nrwayne

From Geneva, you may find it most interesting to take the train to Interlaken and then spend your time exploring the Lauterbrunnen valley. That's the area between the Jungfrau and Interlaken. If you prefer a large population city, you may want to stay in Interlaken. Far more interesting, in my opinion, would be Wengen, Grindelwald or Murren. The latter is by far the most spectacular and pleasant. Murren is a rather small community, reachable by train or cable car. The view from Murren is as good as you are likely to see anywhere. Wengen is pleasant, but a lot bigger and certainly more convenient. Both Grindelwald and Wengen are busier and more touristy. While in the area, you might want to cruise on one of the lake steamers (on the Thunersee and Brienzersee, which run on either side of Interlaken). Plus, the train ride to Interlaken will be very pleasant. Locarno isn't even in the running, by comparison.

rex

Is this supposed to be a reply to http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34489673 - - "Hep with Swiss itinerary"?

It starts

<<We are planning a trip for 4 days the 3 end of May. The first night will be in Lauterbrunnen. From there, we need advise. Is Bellinzona a MUST? We are thinking of 2 nights in Lugano or Orta.>>

This reply needs to be posted there, if that is what you are trying to answer.

Best wishes,

Rex

djk9473

Thanks to both -- my original post/question seems to have gotten lost. Here's the original request:

We'll have four days in early May to travel in Switzerland before returning to Geneva. We prefer to travel by train rather than rent a car. The current thought is to head east to Locarno for three days, perhaps stopping off and spending a day/night somewhere scenic along the way. Is Zermatt too far out of the way? Would Sion be a better choice? Or should we just go straight from Geneva to Locarno given that time is short? (We're planning to take the Centovalli back through Domodossola at the end, on the return to Geneva.) Also, any recommendations for hotels in Locarno? (Our budget is around $150 a night, USD.) Finally, any recommendations on things to do/see in the Locarno area? Thanks!

elaine

your original question isn't lost, and it has some responses
just click on the link that rex provided

postings sink down as new topics and responses appear, but they're still there
you can also click on your own name to find it

rex

It's not clear, elaine, if "that" is "djk" or someone different ("danenk&quot.

djk9473

Thanks Rex and Elaine. My post is indeed different from Danen5's. The crux of my question is now this: is it worth it to stop for a night somewhere in Valais (Sion? Zermatt?) on the way to Locarno via train from Geneva, or should we just go straight to Locarno given that we only have four days. Recommendations would be much appreciated!

nrwayne

Zermatt is way out of the way. I suppose you must have some special interest in Locarno since you made no mention of my recommendation to stop in the Lauterbrunnen valley. I've been to Locarno, but really have no idea why you would favor that over the Bernese Oberland.
Good luck!

djk9473

In part the decision was weather-driven (we'd heard that Interlaken is still rather cold and we'd prefer to be somewhere warmer) and in part because we heard that early May is between seasons and not the best time to travel to the Interlaken area. Thoughts?

nrwayne

Neither area will be particularly summery in May, but if you haven't already been to the Interlaken area, you should at least consider stopping en route to Locarno to see what you may be missing. In Interlaken proper and in the valley, you may or may not get mild days, but if the weather is at all pleasant it will still be spectacular. Since early May is well before the busy season, you can be flexible with your dates. Interlaken is directly en route. I should emphasize, however, that this suggestion is for a visit to the Lauterbrunnen valley, using Interlaken or one of the smaller towns as a base. By itself, Interlaken is not nearly as worthy a place to visit. The lakes, the valley towns, and the views are what this area is all about.

swandav2000

Hi djk9473,

While I agree with nwayne about the spectacular beauty of the Bernese Oberland, I want to confirm that there are just loads and loads of beautiful spots in Switzerland. Because of the time of your visit, though, the Berner Oberland may not be at its best.

So before you give up on your plan, do a text search here for "Minusio" or "Grasshopper" to find a trip report called "A Grasshopper in Switzerland" or something like that. The poster stayed in Minusio, a town outside of Locarno, and raves about it. It's definitely worth a look. That poster is now travelling, so isn't checking in to post here!

Are you coming into Geneva from the UK (short flight, miniumal lag) or the US? Or someplace else? If your travel into Geneva is long, I would confirm your inclination to break up the five-hour train journey to Locarno. Maybe stop at Domodossola, about 90 minutes from Locarno. Or you could spend the night on a town on Lake Genva and take the long train journey the next day; this area will also be warm-ish and lush with flowers in early May. To research these options, do a text search for "Domodossola," "Montreux," "Vevey," and "Lausanne."

Let me know if I can help further!

s