We are planning a family vacation (2 adults, 2 children ages 20 and 24) to Switzerland Dec 22-Jan 4, although the last few days will be spent in Konstanz, Germany where my son will be staying for four weeks.

Here is what I am thinking, but any advice from those who have been? Some of our choices were based on places we have been before and wanting to see different things but get a good taste of variety in Switzerland.

BIggest question is should we rent a car, what is driving like (we have driven before thru Italy, France) and we enjoy being able to stop when we want or do quick 1/2 day visits on the way to destination) plus I don't want to have to lug suitcases on and off trains - then what do I do with them if only stopping for 1/2 day?) Are their rentals large enough trunk to hold suitcases?

Below is my rough draft itinerary: Keep in mind, trying to please all: a culture, museum, architecture nut, an outdoor lover/hiker/ice climber/ski/nature nut and time to sit and eat chocolate and have some rest.

Arrive Zurich on 12/22 and drive/train to Basel : think only one hour drive? time to adjust, relax and enjoy museums, architecture, zoo, town on 23, 24, 25, 26 (might sound like too many days but also trying to take into account holiday/ Mon museum closings (but zoo is open), day trip to germany or france if we chose to? etc. Stay where? question is should I suck it up and stay in Radisson SAS where I can use my points or should I go for Basel, Krafft? any suggestions? People seem mixed on Basel region.

Leave Basel on morning of 27 and drive/train? to Lauterbrunnen, stopping on way to spend part of day in Luzern.

Spend night of 27, 28, 29 and 30 in Lauterbrunnen.
This would give us 28, 29 and 30 to do Jungfraujoch, Wengen, Murren, waterfall, hike, etc. Stay in Silberhorn Hotel?

Leave Lauterbrunnen on 31 and drive to Bern.
Spend rest of that day and day of 1st in Bern.
Stay where? Belle Epoque? Innere Enge? Best Western and Allegro seemed to cold/modern.

On 2nd drive to Zurich and return rental car, train to Konstanz, Germany and spend rest of 2 and 3 in Konstanz. On 4th train to Zurich for flight home.

Is this too cramped? Should I leave out Bern? Basel area just seemed so reminiscent from photos of Budapest/ river/ buildings/ museums/ zoo sounded fabulous.
Left out Geneva/Gstaad area b/c seems during holiday it would be too fancy for our liking. Please send any advice, suggestions, whatever !!! Thank You.

Switzerland is an easy place to drive, but I have not been there in the winter. I'm a southern boy, so this whole concept of "snow" is quite alien to me. Ice belongs in tea, not on the road.

Most train stations have selfserve lockers, so you could store your luggage there unless it's quite large. Some have check rooms for larger luggage.

I think you could do Bern as a day trip by train from Basel. Other than that, the itinerary looks good. Keep in mind that hiking in December will almost certainly be limited by snow.

I am also going to spend 3 days with 2 kids (although younger ones) in Lauterbrunnen, doing similar activities, probably staying at the Silberhorn. I can't offer much advice other than to say that at least there is one other family out here who thinks that might be a good amount of time and a good hotel. (A friend of mine highly recommended the hotel) Of course, I'll be checking back to see what the Fodor experts have to offer to you.

This sounds like a fun trip to me.

Do not rent a car - since you'll stay four or more nights in one place a car is not of much help (in particular not in the city Basel and the Lauterbrunnen area). The public transportation system is so sufficient ... you can hop on/off the trams/trains as you like.

Driving would only be a good idea between Zurich and Basel, Basel and Lauterbrunnen, Bern and Zurich.

I have considered myself to stay in the Radisson SAS in Basel before. Finally I did not go, so I cannot help with personal experiences. It looked pretty good from the descriptions, though. Basel and its surroundings will keep you busy for the holidays. Depending on the weather it might be a good idea to make a day trip to a small town nearby (maybe in the Jura mountains) and possibly visit Freiburg in Germany (for the architecture nut , regional trains frequently running).

Luzern is out of the way from Basel to Lauterbrunnen. Definitely a bad idea. Better visit Solothurn, which is a gem, often overlooked.

