DH and I are kicking around some ideas for our next trip. Possibilities include Scotland and Turkey, but we've also always been intriqued by an Alps trip, preferably relying on trains.

We'd have 10-12 days on the ground. We're not tied to any arrival or departure airport. If we do this trip, it's all about knocking our eyes out with scenery, not about nightlife or even museums (but we do like museums, so tell us about any gems).

Traditionally, we travel in late March to early April.

And we're not ready to go back to Italy just yet, but everything else is fair game.

Anyone have great ideas for a general route, must-sees, etc., and why do you love them?

Just to be clear - we're still at the brainstorming stage. I'm looking for ideas, not help planning a trip for which I've done zero research o

Thanks all!

It would be helpful to consider which "Alps" you might be most interested in: the very highest ones, etc.

The place which comes to mind which has a lot of alpine scenery and in which you could easily spend ALL your time would be Switzerland and I am not just referring simply to the Berner Oberland, Zermatt, Lucerne, etc.

I'm working on a circular train route in Switzerland for March 2006. We'll be entering through Geneva and are looking to include the Berner Oberland, Zermatt, the Glacier Express, The Bernina Express or equivalent by local train, Chur, Zurich, the Golden Pass and back to Geneva, no doubt with lots of intermediate stops. It's been a trip I've been thinking about for the last 10 years and am finally doing something about.

Last June, we took the Bernina Express from Tirano, Italy to Chur, CH and back. One thing about the Bernina is that it is the only trans-alpine train that crosses the pass on grade (as opposed to in a tunnel). At that point you are well above the tree line, so vegetation is sparse.

Chur was nice but we were arrived about 7pm and left about 8am the next morning.

Good morning, Some of the best routes for good scenery are Luzern to Lugano, areas around Luzern, The Bernina Express to Tirano and return, namely to St. Moritz or Chur. Glacier Express to Zermatt, however a long day trip...Zermatt and surrounding areas,
cable cars to Kleine Matterhorn, Schwarzee and rail to Gonnergrat...
Rail from Brig to Interlaken, area
of the whole of the Berneroverland...
layout our rail trip e.g. Into Zurich
and possibly out from Geneva taking
in cities of Bern, Interlaken, Luzern,
Lugano, St. Moritz and Zermatt and possible Montreaux or Lausanne.
Richard of LaGrange Park, IL

No doubt you'll include the Berner Oberland, but take a look at Ingo's photographs of his recent visit to the Engadine region, especially the village of Soglio. (His thread is around here somewhere.) But, you know what? Maybe you'd be wise to ask the experienced here about your late March/early April timeframe. It might be a factor in your plans. J.

I recommend thinking in terms of a rental car for some of your travels.
For example, the following places are served by bus only and are somewhat remote without a car.

The Grimsel Pass
The Susten Pass
The Diablerets
Zinal
Grimentz
The Saas Valley
The Turtmental
Luekerbad
Griesalp

The areas around Pontresina and st. Moritz are remote but can be reached easily by train.

The Berner Oberland, including Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg, and Grosse Scheidegg are reachable by train and cable conveyences. I don't think you need a car for those places. In fact, Wengen and Mürren are not reachable by car. Grosse Scheidegg is heavily restricted, and Kleine Scheidegg is not on a public road.

Zermatt is reached only by train from Täsch, which has a big car park. Once there, several mountain systems take you higher and deeper.

For Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen, the paved roads lead there readily enough, but anything higher and deeper in the mountains is reached either on foot or by mountain transportation.

The car is of course mainly a convenience and faciliting device. Last summer, for example, we could not have covered the areas we did as quickly by train and bus, although we could have eventually gotten there. If your time is unlimited, train and bus will do it.
If limited, you can usually get there faster and more timely by car.

For example, one cloudy day, we set out in our Panda from Lauterbrunnen to the Rheinfälle at Schaffhausen. We got there in good order for a long look at the roaring water. Then we returned to Lauterbrunnen via Zürich, the Brünig Pass, Meiringen, and Interlaken.

Our travel time by public means would have been about 9 hours; by car it was more like 6.

bob brown
I note you mentioned having a car (my DH and I always have a car) because some of the places are not reachable by train, bus etc. You then mentioned the Sustenpass as an example. We were going to take the Sustenpass this past April, and it was still closed!!! The OP is talking about late March, early April for travel time. I think a lot of the passes would be closed at this time. We had a bit of an adventure trying to reach Lugano that day, but finally did make it, a little weary, but we had an interesting time. Travel is an adventure!!!

I'm not suggesting that the OP not get a car, because I think you can see some neat places when you DO have one. But, please OP do
watch the signs re:the passes!! It can save you some headaches and concern...

All in all, we had a great time, and I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving Day when we fly over the (small) pond once again. We'll have a car, once again, and I'm sure we'll have some adventures along the way.

Carol

I think those passes open around the end of June depending on snow depth and temperatures. We were in Lauterbrunnen late June and early July and both the Susten Pass and the Grimsel Pass were open, and bus service started while were there.

The weather was unusually hot. We were in Brienz one day, and the temperatues were hot even for folks from near Atlanta!!

One day at the Grimsel Pass, we walked in shorts on snow. One big dog had the right idea. He jumped out of his car, ran up on the snow, and put on a first class demonstration of how to roll and wallow.

The melt rate was so high that the falls around that part of Switzerland were spectacular. Die Hundefälle near Griesalp were gushing water in a most spectacular manner.

"Traditionally, we travel in late March to early April. "

Most passes will be closed at this time. If you are driving in the mountains, many roads will be snow covered but four wheel drive should get you through. It's important that you know how to drive in the snow.

Taking the train will offer beautiful sights without the danger of driving a car on snow-covered roads. Take a look at this site for more information on scenic routes by train through the Swiss Alps.
http://sapo.myswitzerland.com/en/nav...y-Express.html

Thanks evreybody! That'll get me started.

I would not travel to the Alps in late March and early April, I speak particualry about the Swiss Alps as I know most about them. (I wouldn't travel to Switzerland in March or April and I used to live there, that is when I would head elsewhere.) This is between seasons and most hotels in the mountain areas are closed as are most restaurants. (They would sometimes be open if Easter is in late March, check particular hotels.) You can check this yourself by clicking on "Hotels" above and choosing "Europe" then "Switzerland" and taking a look at particular hotels, you will notice many in the Bernese Oberland and Grabunden/St Mortiz group (including many perennial favorites on this board like the Alpenrose in Wengen) that are closed in spring and fall months (which have the same weather issues as the spring).

In late March and early April, you have just missed the ski season and still too early for spring activities. As noted above, mountain pass roads are still closed, so driving is not nearly as much fun as in the warmer months. If you are very lucky in late March you may get some good cold/snowy days, however, it is more likely that things will be starting to warm up just enough that you will have fog instead, which makes train trips questionable as you may not see much. Places lower down like the beaitufl Lake Geneva area are quite brown in Marhc and April as the vineyards have not started get green. The Alps and other areas of Switzerland are so beautiful that IMO you are so much better off waiting until a better time of year. Also, some of the little towns are so charming that seeing them shuttered (and having no place to eat) will mean missing a good part of their charm. Go in very late May or early June if you want to avoid crowds but have good weather, some flowers in bloom and better temps.

Take a look at weatherbase.com and worldclimate.com for historical average temps and rainfall.