8-9 day itinerary for 2nd Switzerland visit
A traveler is planning a special trip to Switzerland with her husband and sister, celebrating milestone birthdays and retirement. They will travel from Munich for 8-9 days, aiming to visit Bern, Gruyere, Montreux, and the Bernina Express while avoiding long train rides. The group loves the outdoors and prefers small towns, looking for advice on a smooth itinerary that minimizes luggage transfers.
- Choose central bases like Spiez or Chur to reduce travel times between attractions.
- The Bernina Express is highly recommended for its scenic views; plan to experience it while exploring the southern Swiss Alps.
- Make sure to check train schedules in advance, especially for potential bus replacements around Gruyere.
- Consider traveling directly from Munich to Chur to simplify transfers and enjoy nearby attractions easily.
AI-generated summary-
Hello Everyone,
It is my first time posting here and after reading many of the wonderful articles on this site I’m ready for your expert advise on our itinerary. There will be 3 adults traveling (my husband and I and my sister, celebrating milestone birthdays and retirement) from April 27th 2022 for 8-9 days. We will be coming from 3 days in Munich and planning to travel all by train. It is our second trip but my sisters’ first time to Switzerland. During our first trip we visited Lucerne, Basel and Lauterbrunnen valley so prefer not to go there again. We love the outdoors and prefer small towns to large cities. love art, history and architecture, easy hikes and views, views views!
Here is a list of our must sees and need advise on how to develop the most seamless itinerary to avoid constant long train rides and lugging luggage.
Bern, Gruyere (with cheese factory tour), Montreux with visit to Chillon castle, Lavaux vineyards, Bernina Express and southern Swiss Alps. We want to avoid too many stops and prefer staying in a few locations with day trips instead. This is a very loose idea of what I am thinking to do:
Munich-Interlaken (Thun, Spiez or other?) 3 nights- visit Bern ( or stay here instead) and Grindelwald for an Alpine hike
Interlaken-Montreux by taking the Golden Pass – 3 nights visit Gruyere from here?
Montreux- to somewhere ? and spend the night so we can board Bernina Express the following day ( Chur may be the obvious but we were thinking Pontresina if its easy )- 1 night. Take BE and arrive in Tirano and then would prefer to go to Lugano but not interested in the 3 hr. bus ride (so where to?) On our return back would like a different route to get different scenery- any suggestions on how best to head back to Zurich for our flight home. OR, Lake Como also seems like a possibility and then fly out of Milan instead, but also seems a bit complicated to get there from Tirano.
I thank you all in advance and look forward to all of your suggestions.
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Limited number of different central bases with day trips is definitely the best way to see Switzerland. If you position the central bases well, most journeys are short (remember Switzerland is a small country), except as in the next sentence (!):
Your ideas work except for one major problem, Montreux is the opposite end of Switzerland from the Bernina, so you should consider getting to Pontresina first from Munich
Alternatively, it is possible to access the ‘Montreux area’ attractions on day trips from Spiez, Bern or Thun, especially Gruyeres which is on a connecting line from the Golden Pass line so directly accessible by train from Spiez via Zweisimmen (BEWARE trains replaced by buses around Gruyeres Jan-Jun 2022)
I can recommend Spiez as a base. If you can afford a bit of luxury, stay at the Hotel Eden:
Montreux- to somewhere ? and spend the night so we can board Bernina Express the following day ( Chur may be the obvious but we were thinking Pontresina if its easy )- 1 night. Take BE and arrive in Tirano and then would prefer to go to Lugano but not interested in the 3 hr. bus ride (so where to?) On our return back would like a different route to get different scenery
Pontresian is a good place to stay althogh the main hotels are away from the station. Consider Samedan where there is a decent hotel by the station.
I don’t think you need a different route back from Tirano. Trust me : you will find that going out and then back in the opposite direction on the same route gives entirely different views from a train – you’d be surprised. Also, if you miss somthing one way you can get ready to see it on the way back
Hi Jgbr,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
This is my option if you pick to fly out of Milan: I would stick with the first half of your itinerary. Munich to Interlaken, then Interlaken to Montreux. The tricky part is to get on the Bernina Express from Montreux.. The best option is to travel to Chur via Zurich. This will take you about 4 hours and minimum two train changes. You might want to spend a night in Chur, then take the Bernina Express to Tirano the next day. From Tirano, there is a direct train to Milan Central (I think every 2 hours). Check here for tickets to Italy: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy
The second option, if you choose to fly out of Zurich: Instead of travelling to Interlaken from Munich, travel to Chur first (fastest connection about 4 hours). You might want to spend 2 or 3nights here. This will give you time to do a day trip to Tirano on the Bernina Express and travel on the local trains to explore the many charming littles villages in the region. More sightseeing options here: http://www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/activities
The third option: Similar to option 1. But instead of the Bernina Express, take the panoramic Glacier Express train. Find more details about this train and the route here: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress From Montreux, travel to Zermatt (abt 2 hours). Spend a night here, then take the Glacier Express the next day to Chur. Feel free to add 1 or 2 days here to explore the region. From Chur there are direct trains to Zurich and the fastest connection takes just 1.5 hours.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how to plan your trip.