The Silberhorn hotel is definitely the best hotel in Lauterbrunnen. I stayed in the Hotel Oberland, so no advice from personal experience, sorry. In general I like Lauterbrunnen as a hub, not as a village. I would prefer Grindelwald for hiking in winter, Wengen.

I love Bern and highly recommend you spend two nights there. The Belle Epoque looks nice, too. The location is excellent, very central.

Your itinerary is definitely not too cramped. Looks like you'll enjoy your time in Switzerland. Pray for good weather.

Ingo

thank you everyone for your help. Thanks Ingo for the idea of Soluthurn, and for the side trip to Frieburg - my daughter will love that. I'm looking into that now.
Silberhorn it is and trying to confirm dates with them today. Yes, maybe better to car between when we need it and not have to pay for it and to park an unused car when we don't need it.
Will let you know what ends up happening before and after !

I can recommend the Belle Epoque in Bern. Very comfortable, excellent staff, good location.

I'm curious about the number of days in Basel and Lauterbrunnen and the brief visits to Bern and Luzern. I think I would distribute the days more evenly. There is much to see and do in Bern and Luzern -- museums, architecture (World Heritage status for Bern's main street), etc., including the Alpine Museum in Bern that would seem to appeal to your interests. What will you do in Lauterbrunnen if the weather is just too harsh for hikes and a trip to the Jungfrau?

While I like Basel, you might actually want to spend time in Zurich, which is so beautiful at Christmas and has a number of museums, a very lovely old town, excellent restaurants and Alp views on a clear day. It also has a zoo. Basel has a nice old town, although it is small, and while some of it has a nice position high on a river bank, it would be a stretch to compare it to Budapest, and I don't think it merits 4 days esp if you end up finding most things closed (see below).

If you really are considering Basel, you might look into flying into Basel first. Not sure where you are coming from, but you might be able to fly non-stop from your US airport to Frankfurt or another European airport and then on to Basel. As noted, the train ride between Zurich and Basle does not take a long time, but overall it might be easier to land in Basel and go right to your hotel than to deal with getting on a train, etc in Zurich and then heading to Basel. Just something to think about.

In the Jungfrau area, everyone has their favorite mountain town, mine is Wengen which is up on a shelf in the mountains as opposed to Lauterbrunnen which is at the bottom of the valley, and is also a nicer town, IMO. There are more restaurants here as well. Views of the valley from here are tremendous, you don't get these views from the bottom of the valley. You also have easier access to cable cars and the train up the Jungfrau, and to higher elevation walks and hikes.

I also would not suggest driving to the Jungfrau area. The covered car park in Latuerbrunnen are almost always full during Christmas week, and you may end up having to park in the overflow parking area at the other end of town. This is not plowed, and if there is a lot of snow can be difficult to get in and out of. You can make reservations for the covered car park in Latuerbrunnen, but only for 7 day minimums. There is very little parking in Grindlwald so that is not really an option.

If you want to stop somewhere for ½ day when traveling by train, you can store luggage in train stations, there are luggage lockers in all the train stations, and manned luggage rooms in larger train stations, e.g. Lucerne.

Christmas week is extremely popular in the mountains, many hotels will have 7-10 night minimum stays, start looking into making a reservation now. There are several Silberhorn hotels in the area, one in Wengen as well as Laterbrunnen. The one in Wengen is very nice, take a look at www.silberhorn.ch

As you seem to anticipate, lots of things will be closed during Christmas, esp as it is on a Sunday this year. Shops, restaurants and museums may not be open at all on the 24th and may close early on the 23rd. The 26th is a holiday as well (St Stephen's Day) so it is likely that even the zoo in Basel may be closed; you may want to confirm this. Smaller shops and restaurants may stay closed for the entire week between Christmas and New Years (not the case in mountain villages where this is a big week).

The Silberhorn is arguably the best hotel in Lauterbrunnen, along with the Hotel Oberland.

It is at the north end of the main street, but set back from the stree about 75 yards or more.

The main train station and the cable lift to Mürren are convenient to the hotel.

The trains to Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg, and the Jungfraujoch leave from there as do trains down valley to Interlaken.

There is a change of equipment at Lauterbrunnen because the climb upwards from there is much steeper.

