Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login

Subscribe for Updates

Get the latest local airport and aviation news delivered right into your inbox each week!

News Updates
New program gives access to First Officer jobs while candidates complete their military service

United Launches Industry-leading Program to Provide Active-duty U.S. Military Pilots Conditional Job Offers

September 29, 2023
PANYNJ Unveils New Construction Facility at JFK Airport

PANYNJ Unveils New Construction Facility at JFK Airport

September 29, 2023
Chrissy Toskos, Chief Human Resources Officer, Securitas North America.

Securitas North America Announces Chrissy Toskos as Chief Human Resources Officer

September 27, 2023
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
  • Airport News
    • Publisher’s Message
    • Fast Five
    • On Duty
    • Air Cargo
    • Airline News
    • Airport Community
    • Airport Employment News
    • Airport Safety & Security
    • Company Spotlight
    • Ground Services
    • Intermodal
    • New York Aviation History
    • Non-Rev Traveler
  • Airport & Aviation Events
  • Airport Employment
  • Latest Issue
  • Login
Metropolitan Airport NewsMetropolitan Airport News
Home»Non-Rev Traveler»Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland
Non-Rev Traveler

Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland

Maureen KatzBy Maureen KatzNovember 14, 2022No Comments4 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland

One of our favorite three-day quick trips to Europe is to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland, and it includes a beautiful cruise on Lake Thun from the City of Thun to Interlaken.

We flew to Zurich from JFK on Delta Airlines. Upon landing, we went to the train station at the airport and purchased a First-Class Swiss Rail Pass for four days at the cost of $315 per person (less expensive than the three-day pass). The second-class pass was $199 per person. The Swiss Franc is equal to the U.S. Dollar right now.

This pass entitles a non-citizen of Switzerland to unlimited travel on trains, trams, buses, boats, and gondolas throughout Switzerland. The train from Zurich to Bern is approximately an hour non-stop. The trains are so efficient that one can set your clocks to them. Once at the Bern train station, we took another short train ride to the Bern Westside Station, where our hotel was located. It is a new area of Bern. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Westside, connected to a great mall. The highlight for us here is a unique nine-pool water park complex called, Bernaqua. It consists of river pools, tubing pools, a regular indoor pool, and an all-weather outdoor pool heated to 95 degrees.

Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland

The outdoor pool rotates Jacuzzis of different strengths and waterfalls throughout the day. This is the first time we have seen something like this in our travels. This pool complex is free while staying at the Holiday Inn Westside.

During the summer months, the Aare River provides an urban swimming experience. The river carries swimmers effortlessly down a 5-mile river course. There are waterproof dry bags to put valuables in. The entry and exit points are marked with a red pole or with steps that are helpful for climbing in and out of the river.

After checking into our hotel, we proceeded to the Old Town for a scenic walk. We crossed a bridge on the Aare River and stopped at the Altes Tramdepot Brewery and Restaurant, which overlooks the city and has excellent views. Nearby is the famous bear park, and we did get to see one big bear. In addition, there is a floral park named Rosengarten (Rose Garden) that also has beautiful views of the city.

Our second day consisted of a short train ride to the beautiful city of Thun. We took a 2-hour boat ride on Lake Thun that ends in Interlaken. On a clear day, you can see the top of Jungfrau Mountain, the highest train station in Europe. Interlaken is the gateway to the Jungfrau region. On the boat are an elegant dining room and a full bar. We opted to have lunch at a quaint Swiss restaurant in Interlaken. After lunch, we took another short train ride to the village of Grindelwald. There are magnificent views of the Bernese Alps, and cowbells are heard everywhere. It is a ski village with cute shops, cafes, and restaurants.

Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland

Our last day was spent in Zurich. The walk in Old Town here is very worthwhile. We took an hour-and-a-half boat ride on Lake Zurich, which we do every time we go to Zurich. After the boat ride, we walked to the elegant Storchen Hotel, which is famous, and just across from the Old Town. Here we had drinks outside on the canal.

We stayed at the Kameha Grand Hotel Zurich, which is an Autograph Collection from the Marriott Bonvoy Brand. The decor is very different, and the rooms are beautiful. We have stayed there many times and highly recommend staying at this hotel. It takes approximately 15 minutes by tram to get to the airport from the hotel and about 45 minutes to get to downtown Zurich by tram.

In what is usually the most efficient airport in Europe, the Zurich Airport turned out differently this time. We left three hours in advance and needed all of it this time to make our flight. There were long lines at immigration that we had never experienced before. It is obvious that more people are traveling now to make up for lost time during the pandemic.

Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland
Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland
Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland
Three-Day Trip to Zurich and Bern, Switzerland
Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
Maureen Katz

Maureen Katz has worked in the airline industry for 37 years and is currently retired. She has worked for eight different airlines, three of which were startup companies, and participated in the FAA Proving Runs, leading to FAA Certification. Her positions included Flight Attendant, Customer Service Agent, Flights Operations and the last 27 years as an Airline Dispatcher. JetBlue was the final carrier in her career and she was one of its “founders”. Maureen and another crew member assisted in training and formulating dispatch policies and procedures, allowing JetBlue to begin its operations. In addition to Maureen having a FAA dispatch license, she also possesses a commercial pilot license with instrument and multi-engine ratings.

RELATED NEWS & UPDATES

A One-Day Trip to Berlin

A One-Day Trip to Berlin

September 8, 2023
Barcelona Revisited

Barcelona Revisited

August 8, 2023
Palma De Mallorca, Spain Revisited

Palma De Mallorca, Spain Revisited

July 14, 2023
The Ultimate Airline Employee Incentive

The Ultimate Airline Employee Incentive

June 8, 2023
Washington D.C., A Perfect Weekend Getaway

Washington D.C., A Perfect Weekend Getaway

May 10, 2023
A Caribbean Cruise: The Best Way to Minimize Winter Blues

A Caribbean Cruise

April 10, 2023
Add A Comment

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

AIRPORT & AVIATION EVENTS
Civil Air Patrol Falcon Squadron Meeting
October 09, 2023
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
  • John F. Kennedy International Airport-(JFK)
Jamaica, New York
LAAMCO Monthly General Meeting
October 10, 2023
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
  • LaGuardia Airport-(LGA)
East Elmhurst, New York
ADDAPT Dinner Group
October 10, 2023
6:00 PM to 8:00 PM
The Heritage Club
Farmgindale, New York
  • >> More Airport & Aviation Events

Subscribe for Weekly Email Updates

Get the latest local airport news, events, and jobs delivered right into your inbox each week.

Metropolitan Airport News provides timely news, information and updates for both Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) employees and businesses that provide services at, and around the major New York airports (JFK, LGA, EWR).

John F. Kennedy International Airport
PO Box 300877
Jamaica, NY 11430 USA
Phone: (347) 396-0904
Email Us

Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube LinkedIn Flickr
SEPTEMBER 2023 ISSUE
Metropolitan Airport News - September 2023
LATEST COMMENTS
  • Robert Waldvogel on Long Island MacArthur: New York’s Secondary Airport
  • USN Veteran on Long Island MacArthur: New York’s Secondary Airport
  • Stephen Adams on The Ultimate Airline Employee Incentive
  • Jeff Landgrebe on The Ultimate Airline Employee Incentive
  • About Us
  • Advertising Options
  • Charitable Giving Program
  • Back Issue Archive
  • Contact Us
© 2023 Airport Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.