Davos Switzerland Nov '14

Davos, Switzerland - Nov 2014

Davos, Near the eastern border of Switzerland. Famous for the World Economic Forum, Skiing, the AO Foundation, and jackall. That's what I thought anyway. I'm here on a work trip for several weeks, which gives me a bit more time to explore the place. First and foremost, some info:

• Airport Transfers - So to get to Davos, the airport I got to from London Heathrow is Zurich airport, which took about 90mins. The airport staff is efficient, customs officer was great and friendly. Note you don't need a visa as a Singaporean to travel there on pleasure. Baggage was quick. Follow the signs for the train station, and buy the train tickets to Davos Platz. There's no need to book train tickets online at all. You will be travelling from Zurich Flughafen (airport) to Zurich Hauptbahnhof (main station) which takes 10mins, changing trains to get to Landquart which takes about an hour, and finally to Davos Platz which takes 90mins. Total 2h40mins. note: you may drop off at Davos Dorf which is a station before Davos Platz.
  
  It is quite confusing which trains to transfer to at Zurich Hbf and Landquart. If you approach a ticket sales counter and ask, they will print out a sheet of specific instructions of how to get there, which stop to alight, the exact time to alight, and which platform the next train is at and what time it leaves. I.e. it is very useful. Swiss trains are efficient and punctual. Trains run every hour from Zurich Hbf to Landquart. Here's a picture of how it looks like!
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  *note: if you are on a ski trip with all your gear, you may consider catching a shuttle which runs only on Saturdays during ski season. It costs the same as the train ticket (~120CHF return), but it will take longer and require pre-booking. Did not take it myself so let us know how it goes!
  
  http://www.davos.ch/en/stay/getting-here/airport-shuttle.html
  
  *note: some ski passes include the train ride and local bus services, so do check them out online first. 

•  Currency exchange - Singapore money changers have pretty good rates, but Swiss banks are not too bad either. Changed my CHF here as London's rates are crap. Be prepared, Switzerland is an expensive place, but I'll show you how to stretch your franc! 

When I got off at Davos Platz, I got directions from the "Info Counter" there, and they gave me a map and pretty good directions to get to my place. Note this Info counter closes at 7pm. I stayed on the Promenade, which seems to be the main street of the town. Note eating out is expensive, especially for families. Consider spending a bit more on a studio with a kitchen so you can cook, I'd reckon it'll be cheaper overall! 

Promenade Street

View from the flat

As I arrived on a Sunday, almost everything was closed. That's one thing I'll never get used to. But the view was amazing. So first impression, Alle ist gute. Davos is a very safe place apparently, my flatmate who's been here for 2 years doesn't lock his bike. So fingers crossed.

26/11/14 - In addition to the above information, it was recommended by a Destination Expert for Switzerland on Tripadvisor to include SBB Fly Rail Baggage services here. I checked out their services they offer and found out that they have a Fly Rail Baggage service which may be of interest to you guys. In a nutshell, for a nominal fee of CHF22 per piece of luggage, you can check-in up to 32kg per luggage item at any airport around the world, to be picked up a couple of days later at a Swiss train station! I've not done it myself unfortunately, just putting it out there. Sounds like a promising idea, especially if you're like my partner who has 9 pairs of winter boots for 1 pair of feet. For more details check out their website http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/services/baggage/fly-rail-baggage.html. Cheers to Hambagahle for the info!