We are planning a trip to Switzerland in the first week of September. We have three (and a half) days and three nights. We arrive/depart from Zurich by air. Would like suggestions on <BR>what to do. We don't want to rush things. <BR>We'd like to include a beautiful cable car ride, a visit to Interlaken and Jhongfru(sp?), take a train ride thru some <BR>scenic areas... <BR> <BR>Thanks. <BR> <BR>PS: Any specific suggestions on affordable hotels (conveniently located to tourist spots) would be nice.

I can tell you what I did last summer so you can judge what you can do. My wife and I are moderate hikers these days, in that at age 66 my days of scrambling up (no ropes) 14,000 foot peaks in the Rockies are well over. But that is our background. <BR>Last summer we rented an apartment for a week in Lauterbrunnen, but we started two major excursions from Grindelwald, which is about 30 minutes away by train. <BR> <BR>These are the excursions that stand out in our minds: <BR>1. From Grindelwald, take the gondola up to First. From First hike to the Faulhorn via the Bachalpsee. The views are Xyx to say the least, where xyz is any subset of superlatives you care to substitute. <BR> <BR>2. From Grindelwald, take the gondola up toward the Grindelwald Glacier and hike to the Stieregg Restaurant. From the restaurant the trail continues along the east side of the Eiger and up an awesome glacial valley. How far you go on this hike depends on your zeal as a hiker. But you can go all the way to a mountain hut by scrambling up ladders and hauling yourself up with fixed cables. <BR> <BR>3. From Interlaken, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, take the train to the Jungfraujoch. Once there add to the thrill with a hike along the groomed snow track out to the Monks Saddle Hut (Moenchsjochhuette). We had a snack at the hut and looked out of the windows in total fascination at an incredible world of snow and ice. <BR>4. From Lauterbrunnen, ride the funicular up to Grutschalp, then hike or ride the tram to Murren. From Murren take the gondola up to the top of the Schilthorn. The hike from Grutschalp to Murren is relatively flat and the views are awesome. <BR>5. From Wilderwil, a few kilometers south of Interlaken, take the tram/train up to Schynige Platte for a hike along the ridge that overlooks the lakes on east and west of Interlaken. The old train looks like the Toonerville Trolley as it climbs steeply through the forest to the top of the ridge. <BR> <BR>I cannot help you on hotels because we based all of our excursions from our apartment. But Grindelwald is full of hotels. Checkout the website. (We seleted Lauterbrunnen because it is a transportation hub. As villages go, it is small. Grindelwald is larger, more of a tourist destination, and more active at night.) <BR>The Berneroberlandbahn - BOB - is the privately owned railway that serves the mountain region around Interlaken. We had a Swiss Card that gave us 50% off of full train price and 25% off of gondola and funicular tickets. I do not know if it would pay for itself in 3 days. But the BOB offers other discount instruments. Again, I don't have the current figures to know if you would pass the breakeven point.

We stayed in Grindelwald at the Glaciergarten Hotel (celebrating 100 yrs. in 1999). When we arrived, we were given a booklet describing things to do & coupons to use for the various activities. It was a beautiful place & we did all the things you mentioned in your question. <BR>

Much depends upon (a) how active you are, and (b) whether or not this is your first visit to Switzerland. Assuming that you're not an eco-tourist hoping to back-pack the Alps, I would suggest the following: <BR> <BR>1. Luzern is a outstanding city. It is also the perfect base for the not-to-be-missed day trip to Mt. Pilatus. <BR> <BR>2. Try to spend at least a few hours on Lake Thun. Don't forget to jump off the ferry to tour the castle. <BR> <BR>3. Take the train tour to Jungfraujoch. It's a bit expensive, but there's nothing else like it in the world. <BR> <BR>These are my fondest memories, along with the sound of cow bells tinkling across an alpine valley. Have fun! <BR> <BR>

I spent the exact same amount of time as you in Switzerland a couple of years ago before heading to Paris. Here's what we did. <BR> <BR>Day One: Arrived Zurich. Train from airport to Bern. Arrived Bern mid to late morning and toured until late afternoon - saw all major sites. Will need more time if shop. Train to Interlaken. <BR> <BR>Day Two: Trip to Jungfraujoch. Hiked Lauterbrunnen Valley. Cable car up to Gimmelwald. Walked through Murren and caught train to funicular. Funicular back to Lauterbrunnen. <BR> <BR>Day Three: Train to Grindelwald and gondola to Mannlichen. Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg walk. Lunch at Kleine Scheidegg. Kleine Scheidegg to Wengen walk. Spent several hours in Wengen and had dinner there. <BR> <BR>Day Four: Early train to Luzern. Toured city and took boat ride on Lake Luzern all the way to the end. Train back to Luzern. Bought some souvenirs. Train back to Bern. Spent evening in Bern. <BR> <BR>Day Five: Early train to Paris. This would be your day to leave Zurich, so you could substitute Zurich for Bern as endpoint. <BR> <BR>As you can see, you can do a lot in that time. We never felt too rushed. The only real regret was that we didn't have one more day in the mountains.