Itinerary from Zurich to Bern - 4 days
 

Dear all,
I will arrive in Zurich on a Sunday, May 22nd, at noon. We plan to stay in Zurich and then take a car on Monday, heading to Bern. We would like to have some advice about our itinerary.
Plans so far are leaving from Zurich, going to Luzern and then to Interlaken. We have to be in Bern on Thursday. What do you recommend? Where should we sleep?
Thank you,
gpm

Any inputs?
Main questions are:
1. Train or car?
2. 1 or 2 nights in Zurich?
3. 1 night in Luzern?
4. What do you recommend on the way between Luzern and Bern?
Thanks.

gpm:
A little more info would help.
First time to SW? Looking to experience...? Want night life/shopping or rural villages? Water or mountains?
I personally have always travelled in SW by train...it gets me everywhere I want to be.
Sample train times (@ sbb.ch)--Zurich to Bern direct = 1 hr.
Luzern to Bern = 1.5 hours, or Brienz to Bern 1hr 20 mins. Although others on this forum are huge fans of Luzern, I would tour it and sleep elsewhere. As for Zurich one night and two full days will get you the highlights.
Brienz is a lovely small town on Lake Brienz, Thun is a small city on Lake Thun (with Interlaken or "between the lakes" in between). Interlaken is highly commercialized, but necessary for trips into the high mountain peaks of this area. I would never consider sleeping there because of lack of atmosphere, but it is a great central transportation and people meeting hub.
Spiez is another small town worthy of an overnight.When you get to Bern, do not overlook a day trip to Murten about 30 minutes by train. Walk its old town walls and take a boattrip.

Thank you. It is my second time in SW and the first time of my girlfriend. I am 34, she is 30. We look for beautiful scenery and relaxing trips on our way Zurich-Bern.
Plans so far are:
- Arrival in Zurich on May 23rd at 11 am. Sleep in Zurich
- Departure on May 24th to Luzern. Sleep in Luzern
- .....
- Arrival in Bern on May 27th.

Were you planning to go up INTO the mountains from Interlaken?
If so, you will need the time here and could overnight in Laterbrunnen or Brienz.
If not, consider staying two nights in Luzern and daytripping to Zug (VERY close, beautiful little town on Lake Zug)and or Brienz (ditto, but Brienz is also known for their wood-carving school and an outdoor 'museum' called Ballenburg-where original houses-some centuries old-have been moved for touring in a lovely outdoor wood setting. Accessible by bus at the small train station, about 12-15 minutes. Some days they have demonstrations of old crafts. Also relaxing boat cruises on Lake Brienz are available to Interlaken Ost, where you can disembark for dinner and train back to your destination).

Yes, our plans are to go to the mountains. What itineray would you do, leaving Zurich on Monday (or Tuesday) and arriving in Bern on Thursday?
Thank you.

Places you are going are done best by train IMO - cities like Zurich and Bern are hard to drive in with many areas in the center off limits to cars, which may cost a fortune to park.

and in the Jungfrau Region by Interlaken cars must be parked in garages on the edge of places like Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and above them you must go by train or cable cars.

And if going by train check out the 4-consecutive-day Swiss Pass, which covers about everything that moves in Switzerland except cows - city trams and buses, trains, including those to Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and Wengen and Murren as well as lake boats - a great thing to do IMO in Interlaken is to take a steamer ride on either of the lakes that bookend Interlaken (explaining how it got its name!) the pass would cover practically every transport you would take from the time you arrive until you leave. For loads of great info on Swiss trains and passes i always spotlight these info-laden sites: www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Leave Zurich on Monday and go to nearby Lucerne for a night
Tues go onto the Interlaken area - stay there Wed and leave for Bern on Thursday. Spend your two days in the Jungfrau Region taking excursions into the mountains.

Hi all,
Thank you for your help. I think my final itinerary will be:
1st day: Arrival in Zurich on Sunday at noon. Sleep in Zurich
2nd day: Zurich. Sleep in Zurich or Lucerne???
3rd day: Sleep in Laterbrunnen
4th day: Sleep in Laterbrunnen
5th day: go to Bern

Two questions: would you stay 2 nights in Zurich and skip Lucerne or only one night in Zurich? Where should I sleep in Laterbrunnen?

Sorry, Lauterbrunnen.

I would definitely spend a night in Lucerne in lieu of 2 in Zurich Lauterbrunnen has a full gamit of accommodations from hostels and campsites to fancy hotels - so it depends on what you are looking for.

Our budget goes up to 200 USD / night. Anything you recommend in this range?
Concerning Zurich: I am also considering going to Lucerne on Monday, but was afraid of not having enough time to even scratch the surface in Zurich, as we arrive on Sunday at noon.

Zurich is in many ways a fascinating town but IMO with such short time in Switzerland most folks would say head for the hills, via Lucerne and scratch the surface in Zurich coming and going.

And Zurich is one of the very most expensive cities in Europe - accommodations can cost 2 or 3 times as much IME for equivalent digs as those in the Interlaken/Jungfrau region.