Switzerland (Eyewitness Travel Guides) (Turtleback)

by DK Publishing (Author) "LOCATED IN THE Alpine region of central Europe, Switzerland is a landlocked country covering some 41,300 sq km (15,950 sq miles) and inhabited by 7..." (more)
Key Phrases: rack railway, Old Town, Lake Geneva, Swiss Confederation (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
This winter wonderland offers everything from magnificent mountain scenery, alpine villages, and ski resorts, to chocolate and cuckoo clocks. Whether you prefer to hurtle down the Cresta Run on a tearaway luge or rest and reenergise yourself at a luxury spa, this is the only guide you will need.

Product Details

• Turtleback: 324 pages
• Publisher: DK Travel (December 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756605296
• ISBN-13: 978-0756605292
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,981 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #1 in	Books > Travel > Europe > Switzerland
  #12 in	Books > Travel > Guidebook Series > Eyewitness
  #95 in	Books > Travel > Reference & Tips > Guidebooks

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

122 of 123 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun and thorough guide, January 11, 2005

By	Philipp Kessler (Providence, RI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a Swiss/US dual citizen, currently living in Rhode Island, but having spent a good 30 years in Switzerland, I was eager to get this travel guide. I ordered it in part out of curiousity to see how my favorite travel guide publisher would portray Switzerland, and in part to have a book to be able to show my friends where I come from.
I have to say that this travel guide more than pleasantly surprised me. With its beautiful illustrations, this book is not only fun to read, but also loaded with accurate and valuable information on all the major (and minor) sights that Switzerland has to offer.
Having lived in Zurich myself, I was pleasantly surprised how thorough this guide explores the different points of interest and learned a thing or two I did not know myself. Even the list of Restaurants was excellent. Do go and enjoy a meal at my favorite restaurant in Zurich, the "Kronenhalle" (bit pricey but well worthwhile). For an inexpensive and hearty meal, I would recommend the "Zeughauskeller" in addition to the list.
The book also contains a section on the different food specialties that Switzerland has to offer, which is a great feature for anyone who likes to immerse themselves in the local culture and is willing to live for a week or two abroad, resisting the urge of running to McDonalds.
Take it from someone who lived there: This book is by far the most comprehensive guide to Switzerland available today.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Informative, thorough and entertaining in the bargain!, August 3, 2007

By	Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I'm not a seasoned or jaded traveler ... yet! So a comprehensive travel guide is critical to my preparation for a trip and a great way of post-filling information and details into some of the holes or places that I might have missed or had to rush through when I was actually on the trip. Along with photographs and trip journals, they're also a wonderful way to resurrect detailed memories of a trip long after you've returned home.

Eyewitness Travel Guides seem to have the market beat by a long margin! That's not to say that Lonely Planet, Frommer, Michelin or the Blue and Green Guides miss the mark entirely but the Eyewitness series, in general, seems to be more informative. The photographs and illustrations instill a higher degree of keen anticipation and provide a better means of choosing in advance between a world of competing destinations and alternative tourist attractions.

Their guide to Switzerland, in particular, was astonishingly accurate and complete - history, food, travel, hotels, geography, destinations, estimated costs, highlights, outdoor activities - every last one of them spot on and accurately described from the perspective of an actual trip through St Moritz, Lucerne, the Bernina Pass to Tirano, Italy and Interlaken. Even now the photographs of Swiss cuisine and cheese can set my mouth to watering!

One noteworthy omission that my traveling companion and I discovered by accident - Switzerland offers a museum pass for 30 Swiss francs that will give admission for one month to virtually every museum in the country. That's a remarkable offer given that the countryside is positively littered with a host of attractive museums, castles and attractions most of which charge a 5 to 10 franc admission. We learned that little tidbit from the concierge of the Palace Lucerne Hotel - kudos to the hotel for over the top service and a great piece of advice!

With that one small suggestion for addition to future editions, the Eyewitness Travel Guide to Switzerland easily earns a five-star review. And Switzerland, by the bye, is certainly a delicious five-star travel destination!

Paul Weiss

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Excellent visuals, but missing useful information, April 9, 2008

By	vr65nt (United States) - See all my reviews

Pros: this guidebook has lots of pictures and gives lots of information region by region, detailed cut-outs of major historical buildings. I also found the pictures in the survival guide section useful, where they describe the various Swiss dishes and food/drink products.

Cons: no information on how to get to different places by train (e.g. from Interlaken to Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch). I understand the guide cannot list train numbers and times, but at least it could have described how to, for example, get from Luzern to Mt. Titlis by train. Train travel is a big part of the Switzerland experience so this seems like a big omission. There's also not much information on hiking, even though this is a very popular country with hikers. An overview map of hiking trails would have been useful. However, there are other guides that cover hiking so this is a minor omission by comparison.