41 AM »
Crans Montana
He has now a special offer going on, 4th night free.
(BTW there's good deals now with ELAL from TLV $149)
Where do you see these deals? cant find any.

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2128 on: January 28, 2019, 10:34:39 AM »
The image in the following link is good (until February 28th) for a 2 month trial Schnupper Halbtax / Half-Fare Card for CHF 33, a bargain compared to the usual price of CHF 120: https://www.myswissalps.com/docs/systemlibrariesprovider/rail/screenshot_20190125-132849.png?sfvrsn=bd8eb835_0
I tried to post it but the image was too large. Make sure you print it out and cut it out so it looks semi-official. You have to print out 1 per person and then buy the half-fare card at the ticket booth. It can be used for trains, buses, ferries and loads of other activities. You can find more info here: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2129 on: January 28, 2019, 10:41:20 AM »
I plan on being in Switzerland for two nights and a day, I have a few questions if anyone has experience with this, is it worth it to by the Halbtax pass or just pay by the train, we need to get from the airport to the hotel by night get back and forth to the mountains and then back to the airport the next day, I have no idea how much to expect to pay for the trains and 120 chf doesn't sound too bad, although i noticed in dans tr that he got a $35 pass. Also I don't know which area of the alps to go to, I realize I could run around to see all the alps but I would prefer to go up and spend time on the mountains so where should i go to get nice views and put in a few actitvities? Lastly which hotels are the best to be paid for in that area (southern alps, unless there is someplace else in Switzerland better to go to)? TIA
I just got back yesterday. We flew into and out of Zurich. We took the train to Engelberg which was absolutely stunning. Mount Titlis is a 5-10 minute walk from the train station and there are loads of activities. If you get the half fare card at a discount (see previous post) you can double dip with cheaper lift tickets if you buy in combination with your rail travel. We had to transfer in Lucerne/Luzern but that was pretty easy. Hotels were very reasonable. We stayed at the Hotel Cathrin right near the mountain where we only paid $120/night.

Offline ReadsTheT&C

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2130 on: January 29, 2019, 10:13:30 PM »
The image in the following link is good (until February 28th) for a 2 month trial Schnupper Halbtax / Half-Fare Card for CHF 33, a bargain compared to the usual price of CHF 120: https://www.myswissalps.com/docs/systemlibrariesprovider/rail/screenshot_20190125-132849.png?sfvrsn=bd8eb835_0
I tried to post it but the image was too large. Make sure you print it out and cut it out so it looks semi-official. You have to print out 1 per person and then buy the half-fare card at the ticket booth. It can be used for trains, buses, ferries and loads of other activities. You can find more info here: https://www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard
There are reports in the other forum that the link I posted only works out of the Kussnacht train station. I am not sure if that's true. Just in case, here is another but it is only good through February 6th: https://www.myswissalps.com/docs/systemlibrariesprovider/rail/schnupper-halbtax-(1).jpeg?sfvrsn=56569135_0

Offline kosherjid

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Offline sam28

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2132 on: February 04, 2019, 04:10:39 PM »
I am looking for a a nice hotel in Switzerland with amazing views for 2 days anyone knows of any idea ?

Offline Yehudaa

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2133 on: February 04, 2019, 04:27:44 PM »
I am looking for a a nice hotel in Switzerland with amazing views for 2 days anyone knows of any idea ?

If you're looking for stunning views but don't need the amenities/service of a hotel, I recently came across some airbnb listings in Switzerland with gorgeous views. Here's one guy who has a few places with good reviews and absolutely stunning views:

https://www.airbnb.com/users/3549202/listings

Offline sam28

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2134 on: February 04, 2019, 04:50:12 PM »
If you're looking for stunning views but don't need the amenities/service of a hotel, I recently came across some airbnb listings in Switzerland with gorgeous views. Here's one guy who has a few places with good reviews and absolutely stunning views:

https://www.airbnb.com/users/3549202/listings

wow thanks have u stayed there ? will check it out but I am looking for a hotel ?

Offline yelped

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2135 on: February 04, 2019, 04:50:30 PM »
I am looking for a a nice hotel in Switzerland with amazing views for 2 days anyone knows of any idea ?
Two SPG/Design hotels are the Cambrian and Giardino Lago. They are in different areas with totally different types of views.

Offline Yehudaa

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2136 on: February 05, 2019, 02:21:29 AM »
wow thanks have u stayed there ? will check it out but I am looking for a hotel ?
No, but I'm considering staying in one of his places. The views look so good that I'm thinking of doing it instead of a hotel.
Two SPG/Design hotels are the Cambrian and Giardino Lago. They are in different areas with totally different types of views.
Yes, if you're looking for SPG/Marriott, there's also the W Verbier and Hotel de Rougemont (both cat 7 IIRC), or if you're looking for a bit cheaper, the Huus Gstaad (cat 5) is supposed to have nice views.

Offline nafnaf12

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2137 on: February 09, 2019, 08:22:42 PM »
Crans Montana
He has now a special offer going on, 4th night free.

is this advertised or only OTP?
Thinking of going for Purim,
deciding between
Arosa Davos based on kosher program.

Are there any Marriotts near by? And does anyone have experience staying outside the hotel but coming for the kosher options? ( I remember it being much more expensive.)

We would fly in and out or ZRH.
A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.

Offline ABC

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2138 on: February 10, 2019, 01:17:13 AM »
is this advertised or only OTP?
Thinking of going for Purim,
deciding between
Arosa Davos based on kosher program.

Are there any Marriotts near by? And does anyone have experience staying outside the hotel but coming for the kosher options? ( I remember it being much more expensive.)

We would fly in and out or ZRH.

They sent an email ad.
Nowadays they work with nice hotels in area, and if you book through them it's not so expensive.
This is also mentioned in the ad.

Offline Yehudaa

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Re: Switzerland Master Thread
« Reply #2139 on: February 10, 2019, 02:17:36 AM »


is this advertised or only OTP?
Thinking of going for Purim,
deciding between
Arosa Davos based on kosher program.

Are there any Marriotts near by? And does anyone have experience staying outside the hotel but coming for the kosher options? ( I remember it being much more expensive.)

We would fly in and out or ZRH.

I don't think there are any Marriotts, but you can check here: (I find this map very useful, posted it in a thread of its own a few days ago.)
Complete Map of Marriott/SPG Hotels

There is a Hilton Garden Inn in Davos, 5 min walk to the Cresta Hotel, if that helps you.

If you're going to drive from the airport, I think MXP is only ~20 min further than ZRH is to Davos, not sure about Crans Montana.