[Removed user]

20 January 2019 at 18:08:56 #819553

Hello Swiss Alps experts! My husband and I are planning a 2 week trip mid to end of June and are not quite sure where to “base” ourselves. We want to do 3-7 hour intermediate to difficult hikes each day (but not stay in huts). We are thinking of staying in the Bern, Zermatt and Jungfrau region, with 3-4 days in each.

1) What should be our travel route? (Start in Zurich or Geneva?)

2) Should we get the half-fare pass or just buy individual train tickets to each base?

3) Is there another base location we should not miss?

Thank you for any ideas or recs!

[Arno]

21 January 2019 at 5:39:33 #902497

Welcome to MySwissAlps Csuh430!

Depending on the type of hikes you have in mind, you may want to consider Lucerne instead of Bern. Lucerne is closer to the mountains and on a lake:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn
• http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

1) I’d probably start with the somewhat “lower” mountains and work my way up: Lucerne or Bern first after arrival in Zurich, then the Jungfrau region, then Zermatt and departure from Geneva (could be Zurich as well if that works out better for you).

• http://www.myswissalps.com/ai rports/zurich
• http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne
• http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion
• http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt
• http://www.myswissalps.com/ai rports/geneva

2) You can work on that once your itinerary is set. Please see http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass.

3) Plenty, please see http://www.myswissalps.com/re gions 🙂 But you can’t see it all in two weeks so I think your plan is just fine for this trip.

[Removed user]

21 January 2019 at 20:25:11 #902498

Thanks for the informative reply, Arno! We are intrigued by your recommendation to stay in Lucerne vs Bern. Should we try to squeeze in both? We read about some great hikes near Neuchatel.

Also, do you recommend staying in Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken or Grindewald as a base for day hiking in the Jungfrau region?

We love a variety of intermediate to semi- challenging day hikes.

[Arno]

22 January 2019 at 7:26:57 #902499

You’re welcome! If you have specific hikes in mind near Bern then it is all fine. Personally I would not stay in too many base towns as you’ll easily lose half a day each time you move. Whatever you do, there will be plenty of places left for your next visit 😉

Please see the Jungfrau region link in my previous post and scroll down for links to the various towns. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. Please see if those pages help to pick one. If not, feel free to ask here.