We, 2 senior couples, will be spending 2 weeks in Switzerland in September. Here is our very tentative itinerary, please feel free to give any help, advice, criticism. Fly from NYC to Zurich. Train from Zurich airport to Zermatt for 3 nights. Pick up car and drive to Saanen for 3 nights. drive from Saanen to Lauterbrunnen for 3 nights, Interlaken for 3 nights, drive to Zurich to fly home to NYC. I'd rather another mountain town rather than Interlaken. Where can I add 2 extra nights? Do you have any ideas or substitutions? Also, can you recommend any golf courses that would be less expensive? We are interested in easy hiking, some golf, boating on some lakes, no cities. Thank you for any and all suggestions. Two of us have been there before.

Saas-Fee after Zermatt or Grindelwald istead of Interlaken could be obvious suggestions. Especially the latter. Wengen could also be an option, but that is on the same side of the mountains as Lauterbrunnen. It should rather be an option instead of Lauterbrunnen and not in addition to it. Grindelwald is on the other side and there give different views and there more accessible to different hikes.

Why bother with a car? Swtizerland has a fantastic public transport system. And where would you pick it up...Zermatt is car free.

I'd skip Interlaken and head to Wengen or Murren. Interlaken is very much a city, although not a huge one. If you still have two extra nights after that' I'd just add a night or two to Zermatt, Saanen or Wengen/Murren.

Just posted a response, but it's gone into moderation.

Hello Joan,

Two weeks in September to the Swiss Alps are imo basically a very good idea. However, with your plan I think you are unconveniently crisscrossing Switzerland. And 2 close bases in Bernese Oberland (Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen) with a third not so far (Saanen) makes little sense to me.

I would stay three-six nights in the Jungfrau area, but in Grindelwald, Wengen or Murren instead of Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen, as I way prefer a mountain village to a lower location.

Then 3 nights in Saanen, as it has a mountain golf course, before the 3 nights in Zermatt. At this point, I would go with the Glacier express to upper Engadine, the St. Moritz valley, and spend there the rest of the time, about 3 to 6 nights. Maybe stay in a surrounding village and play golf in Samedan before to head back to Zurich.

Golf is not my sport, hence no clues, sorry.

Transfer by public transportation all the way, no need or convenience to have a car in Switzerland.

Forget the car and use trains for all your ground travel. It's so much easier. We use the Swiss half fare pass. Buy it at the airport before you take your first tram ride into Zurich. It costs about $125 per person for one month and can be used for trains, trams, city buses, most cable cars, and some boats. You'll have to read up on the various kinds of passes and what they're good for but we like this one. It will pay for itself in two weeks.

I recommend that you stay in Zurich for at least one night. The tram from the airport to the main train station (HB) takes half an hour, from there the train to Visp is 2+ hours, and then a change and another half hour up to Zermatt. Plus any wait times. If you arrive in Zurich in the late morning that means you have a very tiring 4 or 5 hours still ahead of you. Zurich is nice and there are hotels near the HB.

Once you leave Zermatt I would forget Saanen and instead go to Montreau for 3 or 4 nights, taking in French Switzerland. From there, take the Golden Pass railway to Interlaken. Don't stay in Interlaken though. Change trains at Interlaken Ost and go up to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Spend 5 nights in Grindelwald or Wengen and explore this magnificent area.

After that, take in Lucerne or Bern on your way back to Zurich, staying in Zurich the last night before flying. This all adds up to about 14 nights. Have fun.

Thank you all for such well thought out answers. The only problem is that we love driving in Switzerland, stopping where we want to for pictures or a picnic or to have a bowl of stinging nettle soup. Yes, we stopped randomly and I had that soup for the first and only time. So we'll have to discuss trains.

It is a good idea to to travel by train after a overnight flight. Zurich airport - Zermatt takes just 3 1/2 hrs (every 30-60 min, with 1 or 2 train changes, according to the time of departure).
As to Zermatt - Interlaken, you certainly know that it takes 2 1/4 hrs by train, but at least 4 hrs by car (train ride to Taesch parking included).
The train takes a direct itinerary through the 20 miles long Loetschberg railway tunnel.
The 2 road itineraries (almost same driving times) go either
via Grimsel Pass (extremely scenic!), or
via Aigle - Saanen - Spiez (much less scenic).
There are tons of excellent hiking possibilities around Zermatt as well as around Saas Grund/Saas Fee (in both areas up to Italy), in the Aletsch Glacier area (Riederalp, Bettmeralp) and in the Bernese Oberland.
Zermatt, Saas Fee,Riederalp, Bettmeralp, Wengen and Muerren are car free (acces by train or cableway from the parking areas, a few miles away).

Driving in Switzerland is fun. Parking is not. Zermatt doesn't allow cars. In the Bernese Oberland you'll take a cable car or a bus to your hiking trailhead so the car will sit anyway.

I would first spend a few days in Lucerne after the flight on arrival and not make the (long) journey to Zermatt straight away. From Lucerne, take a boat trip on Lake Lucerne with one of the old paddle steamers and make some trips to the surrounding mountains like Pilatus, Rigi or Titlis. Then to Grindelwald or Wengen and then first on to Zermatt and then Saanen or better to Montreux and then if possible flow back to NYC from Geneva.

Have a great trip
Martin