Ideal Nine Day Itinerary in Switzerland
 

My 18 year old son and I are flying into Geneva (after spending 3 days in Amsterdam) and have 9 days to spend in Switzerland. I had planned a route by train, but am now leaning toward traveling by car. Initially planned to visit Vevey, Montreux, Gruyeres, Murten, Avanches, Bern, Interlaken, Thun, Brienz, Wengen(have reservation there) et al, Luzerne. With a car, I can go further in less time. What would be an ideal itinerary for first time visitors with great stamina but who still want to "smell the roses"?

Thun, Interlaken, Brienz, and Wengen (and even Bern) can all be done from a single home base in the Berner Oberland. Stay in Wengen 4-5 days. That way, you'll be sure to catch at least a few sunny days and can see the mountains in all their glory, you'll have plenty of time for rose sniffing, hiking, and biking. On cloudy days you can day trip to Thun, Interlaken, Brienz or even Bern.

Spend the other 4-5 days in assorted towns in French Switzerland.

Hi stillhouse,

What town/s have you identified as a base for the Lake Geneva region? You're surely not going to stay one night each in Vevey, Montreux, Gruyeres, etc.

I think, as Edward2005 states, doing this with a base town and daily excursions is the best bet. I usually limit my excursions to two hours by train, and I get around very nicely; with a car, you should be able to get to Gruyeres, Murten, & Avenches easily from either Vevey or Montreux within two hours.

s

Also consider Lausanne as a base for the Lake Geneva area--a nice town with good train connections to the whole area. It's a reasonable train ride from there to Bern, Gruyeres and Montreux. I agree with Edward2005--I'd spend more time in the Berner Oberland (if you like outdoorsy stuff) than in the French Switzerland area and Luzern, but each (for Luzern, including a lake cruise or a day trip to Pilatus or Rigi or a nearby town) are worth a couple of days.

I went to the Swiss Tourist Authority office in NY yesterday, and the person there also recommended Lausanne as a base since I mentioned traveling with an 18 year old. But--I'm still leaning toward Montreux/Vevey for our two nights. We'll have a car-any thoughts re: parking in these three cities?