Brussels, Stuttgart or Zurich?

[mrsd2006]

Which would you choose and why for vacation next month? Never been to any but have been to Germany. For next month-a week. I was planning Ireland but Delta is having a sale from ATL. All direct flights. 

Thanks! 

[meowmaps]

I've only been to Zurich of the three but Brussels sounds like it would be the most culturally interesting.

[pagas]

We went to Brussels this past summer and it was by far the worst city of all we visited that trip. Not a fan.

I would select Zurich. Have fun!

[McGavin]

Is Bruges on the table? I'd go back there a hundred times.

[rupertpenny]

I would fly to Brussles but probably not stay there for a week. I'd probably pick another 2-3 towns in Belgium to visit.

I've only been to the train station and airport in Stuttgart, but I don't think there is much to do there unless you are really into cars. The Black Forest is nearby and there are some lovely towns there, but I have no idea if the weather will be good enough to enjoy outdoor stuff.

Again, I've only been to the Airport in Zurich, but Switzerland is SO EXPENSIVE and again, not sure what the weather would be like for outdoorsy stuff which seems like the thing to do there (I personally find Switzerland to be boring outside of the beautiful scenery).

[elleblue]

Zurich, though it isn't inexpensive.

[KKD]

I've never been to Brussels, but between Zurich and Stuttgart, I'd pick Zurich. I enjoyed it a lot more than I expected, but we were there in summer and really got to enjoy the outdoors and hike the mountains and swim in the lakes. If you have a car, there are a lot of easy day trips – Lucerne, Berne, etc. But, yes, everything is expensive.

I wouldn't want to stay in Stuttgart, but if you could drive or take a train to the towns around there, that could be fun too. We loved traveling around Bavaria.

[latte]

Feb 16, 2016 20:44:33 GMT -5 McGavin said:

Is Bruges on the table? I'd go back there a hundred times.

This. We loved Bruges!

[janegold]

Of those three, I haven't been to Zurich. I think I would choose Brussels as a home base and explore other parts of Belgium, like Bruges and the Flemish regions.

[auntie]

Wasn't it Rick Steves who said Zurich was a great place to live but he wouldn't want to visit?

I've been through Stuttgart a couple times; it kind of reminds me of New Jersey. But you could easily visit Alsace from there Strasbourg and the Route Du Vin are lovely.

[mcsangel2]

Zurich. Pretty sure Stuttgart is your average city.

[mrsd2006]

Feb 16, 2016 20:44:33 GMT -5 McGavin said:

Is Bruges on the table? I'd go back there a hundred times.

Yes, just have to fly in and out of Brussels.



Leaning towards this with a few days to Paris or Amsterdam.

Thanks for all your ideas.

[Marmee]

I liked Zurich...I had lots of fun in/around a hostel in Old town back in my younger days.

[MauMau]

I love Zürich. I got to live there vs visit. It's so lovely. The chocolate shops and the lovely clean trams. Walking along the lake and taking the boat. Plus the Limmat River is so charming. Cheese, chocolate and food to stuff your self on.

Expensive... but there are ways to make it work. If you try to think like a local and not a big spender.

[mokes]

Fly into Zurich, stay in Lucerne! Mount Pilatus is awesome, we rented a boat and went out on Lake Lucerne (probably too cold for that next month tho), enjoyed the restaurants and bars and so pretty to just stroll around.

Or fly into Brussels, and head up to Amsterdam or down to Paris.

[agnes]

I've only been to Stuttgart. Overall, compared to Paris and Prague, it was kind of boring.

There's a ton of shopping in the city center. Like a crazy amount of stores. There's the Mercedes museum, a zoo (Wilhelma) that's cool, and beautiful gardens in the park. There's a castle near by that we didn't get to.

[pagas]

DH made me go to the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart. That was my only experience with the city. There are plenty of places that are quite lovely nearby though.

[mrsukyankee]

I would fly into Brussels, spend one day there, and then take trains around - Bruges is fabulous, Ghent is lovely and then you can end at Antwerp.

[Linie]

If you come to Brussels, I could give you all the tips and - should you wish - show you around.
I live here and am originally from Ghent, which I find is the most beautiful city of the country.
I know Zurich only as a banking city. I've never been to Stuttgart.

Travel from Brussels to Amsterdam is 1.40 hrs by train. Paris is 1.20 hrs. London only 2 hrs.

[charley]

I have only been to Stuttgart of the three and I will agree that it is pretty industrial. We went to tour Mercedes and also stopped by the Porsche museum. Both were fascinating but I don't think there is a whole lot more to the town.

[mrsd2006]

Feb 17, 2016 4:38:32 GMT -5 Linie said:

If you come to Brussels, I could give you all the tips and - should you wish - show you around.
I live here and am originally from Ghent, which I find is the most beautiful city of the country.
I know Zurich only as a banking city. I've never been to Stuttgart.

Travel from Brussels to Amsterdam is 1.40 hrs by train. Paris is 1.20 hrs. London only 2 hrs.

