8 days in Switzerland – itinerary advice

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    18 January 2017 at 12:35:14 #810606

    Good day everyone..

    We are planning to visit Switzerland in mid April for 8 nights. We will be visiting Milan for some days and end up in Paris after Switzerland.

    Our trip will be Milan – Lugano – Lucerne – Interlaken – Annecy – Paris.

    We are looking for the best way of transportation. Is it better to rent a car for a week from Lugano to Geneva airport as we will take a flight to Paris. Or we can depend on the trains system and purchase a Swiss Pass.

    In addition to this, We are not sure about how much time to spend in each area to cover the most popular attractions. We are planning to spend 1 night in Lugano 2 nights in Lucerne 3 nights in Interlaken and 2 nights in Annecy.

    We are looking take a tour in Zurich while we are in Lucerne and another tour in Bern while we are in Interlaken. During our stay in Annecy we are planning to visit some other areas such as Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux and Chamonix.

    In order to visit Interlaken we are confused whether to stay in Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Which area is better to stay in.

    One last concern is the weather in mid April. Is it possible to reach most of the attractions or some routes will be closed at that time.

    We look forward to get your recommendation and advise.

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    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    18 January 2017 at 16:59:54 #858169

    Hi Ahmeed18 and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    This sounds like a great trip for you!
    I would definitely recommend using the fantastic Swiss rail system. Trains can get you anywhere here and in many places where you can’t go by car.

    Take a look at our link on how to choose the best Swiss rail pass. There are several options for you to look at. Looking at your itinerary you may be best served by an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass. Links can also be found there on prices and how/where to purchase.

    Its best to take a look at our information on each of your intended towns so you can read what there is to do and see in the area. That will help you choose where to stay and for how long.

    What to do in Switzerland and where to go in Switzerland

    Luzern (local German spelling)
    Interlaken
    Lauterbrunnen
    Wengen
    Montreux
    Geneva
    Zurich
    Bern
    Grindelwald

    Once you’ve had a chance to decide what you want to see, post more questions here and we can better help you decide where to stay and for how long.

    Why do you talk about staying in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald if you want to visit Interlaken? Do you not want to stay in Interlaken?

    April in Switzerland can be quite mild at lower elevations but definitely cold and still ‘winter’ at higher elevations. Take a look at our weather information page for more details.

    Regards,
    Lucas

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    19 January 2017 at 13:06:24 #858170

    Hi Lucas, Thanks for your quick response.

    Our main targets in this trip which is the beautiful natural scenes such as Mountains and lakes. In addition to this we are trying to have some quick tours in some cities such as Bern and Zurich if we had some time.

    In Bernese Oberland region,We are considering the idea of staying in Lauterbrunnen to cover three main areas which is Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald. Also, there are some villages in this area like Wengen and Murren which worth a visit. In addition to this, we are interested in going into some mountain destinations like Jungfrau and Wetterhorn.

    In Interlaken we are looking forward to visit the lakes (Thun & Brienz) and the famous Harderkulm. Lake Lungern also is one of the destination we are looking forward to visit. Do you think that we can do all this in 4 days or should we add another day here and reduce the days in the other areas.

    One of our concerns also is the tour in Geneva while we are in Annecy as we have 2 nights there. Is it possible to go through the other areas while enjoying our stay near lake Annecy at the same time. We are heading to Paris through Geneva airport after that.

    We will use the train in our trip as it seems more convenient.

    Thanks Again,

    Ahmed

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    19 January 2017 at 14:04:29 #858171

    Hi Ahmed,

    If you would be lucky enough to have 4 days of good weather you should be able to see most of the places you have listed. I’d recommend to keep an eye on the forecasts and plan by the day. Be sure to check operating dates in the timetable. I don’t think Harder Kulm opens until mid April, for example.

    To see Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux you’d best stay in Swiss towns like Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux. You can quickly get around by trains if you stay there. Partly for free even, if you book a hotel in those towns. Traveling from Annecy takes too much time in my opinion. Also two nights is not enough time to see all that. If you stay in Switzerland, two nights (one full day) would be enough for a quick tour of the region.

    I hope this was useful!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    23 January 2017 at 12:21:29 #858172

    Dear Arno,

    Thanks for your reply.

    I will look for another area to stay in to visit Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey and Montreux in order to cover the whole area.

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