jane00

Oh my gosh, I read this forum all the time, use it for planning all my trips but I am having a hard time with this one.
My husband purchased tickets for my family of 4 (kids 17 and 12) to go to Switzerland for our spring break in March and is leaving the planning to me, (well, I usually take on that part and he found a deal he couldn't pass up!)
While I am definitely up for the trip, after a couple days of reading up on Switzerland I have to admit I am lost!
We fly in and out of Zurich and definitely love to travel around on the trains. I hate presenting such a general post, but I can't distinguish between what is recommended by people for the summertime vs the winter as far as villages to see etc. And also whether it is advisable to see destinations in bordering countries etc. We aren't skiiers, love to look at the mountains and scenery, enjoy shopping, good restaurants, walking etc.
I guess what I'm saying is that our agenda is wide open with not alot of expectations for anything in particular.
If anyone has a moment to jot down a brief possible itinerary of villages/cities that would be a wonderful place for me to start!
As we arrive at 7 a.m., I did think we would immediately catch a train to wherever, and leave Zurich for the day or so before our flight home.
Thanks in advance if anyone has the time. I'm not sure why this trip seems hard to me! Jane

sandi_travelnut

Once you arrive, how many days do you have before you fly out?

jane00

Oh, we are there 1 week only! Thanks so much! Jane

Barbara_in_CT

I spent a week in Switzerland last year. Lucerne is an interesting city with things that appeal to kids. The rest of the time I might spend in the Berner-Oberland--in Wengen, Murren or Lauterbrunnen. Or, you could spend the time riding the rails and taking in the scenery but that might not wear well with the kids.

travelchic

My husband and I were in Lucerne this past October and LOVED it. The city itself is beautiful with lots to see and do, plus a trip up to Mt. Pilatus on the cogwheel train was just awesome. I am not sure about the weather in March, but I can say that you can't go wrong with Lucerne.

jane00

Thanks, that gives me a good start. I am already starting my reading! Jane

Pawleys

Jane, it will still be cold and snowy in the mountains of Switz, during March.
If you want to see the Wengen/Murren/Grindlewald area which is sooo charming your family might enjoy sledding there. They use the train to take sledders to the top( an area near Grindlewald). It looked like great fun. There's a wonderful cafe at the bottom that serves apple fritters.

JN

We've gone for a week in the spring. I'd pick two places to stay during that time, with enough variety to give you a feel of two of the three primary Swiss cultures (German, Italian, French).

We were not mountain view crazy folks, so we picked Locarno in the Ticino region (loved it), where we ended up with a couple warm, sunny days. Then we went to Luzern, where you have lake/river/mountain beauty, good shopping and a nice set of museums to explore.

Final night either could be at Zurich, or in Luzern if your flight home is not too early (about 75 minutes via train from Luzern to Zurich airport)

jane00

Thanks JN.......its good to know we might have some sunny nice weather. I appreciate the advice. Jane

JN

Jane
Locarno boasts the most days of sunshine in Switzerland (300-something, I forget). It is below the Centrosotto (I think) mountain range and tends to get weather similar to italy--they have palm trees, in fact.

Vanman

Luzern would be a good bet as others have posted. With a train pass you could hit the mountains if the weather was good and train to Bern, Basil, Solothurn, and Zurich if you want to check them out. We based in Luzern last summer for 6 days and it worked out great. The train to/from Surch airport is quick and easy.

Vanman

Sorry, the previous post was fired off before I checked spelling. That would be Basel and the airport Zurich.

A great hotel in Luzern is the Des Alps. It is close to the train station, in the old town, and faces the river with lake and mountain views.

georgiegirl

Jane, I am saving your post for my trip planning. Please write a report when you come back. I am planning a 2-week trip in September. My plan is flying into Zurich and take a train to Luzern. I am looking at hotel des Alpes for 4 days before going to Dijon to visit Coco. I am looking forward to hearing about your trip. Thanks.

jane00

Thanks so much everyone for all the help!
This is what I'm thinking right now...........we will take a train to Lucerne immediately upon arriving in Zurich (which will be at 7:30 a.m.) and headquartering there for 2-3 nights. That would give us time for that area, with a possible daytrip to Bern.
Then, I am still deciding between whether to head to the Berner-Oberland area for 2-3 nights as I know those sites would be wonderful, or heading to the Montreaux area and the Chateau Chillon.
I guess the train travel time back to Zurich would make a difference on what we selected if there was a huge difference. It all sounds wonderful!
I also know I would like Locarno but that may have to wait until a later date I think.
Then, we would make our way back to Zurich for our last evening before our flight out.
Thanks Vanman for the hotel suggestion. I will definitely check it out. I am slowly getting with it, thanks for all the help everyone! Jane

Marzie

I loved Switzerland! especially Lucerne. I went there last summer with Contiki Holidays and had a wonderful time. Lucerne looks like right out of a storybook with the Alps in the background. It is so serene there. While you're there you can get a gondola ride up to the top of Mt. Pilatus and drink some hot chocolate!

ddman

In Feb 1993, I did a train trip in Europe and Russia. Now I'm planning a 1 month return to the Alps for me and 83yo mom. Here's some Swiss ideas...

