Switzerland7-Northeastern Switzerland - John Covey - University of ...

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286 NORTHEASTERN SWITZERLAND GLARUS KLÖNTAL Reaching west of Glarus, the 12km Klöntal is one of the country’s least touched valleys (and back-door route into Schwyz canton). Klöntaler See is a mirror-still lake backed on its south side by the sheer walls of the Glärnisch mountains. A couple of majestic waterfalls open up clefts in this massif. At the lake’s west end you’ll fi nd a camping ground and a couple of hotels. Hotel Vorauen (%055 640 13 83; www .vorauen.ch; dm/s/d Sfr52/90/120) has a handful of timber-lined rooms and primary-coloured dorms. at this convivial trattoria, which has a leafy terrace for summer dining. There’s a kids’ menu for the little ones. 8 Getting There & Away Both Walenstadt and Weesen are handily located on the A3 freeway from Zürich. By train from Zürich, get off at Ziegelbrücke (Sfr21, 45 minutes), which is a 15-minute walk from central Weesen, or change for trains on to Walenstadt. GLARUS CANTON The spiky, glacier-capped peaks of the Glarus Alps rise above stout wooden farmhouses and lush pastures in this littleexplored canton, linked to the centre of the country by the vertiginous Klausenpass. Its northern boundary touches Walensee and provides much of the Alpine beauty that can be observed from the lake’s north shore. For more information, contact Glarner Tourismus (%055 610 21 25; www.glarus.ch, in German; Niederurnen). Glarus POP 12,200 / ELEV 472M Nestling at the foot of the austerely beautiful Glarus Alps, Glarus is the capital of the eponymous canton. Two-thirds destroyed by fi re in 1861, the town is a graceful 19thcentury creation with some fi ne residential buildings and the occasional typical old timber rural house that survived the fl ames. A couple of hotels overlook the park in front of the main train station. Hotel Stadthof (%055 640 63 66; www.hotelstadthof.ch, in German; Kirchstrasse 2; s/d/tr Sfr90/140/150; W) has 12 rather plain but clean brightly whitewashed rooms with parquet fl ooring, some of which look over the park. Some trains from Zürich (Sfr24, 60 minutes) require a change at Rapperswil or Ziegelbrücke. From St Gallen (Sfr26, 1¼ hours) the trip is longer. Braunwald POP 300 / ELEV 1256M The attractive car-free mountain resort of Braunwald basks in sunshine on the side of a steep hill, gazing at the snowcapped Tödi Mountain (3614m) and overlooking valley pastures and fi r forests below. The Braunwaldbahn (one-way/return Sfr7.80/15.60) climbs the hill from the Linthal Braunwaldbahn station. Braunwald Tourism (%055 653 65 65; www.braunwald.ch; h8am-noon & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri) is on the top fl oor of the funicular station. Braunwald is a terrifi c base for hiking in summer, and you’ll fi nd pamphlets at the funicular station outlining several routes, including to the Oberblegisee, a greentinted Alpine lake. If you’re up for a challenge, tackle the fi ve-hour via ferrata at Eggstock. In winter the resort has family appeal, with moderate skiing and off -piste fun from sledding to snow-tubing. A converted grand Victorian fairy-tale hotel, the Märchenhotel Bellevue (%055 653 71 71; www.maerchenhotel.ch; r per person from Sfr175; psc) combines elegant modern rooms with saunas and bars for adults and all manner of playthings for children. Parents can relax in the rooftop spa area while kids are looked after in the play area. Less than two minutes from the funicular station, Hostel Adrenalin (%079 347 29 05; www.adrenalin.gl; Braunwald; r per person Sfr35) is the hub of the young snowboarding and adventure-sports community in winter, with video games and lots of parties. There is a Sfr20 surcharge for a one-night stay and breakfast costs an extra Sfr8. Trains run roughly hourly from Linthal Braunwaldbahn to Zürich (Sfr28, 1½ hours) via Ziegelbrücke (Sfr10.40, 40 minutes). It’s a 1¼-hour drive from Zürich along the A3.
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Page 1 and 2: Switzerland Northeastern Switzerlan
Page 3 and 4: Northeastern Switzerland Highlights
Page 5 and 6: for views over a patchwork of rooft
Page 7 and 8: European-Asian taste sensations at
Page 9 and 10: MILKY WAY Forget horses, donkeys an
Page 11 and 12: 8 Getting Around Various ferry comp
Page 13 and 14: Textilmuseum MUSEUM (www.textilmuse
Page 15 and 16: exquisite chocolate in liquid and s
Page 17 and 18: START BRÜLISAU END WILDHAUS DISTAN
Page 19: SARDONA A wild and wonderful area o

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