travelbuggie

My husband and I will be taking a tour of Switzerland in early July. We can add up to a week on our own (either before or after the tour) if there is something that we really shouldn’t miss. We are looking for those always great Fodorite suggestions.

We enjoy museums, watching local events to soak up the culture and meet the local people, interesting restaurants (all price ranges), walking, moderate hiking, fishing and even just relaxing and enjoying the view. We are "young" 65 year olds who regularly walk or hike 4 (or more) miles 2 to 3 times a week. We are happy to take the train but aren’t keen about driving.

For background, our tour starts in Montreux (2 nights) and we plan to add a day for the Jazz Festival there. Then, we go to Gruyeres and on to Zermatt (hopefully to see the Matterhorn and to stay 2 nights), over the Simplon Pass to Lake Maggiore and Lake Lugano (2 nights in Lugano), then over the Maloja Pass to St. Moritz (1 night), via Glacier Express to Andermatt and over Susten Pass to Interlaken (2 nights) with a day trip to Kleine Scheidegg and the Jungfraujoch. After that, we head to Berne and finally Lucerne (2 nights) where the tour ends. During the tour, we plan to take advantage of free time to hike in the mountains, walk through the towns, and just enjoy the views. If you like, more tour details are at: http://www.tauck.com/tours/europe-to...r-sw-2013.aspx While this is an upscale tour, we enjoy Rick Steve’s approach to traveling as well (especially with Swiss prices!).

Any thoughts for adding on to our trip? We are also open to ideas of things to see and do in the towns already scheduled and/or good restaurant suggestions. Thanks!

kenav

That is one whirlwind tour!!

kenav

BTW - I would spend more time in the Berner Oberland area (easy to get to Interlaken or Thun by train from Lucerne) as it seems you get only one day there in the tour. If that day is overcast your trip to Jungfrau is a waste of time. (Same with the Matterhorn; but I guess you have no control over how long to spend there as the tour is set.)

You could also choose to stay and extra night in Lucerne at the end - there is a wonderful boat trip on Lake Lucerne and mountains to go up in the immediate area and close by.

HappyTrvlr

I ageee, return to the Berner Oberland, stay put in one place in a smaller town like Wengen or Grindelwald, and enjoy the mountains and lakes. You can get around on trains and
It's perfect for hikers.

travelbuggie

Its interesting that both of you suggested returning to the Berner Oberland area. I was expecting to get recommendations to head east. I definitely like the idea of staying put in a small town with beautiful vistas and nice hiking trails. I'll start looking at info on Wengen and Grindelwald.