Your travel questions
Q. We are planning a two-week trip to
Switzerland in July/August. Our daughter will be about 15 months
old then so we would like a flexible itinerary which doesn’t
involve travelling every day. We are active and enjoy walking. Can
you suggest some good highlights?
Short train trips are appealing but we’re not so keen on flights
as money is tight. Also, we want to stop over in Hong Kong on the
way there and Singapore on the way back. What’s the best way to
find the cheapest air fares? C.Macinnis-Ng
A. Weather permitting, you should have a great
family holiday doing some gentle hiking in Switzerland, with your
daughter in a daypack enjoying the view. Consider buying a Swiss
rail pass to travel between three or four hiking bases - Railplus
sells a flexipass where you can travel any four days in a month,
for $256 (see http://www.railplus.com.au).
Consider the mountain village of Zermatt, which is blissfully
free of cars and sits at the base of the Matterhorn and the pretty
town of Grindelwald. The Engadine Valley (which includes the
village of St Moritz) is another good hiking base, packed with
historical castles and churches; as well as the nearby town of
Davos. All of these places are accessible by rail, and offer a
variety of walks, including easy options.
If you want an expert’s itinerary, see http://www.walksworldwide.com.
There are many websites offering cheap air fares but one of the
best ways to get a deal is the old-fashioned way - talk to your
travel agent and prepare to be flexible. - Danielle
Teutsch
If you have any travel questions, we’d love to hear from
you. Write to us at travelshd@fairfax.com.au. Personal
correspondence cannot be entered into. Only questions appearing in
print will be answered. If your question is published, you’ll win a
Lonely Planet guidebook.
Source: The Sun-Herald
Posted
on
Saturday, March 1st, 2008 at 8:33 pm under