In Switzerland, weather conditions can vary considerably from one valley to the next. I've found it to be a good idea to stay flexible so as to take advantage of the good weather - wherever it may be. Going in October, you can easily (I think) make last minute bookings. That's what I would do...

Actually, Switzerland's schools have their fall vacation during the first two weeks in October. It can be very hard to find hotels at that time. It should be much easier afterwards.

Hi Everyone,
I so appreciate your taking the time to respond in such detail.

Suelynne both you and Enzian mention the beauty of the Lauterbrunnen Valley in the Oberland. That may be a good choice since it offers more options for inclement weather. I'm thinking that Lugano would be a good option, but only if I left out the Oberland. Although my sister and I travel lightly (1 22-inch case each) I don't know if we want to do the schlepping on train returning from Lugano via Milan, if we do Lucerne, Oberland, Lugano using Easyjet to fly into Paris. I've almost decided on two stops of the trip: Luzern and Lac Leman. I'll think on Lugano and Oberland.
Tuck, I wish I could be more flexible. When my sister and I travel we usually like to have our hotels reserved ahead of time. Since Schuler says that Swiss children vacation at beginning of October, I wouldn't want to chance being left without accommodations. As soon as our itinerary is concrete, we will go ahead and reserve. I will let you know what we decide.

Now I have to look for fares into Zurich and returning from Paris to Tampa. American and Usairways both have fares of about $867. I'd like to use one of the two so that I can use my miles for an upgrade.

Thanks again. Best regards, Gladys

Gladys, you can always do daytrips from Lucerne to Lugano. It's about a 2.5 hour train ride one-way. The ride itself is interesting, taking you along Vierwaldstättersee, Urnerland, into the Gotthard tunnel and then down to Lugano.

Hi, gladfon and everyone. I guess this will have to fall under the 'for what it's worth' category: One of the best Swiss trips I ever experienced was a three-way split between Lakes Leman, Maggiore, and Brienz. (I'm a lake/mountain view person.) Three languages, three cuisine, etc. The trip of my dreams. We visited Lucerne as a gorgeous and easy day-trip from Brienz. All our hotels were small ones and all were with advance reservations. Of course, we were flying in and out of Switzerland w/o the Paris bit, so decision-making for you might be more complicated.

You undoubtedly know that I love my two-star Hotel Panorama in Gerra on Lago Maggiore; on Lac Leman it was the humble Auberge du Rivaz, and I think we splurged with the "White Cross" (can't recall the correct spelling of the hotel right by the statue of the little boy with his goat) in Brienz. I don't know how crowded Brienz is during that vacation time that schuler mentions, but it has a lovely view of the mountains across the lake (to which you can day-trip) and beaucoup lakeboat possibilities. Well back to school stuff :(
J.

Schuler just posted while I was composing. (Hi) Yes, indeed, you can daytrip to Lugano and it's a beautiful trainride. Lugano is also a very easy daytrip from Gerra/Locarno. I know you've got some tricky decisions to make, but really, you can't go wrong. J.

Last post and then time for bed.

Last year, a group of friends had a hard time finding a budget hotel in Locarno and Lugano during the first week of October. They had started searching for a hotel in September. They ultimately stayed at the youth hostel in Locarno, which was fine.

Brienz might be a bit easier since it's not a major destination for the Swiss, but there aren't many hotels in the town either.

Not all schools have their fall vacation at the same time. The Europapark website will tell you when Swiss, French and German schools have their school holidays. It's in German only but maybe you can figure it out anyway using an online translator.

http://www.europapark.de/schulferien...59&lang=de

Now that I've re-read your intro post, gladfon, let me get back on track (pun intended) and say that of your two proposed itineraries, the first one is the winner. Save Ticino for another time or daytrip from Lucerne. We will all be so interested to read of your impressions, and I would venture a guess that this will not be your last visit to Switzerland. J.

Hi Schuler, JMW and all,
Thank you for all your good ideas. I looked up the train trip from Brienz to Luzern (on SBB) and it's 3hrs. 22 min.; the trip from Luzern to Lugano is 2 hrs. 51 minutes. These round trip train rides take the better part of a day. I like to do day trips that are no more than 1-1/2 hrs. each way, so that I can stay enough time in the area to appreciate it.

I think we have pretty much settled on Lucerne and Lac Leman (Vevey?) and think about Lugano and Oberland. Lugano may be a better choice for us since the weather would probably be better. Weatherbase shows Lauterbrunnen to be about 23 degrees F.
in October.

Thanks again for your suggestions and encouragement. Gladys

Gladys:

The trip from Brienz to Luzern only takes 1h40m. When you put in your destinations on the sbb website, type in Giswil under via. This will take you over Lungern, Giswil and onto Luzern. It's a much shorter distance and more beautiful as well.

Hi Schuler,
Thanks for the Giswil tip. So I could probably arrive in Zurich and take a train to Brienz (via Giswil)which takes 2:23 minutes with one change. I could then do a day trip from Brienz to Luzern, and have an extra day for Oberland or Lac Leman. Probably for Oberland so that we can have another opportunity at the Jungfraujoch. (If I get my nerve up LOL. I know my sister wants to do it.) Does it seem like I'm wavering between Lugano and Oberland? YES. I've wanted to see Lugano for the longest time. However, Switzerland without the alps probably would not be the same. Still thinking and dreaming.

