Planning
to visit our part of Switzerland soon ...?
Welcoming
some of my distant cousins from Lignières since a few years, this
page was created to assist plan a trip to our region for a more enjoyable
and better prepared trip.
Let
me know of other tips you would like to see on this page - using
my e-mail address
below. Thank You !
Visiting
Lignières - our place of origin - is best the last week end
of September : this is the time of "La désalpe" (here
a choice of pictures from the past years) or when the cows come
back to the village after spending 4 months on the top of the nearby
Jura hills : a big feast takes place in our village on that Saturday.
So if you can, schedule your trip around that week end... added to
which our wine festival (here
a link... in French) takes place that same week end (or the one
after - it depends from one year to the other) in the city of Neuchâtel
and is another great occasion to have a good time around !
Tips & Co
(includes
personal comments that may not be shared by others)
Alps - Europe's
water reservoir ! there are many great day trips
to be enjoyed, 2 hours travel time from Neuchâtel.
One of my favourite is the Berner Oberland and
an absolute must : a trip on top
of the Jungfrau.
Try this
link for more information
or this link to
the Jungfrau region hotels you may want to visit
to book a place
Air
conditioning is rare and mostly to be found in upper
scale places. Really only needed in July / August.
Bern -
our capital, first written about in 1191, so well preserved, is
considered one of the world's heritage. Definitely
worth a visit.
And
if you are at the bear-pits around lunch time, try out
the Altes
Tramdepot Restaurant located just
behind the tourist office at the bear-pits: a micro-brewery
with good food
at reasonable prices.
Car
rental is the best way for you to get around and
see as much as possible in the few days you will be here.
American citizen usually get better deals
than us when booking from abroad: I was told around US$
85.- daily or so for a compact size with unlimited mileage
and all insurances and taxes.
Let me know if you have better deals!
Cheese Swiss
speciality that can be taken back home, packed in air
tight wrapping. We have very good
family-owned dairies that will provide for example
excellent Gruyères, Tilsit, Emmentaler, Appenzeller but
also local speciality cheeses for you to take home.
Driving is
on good roads, well sign posted. We do drive a bit more "abruptly" than
what I experienced in the USA but far cooler than some
southern or eastern Europeans. Expect some horns and
flashes if you "drag your feet"... !
In tunnels (we have many of those around), for your safety and others, switch
on your headlights. In fact, leaving your lights on even during the day is a
new recommendation in Switzerland.
Overtaking from the right on highways as well as "right turns on red" are not
on in Switzerland ! So do get back in the right lane right after overtaking...
and look for a green or flashing orange to turn right
Finding
the place where your ancestors came from, or simply preparing
your drive. Use this
link, pre-set for the area of Lignières.
Zoom in or out, navigate left or right...
Flying into
Switzerland to visit Neuchâtel county is a shorter
ride through Geneva
airport (1h15) than Zürich airport
(2h15). However the latter may have better connections
from your part of the world. Flying
from the USA through Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Munich, London
or Paris will offer good connections to Geneva.
Enjoy
(on time) train rides if
you travel light - but plan to rent a car at some point -
especially for touring Neuchâtel county.
Be prepared to arrive
pretty tired but make the point to try and stay awake as long as
possible
that arrival day (until 9-10 PM at least), to recover faster from
jetlag the following days !
Fondue one
of our typical dish is cheese fondue and you need to try it out once.
We have lots of small off-tracks and mountain farmhouses that provide
simple home made cooking - also offering cheese Fondue in a typical
rural environment.
Genealogy and
your Heritage is one of the main reasons to come over here. However
I recommend that you prepare your trip ahead of time, have all the
research done so that you can spend the time trying to connect with
distant cousins rather than spend your time in archives.
I
can recommend a good genealogist covering the State (canton)
of Neuchâtel (and who I also use for my own research).
*
for records 1875 and older, ask to order and view the
related microfilms of your commune of origin,
at your nearest mormon chapel.
Finally,
don't forget a visit to Swiss
Roots, created in Spring 2006 to reach out
to people of Swiss heritage
and also those with an affinity to Switzerland. Through
programs that foster an active dialogue between Switzerland
and the USA and showcasing the best in Swiss innovation,
culture, history, education and business—Swiss Roots
aims to communicate with its target audience in online
and offline exchanges.
