I think I have read all I can read and am ready to make my itinerary for a one week trip in mid October into the BO region. I would appreciate any feedback as this is our first trip into Switzerland. I am going with my husband and 2 kids (7 & 9).

Day 1 arrive Zurich in the morning. Train to Lauterbrunnen
Day 2 Tour the town
Day 3 Jungfravjoch (If weather is bad maybe go to Grindelwald)
Day 4 Train to Murren (maybe go to Schlthorn)
Day 5 Do Golden pass train starting at Interlaken
Day 6 Train to Lucerne - visit the town
Day 7 Take boat ride do the trip to Mt. Pilatus.
Day 8 train to Zurich, fly home.

Here are some additional questions:

1. Upon arrival should be train from Zurich to Lauterbrunnen via Lucerne or Bern? I was thinking that I read somewhere that the Lucerne trip was more scenic.

2. In Lucerne should I go to Mt. Pilatus or Mt. Rigi? What side should I go up on? Does the Swiss pass cover this?

3. Given the short amount of time we will be there, are there different places I should go to? Somethig important I am missing?

Thanks

Day 2: You can tour Lauterbrunnen in 1 - 2 hours. Take the bus to visit the Truemmelbachfaelle (falls). If the weather is good on Day 2, (mountains clear), don't wait for Days 3 and 4 to do Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn.

Hi Family4UK,

Yes, hehheh, I was wondering what you were going to do with the other six hours on day 2! I would also sugeest a ferry ride on one of the lakes, Thun or Brienz. There are a few castles in the Thun area, one in town and one on the Lake, but I've heard that Lake Brienz is prettier.

Day 3, I would definitely stop in Wengen. Wengen is car-free and lovely while Grindelwald can be crowded and quite busy.

Have fun!

s

I would add an extra day in BO and take the kids to Ballenberg, let them run around, see the exhibits, pet the animals, etc. Skip going to Mt. Pilatus, I think you will have seen enough mountains already (for a short trip).
http://ballenberg.ch/en/Offers/Families

Thank you for the information I will incorporate it in. I have made a few changes to my plans. I think I will fly into Zurich and out of Geneva as this seems to be a little bit cheaper. So here is the adjusted itinerary. Please note alot of this is weather dependent so think of it as the items to do in one day and not necessarily the order in which they will be done. As soon as we have a nice day I will head for the mountain tops.

Day 1 - Arrive Zurich, train to Lauterbrunnen
Day 2 - Schilthorn (weather permitting) otherwise Truemmelbachfaelle (falls)
Day 3 - Ballenburg
Day 4 - Day trip to Lucerne. Walk the old town and take a boat ride
Day 5 - Jungfraujoch
Day 6 - Train to Bern and Lausanne
Day 7 - Take the Golden Pass Scenic train from Interlaken to Geneva. Overnight in Geneva
Day 8 - Sightsee in Geneva, Fly back to UK.

A few other comments/questions:

1. Will there be any tobaggen/luge runs open this time of year? We did them in Austria and really enjoyed it.

2. Is it worth visiting Lenk instead of Bern?
3. My kids are VERY experienced travellers. They have been to over 10 countries including Egypt in the last year. So they know the routine fairly well.

4. Are there things that we should be showing/introducing the kids to that is not included in this itinerary. We like to think of our trips as mini-field trips instead ov vactations. That is there are enough educational things as well as fun stuff. Saying that though we don't want to spend our days in museums.

Again thank you for your previous help. It is always invaluable.

In Grindelwald, the Pfingstegg alpine slide is open until the 25th of October. Good views of the Grindelwald valley below.

http://www.pfingstegg.ch/

This one outside of Lucerne is loads of fun as it is quite long, and the views of the lake below are outstanding. Open until the 29th of October.

http://www.pilatus.ch/content-n131-sE.html

Of course, weather-permitting.

Hi again,

Your day 6 to Bern & Lausanne. No need to go to Lausanne on that day, which will be a few hours out of your way. You go right through Lausanne on Day 7 when you move from Montreux to Geneva.

By the way, the Golden Pass does not go to Geneva. It ends at Montreux, and you then just skirt the lake to get to Geneva. You can see the whole route at this site:

www.goldenpass.ch

Have fun!

s

I would always include a hike in the days in the mountains. For example day 2: gondola Lauterbrunnen-Grütschalp, from there hike to Mürren (preferrably upper route via Allmendhubel) and from there cable car to Schilthorn. Or day 5: I'd take the cable car from Wengen to Männlichen, hike from there to Kleine Scheidegg and take the cog-train to Jungfraujoch from there. Btw, when I did this there was even enough time to hike down from Kleine Scheidegg to Lauterbrunnen afterwards.

Ballenberg is large and offers a lot, but I wouldn't reserve the full day for it. Try to visit a woodcarving workshop in Brienz and/or take the boat Interlaken-Brienz (or vice versa).

Like swandav said, don't combine Lausanne and Bern. Bern offers enough for one day IMO (I spent more there).

Otherwise it sounds like an excellent itinerary to me.

Ingo

Tour Lauterbrunnen? Well, walking from the train station to a close-up of Staubbach Falls is about a 15 minute stroll, perhaps a little more if you go in the shops like Trudy's Bazaar.

I do suggest a visit to the valley museum. It is small, but well done. The cemetery is worth a stop because of the beautiful flowers. So by the time you do all that we are talking an 90 minutes.

Wengen and Mürren are both small. We went to Mürren once with some souvenir purchase objectives. Walking about the town took less time than we thought it would.

I suggest a trip to Wengen and then take the cable lift up to the Männlichen for a great view of the whole mountain range.

The best view, however, is from the cable lift station known as First. One takes the gondola from Grindelwald.
The ride up is spectacular and the view from the terrace of the restaurant is incredible. Highly recommended.

Ingo - thanks for the hiking suggestions. Are the hikes you suggested good for kids 7 & 9 years old? Is the hike up difficult? I was thinking that I had read about people hiking down instead. I haven't done any real looking at the hikes as I was not sure the difficulty and if the kids could do it or not. So any input is appreciated.

Thanks again.

Sorry to steal Ingo's question but I think you will be doing your kids a big favor in having them hike virtually anywhere in this area. Been there , done that and the influence, challenge and confidence it gives them will serve them (and you) forever. Don't hesitate. The hike from First (after the gondola ride up) to the alpine lake above, would be perfect. There are many others. I envy you--have fun. Paul