Taking a vacation for 2 weeks with a Eurail pass and covering 5 countries and 10 cities we found our 3 days in Rapperswil a true retreat, with much of it due to the staff and comfort of the Speer Hotel. Rapperswil itself is beautiful, rich in history and it's location at the southern tip of the Zurich See allowed for romantic, relaxing strolls at sunset along the lake with crisp views of the alps off in the distance.

Booking all our hotels spontaneously (on-line) along the way (having left our computers at home) we were in constant search of internet cafes and on-line services. The Speer Hotel offers a business center, with free internet, where we were able to catch up on some pressing items, in a comfortable, private setting just one floor below our own.

The price was quite reasonable and the room was great, clean & quiet with a tub. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful, and the strong sense of committment to customer service was apparent everywhere... all well orchestrated by warm and friendly hotel owners: Urs & Cecile Haemmerle Eberle.

The small restaurant we had read about on this site was no longer in opperation, but the complimentary breakfast was great and kept us satified all day. There are also many excellent restaurants in close proximity.

We are seriously considering using the Speer as a homebase for our next trip. It's central location is convenient and offers easy day-trips to all of Switzerland and beyond.

We highly recommend the Speer and definitely will return!

I have stayed the Speer many times now and would have no hesitation in doing so again.

On every visit the staff have been very friendly, very efficient and nothing short of the best.

Handily convienant directly opposite the train station and the old town is right out the back door of the hotel.

The location is nothing short of fantastic with the castle, zoo, deer park and lake all within walking distance.

A train journey or beautiful boat ride will take you from here to Zuerich or you can explore the local area.

The "Back & Brau" restaurant has it's own beers made by them - although service can be variable (it is managed by the Back & Brau chain which is independant of the Hotel)

The hotel Speer is a very good and nice hotel in Rapperswil, on the lake of Zurich.
It has a restaurant called « Back und Brau » with a nice terrace, good food and homemade beer.
This hotel is situated close to the lake, in the bay-area, just opposite to the small Railway-station. If you come with the train from the airport of Zürich (Kloten), its only about one hour drive and you get directly to this ferry tail like place. There is also a direct train-connection to Zurich.

When we were there, we had a special offer from
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Since they had enough free rooms, our children could have for free their own room.
The rooms are large, clean and very nice. You get a very good value for money – much better than in most other hotels in Switzerland, and also very authentic.
The staff is helpful and very friendly. Since our children did not eat the “free children menu” with us the first day (from the special offer), they could have it as teak-away the next morning when we left the hotel. By the way, food is very good there too; they serve Italian pasta and “Flamen Fladen”, a kind of special homemade pizza and other light servings for reasonable prices (about 20 CHF per Menu).

Rapperswil is one of the most beautiful places in Switzerland to stay. It’s a small old city with a castle and a beautiful bay-area. There are some nice bay-restaurants and a very good ice-cream house too. If you leave the city, you are directly in the nature. It’s a good place to visit in the warmer summer month, from spring to autumn.

There are many activities to do within 10 min car-drive:

In the beautiful little bay in Rapperswil you may rent a small motorboat or a « pedalo » and make a tour on the lake around the small islands. There are also organized boat-trips on Lake of Zurich.

In Pfäffikon (Schwyz) is the biggest water park in Europe, the Alpamare. Its fun for old and young. There are not only many different waterslides, there are also places with hot water and even a hot jod-bath.

In Rapperswil is also the Zoo of the Swiss National Circus Knie. It’s not very big, but very special. You can feed, touch and even ride some of the animals. Have you ever feed a Camel or an Elephant? There you can.