Itinerary advice please; 8 days in March

hello all, we are a family of four (wife, two kids aged 13 and 6 and me) and planning to visit Switzerland on march 23rd arriving 6;30 am in Zurich till - march 30th 2016 departing 11;30am from Zurich.

my tentative plan for these days

Day 1 - take a train to Luzern luggage drop off in the hotel until checkin time, spend the day locally and one night stay in Luzern( need advice whether one night or two night stay is better)

Day 2 - check out reach INTERLAKEN (2 night stay) one day trip to Jungfraujoch or Kleine depending on the weather

Day 4 Interlaken to Geneva (need advice one night stay or two night stay )

Day 6 - Geneva to Zermatt or St Moritz one night stay

and to reach back to zurich by 29th march to checkin a hotel as flight departs on 30th morning 11;30.

kindly advice whether my tentative plan is ok in march or any other suggestions for other destinations too can be looked into . we are not into skiing hiking. love to see places, nature, cycle travel etc.

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Hello kpjune13, thanks for posting here!

Your plans do involve some long trains transfers, and you'll spend quite some time checking in and out of hotels due to your shifts of base towns. If your main goal is to see as much of Switzerland as possible, that's just fine. If you prefer a more relaxed travel pace instead, I'd advise to stick to just one or two regions/base towns instead, like Lucerne and Interlaken. You could even make a day trip to Zermatt from Interlaken. Another advantage of staying longer in one region is that it increases the chances of good weather for a visit to a specific mountain top. But these are all very personal choices of course. As said, if you want to visit all towns and regions you've listed now, your travel scheme is certainly doable. The timetable will help you check details on each journey.

If you travel from Lucerne to Interlaken and from Interlaken to Montreux/Geneva, consider the scenic Golden Pass route.

Please refer to the "What to do" sections of the pages I linked to for tips on day trips and activities. The "Hotels" sections provide tips for hotels close to the rail stations. These pages may also help you to decide which attractions are your top priority, and thus how many nights you'd like to spend in each town. Note that the end of March is low season, so not all cable cars and mountain trains are operational. The major ones (like Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis, Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, etc) are accessible though.

Mind to look into rail passes once you've decided on your travel plans. For your current itinerary, I'd advise an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass. Which option is most economical depends on the details of your finalized journey. You can find out following these guidelines.

hello Ms Annika,

thanks a lot for your reply and suggestions. taking your advice into consideration, I would like you to suggest the best place to stay longer. in march end is there any chance of greenery in any part of the country? so that I can mix up some greenery and snow ,if possible.

the first day I will travel to LUZERN from Zurich and stay there for a day or do you suggest 2 days here? or directly go to Interlaken and stay there for 4-5 days

2-3 days in Interlaken (2nights/3 nights)

I also would like to take the GOLDEN PASS as suggested

is it advisable to do the GLACIER EXPRESS IN March?

which is the next best stop to spend couple of days in case I stop in Luzern / Interlaken ?

is going back to Zurich the best option or can I stay in Zermatt or st moritz?

option

ZURICH - INTERLAKEN direct ( stay in INTERLAKEN 4 NIGHTS)

2 NIGHTS available in any place you suggest

1 night ZURICH

THANKS A LOT for your valuable time and suggestions

Hi kpjune13!

March is quite early to expect spring weather and greenery. However, winter has been very mild so far, so spring may set in (too) early this year. Your best chances are at lower elevations, which include the regions of Zurich, Lucerne and Geneva.

How many nights you should spend in each base towns really depends on your interests. Did you check the "What to do" sections and make a list of attractions you'd like to visit? It's a bit hard to advise if I don't know about your priorities. It's easiest to spend most nights in the towns that are closest to your top attractions. Generally, I'd say spending an extra night in Lucerne does make sense, as the region has lots to offer.

Both Zermatt and St. Moritz are quite far off. The same goes for the Glacier Express. It would be possible to incorporate this trip and both towns in your schedule, but this will increase your number of traveling time and base town transfers, and it will be at the expense of your days in other towns.

Hi Ms Annika

thanks a lot again for your valuable suggestions and response. I will keep in mind the points and schedule my trip and will keep you updated . thanks again