Planning a Swiss Vacation

Contents

1. The flights
2. The airports
3. Travelling in Switzerland
4. Accomodation in Switerzerland
5. Places we visited

The flights
I would call my travel agent to find me the best prices on flights. (Helena is a really good agent - very patient and resourceful. She works with First Travel, Ipoh. If you would like her services, drop me an email).

The short of it is this:

• Etihad (www.etihadairways.com) official airways of United Arab Emirates had the cheapest fare BUT it had a transit time of about 13 hours in Abu Dhabi.
• Qatar Airways (www.qatarairways.com) was the next choice - transit time of 2 hours in Doha slightly more expensive than Etihad but worth the time saved.
  
• MAS (www.malaysiaairlines.com) was the most pricey at about RM5,000 return but it was a direct flight and therefore took up the least time

We decided on Qatar Airways as the most cost effective. The food was good and the service excellent. The crew is an international crew; I learnt from an air stewardess that Qatar women are not allowed to work.

The Airports

• KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport
• It is a huge airport with many duty free outlets and as many gates.
• Note: if you transit at Doha, you may not bring in any wine or alcohol. We thought the ban was because Doha was a muslim city but we were proved wrong when we arrived in Doha
  
• Doha International Airport
• Small airport, still using shuttle buses.
• Only 1 duty free shop but a very popular one doing brisk business.
• They sold liquor and, we found at much cheaper prices than at KLIA what with the lower exchange rate.
  
• Geneva International Airport
• A small airport though a busy one due to Geneva's unique status since the United Nations is located there.
  
• Don't buy anything in their duty free shop unless you have a higher exchange rate to the Swiss Franc (CHF). Though the CHF had a lower exchange rate compared to the EURO, the standard of living is high in Switzerland.

Travelling in Switzerland
To get a head start on where to go and what to do, I would start by searching a tour agent's website for their itinerary.

Then I would Google the country's official tourism website and read up more on what I have garnered from the itinerary.

The best way to travel in Switzerland is using their public transport. Switzerland has the densest public transport in the world and their precision is well known.

Switzerland's travel system has many products depending on your needs. We chose the Swiss Pass as we would be travelling most of the time. The Pass has a discount if 2 or more people are travelling together. It provides unlimited travel on train, bus and boat with free entry to 400 museums. For prices check out the link above.

Our experience on the GoldenPass Line was a surprise as they gave away CHF10 vouchers just because the trip was delayed by 15 minutes. The voucher is exchangeable against selected GoldenPass Line services.

Accomodation in Switerzerland
Accomodation in Switzerland is expensive. In Tasch, a town just 10 minutes by train to Zermatt at the foothills of the famous Matterhorn; a small room with ensuite shower cost CHF140 per night per room (peak period) with breakfast. Breakfast was a simple affair; bread, cheese and cereals. We used Active Hotels to book the room - payment was made at the hotel not at the time of booking.

Places we visited