As much as I like Lauterbrunnen (having visited there 7 of the last 8 summers), I am not sure what you would do for 4 nights. Hiking will be limited because of the cold, unless you are a very winter sports oriented person. In that case, skis are a big item to have available.

I am fairly confident that ski runs will be open because of the large number of snow-making machines use on the higher slopes of the valley.

Many thanks for all the input. I truly appreciate your taking the time to give advice and your patience ! Here is where I am currently at because of availability, etc

We are flying in and out of Zurich (from Boston) b/c of companion fares I could get on Swiss Air with points and b/c it is easiest airport for my son to leave Konstanz and fly home from early Feb.

We also are planning trip backwards, since we know we want to be in Konstanz mid day Jan 2, so we have remains of that day and Jan 3 in Konstanz with him to see where he will be spending time, meet family he is staying with, etc. Then the three of us leave Zurich on Jan 4.

SO, as of now - we arrive Zurich morning of 23.
Make our way to Lauterbrunnen. Although train sounds like great option, I want to be able to drive from there to Bern/Basel/etc with stops or freedom to stop when and where I want, and I am thinking renting a car in Lauterbrunnen is probably not a possibility? Also, on email from Silberhorn, they said parking including, so I assumed that meant they knew they'd have a spot for us - maybe I should check on that from what you all say b/c the outdoor lot with a lot of snow could be a problem.

So we will drive Zurich to Lauterbrunnen, maybe making quick side trip on way to Meiringen? and arriving Lauterbrunnen 2-3pm? We will want early dinner and good nights sleep.... Then we will stay Lauterbrunnen, where I have reservations on hold for nights of 23, 24, 25 and 26. That will give us the full days of 24, 25 and 26 and while that may seem like too many, I was hoping to hope to fit in the following and thinking if weather was bad, it at least gave us a few days hoping to fit in the Jungfraujoch trip, and if weather is iffy, we can always to Murren, Wengen,, Interlaken, etc from there. Also thinking a good place to be on 24/25 when things in cities might close early, b/c we wouldn't care since it was a more restful/outdoor/village type sight seeing area to be in during that time.

If we have bad luck and none of those days are good enough to do the Jungfraujoch, we even have option of doing it on the 27 before leaving for Bern? I am so hoping we can take that trip and hoping it runs while we ar there. Anyone know the history of how often it does not run during this time of year? Does the weather stop us from getting to Wengen/Murren/etc too?

Also, we do ski but I hate to drag our equipment and need to look into rental availability. My son will likely go ice climbing if available, as he is fairly accomplished rock and ice climber. Some of you were concerned what would we do, but if we can do those things and just sit, eat, drink, relax, that would be ok too because as some of you may know, when the kids are older and it is harder to get family together,, time to sit and chat, walk and catch up is also good. A little slower time before we hit the cities.
Is this really too many days there??? Should I cut one night out?

Then we would leave Lauterbrunnen on morning of 27 and drive to Bern, which I think is about 90 minutes, and maybe make a side run to Thun for a break along the way? We would have afternoon and early evening to walk around Bern, dinner and a full day and night on the 28. Also as much of 29 if we want before heading up to Basel. - with maybe a side stop in Solothurn?

We'd be in Basel rest of 29, all of 30, 31 and 1. Zoo appears open on 1, and some museums appear open on 30 and 31. If too many things closed one day, thinking we could do side trip to see a close are in Germany if need be. I will check museum web pages to see and if too many closed, perhaps add one more night in Bern and arrive Basel on the 30th early??

We would leave there on 2nd for Konstanz. If need be, we could leave later in day and fit in another museum since 2 is a Tuesday.

OK, so now send some more ideas and critiques please if you have a chance !

Some suggest train and there are places to leave luggage. While my backpacker son would not mind in the least; there are other characters in this mix.
My husbands patience can run thin. I can't picture him wheeling his suitcase (and no matter how light he tries to pack, even though thin he is 6'2" and just the size of his shoes and clothes mean a larger bag....can't see him wheeling it into station, waiting in line for locker, having to go back and retrieve, etc, etc....he would be happier parking car and being able to leave bags in it. If we trained, it would mean transporting our luggage at Lauterbrunnen, and then if we wanted to stop along way to Bern, and on train can we then make side trips, which means more storage, and then same in Basel - from train to hotel, same going back to Konstanz and Zurich....I think he will be grouchy.