Hotels are
usually not a problem to find, from the small family
owned, clean but simple to the deluxe version. The Neuchâtel
Tourist office link below have many recommendations that
you
may want to choose from. I
know a few and can guide your choice as best as I can
: most foreign tour operators don't know or have difficulties
with our smaller hotels (communication, language, distance,
etc). Count around CHF 100.-
to CHF 150.- per person including breakfast and taxes,
over CHF 400.- if you stay in luxury places.
Here are
two of my favourites places, offering cosy yet affordable prices:
- Hôtel
le Vaisseau in Cortaillod, at the
lake 10 miles West of Neuchâtel. Ask for a
superior room - around CHF 240.- for two
- Le
Prussien in
Neuchâtel. Harder to find but great unique "antique" rooms
in a historical building - around CHF 250.- for two
- Hôtel
des Arts in Neuchâtel, close by the lake and the
University - around CHF 220.- for two
But
for those of you Junod members from Lignières, you may prefer
to stay at the Hôtel
du Chasseral - located on top of the
hills (4800 feet) right above Lignières, with a magnificient
vew over the Alps or Hôtel
du Cheval-Blanc in Nods, the next door
village (North East from Lignières).
Information
/ News we
read in Switzerland ? Try this Swissinfo.org site
which also has links to Swiss music, Swiss Wheather forecast and also
other interesting articles.
Language is
French in our county but many understand German and or
English in tourist areas and cities - less so in the
countryside and remote valleys.
Lunch
time is a privileged moment where the family meets and eats together,
sharing the events of the morning. Try it : it's great ! For this,
expect many places and stores to be closed during lunch time... greeting
you back with a smile as of 1.30 or 2 PM again. This great tradition
is unfortunately losing grounds.
Neuchâtel Tourism
office has a lot to offer, from accomodations to great
ideas to spend your days. Check their English web page here.
Pedestrians have
the right of way on their yellow stripes : not giving
the right of way to someone who seems to want to cross
the road in front of you
results in the loss of your driving license...!
Restaurants provide
local and international cuisine. I will gladly provide
tips but for now, just note that in your village of
origin - Lignières
- Alban, the owner just renovated his "Restaurant
de la Commune" in
what used to be a stable, serving tasteful
dishes (13 points at Gault & Milliau): eat in the
place where your ancestors also came for a drink
or see Justice being served!
You
cann't miss the place, look
at this picture :
at the end of the main street, with the clock tower :
it's there ! And if you ask nicely, he may have the
time to show you the old "jail" and
the magnificient carpentry work of the roof (not a single
nail!).
Alban took over the
restaurant in 2005 and soon received awards. Here is
a link
to his web site (watch
the clock - it's real).
My
second pick : Restaurant "L'Escarbot" down
the hills from Lignières... in Le Landeron:
make sure and book early !
Speed
traps are frequent and getting more and more
unoticed: watch out on speed limits !
Stores are
normally closed Saturday from about 4.30 or 5 PM and Sunday. Most of
them are closed on Monday mornings; those which open then are closed
Wednesday afternoon. The trend is for some selected groceries to be
opened late in the evening or on Sunday morning, with railway station
stores opened 7 days a week. Ask your hotel or guest for specifics.
Learn more about our country and
habits
with
this here
Swiss
Army Knives are a nice souvenir
(to be packed in your suitcase). You'll find plenty of those in town,
at all prices. The only true Swiss army knife
is the simple silver plated one with a red Swiss flag and without
cork screw (the one on the far right on the link below)! We never
had "Swiss
army watches" or other types of knives as soldier...
Here
is the site of one of the two most known factories that manufactures
them - not far from us.
Tips are
included in most bills. Tip the cab driver (a couple
of francs or so), round the bill by a few percentage
point (2% or 3%- or leaving a few coins -
if you were particularly happy in a restaurant - but
all in all consider prices to be "all inclusive" (even
Sales tax is often included)
Tourism try
this comprehensive site MySwitzerland.com to
get more insight on planning and trip and visiting Switzerland.
Trains ride
in any directions every hour and are known to be on time. If your budget
allows it, book First class instead of second class. It is a bit more
expensive but it will provide you with a less packed carriage and more
enjoyable comfort.
And
for those of you that are especially contemplating using the
rail on several days, rail passes (Eurail or Swissrail)
are available for purchase in advance in the U.S. at
very
favorable
rates. For details on train timetable and (local) cost, select this
link.
Weather
Forecast including temperatures
for Switzerland can be found under this
link ... and finally,
here is a selection of
Webcams placed
in Neuchâtel State.
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