Need itinerary for Switzerland
 

I hope to travel to Switzerland for 2 weeks in mid-April. I want to enjoy all the scenery both in and out of towns and would like some recommendations on the best way to do it all in 2 weeks. I am not a skier or a shopper and would prefer to travel by train.

Hi musaafir,

Can you tell us a little more about what you know about Switzerland and what you expect? Do you want to stay in the German areas or would you also want to sample the French section and the Italian section? With two weeks, you can do quite a lot.

It would also be helpful to know how you like to travel, i.e., how many nights you're comfortable staying in one place. Are you more likely to stay in one place for a week and do day-trips out, or do you like to move every three days?

But anyway, a good basic itinerary might be north to south (Luzern - Berner Oberland - Lugano or Luzern - Berner Oberland - Montreux) or a big circle (Zurich - Scuol - Lugano - Montreux - Luzern).

You can get some ideas for a basic itinerary at www.myswitzerland.com.

Good luck!

s

Thanks swandav, the link you suggested was very helpful. This is what we have come up with so far... Lausanne/Montreaux, Berner Oberland, Lucerne over the first seven days.
I am trying to figure out what we should do in the remaining 5 days.
I am tending towards splitting that time between Zermatt and Appenzell. Which is, take the Glacier Express from Zermatt to Chur and then a train to Appenzell.
I was reading somewhere that Appenzell is somewhat anticlimactic after Oberland and Zermatt.
Should I go to Pontresina then?
How would the Appenzell/Ebenalp region be in the 3rd week of April?
Thanks.

Hi again musaafir,

My first impression is that four destinations in seven days is really packed. You will only have time to step foot in each place before you have to pack up and depart again, and your memories of each place will be pretty vague. I really think you should consider 3-4 days in each place (or else you may have to come back to really see it, lol!).

So I would suggest you have maybe four or five destinations total for your two weeks. And here are my thoughts on what you've written:

Zermatt is pretty similar to the villages of the Berner Oberland -- you know, brown-wood chalets, majestic towering peaks, Alpine hiking trails, mountain restauratns, etc. However, in my opinion, the BO is a lot more picturesque. So I think you only *need* to see one of these on your first trip, and I prefer the BO for your mountain trip.

The Engadin (Pontresina) is drastically different from the BO, so, yes, it is worth a visit. It still has the towering majestic peaks, but the architecture is local-stone structures covered with colorful sgraffiti. There are beautiful lakes around the St. Moritz - Sils area as well. And there are far, far fewer American tourists in the Engadin; in fact, there wasn't a single tacky tourist shop in the town of Zuoz, where I was based for a week.

Sorry, I haven't been to Appenzell yet, so don't have an opinion on it. Hopefully I'll get there in the next year or so!

So, basicially, I think your itinerary should include the BO, Montreux/Vevey, Luzern, & Pontresina. That's plenty to do and see for two weeks!

Have fun!

s

Don"t over look Interlaken if you enjoy trains and scenic country

I think that is too much within your first 7 days itinerary. I would spread it out a bit more so you are not rushing around so much.

Thanks everyone. I know we are cramming it in a bit, but my spouse will only be able to join for the first week so we want to get in the "highlights".

Hi again,

Well, your spouse will be able to set foot in each destination, but, again, s/he will only have a very general and vague impression of what s/he's seen. S/he may have a better memory of this trip by picking one or two "highlights" and enjoying those few in a better way.

s

Hello,
We are now tending towards spending six out of the seven days in the BO/Lucerne area. We will go to Montreaux for a day and check out Chillon. That should slow things down.
For the remaining five days, the fact that we have a swiss pass, plus all that is said about the Glacier Express, is what was tending us towards Zermatt. But, as you say, having done BO, perhaps Zermatt can be left for some other time. Do you have any comments on the Glacier Express?
Thanks.