Trip to Switzerland in April 2022 with car
A traveler named Polkadot plans a road trip in Switzerland from April 9 to April 16, 2022. They seek advice on their itinerary, which includes visits to Zurich, Bern, Interlaken, and other scenic spots, while also concerned about potential icy roads. They want suggestions for dining and accommodations, and have questions regarding necessary COVID testing before traveling to Italy.
- Consider visiting Rheinfall as it's close to Zurich and great for a boat trip.
- Stick to fewer accommodations by staying in Interlaken to save time and effort.
- Check for the accessibility of attractions, as some may be closed in April, like the Grindelwald First cableway.
- Prepare for varying weather; pack warm and waterproof gear for hikes and color changes in altitude.
- Use the Swiss Travel Pass for ease in using public transport instead of driving everywhere.
AI-generated summary-
Hello everybody,
My boyfriend and I (in our late 20s) intend to visit Switzerland and Italy in April 2022 and would appreciate if you guys can provide us with some valuable inputs/advices on our itinerary. We are planning to drive around in Switzerland between 9 April to 16 April (yes, we are aware that Switzerland has amazing public transportation). The following is my proposed itinerary:
Day 1 (9 April): Arrive in Zurich and roam around in Zurich.
Day 2 (10 April): Pick up our car. Drive from Zurich to Bern. Explore Bern. Prior to driving to Bern, we are planning on visiting Rheinfall and Schaffausen. It is out of the way though. Please kindly advise if we should visit.
Day 3 (11 April): Drive from Bern to Thun to Interlaken. Will be driving on the North Shore (read from several threads that the North shore is more scenic than the South). Will probably explore Thun and Oberhofen Castle. Check in to our hotel in Interlaken and explore Interlaken then call it a night.
Day 4 (12 April): Drive from Interlaken to Stechelberg then cable car up to Schilthorn. After we are done exploring Schilthorn, we will take the cable car down to Birg for the thrill walk and skyline walk. Take the cable car down from Birg to Murren then hike to Gimmelwald. Cable car down from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg then drive to Trümmelbachfälle. Back to Interlaken. Please advise whether we should hike down to Stechelberg straight from Murren instead of taking the cable car from Gimmelwald.Any nice place for dinner? Back to Interlaken for the night.
Day 5 (13 April): Visit Harder Kulm. We would like to visit Grindelwald but read that First Cliff Walk by Tissot will be closed for maintenance. The cable car to First is also closed. Should we visit Wengen instead? The cable car from Wengen to Mannlichen is also closed unfortunately. We have no plans to go to Jungfraujoch. We might visit Brienz and Iseltwald. Overnight at either Iseltwald/Brienz. Where would you recommend us to stay?
Day 6 (14 April): Drive from Brienz/Iseltwald to Spiez Castle to Lake Blausee then to Adelboden where we will be spending our night.
Day 7 (15 April): Drive from Adelboden to Lungern to Lucerne. We read that the village of Lungern is really pretty. Wander around in Lucerne. We will be taking the Polymerase Chain Reaction swab/Antigen Rapid test today as well as we plan to go to Italy on the morning of 17 April (required because we are Singaporeans). Will be returning the car today as well. Overnight in Lucerne.
Day 8 (16 April): Visit Mt Pilatus and take the Toboggan run (according to the website, it opens only after 15 April 2022). Will be following the route provided by fellow member Steph (http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/what-is-the-best-way-to-see-mt-pilatus-in-march). Overnight in Lucerne.
We are very concerned that there will be icy/snowy roads as we do not have experience driving on them. Please kindly advise with reference to our itinerary if we have a chance of driving on such roads and roads we should avoid driving on. Please also advise if we have packed too many things per day and if we have missed out on any must see/go places.
Where would you propose for us to take our casual pre-wedding photoshoot at? Any photographers based in Switzerland to recommend us?
We planned the trip with Zurich as the first destination because we can only fly into Zurich airport and Lucerne as the last destination in Switzerland because the other places to do swabs are very much out of the way. Does anybody know if there are any restrictions if we were to go back to Switzerland from Italy? Do we have to do any PCR/Antigen Rapid Test?
Thank you in advance for all the feedbacks and inputs.
-
Hi Polkadot and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
You write that you are aware that Switzerland has a great rail system, so I am not going to write it again 🙂 If you wish, have a look at http://www.myswissalps.com/carversustrain. Here you’ll find some practical tips for driving a car in the Swiss Alps: http://www.myswissalps.com/car/drivinginthemountains and http://www.myswissalps.com/car/trafficregulations and http://www.myswissalps.com/car.
Rheinfall is wonderful, make sure to take a boat trip if you’re there, you find all the infos here: http://www.myswissalps.com/rhinefalls.
