7 day trip to Switzerland, 5th-12th Dec

Hi,

We are planning to visit Switzerland in december, is it worth visiting or will the attractions be closed? Will the weather too foggy to enjoy the mountain views? What are the best places to visit?

Thanks

Hi ruchirat, welcome to MySwissAlps,

In general many attractions are open but waterfalls, some mountain tops, etc. will be closed. Winter sports season will start around mid December, and there will be Christmas markets. The weather will be cold but it can be anything from fog to rain to clear sunny days. That really depends on the day, location and altitude.

If you need more information can you please share with us what you expect from the trip? What are your interests? How long is your holiday? Who will travel (children? adults?). Where are you from?

Hi Arno,

Thanks for your reply. Me and my husband will be travelling so thats 2 adults. We are from India. Our main interest is Mountain Views, Mountain railways, natural beauty of Switzerland. We are planning a 7 day trip from 5th-12th December. We want to visit Junfrau & Mt. Titlis and all the scenic attractions of Switzerland like Lucerene, Interlaken, Montreaux, Zermatt, Geneva. It will be our fist visit to Switzerland so we are looking forward to a great trip, but we are worried about the weather.

Looking forward to your reply.

Thanks,
Ruchira

Hello Ruchira! Visiting all places you mention in only 7 days will result in a very busy schedule. It's possible with an itinerary like this:

• day 1: fly into Geneva and visit the town;
• day 2: visit Montreux and travel to Zermatt;
• day 3: spend the day in Zermatt and get to Interlaken at the end of the day;
• day 4 and 5: spend the days near Interlaken visiting the Jungfraujoch and some other viewing points like Schilthorn, First or Männlichen;
• day 6: travel to Lucerne and visit the Pilatus (I'd choose this one over the Titlis, as that adds quite some extra travel time);
• day 7: leave for Zurich and fly back home.

Personally I'd prefer a more relaxed itinerary, focusing on two base towns (e.g. Interlaken and Lucerne or Interlaken and Zermatt) only. Please consult the timetable to find out about traveling times and use that information to decide what amount of traveling is acceptable to you.

The weather really can't be predicted, as Arno mentioned. All you can do is make sure you have back-up plans (visiting towns and markets instead of mountain tops) in case of bad weather and keep your itinerary as flexible as possible. Note that in winter the valleys can be covered by mist and clouds, whereas it may be sunny up in the mountains. So it's always worth to check weather forecasts and the images of mountain tops like the Jungfraujoch, displayed on local television and monitors at the valley stations.

If you'll be traveling quite a lot, an 8 day Swiss Saver Pass will provide maximum flexibility and convenience. If you limit your amout of traveling other passes may come in handy, but that depends on your final list of plans.

Hi Annika,

Thanks for your detailed reply. Will any attractions/mountain tops be closed from 4th-11th December? Whats the average temperature like in winters? I read that at Jungfrau it goes well below 0deg C. We are from India and not used to such cold climate so was a little worried. Please Advise.

We were planning as follows:
Day 1: Tirano to Chur - Bernina Express
Day2: Chur to Lucerne, Mt.Pliatus
Day3: Lucerne to Engelberg, Mt.Titlis. Planning to go to reach Interlaken in the evening.
Day4: Interkalen to Jungfrau
Day5: Interlaken to Montreaux - Golden Line Pass
Day6: Interlaken to Zermatt
Day7: Zermatt to Matterhorn
Day8: Zermatt to Geneva

Looking forward to your suggestions on the plan.

Thanks.
Ruchira

Hi Ruchira. This scheme is doable, but hectic. Especially day 5 will be very long. Did you check traveling times as I suggested? As for day 1: I assume you're arriving from Italy? If not, it doesn't make sense to start in Tirano.

Average temperatures can be found here. You have to prepare for cold indeed, especially on mountain tops like the Jungfraujoch. Make sure to have solid boots, warm socks, winter coats, gloves and scarfs. Dress in multiple layers. Don't forget sunglasses either, as sun reflecting on snow causes very bright light.