Please help with a 2-day Switzerland itinerary

Hi there

We are a family of 4 in our early 50's. We will be in staying in Zurich for 3 nights flying in on 21 September afternoon and flying out 24 September 2015 early morning. That gives us 2 full days to tour outside Zurich. Please suggest an itinerary. Basically see the Swiss countryside and culture. Thank you in advance.

Hi sunshine108,

Thanks for joining us! The below pages will get you started:

• myswissalps.com/plantr ip: sample itineraries, train tour packages and tips for how to plan your trip;
• myswissalps.com/zurich: tips for Zurich (what to do/see, hotels, etc.);
• myswissalps.com/activi ties: activities in the whole of Switzerland.

Did you already book a hotel in Zurich? Personally I would rather stay in Lucerne. It's closer to the mountains, which is probably the landscape you're interested in seeing.

Once you have a (tentative) itinerary, feel free to post it here for feedback!

As Arno notes, Luzern would be a good base.

Zürich airport has 2 trains per hour that take 1 hr 02 min (no change) or 1hr 12 min (one change) to Luzern

The Zürich airport might as well be considered Luzern's airport.

To get an idea of times and distances, use -

www.sbb.ch/en/home.htm l

and

map.classic.search.ch/

Thanks for that. Much appreciated. Yes the hotel is already booked and paid for :(

Thank you Slowpoke. Will work on that right away.

Take a look at the links provided for Zürich and Luzern.

As noted above, Luzern is close enough to do a lot there, eveb if your hotel is in Zürich.

www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

North of Zürich and not far away is the Rhine Falls.

Quite a sight. Since I live in the northeastern USA, I have Niagra Falls, so I have only been to the Rhine Falls once. I can see water falls without paying Swiss Franks. ;-) They're definitely a worthwhile sight.

www.myswissalps.com/rh inefalls

In contrast, I have been to and around Lucerne many times. Many things to do and see, many days worth of activities and sights. All kinds of hiking, an "easy, gentle" mountain (the Rigi) and a harsher mountain Pilatus. Lake boat rides are great. In my opinion, the best section for a boat ride is the southernmost part from Flüelen to Brunnen, and train from there. (10 minute walk - boat to train. Shuttle bus available.)

However, the whole lake provides a beautiful ride.

If you are interested, one of the best museum for Klee and Picasso, plus a small special museum about Picasso are each within 5-8 minutes of the Luzern Main Station.

Do you have any particular kinds of activities that interest you?

You could even squeeze in a visit to the Jungfrau region instead of Luzern. That region is highly dependent on having clear weather up high to get maximum impact, so normallyit is good to go there are two- three days to have a better chance for clear weather.

Hi

After much research I have found that the tours on www.viator.com recommended by your website will actually suit us better. I am looking specifically at the "Best Swiss Alps Day Trip from Zurich: Jungfraujoch and Bernese Oberland" & the "Mount Rigi and Lucerne Summer Day Trip from Zurich". Is it necessary to do both tours? Which would you suggest? We are interested in sightseeing & the Swiss culture. Not skiing :/

I am assuming that viator.com is reputable & a secure website.

Hi sunshine108,

The tours you mentioned are the ones below, is that right?

• www.viator.com/en/ 15934/tours/Zurich/ Swiss-Alps-Day-Trip-from-Zurich-Jungfraujoch-and-Bernese-Oberland/d577-3885JUNG_ZRH
• www.viator.com/en/ 15934/tours/Zurich/ Mount-Rigi-and-Lucerne-Summer-Day-Trip-from-Zurich/d577-3885SW305BS

Both tours are very different. During the first one you'll experience the cogwheel train to Jungfraujoch. It's a good tour program as the bus drops you off in Grindelwald and picks you up in Lauterbrunnen, so you can do the full round trip. The second tour includes a cable car, a cogwheel train and a boat ride, plus time to do some hiking or just enjoy the views from Mount Rigi. It's not necessary to do both, but they're very different so if you have time you will see more of Switzerland. If you want to do one I'd suggest to review all the above links and see what attracts you most.