Places to see in Switzerland and Ireland?

Question

I'm visiting both counties for a total of sixteen days in May. Advice on either country would be helpful.

I'm looking for hidden gems, off the beaten path sort of things. Tourist traps are easy enough to find, loves, I don't need help with that! :)

Merci.

Answer 1

for Switzerland:

Stanstaad, a little town outside of Luzern, has the Fortress Furigen (aka Nidwaldner Museum); it's a series of tunnels carved into the alps, with bunkers, machine guns, and all sorts of other neat devices that Switzerland created in preparation for possible attacks on native soil. you really get the sense that Switzerland isn't exactly the neutral, passive country that is perceived by many, but instead has a very highly developed military. it's now turned into a museum open for public viewing, and they lend these military wool coats to wear because it's cold in the tunnels.

a stay in the Jungfrau region is a must. avoid touristy Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, and Interlaken. stay at Wengen, Murren, and Gimmelwald instead; views are incredible and you can hike and trottibike all day long in the Alpine scenery, in peace away from the crowds.

Thun is one of my favorite Swiss cities... picturesque, charming, amazing old architecture, situated on Lake Thun. it also has 5 castles to boot in the near vicinity (1 is in Spiez, 5min away), all of which you can visit and make 1 fun day. Thun is in the Berner Oberland, only about 40min from Interlaken. despite so many attractions, you don't see many tourists here even in the summer (most people flock to nearby Bern or Luzern instead).

Zurich is rather nice, an international city in a Swiss style. chances are, you'll be flying into Zurich, so a visit to the altstadt, Uetliberg, and shopping on the Bahnhofstrasse may be enjoyable. nearby Rapperswil, small charming town on the other end of the lake, is quiet and quaint, and definitely worth walking around.

Answer 2

Ireland: HIGHLY recommend the Giant's Causeway, it is absolutely one of the most amazing things you'll ever see. And while in the area you can visit the Bushmills Distillery (est. in 1608)

"The Giant's Causeway is an area of 40,000 interlocking basalt columns resulting from a volcanic eruption. It is located about 2 miles (3 km) north of the town of Bushmills in County Antrim, Northern Ireland along the northeast coast of Ireland." -Wikipedia

Answer 3

forget approximately with reference to the bigotted solutions, as i can in basic terms approximately assure that they have got in no way been to eire. Is there racism in eire... sure of path there is. Is eire any further racist than the different western united states of america NO. i could argue that they are much less racist, particularly what i could call 'no longer uncomplicated' racism. you have gotten alot of people who could have prejudices, yet no distinctive than everywhere interior the west. however with the contemporary financial downturn there is an strengthen in anti-immigrant attitudes. Dublin and maximum substantial Irish cities are extremely ethnically distinctive now. Getting a visa to eire each time quickly may be an argument, as there is extremely extreme unemployment and emigration on the 2nd.

Answer 4

Castles in Ireland.

Answer 5

ZURICH, SWITZERLAND.
it is sooo very wonderful.
the atmosphere, the fresh air, friendly people, many things to do, amazing food. I know it is a place that is common, but it is NOT swarming with tourists. i went during the summer, and it was GREAT. in may, it should be even more wonderful.

Answer 6

Hi Dawn, Irish here. How about my place http://www.carlingford.ie/
www.aranislands.ie.
www.blarneycastle.ie you be able to kiss the Blarney stone. lol
www.theburrencentre.ie

Answer 7

there are a lot of casles and that sort of stuff but there are guides you can get i would also ask other people maybe people who live there