Training w/out luggage to Murren, Wengen, Interlaken etc as side trips he would love. and for getting around cities or to nearby day trips, etc.

We are used to driving in snow, and I would have thought being used to snow in Switzerland their main roads would be fairly clear soon after a storm?

Ok, send any thoughts my way. Also, Belle Epoque looks nice in Bern, but so does Hotel Bellevue - anyone else want to chip in on that one? First can accomodate us, ahven't heard back from Bellevue yet.

In Basel, choices are Krafft, Radisson, Basel ? or any other suggestions?

Many thanks -

oh, a p.s. - one of the reasons I chose Lauterbrunnen vs. higher up was altitude consideration. My thinking was giving everyone time to adjust to altitude. Would be surprised if son had a problem, who knows about me or my husband b/c we've never been that high - the mountains here, even Vail, etc are not as high. But my daugher had a bit of adjustment in Vail and I am even thinking should I ask Dr. about altitude medication for her - I'd hate so see that interrupt her time - so since Lauterbrunned not as high even as Murren/Wengen I thought it might be a better choice for her to adjust since we are going there straight from Zurich ? Any input on the altitude thing? Taking that Jungfraujoch trip? Has anyone had any difficulty? Or is it not the same if you are on a view trip like that and not actually physically exerting yourself? thanks.

I got a headache after about 30 minutes at the Jungfraujoch and my attempt to do some hiking up on the glacier was cut short due to exhaustion. I'm 40 and of average fitness and live at sea level.

However, I had absolutely no problem in Lauterbrunnen, Murren, or Gimmelwald, or on my demanding hikes in the area.

Thanks everyone: and for the altitude reply - we are all in good shape (for 50+ active, etc), not worried about son - daughter is seeing Dr. in November and he will decide if send her with medecine, etc perhaps b/c she is prone to sinus trouble.

Here is where we are at w/ bookings, so some decisions have been made.
Land Zurich 12/23.
Straight to Lauterbrunnen 12/23, 24, 25 and 26. staying at Hotel Silberhorn in valley and doing trips to Wengen, Murren, jungfraujoch, etc. maybe ski, weather will be a factor in all.
12/27 to Bern. Staying at Belle Epoque hotel.
12/28 Bern and 12/29 at some point leaving for Basel. 12/29, 30, 31 and 1 in Basel. Staying at Krafft Hotel - gentlemen doing reservations lovey - we have room overlooking river for 12/31 fireworks from barge in river. Eating at hotel first that night.
He was helpful as to what is and is not open on 12/31 and 1 and about options for side trip to Freilburg or France - both very close. I think city in France was Colmar? Haven't researched yet.
Leaving 1/2 for Konstanz, Germany and that is as far as I went today. Now looking for hotels in Konstanz. Any ideas? - Thanks for all your ideas, am looking into suggested trips, side trips but at least have the itinerary somewhat down and am still deciding about driving/train. Any ideas on this Swiss pass vs. Berner OBerland pass? Where we would only maybe using trains when we are in Basel, Bern and Lauterbrunnen? This site is a Godsend ! I love it. Thank you all.

The four basic Swiss railpass options are (1) Swiss Pass, (2) Oberland Pass, (3) Half-Fare Card, (4) point-to-point tickets. There's no way to know which is the cheapest way to go until you have a very good itinerary picture.

Unless you're really cost sensitive, I would get the Swiss Pass. I like the SP because you can skip the ticket window and just get on the train. Can be a big time saver. The Oberland Pass would do the same thing, but since you are also traveling outside the region, the SP may be better. Plus, the SP covers all boat cruises and city transportation such as buses.

http://www.ricksteves.com/rail/ausswitz.htm

thank you - swiss pass it is - i like passing by the ticket window anytime.

escargot,
Just got back from a trip to Switzerland and when we were in the Berner Oberland stayed in Wengen at the Hotel Belvedere. It was great. We took the cable car from Wengen to Mannlichen and then took an hour and a half walk to Klein Scheidigg. It was an absolutely beautiful day, but just as we arrived at Klein Scheidigg the clouds moved in and stayed the rest of the afternoon, so we weren't able to make the rest of the trip to the Jungfraujoch. The next day we went to Murren and took the cable car to Schilthorn, another beautiful day and no clouds, great views of Jungfrau. There was a wonderful walk downhill from Murren to Gimmelwald, don't know if it would be open in December. We also took cable car from Gimmelwald to Stechelberg and walked the entire valley from there to Lauterbrunnen.

