Switzerland crown jewel
Booked on Switzerland crown jewel late June 2022 besides covid vax card what is Swiss entry form all about? Will have a pcr test prior to boarding out of DC and I know Tauck will get us tested prior to boarding back to US. looking forward to seeing stresa again and Bellagio if that is the surprise. Saw both on bellisima northern Italy 4 years ago.appreciate any tips
about this tour. my wife and I are only 4 time tauckers. Not fully retired quite yet. thanks Footdoc81.
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The form is just basic info for contact tracing. You complete it online, get a QR code to present when (if) requested. When we went on the tour last Aug we had our codes both digital on our phones and a printout. No one ever asked to see them. The address you put will be the first hotel you stay at. I don't believe Switzerland requires a test if you have proof of vaccine. You will need your CDC card.
European covid restrictions/requirements keep evolving so stay up on the latest news. In addition to Switzerland, if you are transiting another European airport enroute (Heathrow, CDG, Schiphol) you need to know what their rules are.
We did get a short visit to Bellagio - about 2 hours before the lunch. I wrote a long post on the tour but happy to answer any other questions.
We were on this delightful tour the week prior to Claudia and did similar re the QR code. I believe we offered it once, and were waived away. No one paid any heed to it, but you must do to get aboard your plane. In Zermatt, you'll have time for dinner on your own. We found a terrific place right along the stream in town very near the cemetery, called Chez Gaby which is fun. If you arrive early to Lausanne, consider a quick 30 minute commuter train ride to Vevey to see the Charlie Chaplin Home and Museum. It is very creative, much like the man himself, and spotlights his worldwide popularity and friendships with folks such as Einstein, not to mention the cinematic genius. The Alps are breathtaking!
thanks to Claudia and mazalea for your input. I'm sure I will have more questions as tour gets closer.What about meds
for altitude and motion sickness? We are both pretty healthy with no major medical issues. I will go back and read all your posts Claudia.
The only time altitude is an issue for most is the day going up to Jungfraujoch. I live at 7,000 feet so wasn't too worried. Very important to stay hydrated. I suffer occasionally from motion sickness but didn't have a problem in Switzerland. There is a very tight set of switchbacks going up to St Moritz. I didn't get ill but maybe because we were kind of stunned at how fast we climbed the hill. Thankfully the bus driver was able to pull over at a test area at the top for views and photos. The next day is the train trip and another set of switchbacks enroute Interlaken. I took some Dramamine that morning just in case.
You can also wear the wrist bands for motion sickness if need be. I have no idea if they help or not but I recently did wear them on a six seater airplane ride from Zion to Las Vegas sightseeing over the Grand Canyon on my last Tauck tour.
Preferring a more holistic approach, I am an advocate of ginger for motion sickness, altitude sickness, stomach issues and a plethora of other ailments. I always travel with crystallized ginger (like a hard candy), as well as ginger/lemon tea bags. The trick is to consume the ginger before symptoms develop.
For headaches as a result of altitude sickness, paracetamol can be purchased over-the-counter throughout Europe in a 500 mg. dosage. It is the equivalent of taking a U.S. extra strength acetaminophen (Tylenol) tablet. Of course, be sure to follow the dosage instructions. If procuring in Europe, be sure to have the pharmacist explain the dosage and frequency restrictions.
We always purchase Paracetamol when we go to England. The generic name is Panadol. It is excellent for fever and headaches. Dosage restrictions are found on the bottle just like any other drug. If you overdose, it pretty much does irreparable damage to your liver.
Before I buy or use any medication, I always make sure to check with the "doctors" on social media!
Well, i did have the authorization to prescribe certain medications including Paracetamol without a Dr’s when I was working.
In fact, I’ve had Drs ask me what the dose is for various drugs when they have been about to write up a script…but that’s another issue!
Yes, ginger has been my salt and pepper for years. I remember it being passed to the back of the bus in Ireland on a past-life Rick Steves tour. Ginger/turmeric/matcha…all great together. btw Japanese school kids gargle with green tea during cold season.
My husband has recently had problems on rocking ships, but had no problems in Switzerland.
