[Removed user]

14 February 2013 at 10:20:14 #805794

Hi, we are a family of 2 adults and 1 child (5 years old) and will be arriving in Zurich on June 22 and leaving on the morning of July 1. Although I haven’t planned my trip in detail yet, I need to make hotel reservations in order to apply for our visas. This is my thinking:

June 22 – 25 at Lausanne (3 nights including the night of arrival)
June 25 – 29 at Interlaken ( 4 nights)
June 29 – July 1 at Zurich ( 2 nights, we leave early on July 1).

Please let me know if staying at these places will allow us to make the most out of our trip.

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[Annika]

16 February 2013 at 6:00:27 #838067

Hi aziz93144. Which towns are best as a base, depends on what you want to see and do during your stay. If the Lake Geneva region is on your wish list, Lausanne is a good base town. On the other hand, there are other regions closer to Zurich, such as the beautiful Lake Lucerne; staying there instead of in Lausanne would allow you to limit your traveling time. But again, your preferences are most important. If you can be more specific about that, I might have more tips for you. Hotels close to the railway stations can be found through the following links:

Lausanne
Interlaken
Lucerne
Zurich city
Zurich airport

Depending on your travel plans, you may want to look into rail passes too. If you plan to travel quite a lot, a Swiss Saver Pass or Swiss Saver Flexi Pass will probably come in handy.

[Removed user]

16 February 2013 at 9:57:12 #838068

Hello Annika,

Thank you for your response. Our main idea is to do a bit of everything – cities (Zurich and may be Geneva?), natural beauty and family activities. From my research, it appeared that Interlaken and Lausanne are good central locations (and have lots of restaurants) – please let me know if you have a different suggestion. I did consider Lucerne – it appeared to me that Lucerne was probably just a 1 hr train ride from Interlaken. The other alternative was Bern… but I felt it was a good choice if we planned to have just one base – but wouldn’t that mean travelling a lot?. We have to spend atleast 1 night in Zurich as we have to catch an early morning flight.

For a 9 day trip, I thought Lake Geneva can be included without much hectic activity. Would Montreux be a better base than Lausanne?

Yes, certainly, we will be travelling using a 8-day Swiss pass.

[Annika]

17 February 2013 at 14:14:50 #838069

Hi aziz93144. it seems like your choices match your preferences. Traveling from one base town to another will, of course, take some traveling time too, but if you want to see different parts of Switzerland it’s better to pick a few base towns and make shorter trips from there instead of making long trips each day from one location. Lausanne is a great base for lake Geneva; Interlaken is a good town for visits to the Jungfrau region. Lucerne is doable from Interlaken too, that’s right. Bern is within reach from Interlaken as well. I think you’re good to go!