We, too, agonized over where to stay, either Wengen, Lauterbrunnen or Murren. We're planning on going back next year and will spend half of our time in Wengen and the other half in Murren since there are wonderful walks in both areas and it would avoid all the up and down from the valley.

Also loved Luzern, but more city-like after the peacefulness of the Alps. If you are looking for day trips from Basel, Colmar, France is a beautiful little town and only a half hour by train from Basel.

We took trains for three weeks and loved every minute of it. No reading maps and signs, especially in Switzerland, just time to relax and look at the beautiful scenery and the luggage was a minor inconvenience compared to arriving rested and having time to enjoy the scenery.

Hope you have a great time.

Ellebella thanks for the info on Berner Oberland area - am taking notes. Also for Colmar, it was recommended by hotel in Basel when I made our rezzies, but you just seconded it !

Some more random thoughts:

I don't think it is too many days in Lauterbrunnen, esp as you like outdoor activities. Besides skiing there are great winter walks both along the valley floor and up in the mountains, there is cross country skiing, ice skating sledging, etc. I believe you can horseback ride along the valley floor as well. There is a outdoor curling rink in Murren where you can watch the curlers, there may be one in Wengen as well. There may be an public indoor pool in Lauterbrunnen which you may be able to use, ask your hotel. If the weather is really bad there is always gluwine and fireplaces.

It is easy to rent ski equipment, you can do this either in Laterbrunnen or up in Wengn or Murren or over in Grindelwald if you want to start out from the cable cars there. You should also be able to rent cross country equipment (this is usually dirt cheap).

Driving to Latuerbrunnen from Zurich on Friday the day before Christmas Eve you will invariably hit a good bit of traffic, as lots of Swiss will be heading for the mountains with you. Doing this on top of an overnight flight might be exhausting as well. I would really encourage you to take the train for the Zurich – Bernese Oberland leg of the trip and rent in the Interlaken area, as you can get the train right at the airport. You could take the train to Interlaken or Thun from Zurich Airport (2.5 -3 hours to Interlaken and less than 2 hours to Thun), rent the car there and then drive up to Lauterbrunnen which is only about 30 -45 minutes up the valley from Interlaken or Thun. There is an Avis and Hertz rental car office in Interlaken and an AutoEurope office in Thun. This would save you from the longest most traffic-filled parts of the drive. Alternatively, you could take the train all the way to Latuerbrunnen on the 23rd, and then one or all of you could go down into Interlaken or Thun on the 24th and rent the car. You would need to make sure the rental offices are open on the 24th and how late they are open on the 23rd.

However, if you are buying a Swiss pass anyway, and if you really intend to stay only in the Jungfrau valley area for the 23 - 26 I again question renting the car for those days, as you will not be using it at all but will be paying a pretty hefty rental charge. Take the train from Zurich as is it included in your Swiss pass. You cannot drive to Murren or Wengen. You can only take trains there. You won't be able to drive any of the mountain passes as they are closed for the winter. If the weather is bad, it is just as easy to take a train into Thun or Interlaken, and is in fact easier as parking in Interlaken and Thun is hard to find and expensive. Remember this is Christmas and a weekend and Switzerland so a lot of things will be closed anyway, so if the weather is bad there won't be much point in leaving your hotel, IMO (which would be the same if you were in a city). Also bear in mind that gas is over US$5 a gallon. I would actually wait and rent toward the end of the Swiss portion of your trip, and then drive to Kontaz.

If you decide to drive from Zurich, just take your time and be prepared for a longish trip. As you would imagine, the Swiss are very efficient at snow removal. The highest pass you are driving is the Brunig, which is not above the tree line. I have driven it in heavy snowstorms and not had any problem.

If you have parking at the hotel that makes a big difference, do confirm this. Also confirm if they are charging for parking.

I agree on the Colmar recco. Very charming little town.

