Two weeks Lucerne, Interlaken, Zermatt, Lausanne

Hello, we are a family of 4 adults traveling together for two weeks in August. Here is our sample itinerary we put together with the help of maps, travel guides and train timings. We plan on getting a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass, assuming that is the most suitable one for this trip. I will appreciate your suggestions. Thanks very much.

3 nights in Lucerne, 2 nights in Interlaken, 2 nights in Zermatt, 3 nights in Lausanne, 3 nights in Zurich.

Day 1: arrival at Zurich early morning, departure to Lucerne same day. Afternoon sightseeing in Lucerne.

Day 2: Mount Stanserhorn & Mount Pilatus.

Day 3: Day trip to Lugano and back (2.5 hours train ride each way).

Day 4 Lucerne to Interlaken (2 hours by train). Visit Aare Gorge in the afternoon.

Day 5: Jungfrau trip (if the weather is bad in the mountains, go to Unterseen or Lake Thun or Lake Brienz – what do you recommend?)

Day 6: Interlaken to Zermatt by tunnel 2.5 hours. In the afternoon go to Matterhorn

Day 7: Gornergratbahn

Day 8: Zermatt to Lausanne (3 hours by train). Sightseeing in Lausanne in the afternoon.

Day 9: day trip to Montreaux, Chateau de Chillon & Gruyeres.

Day 10: Day trip to Geneva

Day 11: Lausanne to Bern (1 hour by train), sightseeing in Bern during the day (hoping to store bags in the train station) and go to Zurich in the evening.

Day 12: go to see Rhine Falls. Anything else you recommend on that day after Rhine Falls?

Day 13: sightseeing in Zurich.

Day 14: Return flight Back home.

we are also doing a two weeks Switzerland trip in July. Looking at your itinerary,I see you kept 6 days for Lucerne and Zurich, I think you may reduce it 4 days in Lucerne only ( as Zurich is only 45 minutes from Lucerne) and allocate the remaining 2 days in other areas. I would also suggest you to consider staying at Wengen or Murren instead of staying at Interlaken. You may also consider taking some scenic train rides like Glacier Express or Bernina Express. If you have not purchased your air tickets yet, you may consider flying back from Geneva instead of backtracking to Zurich again. Just sharing my views. I am sure the experts of this site will give you more valuable inputs. Thanks and happy planning.

Hi Prema,

Your itinerary does involve a lot of hotel and town transfers, and quite some long day trips. That's fine if your main aim is to see as much of the country as possible, and if you don't mind long traveling times. You'd best consult the timetable to plan each trip in detail, and discuss whether you and your travel party feel the amount of time spent in trains is acceptable. If not, there are lots of options to slow down the pace a bit:

• skip or adjust the longer day trips, e.g. Lucerne-Lugano and back. For day 9, restrict yourselves to either Montreux and the Chillon castle or the Gruyères region, rather than trying to do both;
• you've included lots of city visits. Again, that's perfectly fine if you're interested in Switzerland's towns, but an alternative is to spend more time in the mountains and again reduce traveling times. The immediate surroundings of Lucerne, Interlaken and Lausanne/Montreux all have lots to offer, like cable car rides, easy scenic hikes, boat trips, etcetera. If you'd skip some cities like Bern and Geneva, or just keep them on your wish list as bad weather back-up plans, you'd create more time for nearby outdoor activities.

These are just some thoughts. In the end, all that matters is what you and your fellow travelers expect to enjoy most.

A 15 day Swiss Travel Pass seems to be a perfect fit for your plans. I'd recommend to get your passes online in advance, as suggested in your previous post.

Hi Prema-

Adding to the comments from others -

Zürich is my favorite town in Switzerland, but it not for reasons that most first time tourists are seeking. Museums, culture, local spots of interest such as the tomb of James Joyce, and visits with friends attract me. The scenery is nice but not as spectacular as that of Luzern.

I share the recommendation to use Luzern instead of Zürich as your town to stay in nearest Zürich airport. It is easy to get to Zürich from Luzern, so you can go there at almost any hour of the day or night, if you wish.

Also, you might consider Montreux as your base for western Switzerland. It has a lot more to offer. particularly in the surrounding area, than Lausanne.

Slowpoke

Thank you Annika & Slowpoke. We have made some changes to our itinerary based on your suggestions. Instead of going to Lugano, we have decided to check out Engelberg (one hour from Lucerne) where we will see a cheese factory, so no need to go to Gruyeres. Can you suggest a easy to moderate hike in Engelberg for us? We are in our early 50s to early 60s. Thanks very much! Prema

Hi Prema-

I have no personal experience hiking there.

This link from the hiking section of Switzerland Mobility may help:

www.wanderland.ch/en/s ervices/places/ort-0167.html

Also,perhaps -

www.myswissalps.com/hi king/engelberg-obertruebsee-truebsee

Slowpoke