Hello all,

I am planning my first trip to Europe. My girlfriend is Swiss and has family that lives downtown Geneva and in a city halfway between Geneva and Lausanne. I am trying to put together a trip that allows me to spend 6 full days of exploring. I would be flying in and out of Geneva. My preliminary itinerary begins in Geneva where will will spend Day 1 relaxing in the city. Day 2 we plan on driving to Lausanne and Montreaux and visiting some landmarks in those cities. I also want to have a chance to practice some of my French for these first couple of days. We will return to her mother's house that evening. This is where things get difficult for me to plan. I would love to visit the Jungfrau region, hoping to do a moderate hike to enjoy some of the views as well as walk around a nice mountainous town with her. I would also love to go to Lucerne and Bern, A scenic train ride between the cities seems most enjoyable in my opinion. What would be the best option to get to those places? I was thinking of having her mom drop us off at the train station in Lausanne then take a train to Bern --> Grindelwald ---> Lucerne? How would we get back to Geneva after that point? Would a car be more advantageous if we were to visit these cities? She has a car at her mom's house.

Thanks for any feedback!

A scenic train between the Geneva area and Interlaken is the Golden Pass - takes a bit longer than the faster route via Bern but is muchmore scenic - for lots of great info on Swiss trains chevck www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

And the Golden Pass also goes from Interlaken to Lucerne up and over the steep Brunig Pass - this train has special observation cars with glass domed and novel twisting seats so you can turn as the scenery dictates.

With your time frame, I think you might want to drop one location, knowing that you will see some wonderful things even if you do! You don't have a bad option here.

If the Bernese Oberland is a goal -- and it is a wonderful place! -- you might want to plan on at least 3 or 4 days there, because if the weather can really affect your ability to take advantage of the area. (I don't think you said when this trip would occur? That can make a huge difference!) With a few days, you can hike etc. when the weather is good and go to Bern or Thun or Brienz or whatever if the weather is rainy. You might look to staying in Lauterbrunnen or Wengen or Murren.

Public transportation (train and bus) is excellent in Switzerland, and gives you the advantage of being free to see the magnificent scenery. Here's the main link:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

With 6 days I'd yes center on the Jungfrau Region - the fabulous area of glacier-girdled peaks soaring thousands of feet above lush cow-dotted meadows - neat mountain towns like Wengen or Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen or Murren are so so romantic - views of the majestic Jungfrau Massif from your hotel balcony - toylike mountain trains and thrilling aerial cableways go off in all directions - to me the highlight of Switzerland for a first-time visitor.

Then say go to Lucerne for 2 days - but there is so so much to see and do in the Jungfrau Region 4 days there will just give you the tip of the iceberg.

Trains along lake Geneva (Nyon, Morges, Lausanne, Vevey, etc.) run about every 15 min, those between Lausanne and Berne, Interlaken etc. every 30 min. Golden Pass trains every hr.
Historic paddle steam boats Geneva - Nyon - Yvoire - Rolle - Morges - Lausanne - Vevey - Montreux/Chillon castle twice daily.
Mountain villages where people speak French:
Verbier, Crans-Montana, St-Luc, Haute Nendaz, Argentiere, Chamonix.....
You can easily go to the highest peaks and most impressive glaciers of the Alps without leaving the French speaking area.

There are tons of panoramic hiking trails just above Lake Geneva (views to Mont Blanc, Dents du Midi, Lake Geneva, etc.) or not far away (Canton of Valais).

http://www.goldenpass.ch/en

Official site of Golden Pass - check out the VIP seats - you may find a Swiss Pass to be a good deal - covers not only trains but boats and city transports and gives free entry to 470+ Swiss museums and attractions - fully valid on Golden Pass so no need to book ticket in advance - you can however make a seat reservation in advance without a ticket or pass.

Up to you but I would take the train between Geneva, Lausanne, and Montreux.

Yes take a train to Montreux if taking the Golden Pass train which originates there - about a one-hour train ride from Geneva to Montreux - maybe break your journey in say Gstaad for a quick look around - most Swiss stations have luggage lockers available.

VIP seats on Golden Pass are just a few and have you sitting in seats smack up front by the driver's cabinet - like driving the train - some however are in the rear of the train so your view is receding of the lovely scenery.

https://www.google.com/search?q=VIP+...=1600&bih=1075

VIP seats but to get them you need to have a first-class upgrade over a 2nd-class ticket or pass and book months early on the official site.

Thank you everyone for such great feedback!

Thank you for saying so! I'm sure no matter what you do in Switzerland or where you go you will love it - absolutely love it!

Cheers!