Day 1-2 (3-4 Sep): Zurich sightseeing + travel to St. Moritz
- 3 Sep, morning: arrival at Zurich Airport and travel to Zurich.
- 3 Sep, afternoon and 4 Sep, morning: Rhine Falls and maybe Lindt Home of Chocolate. Because Joyce’s arrival time at the airport wasn’t known yet when we planned her trip, it wasn’t certain if they could make it to the Lindt Home of Chocolate as well. So, just in case they couldn’t, we added other chocolate tips throughout their plan.
- 4 Sep, afternoon: travel from Zurich to St. Moritz.
Day 3 (5 Sep): Bernina Express day trip
- Morning and early afternoon: regional trains St. Moritz – Tirano. We proposed taking regional trains to Tirano, including a mountain trip to Diavolezza and a stunning hike at the Bernina Pass. We provided suggested timings for each segment so they would easily catch their Bernina Express back to St. Moritz.
- Late afternoon: Bernina Express train ride with seat reservations Tirano – St. Moritz.
Day 4 (6 Sep): travel to Zermatt on the Glacier Express
- All day: Glacier Express ride in 1st class. Joyce had also considered Excellence Class. After we explained the main differences, she decided the 1st-class Glacier Express ride was the perfect fit for her group.


Day 5 (7 Sep): Gornergrat with Rotenboden-Riffelalp hike
- Morning and early afternoon: cogwheel train ride to Gornergrat. The Gornergrat cogwheel train provided the iconic Matterhorn views Joyce wanted, complemented by a lovely hike along the Riffelsee mountain lake. Rather than packing the afternoon with another mountain trip, we advised a relaxed afternoon following their long Glacier Express day.
Day 6 (8 Sep): travel to Interlaken via the Lötschberg Mountain Railway + chocolate shopping
- Morning: transfer to Interlaken via the Lötschberg mountains.
- Afternoon: chocolate shopping in Interlaken. Apart from the Lindt Home of Chocolate, Joyce would have loved to enjoy another chocolate tour. There was little room left in the itinerary, so instead, we recommended our favorite chocolate boutiques in Interlaken.
In the detailed travel plan PDF that I made for Joyce, I shared my personal tips for chocolate shopping in Interlaken, such as restaurant Schuh.
Day 7 (9 Sep): Oeschinensee + Thun
- Morning: Kandersteg and Oeschinensee.
- Afternoon: castles in and near Thun. Initially, we planned a full day in and around Thun, because Joyce and her travel friends loved exploring castles. When they also got interested in the Oeschinensee, we adjusted this day trip to fit in both!
Day 8 (10 Sep): Lauterbrunnen Valley and Schilthorn with brunch
- Varied round trip in the Lauterbrunnen Valley. A side trip to the Schilthorn was included as well. Joyce had read about the brunch up there: a great idea indeed!
Day 9 (11 Sep): Jungfraujoch round trip
- All day: Jungfraujoch. We suggested the most varied and scenic Jungfraujoch round trip: ascending via Lauterbrunnen and Wengen, and descending via Grindelwald, with sightseeing in each village.
Day 10 (12 Sep): travel to Lucerne via the GoldenPass + Lucerne city walk
- Morning: trip to Lucerne over the northern stretch of the GoldenPass line.
- Afternoon: city walk in Lucerne, again with chocolate shopping tips.
Day 11 (13 Sep): Pilatus Golden Round Trip
- All day: Pilatus Golden Round Trip. We provided a step-by-step plan for this varied mountain trip by boat, cogwheel train, cableway, gondola, and bus. Like most of their excursions, all tickets were included in their package, so Joyce didn’t have to arrange a thing.
Day 12 (14 Sep): Rigi round trip with scenic hike
- All day: Rigi round trip. For optimal variety, we recommended traveling up via Arth-Goldau and down to Vitznau.
Day 13 (15 Sep): travel to Zurich Airport
- Morning: travel from Lucerne to Zurich Airport, with an optional stop and city walk in Zurich. They didn’t have time for city sightseeing during their first days in Zurich. This also allowed them to shop for even more fresh chocolates to take straight home!
Thank you for all your hard work on our Switzerland trip!

Itineraries

MySwissAlps Plan + Package