Glad I read these comments. I am also on the Switzerland trip in late June. I usually don't get motion sickness, but will keep my dramamine handy as Claudia suggested. Looking forward to the trip. My 8th with Tauck.
Also be careful if you get altitude sickness. The trip up the Jungfraujoch from Interlaken has quite a large difference in altitude. While it is gradual with many trains, you know yourself. When we went up one of our group passed out and needed medical attention. Everyone else was fine.
As far as motion sickness goes, I'm a bit of a hybrid. Wear SeaBands as my first line of defense, ginger capsules as the second line, and meclazine (Bonine) as a last resort if it's really rough (only had to do this twice on cruises when the sea got really rough). Doesn't do much for altitude sickness. Ecuadorians swear by coca tea, but I had no results from it. Was at 10000+ for two days. Jungfrau shouldn't bother me as I've done Matterhorn and had no issues being up there several hours.
I have been on both Tauck tours (of my 42 to date) of Switzerland pre-pandemic in the past and loved them. Switzerland is a beautiful country and one of my favorites in Europe. :-)
The problem is not the altitude but rather the change in altitude over a very short period of time. We had all been up the Matterhorn earlier in the trip with no problems. For the Matterhorn you leave from Zermatt which is up fairly high. For the Jungfrau you leave from Interlaken which is at a lower altitude.
Keep hydrated. The scenery is indeed spectacular. It is a very gradual climb in altitude in the train and not a sudden climb. I hardly felt the difference and I have a fear of extreme heights but not altitude. Go figure.
Change of topic. With all the super scenery on this trip, does anyone have a recommendation on the what type of equipment to use for photography. Camera vs. IPhone?
The iPhone (or Samsung) produces outstanding pictures in certain conditions. It's weakest in telephoto shots. If telephoto is important to you and you don't mind carrying a regular camera, I can give you a suggestion (and why I wound up with the camera I have).
Mike,
Thank you for your assistance. All help appreciated. Please email me at “santoliston725@gmail.com”.
Hi can anyone give me some clothing tips for traveling in Switzerland in August? Doing 11day small group trip the end of August, curious about temps. I also read that one must dress up a bit for diners in some areas? Thanks for any help.
We did this tour last Aug/Sep. You don't need a lot of dressy clothes. I had black dress slacks, some nice tops and a pair of black leather flats. The farewell dinner is a boat ride away and not a fancy place.
It's more important to be able to adjust to a range of weather. Even in Sep, Italy and Lugano were fairly warm. You could easily wear capris and sandals there. It rained the first night in Interlaken and up at Jungfraujoch its hard to predict. We had a sunny clear day but the ice palace there was freezing and the floor very slippery. In between the weather was mostly pleasant - not too hot or cool. Don't bother with hiking boots for Zermatt. Sneakers with good traction are enough.
Hope that helps.
We were there last September and it was very hot. Our TD said it was usually a little cooler during the second half of September. Just like Claudia mentioned most of our group wore capris and nice tops certainly nothing fancy. I had a nice black dress and a scarf and it worked well for some of the nicer restaurants. It was a wonderful trip with lovely hotels and great food.
We just returned from this tour yesterday ( Sept 10, 2022 start date). We had an incredibly organized, detail oriented tour guide ( and a totally wonderful person), Petr. His recommendations for clothes were 6 “ smart casual” dinners. The hotels were fancy ( eg, the King of Jordan sat next to us at breakfast at the Lausanne Palace), so having some nicer clothes to wear for dinners was absolutely appropriate. For a few of the smart casual dinners ( the tour director termed these “fluffy” ) about 1/3 of the men wore sport coats. Footwear - sneakers with tread are fine for the times on the mountains. Mind you, nothing is going to keep your feet warm in the ice bar on Jungfrau! The temperatures ranged from the 70s ( Lugano and Lake Como) to the 30’s on Jungfrau. The day we were on Jungfrau there was a snowstorm up there with white out conditions ( yes, in September). It added to the experience and was fun. This was a great trip. The scenery was spectacular, and the hotels wonderful. A few of our rooms were really stand outs (large suites with terraces).One was lacking ( parking lot view in St. Moritz). The trains are really fun! Every day was sunny and gorgeous , except for Jungfrau and the snowstorm was fun.