Yes, Grindelwald – First cableway will be closed between 28.03.22 – 13.05.22. Wengen is nice, you can go there or the Ballenberg Open Air Museum if you like this kind of museum. You could also visit the Beatus Caves. Have a look at this older thread it has many useful information: http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/best-route-to-open-air-museum-and-st-beatus-caves.
If you are staying in the region on Day 5, I would not recommend leaving your hotel in Interlaken, you can stay there and save one hotel change.
Sorry, I have no personal experience with photographers, so I cannot recommend any to you.
You’ll find the test places and other useful information regarding the Covid at http://www.myswissalps.com/coronavirus/planning. If you are fully vaccinated – according to today’s rules – you do not need a test to enter Switzerland, see the details at http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/does-the-corona-virus-affect-trips-to-switzerland.
I think that your itinerary is doable and you’ll see many wonderful things 🙂 I can see that you spent many time planning your itinerary. Congrats 🙂
I hope these will help you, I’ve also added some links to your post, please have a look at them too.
Take care,
Ildiko
Hi Polkadot
I’m probably not the best person to comment on your trip because I don’t drive in Switzerland, but your itinerary sounds good, with not too much packed in. You have chosen a bit of an awkward time to visit as a lot of the attractions the Interlaken region is famous for will be closed, but I can endorse Ildiko’s suggestion of the Beatus Caves (take a rain coat). You might consider taking the train up to the Schynige Platte from Interlaken as it will be running while you are there and the view is special.
The weather in April can vary a lot, so you’ll need to pack some cold/wet weather gear and decent shoes/boots. The temperature will drop 1 degree for every 100 metres you go up, so there is a potential 20 deg c temperature drop between Lauterbrunnen and the Schilthorn. If it’s 15 c in the village it will be -5 c at the top!
My wife and I are planning a trip in June, so I’d be interested in how you get on with the testing requirements. In the meantime, I watch the Swiss webcams for a daily reminder of what is instore for us. My favourite is the camera on the Hotel Belvedere in Grindelwald. The archived shots will give you an idea of what the weather may be like (may be) in April. This is the link. belvederegrindelwald.roundshot.com/
You’re going to have a fantastic adventure!
Have fun
Alan
Hey Ildiko,
Thanks for getting back! Based on my itinerary, do you think it will be better for me to visit in mid-late May (16-27 April 2022) instead of April?
Hi Alan,
Thanks for the tips! I do not have much choices unfortunately because of the COVID situation and manpower is very tight in the hospital I’m working at. Gotta choose the period where the majority probably won’t be taking leaves (i.e. when there’s no festivals or school holidays).
Do you reckon it will be better if I visit in mid-end May instead of April? I’d really like to be able to see more things in Switzerland (and *fingers crossed* better road conditions for driving).
I’ll post an update regarding the tests necessary if I do make it to Switzerland and Italy(or other countries) next year.
Thanks a lot!
Hi Polkadot,
I personally think travelling in May would enable you to see more of the destinations you’ve shortlisted on your itinerary.
http://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit
Regards,
Anna
Congratulations on your trip. I am not from Switzerland but will be going back (#3) on 09.18.22. My first suggestion is to use Google offline maps which you can load on your mobile device be fore you arrive. That way you will not require to use any data on your mobile device plan. Of course with that you see get step by step instructions and watch your location in real time. One navigator, one driver, Perfect! Regarding the itinerary I would suggest Heading to the Lauterbrunnen from Bren via Interlaken. Either spend a day in Interlaken but head to Lauterbrunnen after a day excursion. In Lauterbrunnen take the lift ( Lauterbrunnen – Grutschlap) then short train ride to Murren. There is excellent car parking across the street next to the train station. Stay in Murren and from there you can take the cable car either directly up to Birg and Schlithorn or down to Gimmelwald. There are plenty of nice hikes in the area.
Another nice hike is on the east side of the Valley. Take the Train from Lauterbrunnen to Kleine Scheidegg. While the Mannlichen Cable may be closed you may take the hike from Kleine Scheidegg toward the Mannlichen lift station. It has wonderful head on views of the Big 3 and while you travel upgrade it is not a tough hike, stop any time and head back to the K-S Station. You could go back to Lauterbrunnen or go to Eigerwand Station and hike back to Kleine Scheidegg. Alternatively you might decide to visit Gimmelwald via the Kleine Scheidegg and Eigerwand Stations and then take the Train to Lauterbrunnen from Gimmelwald.
