4-5 days Switzerland with Matterhorn as priority

Hi guys,

I need some advice for my Switzerland trip.

I have a plan to travel from Italy to Switzerland and France.

I plan to stay in Switzerland for 4-5 days.

My first priority in Switzerland is Matterhorn.

But Zermatt is quite far away from other cities.

So I think about visit some cities along the way to Zermatt.

But there are many routes to go to Switzerland from Italy.

As far as I know there are:

1. Milan -> Domodossola -> Brig -> Zermatt (train)

2. Varenna -> Lugano (train)

3. Venice -> Lugano (Overnight bus)

A) Are there any other choice?

(I have a plan to visit Varenna and Venice in Italy. So which plan is effect the last city in my Italy itinerary)

For Lugano route I have some idea where I should go next before Zermatt.

1. Lugano -> St.Moritz -> Zermatt (Glacier Express)

B) In this case, I have to stay a night in St.Moritz right?

Because I saw timetable of Glacier Express is depart from St.Moritz in the morning only.

2. Lugano -> Some city like Lucern or Interlaken (stay 1 night) -> Zermatt

C) Which looks better? Or any other route suggestion is welcomed.

Additionally, I have to plan for departing from Switzerland to Paris.

D) Which cities should I visit before going to Paris?

E) My wishlist in Switzerland still has Murren and Wengen. Is it possible?

Regards,

Hi naokikun,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! Please note 4-5 days is a limited time and you won't be able to see everything. If the Matterhorn is your priority you should stay a couple of days in Zermatt or a nearby town (like Brig). One day may not be enough as the Matterhorn can be covered in clouds. You just don't know that in advance, so you need time to wait for good weather.

As for your other questions:

A) I don't know about the options in Italy, but to reach Zermatt you can basically travel via Milan - Domodossola - Brig or Lugano - Locarno - Domodossola - Brig (more scenic).

B) Yes, you'd best stay in St. Moritz or Chur.

C) The Lucerne and Interlaken regions are both attractive. Please see my links to decide what you like best. Staying for just one night won't allow you to see much though, apart from the incoming and outgoing train rides. If it's just about the train rides, then Lucerne would be my choice as you can include both the Wilhelm Tell Express route and part of the Golden Pass route.

D) Please see my previous answers and the "Where to go" section of the main menu.

E) Please see my previous answers. You can't do it all I'm afraid ;-) Mürren and Wengen are near Interlaken. You should stay at least 2 nights (and hope for good weather) to be able to see the area.

I hope this was helpful!