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Suggestions from previous Crown Jewel travelers
I would really appreciate any suggestions from previous travelers, especially clothing suggestions. We are taking the August 6th tour. How many "dressy" dinners are there during the tour? Planning clothing for temperature variations...will a light weight jacket be enough or is a heavy weight jacket recommended? Any other suggestions for the higher altitudes? Is there a lot of uphill walking? Any suggestions about any part of this tour will be helpful and welcomed. We've waited a long time to take this trip. This is our third time to book it. Hopefully the third time is the charm!
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We're on the 29 Aug start so I'll be interested in the responses and hopefully you post your experiences after your tour.
My read of the itinerary based on prior tours is this is much less formal than some tours. I'm not planning to take a dress nor is my husband taking a sport coat. Just clothes nice enough to wear to a nice restaurant for dinner. Dress slacks, a nice top with a little bling or scarf to dress it up. My husband will have collared shirts and a v-neck sweater. The farewell -which people normally might dress up for - requires a boat ride on the lake so I'll be more concerned staying warm and not slipping getting on/off.
For day wear, I have a lined wind proof jacket roomy enough to be able to layer as needed. I'll also bring gloves and hat. Because we'll be into Sep my concern is the number of short vs long sleeve tops. Will be checking weather forecasts before finalizing my packing.
We also have kicked this tour down the Alps for 3 years. So fortunate to be healthy and able enough to-hopefully-have our 'third time's a charm' tour also.
We read many of the pre-COVID tours reviews, so we will be bringing inexpensive slip prevention devices (Amazon) that seem to be easy on-off for our shoes. The posts about water on the Ice Palace floors and observation of several falls was warning enough!
I was assured me these devices will be allowed by sending an email to info@zwrmatt.ch. Ask them for a link to the daily weather at the Matterhorn glacier paradise if you want--temps are given for Zermatt--but that's not in the glacier!
FYI-today's temps: 15 July 2021: -1 to -5 Celsius!!
They also answered my clothing questions, writing bring "a warm jacket and good shoes, no sandals"--good to know. Short and too the point..and, as with most suggestions for traveling--less is more.
Past Tauck tours have shown us to judge wardrobe by location and activities. Everything you are comfortable in is really ok- and recommended--just try all combinations on before you go--so no surprises on the other end! Add a little bling, a scarf, a dressy top---you'll be less stressed, and look marvelous. The men can get away with regular gear!
So-----wundernkc and Claudia Sails-------PLEASE----share as much after-action information as you can for those of us who will follow in your pioneering shoes. All the best to all who are leading the way back to the joy of traveling.
Claudia and Little Rascals,
This tour is definitely more casual than most of out Tauck trips. Our trip started in Montreux rather than Lausanne and the welcome dinner attendees wore mostly casual. The only two sites we experiences snow or ice was at the Matterhorn and the Jungfraujoch. The ice palace does indeed have ice floors but there are handrails everywhere. Good walking shoes off sneakers were sufficient using caution.
Paragliing was a fun optional activity while in Interlaken. A van picks you up at the hotel for a trip to the top of the mountain and you land right in front of the hotel. It was very popular.
The farewell dinner is definitely nice casual. It was a typical Swiss/German restaurant with a small swiss band playing music. There was a singalong with the group dancing to "The Chicken Dance".....so, NOT formal.
Thanx buzz. Confirms my thinking.
Paragliding? I'm having trouble talking my husband into zip lining or a mountain coaster.
Took this excellent comprehensive tour summer 2013 when it was called simply Switzerland. I believe there was a contest to rename it. Super-casual all the way, led by TD. As I recall, we looked like a bunch of Rick Stevers. The hotels were luxurious, so we no doubt stood out as tourists. Hot in Lugano, cooler briefly at Ice Palace on Jungfraujoch, a highlight though full of tourists and a bit wobbly underfoot at 11,000+ ft.; drink plenty of water. Isola Bella visit marred a bit by an embarrassing sexist guide who fancied himself a standup comedian. The train rides are photo opps extraordinaire; Sheldon Cooper would be thrilled. Enjoy!
Thank you all for these tips and suggestions. I'm glad to know it is very casual. I was concerned there would be more dressy dinners. When we took the Baltics and Russia tour in 2018 we had four dressy dinners. I was prepared for two. An evening at the ballet in St. Petersburg and one evening in Moscow along with the get acquainted and farewell dinners. It was a fantastic tour, just not as casual as the Swiss trip sounds.
I read my notes from our tip in 2016 to see about the restaurants. There are two places where you may want to be more dressed up. The first is the hotel in Zermatt where I noted that there were white table cloths. The second would be in Interlaken where the restaurant was very nice and offered a good menu. From a male perspective you may want to wear a sports coat but it is not necessary. For a woman either a dress or a nice blouse and a pair of slacks would be fine.
As far as the final night is concerned.....you travel by boat across the lake. The night we were there was very hot. The restaurant does not have air conditioning so dress appropriately.
Fabulous trip. You'll have a wonderful time. Yes, very casual. We also went in August but in 2017. The Jungfracujoch was spectacular and, yes, cold. It's about 12,000+ feet high. I wore a wool sweater and a puffer coat that squished into nothing in my suitcase. I travel with gloves all the time and would recommend that too. That's the only time I need that type of clothing. I would recommend wool socks for the short amount of time you'll be outside for the breathtaking views of a lifetime. You'll want to snap pictures. The farewell dinner does not require dressing up; just high casual because you're on a boat ride and boat rides are, yes, windy. If you have a smart phone, input all the weather for the cities and towns you'll be in. We stayed couple of days ahead in Geneva and I wish I booked a tour at the United Nations. That would have been interesting. Also, we took a train to Broc to tour the Nestle chocolate factory - wow! so much delicious chocolate. You'll tour Chillion (sp) Castle. The poet, Lord Bryon, wrote a famous well versed poem, The prisoner of Chillion. Look that up. Judy
We are looking forward to this trip in July 2022. Any tips, suggestions, free time, etc. Thanks!!!
Gizzma, I wrote a very long review of the tour from last Sep posted in this category.