Ideas for 4 days starting in Zurich, then to Italy

Hello everybody in the forum,

My husband and I will be travelling to Europe and plan to visit Switzerland from May 5th (landing in Zurich) - May 9th (going to Italy), we want to see lots of lovely places in Swiss but due to the limited time unfortunately we will have to choose some of it and it is really confusing.

Can anyone help on giving us some advice on the itinerary and the transportation mode?

Many thanks

<<"My husband and I will be travelling to Europe and plan to visitSwitzerland from May 5th (landing in Zurich) - May 9th (going to Italy),we want to see lots of lovely places in Swiss but due to the limitedtime unfortunately we will have to choose some of it and it is reallyconfusing. Can anyone help on giving us some advice on the itinerary and the transportation mode?">>

Hi Ninamato -

Welcome to the Forum.

Certainly, her are enough things to see and do in Switzerland (the name of the country is not "Swiss" which is an adjectve in English) foer weeks, not days.

Here are some links to get you started:

www.myswissalps.com/ge ttingstarted

Unless there are very special reasons, your first choice should be to travel by the excellent train network:

www.myswissalps.com/tr avel

Do you have any special interests- walking? hiking? museums?

What time of day is your arrival in Zürich, and do you have a planned departure time or destination in Italy?

Those could affect your itinerary in Switzerland.

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke,

Noted and thanks for correcting :)

Here is what I have in mind right now,

Day 1 (May 5th) stay in Zurich : Landing Zurich 08.00 am. Planning on strolling around the city (old town, Lindenhof)

Day 2 (May 6th) : Lucerne or Interlaken?

Day 3 (May 7th) : Zermatt --> Matterhorn?

Day 4 (May 8th) : going to Milan

This is where we got stuck with so many options. Our interests are walking and easy hiking enjoying the nature and fresh air, planning to visit 1 top of the Alps along the way. I've read that May & June is the wettest months and the mountains tend to have more rain. What is the best?

Nina

Hi Nina,

I would probably slightly prefer Lucerne over Interlaken in May. It's a pleasant old town along the lake side, with numerous things to do for weeks. One concern I have with your plans is that moving to a different town every day won't leave much time for sightseeing and hiking. I would at least skip Zurich and focus on Lucerne and Zermatt only, or even just Lucerne. If you'll be going to Interlaken, be sure not to miss the Golden Pass line.

May to August are the wettest months on average, but there's no need to be concerned about that. The weather varies a lot. Day by day and even hour by hour. You could not see a single drop of rain in your 4 days, or it could rain for 4 days straight (less likely). It's all possible.

<<Here is what I have in mind right now, Day 1 (May 5th) stay in Zurich : Landing Zurich 08.00 am. Planning on strolling around the city (old town, Lindenhof)Day 2 (May 6th) : Lucerne or Interlaken?Day 3 (May 7th) : Zermatt --> Matterhorn?Day 4 (May 8th) : going to Milan Thisis where we got stuck with so many options. Our interests are walkingand easy hiking enjoying the nature and fresh air, planning to visit 1top of the Alps along the way. I've read that May & June is thewettest months and the mountains tend to have more rain. What is thebest?Nina">>

Hi Nina -

Arno has made some good points. I can add a bit

First- with regard to the high Alps. Here is a thread that gives a lot of relevant perspective. It is aimed at more serious hikers, perhaps.

"www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/when-to-visit-switzerland-for-hiking

The weather in Switzerland is highly dependent on altitude. In May, Spring is in full force at lower altitudes, such as Luzern, Zürich, Geneva, Bern, and the farm country of the so-called Mittelland between Bern and Luzern. In contrast, the highest alpine pass roads may still be blocked with snow until the end of the first week of June. I go to switzerland in ay frequently; at that time I don't go up in the Alps. It is very nice at lower altitudes, and the weather in May has plenty of sunshine.

Ski season can straggle on through April, but during May many of the cableways to the mountain peaks are shut down. Not many customers. Many hotels and restaurants are closed for vacations or maintenance. Some are still open. For example, I am considering staying at the Hotel Schönegg in Wengen early in June, and found that they close at the end of April and re-open on June 3rd.

The cograil train that runs between Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, with a branch up to the Jungfrau will be running. I tend to share the attitude expressed in the thread I linked to. The area around the Jungfrau really becomes pleasant only after mid-June. Sometimes sooner if the Winter was mild. And, going up to see the views can be expensive, and if you can't see anything because of clouds, it is waste of time and money. So, the concern is not so much rain as clouds.

Interlaken by itself has very little for tourists except hotels, and a connection to the main train lines. The real alpine scenery is south of there in the Lauterbrunnen valley, at Grindelwald, Mürren and Wengen, and up to Kleine Scheidegg. It is spectacular.

Luzern (German spelling; Luzern is in the German speaking part of Switzerland, so you'll see it spelled that way) is at a a lower altitude, but has high alpine peaks easuliy accessible. Titlis and Pilatus come to mind; the Rigi is not so high but has wonderful views, and makes a nice round trio by lake boat and scenic cog-rail train. And, the town itself is full of things to see.

Arno gave you the link to Lucerne.

Zürich-

I share Arno's opinion. Land at 8 AM, and take the train from the airport directly to Luzern. Twice per hour...one has a change at Zürich main station, one has no change of train, although it does stop in Zürich.

At xx18, one hour and 7 minutes with change at Zürich. At xx47, 1 hour and 2 minutes.

This can help with travel times:

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Zürich -

Zürich is my favorite city in Switzerland. Culture, restaurants, excellent tram/bus service, transport hub, some nice places nearby for easy walks.....I always spend time in Zürich. It rewards the traveler who can spend time; it is not a city with the scenic beauty of Luzern,nor does it have so many easily reached things of interest to tourists as does Luzern.

<<"Planning on strolling around the city (old town, Lindenhof)">>

That is not a bad idea. If you really want to do that, you can leave your luggage in lockers or at the left luggage office in the main station. That area is very close to the station.

More detail about walking in Zürich partway down this thread:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/swiss-itinerary-for-december-2015

On balance, for a short, first trip, I'd go to Luzern directly. It is a matter of priorities.

If you have enough time there are some scenic easy walks within a short distance of Luzern. There is a very nice one up on the Rigi, for example.

Slowpoke