Desperately need your advice on base-cities and reasonable day trips:

West side - Geneva, Lausanne, Chillion
QUESTION: should I base myself in Geneva or Lausanne?

East side - Zurich, Bern, Basel, Lucerne
QUESTION: is it a good idea to lodge in Zurich?

Central - Interlaken
QUESTION: should I stay in Bern and take day trips to Interlaken and Jungfrao area, or vice versa? (and omit day trips to Bern when in Zurich)

Please help. Thanks heaps.

Now this is just my opinion. You know, my opinion on how I have done things, but I would stay in the Jungfrau area and take day trips to Bern.

There are enough scenic hikes, walks and mountain excursions in the Jungfrau area to keep the traveler interested and busy for a few days. If you feel the need to pop over to Bern, it is only about 45-50 minutes from Interlaken as I remember.

I would save the Bern trip for a side trip on a cloudy or rainy day. Since rain and clouds would obscure mountain views anyway, I'd save the Bern trip for one of those bad weather days. Bern has a really nice old town feel with cobble stone streets and a nice shopping area.

That is just how I would do things.

And if you could arrange things, I would stay in Grindlewald, Murren or Wengen. All of those areas are somewhat close to Interlaken. From either one of those villages, you are but a short train trip away to many wonderful sights and excursions in the Jngfrau area.

And this is just based on my opinion, but I would stay at least 5 days or longer in the Jungfrau area.

Just how I would do it.

IMO for trips to Lausanne and Montreux/Chillon I would stay in Lausanne...you can always hop over to Geneva in less than an hour by train; same for Montreux and Chillon. While in Montreux for spectacular views you might consider taking the train up to Rochers de Naye.

I think you might find Zurich to be a bit more expensive, lodging-wise, than Luzerne although that greatly depends on the level of lodging..you can pay plenty if you want to in Luzerne.

If you are, in fact, traveling by rail, all of these places are fairly easy to reach since the rail system is excellent.

Personally, I'd stay IN Interlaken, at least, or perhaps even further into the valley area rather than Bern.

Whatever you decide, enjoy your trip.

Hi, Jane. I'm a daytrip person, and I happily use Swiss trains, buses, and boats in a single day. If you're driving, then your possibilities may be different from mine. However, here are my thoughts:

For the west (French), certainly Lausanne rather than Geneva, but better than that, Vevey or Montreux (for easy connections to Gruyeres, Chateau d'Oex, etc. and wonderful walks in the Lavaux vineyards.) Actually, it is an easy daytrip from here to Bern by rail, and a possible daytrip to Avenches if you're interested in Roman antiquities.

For the east side, of your choices I'd say Lucerne, but I spent seven nights in Rapperswil on lake Zurich and daytripped to Lucerne and Zurich and Appenzel and Einsiedeln from there, as well as Fluelen and Altdorf to the south of Lake Lucerne (4 Cantons Lake). However, Lucerne and the villages on its lake are lovely.

For the central, if your daytrip plans include other than mountain tops, then I'd choose a place along the rail route beside the lakes of Thun or Brienz, but not Interlaken. Maybe Brienz, Thun, or Spiez. Of course, if mountain vistas are your goal, then most folks here will say stay in the mountains above Interlaken.
When I stayed down below, we daytripped to Lucerne, Bern, Solothurn, Ballenberg, Grindelwald, and explored the lake villages on both lakes by boat.

If you'll take a look at the sbb.ch website, you'll see that the cities on your wish list can be reached easily from a variety of bases. Lucerne can be visited from a stay either on Brienzersee or Zurichsee. Bern can be visited while staying almost anywhere. Have fun planning. Later, J.

Unless you have a serious interest in being in Geneva, I'd base myself in Lausanne, Vevey or Montreux.... all lovely and well connected along the lake (by train). Geneva's a huge world-class city and to me a bit overwhelming compared to any of the other options along Lac Leman.

For the central portion of your trip, I suggest you look at Lauterbrunnen. It is a small village in a very scenic valley, with immediate access to many of the mountaintop excursions. At their train station, you can see cable pictures of the climate at the top of some of the mountains, and decide whether you want to go up the mountain that day, or wait for better weather.

Thanks from my heart for your advice. As a first-time solo female traveller (and rail user), a good plan is essential.
Have a good time, wherever you are!

Hi Jane. You'll love the Swiss travel system. If you plan to do a lot of daytripping (thus staying in one base hotel for three or more days), then you might want to look into the Swiss Pass (good for trains, busses, boats, and some city transportation). It's designed for that sort of thing, and I love the freedom to hop on a train on the spur of the moment w/o having to line up to purchase a ticket. Have fun as you continue planning.

p.s. I've found it very comfortable (and economical) to stay in smaller towns for my bases (like Rapperswil or Brienz). Are you a city person? A nightlife enthusiast? If so, ignore my comments; they won't work for you. J.

I am planning to base myself in a couple places and do day trips. If I stay in a smaller place, what are the options for dinner. I noticed most of the hotels don’t have refrigerators listed as a room amenity but some have shared refrigerators. Has anyone used a shared refrigerator? Do you just grab breakfast at the train station? Is there a place you can grab a quick dinner in the small towns? How late are they open? Thank you.