If you choose to hike back to Lauterbrunnen from the Kleine Scheidegg Station you can hike all or part of the way to Lauterbrunnen or stop at one of first 2 stops and train the rest of the way to Lauterbrunnen through Wengen. No need to visit Wengen in my opinion. Murren is more laid back, extremely scenic, no cars, good restaurants like at the Hotel Blumental, which is a great place to stay as well. Murren is a small Village with amazing views of the Eigeralp Monch and Jungfrau and a fun excursion to Gimmelwald & Schlithorn as well.
There are many days trips as options from Berm or the Lausanne Areas. I love cheese and Chocolate so perhaps the Gruyere and Broc trip is of interest. The Chocolate Train will get you there and back in one day from Montreux. The Emmental Cheese around Bern is the epicenter for AOC production and has several places of interest to visit.
The rest of your itinerary looks like you have a personal connection to these destinations and they sound great.
Just a note: We too used a car our last trip but we traveled from Belgium to Germany to Switzerland and back to Germany and having the car was a bonus. Cars give you all the flexibility you want, however ( I know you have heard this ) I would say that you would not have to use a car because the public transportation system is awesome. If you are traveling light give it consideration. Best Wishes …Mike
Pictured is the Train from Lauterbrunnen – Grutschalp Lift
Attachments:
Day 2 (10 April): Pick up our car. Drive from Zurich to Bern. Explore Bern. Prior to driving to Bern, we are planning on visiting Rheinfall and Schaffausen. It is out of the way though. Please kindly advise if we should visit.
Remember driving times are quite short in ‘lowland’ Switzerland as Switzerland is a small country, so although Rheinfall may look ‘out of the way’ on a map, it is actually only about 40 minutes drive from Zurich (same comment applies to other parts of your itinerary – see below)
Day 3 (11 April): Drive from Bern to Thun to Interlaken. Will be driving on the North Shore (read from several threads that the North shore is more scenic than the South). Will probably explore Thun and Oberhofen Castle. Check in to our hotel in Interlaken and explore Interlaken then call it a night.
It is not that the north shore is ‘more scenic’ – it is just that the geography of the shores is different, and allied to that the north shore road follows closer to the shore than the road on the south side
Day 4 (12 April): Drive from Interlaken to Stechelberg then cable car up to Schilthorn. After we are done exploring Schilthorn, we will take the cable car down to Birg for the thrill walk and skyline walk. Take the cable car down from Birg to Murren then hike to Gimmelwald. Cable car down from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg then drive to Trümmelbachfälle. Back to Interlaken. Please advise whether we should hike down to Stechelberg straight from Murren instead of taking the cable car from Gimmelwald.Any nice place for dinner? Back to Interlaken for the night.
Most of this day is on public transport, so you may as well pay for that (as you would have parking fees in the Lauterbrunnen valley) and leave your car at the Interlaken hotel
Day 5 (13 April): Visit Harder Kulm. We would like to visit Grindelwald but read that First Cliff Walk by Tissot will be closed for maintenance. The cable car to First is also closed. Should we visit Wengen instead? The cable car from Wengen to Mannlichen is also closed unfortunately. We have no plans to go to Jungfraujoch. We might visit Brienz and Iseltwald. Overnight at either Iseltwald/Brienz. Where would you recommend us to stay?
Stay in Interlaken! Moving to Brienz is a bit pointless as it is only 20 minutes from Interlaken. If you are not going to Jungfraujoch I wouldn’t bother with Wengen or Grindelwald, as (as long as the weather is good) Murren gives the best views of the Jungfrau massif
Day 6 (14 April): Drive from Brienz/Iseltwald to Spiez Castle to Lake Blausee then to Adelboden where we will be spending our night.
Again, is there any need to move accomodation? You could do all this from Interlaken quite easily
Day 7 (15 April): Drive from Adelboden to Lungern to Lucerne. We read that the village of Lungern is really pretty. Wander around in Lucerne. We will be taking the Polymerase Chain Reaction swab/Antigen Rapid test today as well as we plan to go to Italy on the morning of 17 April (required because we are Singaporeans). Will be returning the car today as well. Overnight in Lucerne.
Indeed, I spent a week in the Lungern area a few years ago, very pleasant.
We are very concerned that there will be icy/snowy roads as we do not have experience driving on them. Please kindly advise with reference to our itinerary if we have a chance of driving on such roads and roads we should avoid driving on.
After our April (Easter) honeymoon in Graubunden in 1997 , For the last 25 years my wife and I have spent most Aprils (ties in with school Easter holidays) in Switzerland with a car. There is very seldom any problem with ice or snow at lower altitudes, and all roads in Switzerland are well patrolled as regards snow and ice clearance (not surprisingly!…)
As regards April in general it is a perfectly good time to visit to avoid the summer crowds, there will be more than enough to occupy your time
- The thread ‘Trip to Switzerland in April 2022 with car’ is closed to new replies.