Regards,
Anna
Thank you all for these eye opening suggestions- it has allowed us to think a bit differently and zero in on what exactly we wish to see. Our goals are to experience the Alpine villages and see the mountains on a comfortable train along with seeing Montreux/Gruyere and Bern.
I am considering , as several of you suggested, traveling directly from Munich to the Upper Engadine . I looked at options of Munich to Chur and am concerned that there are too many train changes with only 6 or 9 minute transfer time. Seems tight with luggage etc. any comments on this?
My itinerary then would be:
Munich to Chur/St. Moritz area-3 nights in a town near here (Samedan as suggested above is pretty, Pontressina or other?) . Take the Glacier Express (which seems the most scenic and easier way to get between this area and Montreux- would prefer BE since its shorter but GE gets me where we want to go with comfort and scenery)
Arrive Zermatt- overnight after Glacier Express (hope weather cooperates so we can see the Matterhorn but if not, still ok)
Zermatt- Montreux or Vevey (4 nights) visit Gruyere etc and day trip to Bern
Montreux – Zurich- overnight for our flight home the next day
Or do it all in reverse!
Love to hear your comments….
I would suggest you consider traveling from Munich to Chur, which can get you there in < 4 hours. Chur ( oldest city in SZ ) has connections to the Bernina and Glacier express as well as the Arosa Line. The Graubunden Area is less crowed and offers wonderful sights and epic scenery via rail. The Chur, Klosters and Davos Area all have excellent train schedules and connections. An hour down the line is St. Moritz and Pontresina another fun area to explore. Lots of little villages like Guarda. Easily 2-3 days. You could then go to Lugano and spend 2 nights to explore lake Como and some excellent funiculars, lakeside walks or perhaps Villa Ballbianello. From Lugano you could catch the Furka Steam Train (near Andermatt) and travel to Oberwald. About 2 hours through the Furka pass then travel to Montreux about 3:30 via Brig. Spend a day visiting the vineyards and travel on the Chocolate Train to Gruyeres and on to Bulle. From there stay in Lauterbrunnen Valley Area, I love Murren. Plenty of hikes on both sides of the Valley but the Mannlichen Walk on the East and the North Face above Murren. Spend a couple days and head to Zurich. That is a total <3 hour trip.
if you want to skip Lugano you can travel to Brig on the Glacier Express and on to you next destination, say Spiez. Alternatively you could also get off the Glacier at Andermatt. This itinerary take you from SE SZ – Traveling West to Montreux with stops in between. Traveling through mountains takes time and therefore traveling through scenic SE SZ. Is beautiful but slower than trains in the west. Most likely you will have at least one day where you will spend time relocating to your next extended stay.
I might suggest ending your trip in Lausanne Area and fly from Geneva ( less than $75 ea ) to Paris or London. Flights are much cheaper and you’ll save at least 1 hour flying home.
I will going back next September for 2 + weeks and am deep diving into the itinerary.
best wishes to you !
Good Luck
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IMO. Do not miss the Bernina Express. The Glacier Express is well worth it however I would choose the Bernina Express. You can travel from Chur to Spiez in less than 3 hours. Also While in Graubunden make sure to travel the RBh line Albula from Chur to Filisur which takes over the Landwasser Viaduct. If your set on St.Moritz a cool and easy hike is the Muottas Muragl to Alp Langaurd take the Chair lift down to Pontresina.
Wow- thanks so much! This is a lot of information to process but all very exciting options. I am also continuing to dive deep into this wonderful trip!
So much to consider logistically and happy to have all this input.
Your most welcome The deep dive into planning your trip is really fun. It makes you focus on your priorities ( wish list) and explore the logistical options. I would suggest using thetrainline.com website to figure out All your rail timetables. It helps me start to plan the itinerary in real time. Knowing how much is required going to and from your favorite destinations forces to evaluate how busy each day might become.
Where is home for all of you ?
Travel lite !
Mike
Munchen to Chur is very easy, total 3 hours 53 with just one change at St Margrethen, and you will have 40 minutes at St Margrethen so no problem for luggage transfer – in fact could be argued it is a bit too long to wait!
Hi Jgbr,
The average transfer time for SBB trains is 5 mins so 6-9 is certainly possible 🙂
Have a look here for practical tips about travelling on Swiss trains: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/practical/howtotravel
Anna
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