Thanks! We have decided on Brussels (we are flying in and out of there, not necessarily staying there the whole time) a side trip to Paris (never been to either). 

I will definitely hit you up for some recommendations!! 

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

[Linie]

Feb 17, 2016 9:17:54 GMT -5 mrsd2006 said:

Feb 17, 2016 4:38:32 GMT -5 Linie said:

If you come to Brussels, I could give you all the tips and - should you wish - show you around.
I live here and am originally from Ghent, which I find is the most beautiful city of the country.
I know Zurich only as a banking city. I've never been to Stuttgart.

Travel from Brussels to Amsterdam is 1.40 hrs by train. Paris is 1.20 hrs. London only 2 hrs.

Thanks! We have decided on Brussels (we are flying in and out of there, not necessarily staying there the whole time) a side trip to Paris (never been to either). 

I will definitely hit you up for some recommendations!! 

Thanks everyone for your feedback.

Great! Just let me know what your needs are (also for Paris) and I will try to help you as much as I can.

[mrsd2006]

Linie I sent you a PM.

[Alyssa]

I would go to Switzerland in a hot second if I had the time and cash. My grandmother grew up in Switzerland (Zurich, Lucerne, Küsnacht and Engelberg) and always spoke highly of it.

[MauMau]

Feb 17, 2016 15:12:07 GMT -5 Alyssa said:

I would go to Switzerland in a hot second if I had the time and cash. My grandmother grew up in Switzerland (Zurich, Lucerne, Küsnacht and Engelberg) and always spoke highly of it.

I hope you get to go sometime. Those are all such lovely places. Engelberg was one of my favorites. I would babysit in Küsnacht and I liked how relatively safe and quiet it was. I would have to walk pretty far to the train station at night. So that was nice. Whenever I think of Küsnacht I think about their stop on the boat too.

I'm currently reading a book on woman who grew up in various areas of Switzerland and than moved to America. You would probably really enjoy it. Westward: Encounters with Swiss American Women. I paid an arm and a leg for the Kindle version but the sample hooked me in.

[Alyssa]

Feb 17, 2016 17:02:28 GMT -5 MauMau said:

Feb 17, 2016 15:12:07 GMT -5 Alyssa said:

I would go to Switzerland in a hot second if I had the time and cash. My grandmother grew up in Switzerland (Zurich, Lucerne, Küsnacht and Engelberg) and always spoke highly of it.

I hope you get to go sometime. Those are all such lovely places. Engelberg was one of my favorites. I would babysit in Küsnacht and I liked how relatively safe and quiet it was. I would have to walk pretty far to the train station at night. So that was nice. Whenever I think of Küsnacht I think about their stop on the boat too.

I'm currently reading a book on woman who grew up in various areas of Switzerland and than moved to America. You would probably really enjoy it. Westward: Encounters with Swiss American Women. I paid an arm and a leg for the Kindle version but the sample hooked me in.

Wow, I would love to read that!  My grandma was born in 1919 and moved to the US in the Spring of 1940.  According to my Aunt, my great grandfather is buried at the monastery in Engelberg.  The home she grew up in on Lake Lucerne also still stands.

Here's a picture of my grandmother with the mountains in the background.  She passed away in 2011 but I always loved hearing her stories from when she was little. 

[MauMau]

Alyssa So cute! You will definitely be interested in the book. I hope you get to visit. So little changes in the architecture probably from when she lived there. I really miss living there and haven't had a chance to go back since I moved 5 years ago nearly now. But I plan to rent a place for a month one day and explore old haunts.

[Alyssa]

Feb 17, 2016 17:22:05 GMT -5 MauMau said:

Alyssa So cute! You will definitely be interested in the book. I hope you get to visit. So little changes in the architecture probably from when she lived there. I really miss living there and haven't had a chance to go back since I moved 5 years ago nearly now. But I plan to rent a place for a month one day and explore old haunts.

Lovely photo!


This was my grandmother's house in Lucerne, taken back in the 1970's when my Uncle went on a trip through Europe.


And here is was last year when my Aunt took her family to see grandma's home.....







I will definitely look into reading the book, thank you for the recommendation!  My grandmother was born in Switzerland to American born parents who had German roots.  My great-grandfather was born in Pittsburgh in 1886 but moved back to Heidelberg, Germany when he was a boy. 




By WWI he was in the 15th Uhlan Regt. for the German army.  At some point while on a boat, he was captured by the French and put into a prisoner exchange program and sent to Switzerland. 

I have a lot of these postcards and letters that my great-grandfather wrote to his wife.  I find it to be very interesting that a prisoner at that time had his own set of printed postcards with his name printed on them.



My great-grandmother was born in NYC in 1884 and joined her husband in Switzerland and they raised 2 girls there until his sudden death on Jan 1, 1940 in the train station in Engelberg.  3 months later, wanting to get out of Europe due to WWII amping up, my grandmother fled for the US with her mother and younger sister and was able to do so because her mother had duel citizenship.




As you can sort of tell, I absolutely LOVE researching my family history.