Day Tripping in Switzerland (Work in Progress)

Highlights include lunch overlooking the Jungfrau in Murren; a boat trip on the Thunnersee; and kicking around Lucern.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Switzerland has a great train system - our friends who live there rarely drive their car for weekend trips within the country. The trains are clean and very reliable and the views are spectacular!

Noodles was highly recommended by a friend who loves in the quaint town of Thun. The pasta restaurant takes traditional Italian dishes and adds Swiss touches. The dining room is cozy, with wooden booths and rustic touches. The wine list is excellent, and the service is friendly and waitstaff, attentive.

The food was very good, but don't expect traditional Italian fare. The dishes are bests described as "Italian inspired," and have a distinctly Swiss-German influence. I had papardelle with tomatoes (19.00 SF) - it was delicious but not what I would expect of a typical papardelle dish in Italy. The wide noodles were perfectly cooked, and served in a buttery sauce with a hint of tomato. The German-influenced tomato and mozzerella salad (9.00 SF) was excellent, and reminded me of a traditional Slavic "salat." My friends ordered Pasta al Mediteraneo (17.00 SF) which was heaped with eggplant, tomatoes, and cheese. Portions were large and served with excellent bread.

The atmosphere at Noodles is very comfortable and rustic - it is no wonder that our local friend counts this among his favorite restaurants. While Noodles may not serve "traditional" Italian food, it's eclectic blend of Italian, German and Swiss influences is as delicious as it is intriguing. And besides, you are in Switzerland!

I know - it's technically not a restaurant, but you can make a meal out of their superb confections. Confiserie Sprungli at Paradplatz and Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich (among other locations) is a must for anyone even remotely interested in chocolate. This shrine to chocolate is purveyor of everything from chocolate bars and chocolate nut clusters (delicious!!!) to more exotic confections. They are famous for their exquisite Luxemburgeli - light, merengue-y cream-filled puffs that are best eaten fresh the day they are made. There is no good way to describe how good these little things are - I have never encountered anything like them in my world-wide quest for chocolate.

Sprungli is why the Swiss have a reputation for making great chocolate - don't miss it if you have a sweet tooth! (The website lists Zurich shop locations and hours of operation.)

We were taken to this favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant by friends who live in Zurich and come here often. Cozy and rustic, this little place serves up quite a hearty meal! Under the attentive care of the owner, we feasted on delicious thin-crust pizze (quatro formaggi, pizza insalata, and margherita - all wonderful), pasta (baked canneloni and hearty pasta bolognese) and veal marsala. We were given complimentary grappa that brought tears to our eyes. The wine list includes basic chiantis and some local wines. All of our meals were outstanding, and the service was terrific (it helped, I suppose, that one of our friends was close with the owner). The waiters were fun and friendly. We ate inside, but there is also an outside terrace.

Ristorante Corallo is just a short walk or bus trip from Zurich's bustling downtown - it is definitely worth going out of your way for. (Closed Sundays).

Edelweiss Cafe has one of the best views I have ever encountered from a restaurant (save for, maybe, Restaurant Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower). The little cafe clings to the cliffs of the lovely village of Murren, and affords breathtaking views of the Jungfrau, Eiger, and Monk summits. While the cafeteria-style food is so-so, the view is worth everything. We got a few pizzas, German potato salad, a cheese platter and plenty of beer and spent the afternoon just gazing up at the amazing Jungfrau range from our table on the sunny outdoor patio. The counter service is slow (there is no table service), but who cares? The view is so staggering that you would sit there all day even if it wasn't a cafe. It was a wonderful experience. If you get hungry while in Murren, this is the perfect place to go, as you don't have to sacrifice the view for a second in order to get something to eat. Prices are reasonable by Swiss standards.