Our 11 day trip to Switzerland during the first two weeks of October was one of the most enjoyable vacations we’ve had and I owe a huge part of that to Connie Janggen. I was initially confused about where I wanted to travel and how to get there (train, car, bus) but a telephone call with Connie helped bring everything into focus and narrow down the trip. We gave her a budget and our final plans came in right on target.

We started by flying from Vancouver Island into Zurich and on Connie’s recommendation, took the train to Lucerne where we spent 3 nights at the Hotel Waldstatterhof. The weather was perfect; sunny and mild enough to walk around with only a light jacket. We took a cruise on Lake Lucerne in the wonderful old paddle steamer, got off at one of the many charming villages and took a gondola up the mountain. A great start.

From there, we took the train to Strasbourg and rented a car for a trip along the Alsace wine route. Again, on Connie’s recommendation, we spent a night in Strasbourg (at the beautiful and elegant Hotel Cour de Corbeau) and a night in Riquewihr (Hotel L’Oriel) which turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip. Returning to Switzerland, we took a series of easy train connections to Grindelwald and spent two nights at the Hotel Derby. The town was charming and we enjoyed the best fondue right at the hotel. A perfect, relaxing break after a busy start.

From there, we took the train to Montreux, which was, for us, the best part of the trip. Connie upgraded us to the Suisse Majestic Grand Hotel after hearing some comments from guests at the original hotel she had booked us into and all I can say is “thank you!”. The hotel was wonderful. We had a room overlooking Lake Geneva and it was spectacular. We walked around the city and felt completely safe. Great restaurants, lots of sights, a memorable city. The next day we took a train to Lausanne where my husband went to school many years ago and we walked around the city and enjoyed a fantastic crepe luncheon in one of the restaurants along the sunny waterfront.

There are many more details I could go into, but suffice it to say that Connie’s patience, invaluable input and detailed itinerary made the trip for us. We knew exactly what platforms we had to be on, what time the trains left and what connections we had to make. We had reserved seats on the Golden Pass into Montreux, which is a spectacularly scenic trip, but the other trains we got on without any problems (the Swiss train network is second to none). Her hotel choices were also fantastic. In keeping with our budget, we had some standard rooms but we also had some deluxe accommodations–and those were a real treat.

If we ever have the chance to go back to Switzerland, we will definitely contact Connie and Magic Switzerland because we know we’ll be in excellent hands. Thank you for everything Connie!