[Mlfish4343]

1 April 2024 at 19:58:16 #1347524

Hi everyone,

We are planning a 14 day trip to Switzerland this summer and would like to know if we are doing too much, and if so, what to take out or do differently.  This will be our first trip to Switzerland but have traveled to other European countries previously.  We have teh Half Day Card and plan to get the BOP for Interlaken/Grindelwald area.  Here is our current trip design:

Arrive in Zurich, take the train to Lucerne (stay one night)

Scenic train to Interlaken (stay 2 nights) – BOP.

Train to Grindelwald (stay 2 nights)

Train/Scenic train to Montreaux (stay 2 nights)

Train to Zermatt (stay 2 nights)

Glacier Express to St. Moritz (stay 2 nights)

Train to Zurich (2 nights)

Fly home.

We are looking forward to the scenic trains, gondola rides, hiking, and overall experience of this amazing country.  My concern is that we are going to too many places and that we will be spending more time unpacking, packing and figuring out logistics (train stations, location of the hotel, town orientation, etc.).   What town(s)  would you remove?  Where would you stay the extra nights?

Thanks – Michael

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[User]

Reply 1 of 13 • 2 April 2024 at 7:05:43 #1347552

Hi Michael,

Staying 2 nights anywhere basically just gives you one full day for activities, and that one day might turn out to be unsuitable for what you had planned e.g. mountain visits.

If this were my itinerary, I would rearrange it as follows:

• Skip the overnights in Interlaken (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/interlaken/); add one night to Luzern (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/) and one night to Grindelwald (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/grindelwald/).
• Spend an extra night in Zermatt (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/zermatt/)to maximise your chances of getting a clear day to view the Matterhorn, and only 1 night in Zürich (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/zurich/) at the end.

Make sure to have a Plan B for bad-weather days so you don’t waste time wondering what to do if the weather doesn’t cooperate!

In terms of transport logistics, if you have the SBB app, you can plan your main trips ahead of time and save them in the app and/or export them to a calendar app on your device.

Hope this gives you some ideas to think about!

Alpenrose

[Mark]

Reply 2 of 13 • 2 April 2024 at 15:13:31 #1354066

Hi Michael

I agree with Alpenrose. Every time you change overnight locations you waste a significant amount of time by packing, checking out, transporting luggage to the train station, checking in and unpacking in new hotel.

I too would skip Interlakin and St. Moritz. Interlakin has more of a city feel and not especially scenic. Grindelwald is much more scenic and very convenient for sights in the BO area (https://www.myswissalps.com/region/bernese-oberland/) . Wengen and Murren are even more scenic but Grindelwald is still a good choice.

In my opinion Zermatt and St Moritz are quite similar large mountain ski towns. Although the Upper Engadine (https://www.myswissalps.com/region/engadine/)  is very scenic, I think the scenery and hiking in Zermatt is definitely more spectacular. Also St Moritz is built on the side of a mountain and not especially easy to walk through. Zermatt is in a valley and more pedestrian friendly.

Zurich (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/zurich/) has a nice Old Town area that is nice to walk through and have a meal but this would take about a half day. Otherwise it is a typical large city. Perhaps worthwhile if you especially like museums and high end restaurants.

I think Alpenrose’s suggestions are spot on. Personally I would spend 4 days in Wengen and 3 in Zermatt. I would go strait to Lucerne or Montreaux on arrival in Switzerland. Skip the extra day in Zurich and omit Interlakin, St Moritz, and maybe choose either Lucerne or Montreaux.

Mark

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 3 of 13 • 2 April 2024 at 16:54:58 #1354070

Thanks, Alpenrose – I appreciate your insights and rationale.  I’ll take a look at hotel availability to see if I can add days at my current reservations.  I made all reservations with the ability to change without penalty to allow that flexibility (assuming they have availability).

Best regards – Michael

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 4 of 13 • 2 April 2024 at 17:01:00 #1354071

Thanks Mark – I don’t know much about Wegen or Murren so I’ll need to look into those.  I appreciate you providing advice on which order to see the different towns as well.  I’ll also take a look at the tradeoffs between Zermatt and St. Morits as well as Montreaux and Lucerne.

Much appreciated!  Michael

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 5 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 0:20:31 #1354109

In looking further into the 2 replies, it looks like Alpenrose recommendation would result in 6 hotels (-1) and Mark’s recommendation would result in 5 (-2) hotels.  Trying to meld the two together (eliminating St. Moritz and Interlaken), it could be:

2 days in Luzern

4 days in Grindelwald/Wengen area

2 days in Montreux

3 days in Zermatt

1 day in Zurich

I still have 1 more day – where do I add that to the above 5 towns?  Is there more to do in Luzern or Montreux?  We definitely want to go to the wine region for a day outside Montreux, if that helps.

