Switzerland in early December for hiking & scenery
A traveler is planning a trip to Switzerland in early December with their two boys, ages 7 and 8. They want to explore scenic spots and do some hiking, along with a visit to a ski resort, and have drafted an itinerary they want advice on. They are considering 2 nights in Lucerne, 3 nights in Interlaken, and various nights in Grindelwald and Zermatt or St. Moritz, finishing with 1 night in Zurich.
- Choose either Interlaken or Grindelwald for 4 nights instead of splitting them, as they are close together.
- Early December might mean limited snow at lower elevations, so plan for mountain trips to experience snow-capped scenery.
- Consider the 8-day Swiss Travel Pass, which can provide cost savings on transport and the free Swiss Family Card to allow your boys to travel for free.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,
I am planning to visit Switzerland in early December this year with my 2 boys aged 7 & 8.. I like scenary and a bit of hiking. I planned to visit a ski resort too. As weather in December is early winter, I am not sure what are the recommendated places for scenary and I hope someone could help me with the itinenary. I have draft one and I am open to options.
2 night in Lucern
3 nights in Interlaken to explore the Bernese Oberland region
1 night in Grindelwald
2 nights in Zermatt or St.Moritz
1 night in Zurich (flight in and out from Zurich)
Thank you in advance for the advice.
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Welcome to MySwissAlps, Babytree!
Early December is kind of an in-between season. Quite likely there won’t be snow at lower elevations yet, so you’ll have to get up in the mountains for typical snow-capped mountain tops and winter scenery. That’s perfectly doable with mountain trips though. Some cable cars will be shut down as it’s low season, but the major ones (like Pilatus, Titlis, Rigi, Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, Gornergrat) should be accessible.
Most of your itinerary looks fine. I wouldn’t spend 3 nights in Interlaken and 1 in Grindelwald as these are close to one another. Just spend 4 nights in either town. Zermatt or St. Moritz may well have some snow in the villages already. You can follow the links I included to compare and see which appeals to you more. Zermatt would be easier to reach from Interlaken, and it’s a scenic ride if you avoid the long tunnel and take the mountain route via Kandersteg and Goppenstein instead. Details are in the timetable; enter Goppenstein as a via-station for details about the route I just mentioned.
Once your itinerary is more or less completed, it’s time to look into rail passes. How to pick the right one is explained here. The 8 day Swiss Travel Pass might be a good option in your case. The free Swiss Family Card allows your boys to travel along for free on all routes.
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