16 Days Switzerland itinerary advice needed

Hi Janseywee.

Two weeks in Switzerland! Wahsinn! I have a couple of suggestions. Although you’ve got 2 weeks, you might be trying to cram a bit too much in. You’re itinerary looks more like a race than a walk in the park.

Firstly, I don’t think going to Chamonix as a day trip from Montreux will work. The train takes about 5 hours one way. You might have to leave the Cham for another trip.

Wengen is a wonderful place, but it may not be the best choice for a base if you want to explore outside of the immediate area because of the amount of time you will spend travelling in and out. For example, the train trip from Wengen to Zermatt takes over 3 hours one way. If you were staying in Interlaken, it would be 2 hours, and all the other things you wanted to do in the Oberland would be easier to get to from Interlaken. Another thing, the ski season ends the week you arrive, so expect a lot of snow on the ground, particularly at altitude and on north facing slopes.

If you’re only going to Zermatt for the day, I would suggest visiting the Gornergrat. The train from Zermatt runs all year and the view is breath taking (Weather permitting). The trip takes about 30 minutes. Highly recommended!

If you are arriving early in the morning in Zurich you can certainly get to Montreux fairly easily, but you will have to change trains at least once. The trip takes just under 3 hours.

An apartment is a great idea, but keep in mind a lot of places will expect you to stay a minimum of a week which will narrow your choices.

You’re planning a wonderful trip. Have a great time.

Cheers

Alan

Hi janseywee, welcome to MySwissAlps!

Yes, a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass is certainly a good idea for your plans. Please find retailers at myswissalps.com/swisst ravelpass/price.

Alan already provided excellent advice. Here are some more thoughts:

• the timetable will help you plan your trips. I advise to check traveling times for each of your plans and see whether you’re fine with them;
• April 13: this is a pretty full day after an inbound flight. To get some more rest at the beginning of your trip, you might re-arrange the order a bit;
• April 13-17: the Montreux region is beautiful, especially in spring. Did you consider a trip up to Rochers-de-Naye for panoramic views of the area? Your itinerary is full enough though ;-);
• April 21: if skies are clear I’d recommend to spend the day in the beautiful Jungfrau region. You may want to make a round trip over Kleine Scheidegg or even visit Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn. Sightseeing in Bern would be a fine bad weather alternative;
• April 24 and 26: Titlis and Engelberg are close to one another and can easily be combined in one day. Note that you may prefer Pilatus over Titlis as it’s for free with your Swiss Travel Pass, whereas Titlis is discounted;
• Alan is right about apartments: it might be challenging to find them for less than a full week. If you’re looking for hotels instead, please find them at myswissalps.com/hotels /populartowns. Note that there are hotels close to Zurich Airport for your last night: myswissalps.com/zurich airporthotels.