Hi,
We plan to stop at Switzerland(Zurich) while returning to USA from India. We are planning for 5/6 days stay in Switzerland and then fly out from Zurich itself. We are looking at the timeframe of either last week of April or the first week of May. We both are in lower 30's with a 6 year old daughter. We love mountains/lakes and outside scenary.
Can anyone suggest us an itenary so that we can cover the maximum of beautiful Switzerland in the time frame(5/6 days) for the time period(April/May). We would love to travel by train/cruise within the country
Thanks in advance
KV

Since you are brand new here, and this is your first post ever (how did I know that? click on your own name - - this retrieves any of your previous posts), there are certain tips to successfully using this forum, that Fodors fails to mention to new registrants.

Nothing about your message header indicates you want help with an itinerary <i><b>in Switzerland</b></i>.

Please re-post and use a header like &quot;Seeking help on a 5-6 day stopover itinerary in Switzerland&quot;.

Best wishes,

Rex

An itenerary in the mountains of Switzerland in late April and early May is trickey. Unless you ski, there is not much you can do but ride the various lifts to higher elevations. Trails at upper elevations will be snowed in.

I have not been there in the winter, so I am not the one to give detailed advice.

One thing I can say is that such rides to higher elevations such as the Jungfraujoch are expensive.

Luzern is a nice destination with opportunities for boat rides on the lake.

I am sure others an give much better early spring advice than I.
A trip to Schaffhausen, near Z&uuml;rich, to see the Falls of the Rhine River would be interesting.

Lausanne is a beautiful city on Lake Geneve, and with the efficient train system, the travel time is 2 hours, 8 minutes from Z&uuml;rich.

And there are of course things to do in Z&uuml;rich.

Your daughter might enjoy Zurich's zoo, which I have read is excellent (have not been myself).

I agree that there is not likely to be a lot of mountain hiking possible at that time. However, Lauterbrunnen valley (near Interlaken) has some great waterfalls, Tremelbach in particular.

If you like Roman ruins, there are some good ones in Avanches, near Bern.

Ahh...Switzerland! You'll love it. It's even more beautiful than in the Hindi films!

I highly recommend the Jungfraujoch, this is a bit expensive, but when will you be back to Switzerland? It is spectacular. You're six year old will love the train ride and all the excitement of it, we took my nephew 2 years ago and he's still talking about it!

You could stay anywhere in the Berner Oberland and enjoy your days. The later you can go in May the better, some hotels close until the end of May - their holiday after ski season. We have gone as early as May 18th and been okay with weather and hotels being available.

Train transport is the best. If you have large suitcases from your travel in India, I'd suggest putting them in a locker and take a smaller bag for your days here, it will make life much simpler.

If you like busier places then Grindelwald is a good place and easy to get around as well as Interlaken. If you want more of the 'real&quot; Switzerland then Murren, Wengen, or Gimmelwald.

The Lucern area is also very beautiful and gives you a very different view of the country. Softer hills and a fantastic lake. Good shopping and a museum for your six year old.

The thing about Switzerland is that every region is very different, but no matter what you won't be disappointed!

Yes, my favorite country!

Hi,
Thanks all who have replied to my earlier post.
I am not into skiing, but would love to take train/gandola etc. to go to higher elevation like JungFrau or Mt. Pilatte. Can anyone suggest me what would be the best scenic train to choose if I have to choose one amongst the Golden Pass, Glacier Express or the Bernina Express.
Also, will mid April be not an appropriate time to visit ??

Thanks

I have been on the Bernina and the Golden and both are wonderful. Friends have been on the Glacier and say the same. On the Golden, any view is nice but if you can make reservations (worth the extra $) and get the first car, it's even better.
The Bernina and Golden have very different views. The Bernina will give you the mountain highlights while the Golden you can see lots of little towns in the &quot;countryside&quot;. Also depends on how long you want to be on a train. Glacier is much longer, but every minute is breathtaking.
You can take the Golden from Interlaken to Montreaux and see two very varying areas of Switzerland, goes from the German section to the French. On the Bernina, you can get a glimpse of Italy as well.
Have a great time!