When we stayed here in May 2006, no one had yet written a review for the Krone and we had heard about more than enough surprises for tourists in Italy and England to be hesitant, but there was no need to worry. This was easily the most pleasant and trouble-free stay of our whole vacation. We found a discount offer through a website devoted to the Bernese Oberland. It was something like "stay 3 days and get the 4th free".

The Hotel Krone is a venerable old inn on the town square (Rathausplatz). It is just 5 minutes walk over two bridges from the Hauptbahnhof and we covered this at a brisk walk with our luggage in tow. The interior is so thoroughly remodelled that no one would ever guess the age of this building. The rooms were very spacious and generous. We did not stay in a Tower room, but neither was it among the standard (perhaps smaller) rooms, but an inbetween size.

Breakfast was obscenely generous and bountiful. We almost had no further need to eat until the next day -- soft-boiled eggs, yoghurts, cheeses, cold sliced meats, fresh shelled nuts, apples, bananas, strawberries, grapes, exotic papayas and rambutans and lychees, pitchers of juices, herbal teas and good black coffee.

The desk receptionists do double duty as concierges and tour guides. We spoke to two different young ladies and both were very helpful and gave good advice in regards to the weather and what we should expect high in the mountains and the Jungfrau. We went one day to the Simplon Tunnel and into Italy by Postbus; one day up the Jungfrau; one day into Berne for a city tour and parliament tour plus Lucerne on the way back. All expeditions went smoothly. We went as far west as Lausanne and as far east as Lucerne and as far south as Domodossola in Italy, all on day-trips out of Thun.

We toured Schloss Thun on our last morning before leaving for Vienna. My regret is that we did not have time to spare to see more of Thun itself. We debated taking a lake steamer down to Interlaken. We missed a music festival in the main square because we were determined to get to the Simplon Tunnel (it was the centenary of this engineering marvel). We stayed so much in the centre of the old town that we missed seeing the walls enclosing it! If I ever get to Switzerland again, this is where I shall go to stay!