If you and the other Switzerland pros have any other ideas, please keep them coming. We will be traveling by train, so we will need hotels that are near transportation. Thank you so much for your help. Gladys

Lugano is gorgeous. I went from Milan to Lugano by train and the arrival into Lugano was awesome. It's surrounded by mountains with a lake in the middle. I was there in the spring and the flowers were so pretty. I would love to go back. Just a tip, switzerland is very expensive, so if your on a budget I suggest stocking up on snacks and neccesities before heading over the border.

Have Fun,

Theresa

www.nomadwannabe.com

I second Theresa on Lake Lugano being more beautiful than Lac Leman.
Everyone has a different opinion obviously so I know how confusing it is when you are researching!
Lac Leman and the vineyards are very very pretty but Lake Lugano is spectacular.

Montreux did not appeal to us very much, however, we thought Vevey was a very attractive town. At dusk with the mist over Lac Leman it was haunting and very beautiful.
We really liked the Swiss people- very nice and down to earth. Almost everyone in Vevey was friendly but the only two unpleasant dealings we had on our trip occured in Vevey: a shopkeeper who was very unfriendly bordering on rude and a very unpleasant and rude employee at the kiosk at the ferry. It felt a little like being in Paris. I would still like to explore more of French Switzerland in the future.

Our favorite spot was the Engadine- Sils-Maria and the Hotel Waldhaus- they have a wonderful big indoor swimming pool which could be really nice in Oct if the weather is cold. The staff was very warm and friendly. To me, the lake and mtn views at the Waldhaus were prettier than Lac Leman.

Back to the Ticino: Ascona and Locarno were too hot and crowded in June but might be perfect in Oct. Locarno was very densely developed and did not appeal to us at all. Ascona, also very developed but charming, is the perfect location for trips into the Centovalle which was one of the highlights of our trip.

Parts of Lugano seemed a little seedy (by the train station etc) but the Castagnola part of Lugano was lovely. I think it was the Grand Hotel Castagnola which we drove by- it had a beautiful setting and exterior appearance but was not directly on the water (across the street). This is a very expensive hotel but you might be able to get a deal in Oct. You would also probably want a car in this location.
Just a few mins up the road from Castagnola is the spectacular Gandria.
Unbelievable. The view of the lake from the village are indelibly (I hope) imprinted on my brain.
We saw a budget looking hotel, the Moosmann, overlooking the lake in Gandria. Again, you would probably need a car if staying there and might be boring for some people but I would love to drink in that view for several days.
The hotel might be awful though- did not look inside.
Good luck with your planning and I agree with Schuler to head to the mtns!

>Are there any Lugano lovers out there?<

Certainly count me in. Lugano remains my #1 pick in Switzerland, partly for the easy access to Varenna/Bellagio, but mostly, of course on it's own merit.

I really enjoyed both Lausanne and Montreux, along with Chillon Castle, Vevey and the scenic ride along Lac Leman and will visit again.

Lugano is a different story. Every chance I get, I will make a detour... Just can't help it :-) :-)

Also FWIW, about 12 years ago we took our first and only guided tour of Sw. Our Swiss tour guide instructed us not to buy any clothes until we get to Lugano. (The tour covered all of Sw and part of Northern Italy (!!)).
Although current prices have had quite a dampening effect on me since, and I hardly buy any clothes in Europe anymore, I still tend to agree with him..

Enjoy!

-e

Hello Theresa, Calville and Enroute,
Thank you for your glowing descriptions of the Ticino area. Now I don't want to leave that area out of our itinerary. I'm tempted to include all four areas: Lugano, Brienz (3 nights with daytrip to Lucerne) and Vevey. We have 7 days including travel time so that would give us roughly 1-1/2 days in Lugano, 2-1/2 days in Brienz and 1-1/2 days in Vevey. Would that be enough time in each area? Please help me decide. I appreciate everyone's input so much. It is wonderful to be able to call on experienced travelers for their opinions. Thanks. Gladys

Hi Gladys: That's the problem with Switzerland. There's so much to see and it's not that close. I've been here twenty years and still haven't seen it all.

I would do either Lac Leman or Lugano, but not both. Too much traveling time.

Hi gladfon,

I concur with schuler -- four destinations in seven days sounds really bad to me. I think if you did this, yes, you'd *see* each area, but you won't remember enough of it. You'd be in danger of being one of those travellers who can't distinguish Leman from Maggiore; you'd be confusing them all the time.

It's disappointing not to be able to get to everywhere, but I think you'll actually enjoy the journey more. I do hope you'll be back again to see what you missed this time. Maybe do Montreux on a trip to France, or do Lugano on a trip to the Italian lakes --

Good luck deciding!

s

Hi Schuler and Swandav,
I agree with you. That is not my usual style of traveling. I guess I was just trying to avoid making a decision. How about Zurich to Lugano, Lugano to Brienz, Brienz to Vevey. I would be leaving out Lucerne. Would I be missing a lot? How about the days in each? Lugano 3, Brienz 2, and Vevey 2? Thank you for your help. Gladys

Hi again,

Yes, I think that's a good decision. Brienz is pretty similar to Luzern (town with lake) but Brienz is less touristy and smaller and so a better choice imo. Also you can get to the mountains of the BO from Brienz, which would be tough from Luzern.

I must admit that I didn't get to Luzern until my 7th trip to Switzerland, so how can I tell you that you *must* get there?? Every traveller has to please him/herself, eh?

Have fun!

s

I agree with Swandav. Save Luzern for another time.