Regular Sneakers or waterproof trail runners needed for Switzerland Crown Jewel Tour
Heading to Switzerland on the “crown jewel” tour in September. For anyone who has done this tour, would you say regular sneakers/walking shoes is enough or would you recommend waterproof trail runners? Is there a need for the greater traction and waterproofing for ice/snow?
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We did the tour last Sep. The only time I would have needed waterproof was at Jungfrau Joch where you have the option to walk outside on the snow. It was a bit slushy snow and a uphill walk to get to the area to see the views, take pictures with the Swiss flag, etc. Also the ice palace has a frozen ice floor - so cold and very slick walking. We only once had rain once while in Interlaken and that was more of a mist.
Are you climbing the Matterhorn or traversing the Eiger Pass? September will be beautiful and maybe warm in the north. I wore sandals then. Regular tennis shoes are just fine. That is what I wore; tennis shoes, sandals, and another nice pair of shoes for dinner. There is absolutely no need for waterproof shoes not even for the ice cave. Just be careful walking in there. Tennis shoes are satisfactory with adequate grips on the bottom.
How cold is it in the ice palace? Do I need to bring a winter coat?
We went in late September 2019. I took lots of thin layers including my long silk underwear. I also brought my short Uggs - lightweight for packing and useful to stuff with socks etc. Used them also at the Matterhorn - cold and windy the day we went up. The Ice Place and top of the Jungfrau was cold but sunny. It was also the first time I experienced a problem with the height going up the stairs, not down. Fabulous experience. This was the one stop that Tauck had jammed packed with activities, none you would want to miss. I would have liked to enjoy the amenities at the hotel and the paraglide ride that was right out side the door. The Tauck meal in the hotel restaurant was at our leisure and excellent. I don't think Tauck usually gets view of the Jungfrau here but you aren't in your rooms long enough - the rooms were very nice. The hotel was huge.
It is cold. A packable mid-length puffer jacket, gloves, warm hat to cover my ears, warm socks were fine for me. Those packable puffers swish into nothing. You’re not going to need these warmer clothes anywhere else. The views were spectacular. .
The nice thing with the tour is there's very little need for dressy clothes so you can focus on the weather. I was surprised how warm it was at the Italian end. Wished I'd brought some shorts at least for sitting outside on our balcony ( everyone had balcony rooms overlooking the lake in Lugano).
Claudia Sails, we are taking this trip in September. I have looked at the hotels and they seem pretty first class. Did you feel underdressed if dining at hotels, etc? We have always dressed for the welcome reception and last dinner. I am getting the feeling that this is not necessary of this trip. Several people have stated it was a very casual dress trip. Was wondering if this is definitely your view. Thanks, Cathie
You do not need to dress to the nines (don’t even think about the tens) on this trip. I would say that it’s “high casual” for the welcome dinner. You can still appear to look nicely dressed. I pride myself to appear presentable and I was fine. Sometimes I’m in shock what people wear (for example going into a church or a mosque that I just wonder what they are thinking). The farewell dinner is a boat ride from the hotel to a casual restaurant. I was not that fond of the farewell dinner in my opinion.
Cathie, yes this is a fairly casual tour. I brought one pair of ponte knit black slacks, a couple of nice tops to go with and a nice pair of black leather flats. My husband did not bring a sport coat. Just long sleeve dress shirt and slacks. We did bring sweaters for evening if it was cold but didn't wear often. The welcome dinner is at the hotel in Lausanne in a private room. The farewell you take a boat ride across the lake to a more casual hotel.
I wrote a long review last fall that included our TDs advice on dress code. It's from 28 Aug start date.
Took this tour fall 2021 and it might just be the fav of our 5 Tauck experiences. I agree that casual and layering is the way to go. Online I was able to buy lightweight old fashioned pull on “rubbers.” They are made of silicone now and are extremely packable. I slipped them on at the Matterhorn and Jungfraujoch and was able to play in the snow when others were reluctant. I brought gloves, a scarf, knit headband for ears, nice zippered sweatshirt, windbreaker, down vest, raincoat and full packable down jacket with hood
. I was happy to have the options and used them all. I also agree that I could have has a few more short sleeved tee-shirts for Lugano, as it was lovely and warm.
Thank you, Claudia Sails!