THANKS

[Mark]

Reply 6 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 1:46:43 #1354112

Hi Mike

I have a significant amount of experience in hiking in the upper Engadine, BO, Ticino and Zermatt areas. I’m less familiar  Lucerne and Montreux areas. I expect Alpenrose or one of the moderators could advise you on them. Sounds like another day in Montreux may be warranted but Lucerne is quite popular for the nearby mountains and lakes too.

As I said before Grindelwald is fine as a base. Wengen is smaller, no cars, and has a good view of Lauterbrunnen valley and the mountains. Murren has the best views of all in my opinion but is much less accessible than Wengen or Grindelwald.

You did not say what kind of hikes you were most interested in. The options in BO area are limitless. Zermatt too. Hikes from easy to moderate to difficult are available.

Mark

[User]

Reply 7 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 6:16:32 #1354115

Hi Michael,

I would find it hard to choose between Luzern and Montreux for the extra day. There is so much to do in both places.

You have opportunities for mountain visits in Luzern, the Jungfrau Region and Zermatt, so for balance you might like to add the extra day to Montreux and focus on vineyard walks and village visits, plus walking on the lakeside promenade and visiting Chillon Castle. A cruise on the lake between Montreux and Lausanne is also lovely.

Whatever you decide, you won’t be short of wonderful things to do!

Alpenrose

[Annika]

Reply 8 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 6:41:58 #1354117

Hi Michael! For your days in the Jungfrau region (Grindelwald/Wengen) it indeed makes sense to consider a regional pass. This goes especially if you plan to use mountain trains and cable cars. You could look into the Berner Oberland Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/berner-oberland-pass/) or the Jungfrau Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/jungfrau-travel-pass/).

I personally like the Berner Oberland Pass better as it has a much larger coverage area. That allows you to make trips west, north, and east of Interlaken in case weather in the Jungfrau Region isn’t great.

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 9 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 15:30:20 #1366913

Thanks Mark – we are beginner level hikers.  We do some hiking here in New Jersey (USA) and recently downloaded the All Trails premium level app to introduce us to some new areas.  I plan to use this in Switzerland as well as another app that was recommended.  I’m most looking forward to some hikes that take us to view the beautiful landscapes, farms,  lakes etc.  We will probably take a hike each day, but probably won’t spend the entire day going from hike to hike.  I plan to mix in a picnic, lunch/beer stop, or just plop and take in the view time.

Michael

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 10 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 15:33:53 #1367029

Hi Alpenrose – sounds like an extra day in either place is a good choice!  I like the idea of visiting some of the lake villages outside Montreax as well as just enjoying the town of Montreux.  My wife likes the hotel in Montreux a little better so that helps as well.

Thanks – Michael

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 11 of 13 • 3 April 2024 at 15:36:34 #1367135

Hi Annika – thanks for your reply.  We have already purchased the Half Fare Card and will purchase the BOP for the days in and around the region.  The convenience and flexibility to what we want to see and do makes that pass ideal.

Michael

[User]

Reply 12 of 13 • 4 April 2024 at 6:41:17 #1367205

Hi Michael,

Lots of tips and information 🙂

We also  have a dedicated hiking section for Switzerland.  Here, you’ll also find tips for hiking in Switzerland as well as recommended hikes, of varying levels of difficulty – from leisurely town walks to challenging mountain trails.

Here’s the link:  https://www.myswissalps.com/activities/hiking/

Also you’ll find additional hike suggestions in our blog section. Just filter per “topic”, in the drop down menu:

• https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-blog/

If you opt to stay in Montreux for a little longer, you could visit Gruyères, a small medieval town, not on the lake but very lovely – there you have the chocolate factory and also the cheese factory you can visit.  More details in the link below:

• https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gruyeres/

Or as Alpenrose mentions, Lausanne is on the lake. Our Lausanne guide below.

• https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lausanne/

Kind regards,

Yolanda

[Mlfish4343]

Reply 13 of 13 • 4 April 2024 at 15:34:40 #1368975

Thank you Yolanda.  The links you provided were very helpful in adding some nice spots to visit during our visit.  We were looking at the Lindt factory outside of Zurich, so the chocolate/cheese option in Gruyeres could be a good option as well.

Best regards – Michael