Cicerone: What is wrong with me that I wasn't thinking about traffic on 12/23 - and I had not come across anywhere about rental places in Interlaken - and Hertz or Avis is who we would use - so I am thinking I should take your advice and train from Zurich to what? Interlaken and then there is a smaller train to Lauterbrunnen? And then do we walk from there to Silberhorn Hotel in Lauterbrunnen? You are right, renting the car for just that ride down from Zurich and then having it sit in Lauterbrunnen (although hotel said they had parking) is silly - we wouldn't use it until we left on the morning of 27th. So how long does it take to train from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken? B/c then we could all just train there on morning of 27 and pick up care and drive to Bern- BUT - is there anything we would want to stop and see on the way from Interlaken to Bern? is it just scenery and we will see that from the train anyway? If the drive is all highways that wouldn't give me the quaint scenery anyway....Then maybe I should just train on 12/27 from Interlaken to Bern and rent a car in Bern to drive to Basel, which would allow us to stop in Solothurn which was recommended......or should we just train to Basel also and rent there for the drive to Konstanz -
is that a nice drive or again, should I just train to Konstanz, if that is even possible or would that mean changing in Zurich....b/c by now I am thinking I am wheeling my suitcase, carryon (which does go on top of my bag) and whatever I've bought along the way......We are at Steigenberger Inselhotel in Konstanz and it also sounds like I only walk there, although it sounds like hotel is on an island connected by bridge - but there must be some transport to hotel - there is parking at all my hotels, although at two of them I have to pay for a garage, but they said I could drop luggage off first and garage is 2 minute walk anyway. - and what about size of car? I remember when we were driving in Italy we had to upgrade b/c our suitcases couldn't fit in the trunk anyway - which was the whole purpopse so they'd be out of sight when we left the car...... I am wondering what these trains are like - do I need to reserve seats? Is it a fight for seats? Is it a rush getting luggage on and off (I had this experience in Italy where we were throwing the bags out the window b/c eveyrone was coming on while others trying to get off and it was a zoo) -
Maybe my problem is I am remembering the lovely driving through Tuscany/San Gimignano/Siena area of Italy and thinking of the small towns along the way, scenery, stopping when we wanted and we drove once we left Paris all around the countryside, but again, if the drives between my destinations aren't the scenic/stop in little villages along the way type - then train might be better.
So ifyou can answer any of these questions I'd appreciate it. And thanks for the info about ski rentals, - why can't I find this info in any guide books?
And if you can, how do I buy all these train tickets in advance - do I need to reserve seats ahead of time or is it first come, first served - I would hate to decide to train and get to Interlaken on 12/27 and find out I can't get on a train? or does that never happen?
And, if I train the entire trip - there must be some transport from Konstanz to Zurich - wouldn't one think the hotel could even arrange for a driver if train didn't make sense - b/c if I don't spend all that on a rental car, it would still be less for transport to airport and we wouldn't have to be returning rental car......
Not experienced on trains, we live where car is only means of transport - my experience in US is limited to constantly training between Boston and NY - and you must reserve and book seat ahead of time in either coach, business or first so I could use this type of info on the trains if you or anyone has and the patience to explain Many thanks.

All the discussion about Lauterbrunnen vs Wengen, or Murren got me wondering if Lauterbrunnen is the best place for us the end of July. If the weather wouldn't be too good (of course you were referring to bad winter weather I know), would one of the other towns be better for my 2 kids and me for the 4 days? If we would go to Wengen or Murren, would it be more time consuming or difficult to get to the Jungfrau and Schilthorn? That's all we are doing in Switzerland for this trip so Interlaken is defintely out - finally an easy decision!

P.S. Is it considered bad etiquette to add onto this post with my own, albeit similar, question? Should I instead post my own question? I don't mean to but in!

It only takes a few minutes to get from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen or to Murren, so don't worry about it. There are lots of great easy (ie, downhill) hikes the whole family can do, based from either Murren or Wengen. The Schilthorn is easy to do from Murren; the Jungfraujoch from Wengen. And really, they are easy to do from Lauterbrunnen, too.

You will probably get more individual attention if you start your own thread. No one will mind.

Photos from recent trip to that area:
http://spaces.msn.com/members/goflah...wner=1&_c=