First trip to Switzerland - Interlaken or Lucerne?

Hello, my wife and I are planning a trip to Switzerland in late May and I would really appreciate any tips / suggestions on how to make the most of our time there. Here's a rough itinerary that I currently have for 1 week.

- Fly into Zurich, spend 1 night just to wear off the jetlag

- Train to Interlaken, spend 3 nights

- Train to Lucerne, spend 3 nights

- Train to Zurich to hop on the Bernina Express to head over to Tirano, Italy then continue our trip.

What I'm unsure about is whether spending time in both Interlaken AND Lucerne is worth it? Are the two towns very similar? If you had to choose, which one would it be?

Thanks a lot! :)

Hi tigerjik, thanks for joining us!

Lucerne and Interlaken are quite different. Lucerne is an attractive town. Interlaken isn't that pretty, but its surroundings are stunning and you're closer to the Alps than in Lucerne. So if you find it hard to choose, it's perfectly fine to spend a couple of nights in (or near) both towns. Of course your choice should also depend on the activities you'd like to do.

Please visit our Bernina Express page for details on this trip. Once your itinerary is set, mind to look into rail passes.