Advice on 23 night stay in Switzerland in June/Jul

Hello,

Thanks for providing such excellent advice on this forum, and I think the MySwissAlps site in general is fantastic. I am planning an extended stay in Switzerland in June and July this year, and want to ask for suggestions about my itinerary. I am mostly interested in the mountain scenery, enjoying the train rides and mountain gondolas, and doing things at a slow pace with time to relax. Am I covering the most worthwhile things in the Swiss Alps? Are there other things I can add to the trip, given that I have plenty of free time and a flexible itinerary? Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

Day 1 - Arrive Zurich airport early morning, train to Interlaken via Bern, perhaps walking tour of Bern city centre.

Days 2 - 6: Six nights/five full days in Interlaken. Activities include 1) the walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg, maybe return walk to Wengen, 2) Grindelwald (First) to Schwarzwaldalp to Meiringen to Reichenback Falls to Brienz (maybe Rothornbarn) rtn, 3) Beatenburg - Neiderhorn cablecar, 4) Walk from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, gondola to Gimmelwald then Schilthorn, rtn to Murren, walk to Grutschalp and rtn to Lauterbrunnen, 5) round trip from Brienz to Rothorn to Sorenberg to Giswil to Lungern and rtn to Brienze, 6) wet weather option - visit to Ballenburg open-air museum near Brienze (note: I have been to Interlaken before and done the trip to Jungfraujoch)

Day 7: Golden Line from Interlaken to Montreux, then either continue by train to Zermatt or take boat from Montreux to Lausanne then continue by train to Zermatt

Days 8 - 11: Five nights/four full days at Zermatt. Activities include 1) Klein Matterhorn/Schwarzee, 2) Gornergrat railway, 3) Saas Fee valley, 4) Riederalp/Bettmeralp to see Aletsch Glacier 5) Wet weather option - Matterhorn Museum etc in Zermatt

Day 12: Glacier Express Zermatt to St Moritz

Days 13-16: Five nights/four full days around St Moritz. Activities include 2 days gondolas and walking around St Moritz valley, day trip to Davos and surrounds and day trip to Chur and Arosa.

Day 17: Bernina Express St Moritz to Tirano then bus to Lugano

Day 18: 2 nights/1 full day in Lugano - not sure about activities, please advise?

Day 19: William Tell Express Lugano to Lucerne

Days 20-21: Three nights/two days in Lucerne. Activities include day trip to Mt Pilatus (Golden round trip - Boat, train, gondola) and day trip to Mount Rigi by train, return different train to Vitsnau and return to Lucerne by boat. Also time around Lucerne city centre.

Day 22: Lucerne to Zurich, side trip to Rhine Falls? Stay at Zurich airport

Day 23: Zurich city centre

Day 24: Depart out of Zurich airport

Many thanks in anticipation of your help.

Hello brucewinter,

Thank you for your compliments! It's wonderful that you will spend such a long time in Switzerland. You've been there before, so you know it's worth it and there's a lot to see and do. I think you prepared for your trip very well. You have a good list of activities and take the weather into account, so I think it will work out just fine. Nevertheless, here's a few thoughts:

• Davos isn't a very pretty town (a bit like Interlaken), but if you're going there to visit a peak or do some hiking there, it is certainly worth the trip. The train journey itself is worth it too. I recommend a round trip: St. Moritz - Filisur - Davos - Klosters - Sagliains - St. Moritz.
• While based in Lugano, apart from hiking, you can visit Monte Bré or Monte San Salvatore, and do a boat trip on the lake. If you like (window) shopping you should not skip the Via Nassa in the town center.
• Apart from the historical town center in Zurich, a boat trip is a good way to see the town and the area.

The top menu will help you getting more suggestions for activities (click 'What to do') and good hotels (click 'Where to sleep'). I assume you've already looked into rail passes? A 15-day Swiss Travel Pass Flex with Swiss Half Fare Card Combi seems like a good fit for your plans.