A week in Switzerland: need help with trip plans

We are a family of 3 traveling from Ohio, USA planning a first time trip to Switzerland on the 3rd week of July. We are landing in Zurich early Sunday morning. We are planning to setup base for the entire stay in one place and not go through the hassle of changing hotels/accommodations if that is possible. I am seeing some good private accommodations in Fribourg or the other option would be hotels around Bern. I would appreciate any suggestions/tips on selecting a base and planning an itinerary. Or, am I restricting myself too much with this approach?

Hi Sam,

Welcome to our site! Having one base for a week is a great way to explore one region and take it easy. Depending on where you stay you could still do one or two longer trips to other parts of Switzerland.

Both Bern and Fribourg are not in the Alps. Is that where you want to stay or did you just stumble upon it? I recommend to first pick a region (click 'Where to go' in the menu) that interests you, and then find an accommodation. It could be a challenge since July is high season and you're booking late, but deciding on a location first makes it easier to search.

Let us know if we can help once you have a region in mind.

Thank you, Arno. I had picked Bern and Fribourg purely on availability and my thought that it would be convenient for train journeys. But, I am having second thoughts about this. Maybe I would be better off with two bases spread across the 7 days. As you said, I am late in planning this.About what to visit, I am finding it tough to choose. Years ago when I was in high school, I had planned a trip for my parents but at that time I had only one guide book and a train time table. Now, the internet and this forum has opened my eyes to many possibilities and everything I read about seems wonderful :-)I have the following listed out as possible options:- Luzern and mount pilatus- Golden Pass train ride from Luzern- Zermatt (maybe a hike in the Zermatt Lake Trail)- Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Murren- Lake Thun and Interlaken- Lausanne/Bern and Zurich (if time permits)Need some help to setup base and plan out my trip.

Thanks again,

Sam

Hi Sam,

All the areas on your list offer plenty to do for week. One of the options is to base yourself along the Golden Pass line between Luzern and Interlaken, allowing you to do day trips to both the Lake Lucerne region and the Jungfrau Region & Bernese Oberland.

A few examples:

• Brienz: www.en.e-domizil.ch/holiday-houses/ch/lake-brienz/brienz-be/1426/1038089/
• Meiringen
• Lungern/Kaiserstuhl: www.en.e-domizil.ch/holiday-houses/CH/Obwalden/Lun gern/862/1040908/ or www.hotelscombined.com /Hotel/Hotel_Kaiserstu hl.htm

If you base yourself in Thun or Spiez you have the Bernese Oberland nearby and a day trip to Zermatt is doable. Again a few examples:

• Spiez: www.hotelscombined.com /Hotel/Eden_Swiss_Qual ity_Hotel.htm
• Thun: www.hotelscombined.com /Hotel/Freienhof_Swiss _Quality_Hotel.htm

Make sure you book a place at walking distance from a rail station as that makes day trips easier. Note that private accommodations (holiday homes) are usually rented by the week from Saturday to Saturday.

Annika,

This is most helpful. I think I will finalize with one of the options you have sent me. Thank you for all the help.

One other question: does the golden pass train require reservations at this time of the year?

regards,

shyam

Glad to help! Golden Pass trains don't require reservations. Please see myswissalps.com/golden pass/tickets.