Itinerary advice for 8 nights in mid-September

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    24 February 2017 at 15:37:33 #810891

    We will be using a Swiss travel pass for transportation . We haven’t booked our accommodations yet (and want to get that done in the next week) but we are considering spending 3 nights in Murren, 3 or 4 nights in Luzern and 1 or 2 nights in Lausanne We will be arriving in Switzerland from Varenna, Italy (Lake Como area) and need advice as to whether we should go to Murren first and then Luzern and then Lausanne (we need to be near Geneva at the end of our stay for airport and would like to visit the Olympic museum and Chillon Castle) or to Luzern first and then Bernese Oberland (Murren base) and then Lausanne. I initially thought Murren first destination in Switzerland but someone suggested otherwise. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Would also like feedback as to whether 4 nights in Luzern is too much and 1 night in Lausanne not enough. It seeems to me a lot more can be done from Luzern home Base? Thank you very much in advance!

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    24 February 2017 at 16:54:39 #859320

    Hi 5wiseguys and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    I’m not sure I can tell you which destination is better to visit first, Luzern or Mürren. However it is much quicker to Luzern from Como, so it would be a little simpler/quicker to start in Luzern.

    As for how long you should spend in each town it really depends on what you want to do while you are there.

    If you are looking to head up into the mountains for hiking trips or to simply see the “Alps” scenery then I would suggest more nights in Luzern as there are more activities like that there as well as the the nearby Bernese Oberland region.

    Here is a page on activities around Lausanne as well for you to look at. This may help you decide where to spend more of your time.

    Best regards,
    Lucas

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    24 February 2017 at 19:35:01 #859321

    We spent 4 nights in Murren last fall and loved it. Very relaxing and stunningly beautiful. We also spent 2 nights in Luzern and felt that was plenty. We did the city and Mt Pilatus. We knew we were spending 4 nights in Murren so we didn’t feel we were missing anything in the mountains around Luzern. (Though there is plenty to do in all these areas). We went to Montreux (via the Golden Pass) and enjoyed it as well. That area of Switzerland has a very different feel to it. It depends what you want to do in each of these cities as you decide how much time to spend. I’m not a big shopper so at some point I was on overload of watch shops. I much preferred the hiking trails and the vistas. but it is your vacation to decide!

    I found that the SBB website and the train schedules were very helpful in your basic planning. It helps you to visualize the area and the time it takes to get places. You can see the different routes you can take to eliminate any backtracking and to get yourself as efficient as possible to maximize your time.

    Happy planning,

    Ellen

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    24 February 2017 at 21:56:06 #859322

    Thank you very much Ellen! Glad to hear you liked Murren so much because someone told me it was not a good idea. I will check out the links/lots of research to do.

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    24 February 2017 at 22:21:19 #859323

    Murren is on the other side of the valley and it seems most people like the Wengen side. Which is a nice town too. I have a trip report on here with pictures. I’m sure you can search it out. I can also send you some pictures above Murren if you like. Murren is very quiet, but we loved it!

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