Hotel Storchen Zurich Switzerland

Having concluded four Spanish itineraries, I now propose a tour around the country in which the modern notion of vacationing first arose. (Cf. my book RUSH TO THE ALPS). The first thing to keep in mind is that the eighteenth century motto "Pas d'argent, point de Suisse" (No money, no Switzerland) applies today in spades. For a quarter of a century or so after the Second World War the Swiss National Bank, in order to promote Swiss exports and the tourist industry, kept the Swiss franc at an artificially low level of 4.35 to the dollar, a valuation which, unlike other currencies, never varried. The result was that, at the beginning of the period one could count on getting full pension (a room and three meals) in a five star resort hotel for a truly ludicrous eight dollars a day per person; even toward the end of it, this had only doubled. However when, in 1972, the SNB decided that America's indebtedness had reached a point at which the losses such a policy entailed could no longer be borne and it let the dollar float, it immediately floated straight down, to the point where the exchange rate is now close to parity. Hence Switzerland is right up there as one of the most expensive countries in the world for Americans to vacation in, so be prepared to reach deep into your pocket.

Zurich is the main gateway to Switzerland and most people fly into there. The Hotel Storchen, a four star establishment, boasts of having been in continuous operation for six hundred years and that is how many Swiss Francs a double with a river view will cost you for a night. You might be able to do somewhat better on Priceline, but don't count on it, in season the hotel is generally fully booked. That said, the location is hard to beat. The hotel is situated on a bank of the river Limat, on the New Town side. You are in the city center, everything is within easy reach, the banks, the department stores, the luxury goods shops for which the city is famous, any number of restaurants are all within walking distance. The theaters and the opera house are a short trolley ride away. (In Zurich everyone rides the trolley, it's best to get a day ticket to avoid being nickle and dimed to death). The hotel itself offers large, very nicely furnished rooms with very good sound insulation. The personnel is friendly and, as is the case in establishments of this class throughout the country, everyone speaks good English. This is a very pleasant place to stay, a perfect one if one is on an expense account.