The Glacier Express travels across southern Switzerland from Zermatt (Matterhorn) to St. Moritz. In 1993, there was only one train per day which I missed because I read the schedule wrong the night before. Three trains per day were listed but a small footnote said only 1 train runs in winter, grrr.

Interlaken is a gateway to the Bernese Oberland, you can take various local trains and cable cars up into the mountains. In 1993, Interlaken was my final full day and it was a white out storm. I still took the local train to Murren, walked downhill to Gimmelwald, took the cable car up to the revolving restaurant Piz Gloria at the top of the Schilthorn (Bond movie - On Her Majesty's Secret Service), and funicular to Lauterbrunnen. I could see about 6 feet all day, double grrr. On our next trip, we'll maybe take 1 day for the Schilthorn area as before and 1 day for the train ride up the Jungfrau (highest train station in Europe).

Bern has a great view of the surrounding area from the rear of the Parliament Building, the Zytglogge Clock Tower (mechanical
display each hour), and Munster Cathedral. I'm not sure it was worth walking around lost in the cold for hours to find them. Taxi rides may be a better way to go here.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle chose the Reichenbach Falls (Meiringen) as the setting for the death of his character Sherlock Holmes.

The Lion Monument (Lucerne) honors the more than 700 Swiss Guards who died defending King Louis' palace during the French Revolution.

The Chateau de Chillon (Lake Geneva) inspired Lord Byron to write The Prisoner of Chillon. During his stay at Lake Geneva, Lord Byron inspired Mary Shelley to write Frankenstein.

The train ride between the Swiss border (Zurich) and Innsbruck/Salzburg Austria area has spectacular mountain views.

Your local library should have travel videos and books to get ideas from. I especially like Rick Steves do it yourself stuff and his Website has lots of free travel planning info.

Some of the mountain hotels may close in spring and fall for a few weeks. Some attractions may only be open for the summer (or winter) tourist season. Restaurants may close early in the evening (9-10 pm) making it hard to get something to eat for night owls.

Taking the early morning train or cable car may save money. Buying a city or area travel pass may save money over individual tickets. A Eurail or Swiss train pass may give a discount on local trains, cable cars, lake boats, or attractions.

My snow boots worked great for snow but were deadly on ice, ouch.

Pack light, do laundry in hotel sink as you go, don't keep your whole trip (money, ATM cards, etc) in 1 easy to steal wallet or purse, carry a travel pack of toilet seat covers (doubles as toilet paper, smile), carry granola bars or other snacks, American style fast food restaurants usually have clean free restrooms, have fun. Mike

jane00

Thanks ddman and marzie.....I am getting closer to deciding, though my kids are starting to chime in about their preferences.........uh oh.....jane

mari5

Lucern IS a lovely CITY...and it IS a fairly large city. Interlachen would be a good base, and it's city also, but smaller. (In Lucerne there is a beautiful very modern Best WEstern down a side street about a block from the lake, easy to reserve from the 800#))
Someone else mentioned the villages of Lauterbrauten (the cog train up to Wengen is great and views spectacular)
Murren accessible by funicular I think, but a very small village.
If you have 7 days (and are you coming from the States) about two of those is travel.
It's great having a car in some of these area and the driving is very easy. YOu can stop when you want and walk the streets in villages and towns.
March could be pretty chilly,,,but it sounds like a WONDERFUL trip....we LOVE traveling in March AND November.
Doubt if you'll have time to go across to Montreax etc...the French speaking area, Chillon etc. That is close to Geneva and would make a good "next trip".
What time does your plane leave Zurich morning of return? Makes a little difference on the Hotel the prior night.

jane00

Mari5, our plane leaves at 10:45 a.m. for our return home. One question I keep having is the number of days to spend in Lucerne, and whether to go there first, or to either Berner Oberland area or Locarno area first. (Right now I keep going back to these as the selection.)
I read that sledging is fun in the Grindelwald area, which the kids would enjoy, but we don't want to ski and take all the stuff.
Probably one day, two nights would be plenty in the villages of the Berner Oberland area in March it seems. And we do like cities.
But Locarno seems like a good choice also........especially in March.
Montreaux now seems a bit farther in travel time for such a short trip so I may have to put that on the next list.
A week just isn't long enough!
Thanks, Jane

JN

Hi again,
You face the common dilemma: too much to see and so little time. So, your choices are to hop around a lot (e.g., two nights BO; 2 nights either Lac Leman area or Locarno and 2 nights Luzern), or limit yourself to two areas. Tough decision. We chose the former, but knew we'd be back in a couple of years.

If you have to choose only two areas, ask yourself what's most important or what do you really want to avoid. WE were trying to escape the cold of winter that time of year; So, the choice was easy--three nights each in Locarno and Luzern. We missed the spectacular mountain views but: 1) were not wanting the added cold; 2) were concerned that march weather was iffy enough that we might get fogged-in in the BO. You might choose differently.

Given your departure time, I'd suggest training to, say the BO or Locarno upon arrival, then training to Luzern for your last 2-3 nights, and taking a 7:15-7:30am or so train from Luzern to the Zurich airport, which will get you in about 8:30/8:45am--plenty of time for check in. This will save the hassle of packing/unpacking for a last-night Zurich stay.