I'll be going for the first time this October. Any suggestions for an itinerary would be appreciated. Would like to see as much of the country as possible, including the Ticino region. I love to take scenic photographs so would it be better to rent a car than use public transportation? Thanks very much for any suggestions.

Hi dms1031,

In 10 days you can easily see three main regions in Switzerland and do some excursions to see surrounding areas. Many first-time visitors enjoy the mountain villages of the Berner Oberland (Wengen, Muerren, & Grindelwald) as the Germanic portion, and of course the Ticino is the Italian portion, so the Lake Geneva region, in the French region, would be your third area.

A sensible itinerary would be: Zurich airport - Oberland, then Oberland - Ticino, then Ticino - Lake Geneva, then to Luzern or Zurich for your last night. I suggest you do a text search here to see what's available. Speicifically, look for Wengen, Murren, and Grindelwald for the Oberland; look for Locarno, Lugano, and Ascona for the Ticino; and look for Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux for the Lake Geneva area.

I don't see any reason to rent a car for this trip. There is a train station under the Zurich airport and one next to the Geneva airport, so it's very convenient to travel by train. You can check train routes & schedules at www.rail.ch.

Have fun!

s

What time in October? Keep in mind the tourist season is relatively short in Switzerland, and not all the trams, etc. will be in operation.

No need to drive in Switzerland. There is no country with better public transportation, buses and boats as well as trains. So you can be snapping photos continuously.

We went to Locarno on Lago Maggiore in Ticino. From the middle of town there is a funicular railway up to Madonna del Sasso, a church with a great view of the lake and the Alps. From there you can continue up on a cable car and then a chair lift.

Lucerne is a good place to get an all-over view of the Swiss experience. So is the Bernese Oberland: Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen/Wengen/Murren, etc.

My husband and I are thinking of visiting a timeshare in Muerren, Switzerland in April 2007. We're not big skiers though, and like to explore when we go on vacation. I wondered what folks could tell me about the weather there during April as well as the feasability to take "daytrips" (or overnights) to such locations as Geneva or Milan from Muerren.

Thanks in advance...

I agree with swandav's itinerary. Lugano makes a great base for Ticino, and it's also an easy bus or train trip to Lake Como from Lugano. Absolutely make your last night's stop Luzern. There's more to see in Luzern than in Zurich, and it's only an hour or so from there to the Zurich airport on frequently-running trains.

Don't miss the funicular to the top of Mount San Salvatore near Lugano. It's a lovely 2 1/2 hour hike down to the charming lakeside town of Morcote. You'll pass churches and walk through woods. And it's loads of fun to look up at the mountain you just descended when it's all over. Have lunch in Morcote, and take the boat (or bus) back to Lugano. We stayed at the Hotel Federale. Room 506. You will marvel at the view.

For Jaynee7283,

Muerren in April will be cold & wet, and the snow will be slushy. I think it will be far, far too long to take day-trips to Milan & Geneva, but you can check the train schedule yourself at www.rail.ch.

I think you'll get more answers if you start your own thread --

Good luck!

s

swandav2000 - nope, your resposne was exactly what we were looking for! Thanks so much!