buglady59

I have run into a kink in our Switzerland trip. I had my itinerary all planned out. Lucerne 4 nights, Grindelwald 4 nights, Montreaux 4 nights and Lugano 4 nights. Now due to medical issues I'm having to revise our trip. I am needed to cut one of our stops but can't decide which stop to cut. I am traveling with my 76 year old mother and while we aren't hikers, we want to see the beauty of Switzerland and since this is my mothers one and only time in Switzerland we want to see the important stuff. So which destination do we cut and why? or should I cut a day or two from another stop so that we can still fit them all in? If that is the case then which city do we cut our time in?
second question. what order is best to do this route in to make the most of the trains? We are traveling by train only and want to capture as much of the scenic beauty as we go from place to place.

while I know this is subjective, I'm interested in what others have to say based on their experiences.

kerouac

Just reduce the number of nights. I would trade Montreux (not Montreaux) for Lausanne, myself.

Christina

I was just in Switzerland and stayed in both Montreux and Lucerne. I would also cut some nights (I don't know bout the other places). I liked Lucerne, but what are you planning to do there in 4 nights? If you have alot of things planned in the area, okay, but Lucerne itself isn't a 4-night destination, to me. I didn't care for Montreux very much, just seemed rather a seedy resort town, I expected more. Hotels are very expensive there, also, although not worth it IMO. I did stay there four nights, but I had a special music festival to attend (which let me stay elsewhere one night) and visited Vevey also, as well as Montreux. I could cut some time there with no problem.

suze

I'd stay in Vevey, instead of Montreux. I think a couple days is OK there.

PalenqueBob

Little doubt to me cut Lugano (i don't see Lausanne mentioned) if you have to cut a stop - like Kerouac says i'd cut a day off Lucerne, Montreux and two days off Lugano - leave 4 in BOB

IMO

or cut Lugano as it's a rather lengthy jaunt to get there and IMO not all that much to do/see for 4 days - even though it's most pleasant i think there are much better places in Switzerland.

suze

Lausanne is much larger and more spread out, so to me, a bit harder to get a good experience in a short time. Because Vevey and Monteux are much smaller they are easier to make yourself local and get the lay-of-the-land easier. Both have a train station that is very convenient.

JN

If it were me, I'd cut a day in each place so you could see the three main linguistic areas of Switzerland. However, I'd choose Locarno instead of Lugano (smaller, less hectic and easier for your mother to get around if not visiting during their film festival). If you were going to the French part, I'd trade Vevey for Montreaux for the reasons stated above, though neither were my favorite, frankly.

In terms of what cities to see in what order, it depends on where you are flying into and out of. If Zurich for both, I'd do:
1. Grindelwald
2. Vevey
3. Locarno (take route through Domodossola and over the Centovalli to Locarno)
4Luzern then train to Zurich on morning of flight home.

If you can do an open jaw flight (e.g., in to Zurich, out of Geneva), I'd do
-Luzern,
-Locarno
-Grindelwald
-Vevey
Home from Geneva

The reverse would work if flying into Zurich and out of Geneva

Gina_07

The suggestion to stay in Vevey instead of Montreaux, if you want to pay less for the hotel, and cut the number of nights by 2 is a good one. We stayed in Montreaux for 2 nights and that was quite enough. You can do everything you want to do staying in Vevey.

PalenqueBob

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buglady59

Thanks all for your suggestions.
While we were spending 4 nights in each location, we weren't just seeing the one place. Montreux was our stop but we were going to visit cities along the lake, do the chocolate train route, boat trip etc, Same in Lugano...we were basing there, but going to Locarno and Como (time permits) and boat trips to the various towns. Is Locarno a better base then Lugano? I was assuming Lugano was more central but most of the postings recommend Locarno. In Lucerne we were going to do a boat trip, Pilatus, etc. Can we still do all of these things in less days? Since my mother is older, I don't want this to be a rushed trip, rather more relaxing.

PalenqueBob = I was reading your article on the trains. What scenic trains would you recommend taking from Grindelwald to Locarno/Lugano? and Locarno/Lugano to Zurich? Also Montreux to Locarno/Lugano?
You also mentioned cutting Lugano altogether....where would you recommend going instead? Since this is my mothers one and probably only trip to Switzerland, I want to see the best areas of the country.

Nonconformist

My feeling would be the best way to approach this would be to set out what your sightseeing itinerary would be if you had the four days, then see which parts are the most dispensable for you. Then cut the days planned in accordance with that.

JN

Buglady--
I prefer Locarno over Lugano--smaller, less traffic, easier for an older person to get around, more flat, though there are steep streets up from Piazza Grande to the Citta Vecchia, and restaurants, shopping and lakeside walks all within easy walking distance if you stay at a hotel like Rondinella Garni or Du Lac.

Three nights to do what you have planned for Luzern does not seem over hectic to me. You could make a day of: 1. taking a boat to Alpnachstadt; 2. Cogwheel training to the Pilatus summit--have lunch, see the awesome views, buy souveniers; 3. Take the cable down to Kriens and city bus back to Luzern. Make that your "big day" and play it by ear as to how much to do the other days. We've always operated on the premiss that there's no rule that says you have to do it all.

Enjoy.