Hi folks,
Planning a trip to Prague and Switzerland this June. We have about 14 days to spare. Things I'm interested in knowing:-
1- What are the main places to cover in Swiss besides Interlaken, this will be our first time there. We'll be traveling with a 12 and 9 year old in this trip. Not interested in Skiing.
2- Does it make sense to stop by Milan for a day or two?
3- Are 3 days enough to cover Prague?
4- Would it be cheaper to fly into Prague or Swiss?
5- I have family in Gothenburg (Sweden), would love to stop by for 2 days to see them.

Please feel free to recommend other places that make sense to cover in this trip.

The 'main' places to stop in Swiss-Land:

Well there are so so many - IMO you already have the top place in Interlaken (but don't stay in Interlaken but a short train ride up in the Alps in a mountain village - families and others here rave about Wengen, a car-less village with outdoor pool in summer and stunning views of glacier-girdled soaring peaks - easy to reach by train in about 45 minutes from Interlaken. From Wengen you can take trains and or cable ways up farther into the high Alps.

Anyway I'd spend maybe 4 nights there and one day go down to Interlaken and take a lovely boat ride on the iconic Swiss lake steamers to various places around the lakes.

Then I'd go over to Lucerne - a gorgeous city on a gorgeous lake - again boat trips to many popular places are easy. Maybe 2-3 nights there.

So, you could fly into Prague and spend 3 nights there- IMO enough for a family - then take train or fly to Zurich and go onto Interlaken
Then Lucerne and then fly from Zurich to Sweden for sojourn with relatives.

Milan is a full day detour from Switzerland and not awesome enough to warrant going there - a day of travel each way.

Anyway trains are great in Switzerland and you may want to look into the Berner Oberland Pass if just doing Interlaken and Lucerne - get a free Family Pass at any station in Switzerland that then gives your kids free entry to anything you have bought a ticket or pass for. For lots on Swiss trains check www.swisstravelsystem.com; www.sbb.ch; BETS-European Rail Experts and www.ricksteves.com.

it really depends on what YOU want to see and experience, and NONE of us can answer that question! Example: I had a hard time limiting my visit to Switzerland to just one (full) month! And I would not consider Interlaken per se a high-priority destination. And I would want more time in Milan and more time in Prague. YMMV.

My recommendation: Get some good guidebooks (or spend some time with a few in your local library) and plot your wish list on a calendar. Each time you propose to change locations, pencil in your transportation, add some time on either side (for getting to/from your lodging, checking in/out, packing/unpacking, getting lost/oriented, etc.) Then see what works for you!

Hope that helps!

I really suggest you spend some time researching guidebooks or at the very least the destinations tabs for each place you want to visit.

Why Milan? Why Prague? Why do you want to go to these cities. What YOU want to see will depend on how long you want to stay in each place. IMHO, been to Milan once - don't need to go again. But I had a specific reason to go there (after researching!) and...I am not you.

Personally, I feel your destination choices seem a bit all over the map. Doable in 2 weeks - maybe - but the grouping of countries and cities don't seem to "gel," overall, especially when you add Sweden to the mix. Again, just IMHO

Is Sweden part of your 14 days total? Is this 14 days including your flight to/from your home? If so, you have 12 days. Your time getting to Sweden will be another day away from sightseeing. Figure any day to get from one city to another is a day away from sightseeing.

3--4 days each for Gothenburg, Prague and Milan (may be with some day trips) would be fine. Add 2 days for travel between these places and you will realize that there is no time left for Switzerland.

Milan or Switzerland for a few days for a novice traveler - easy choice for me - the Swiss Alps near Interlaken and Lucerne - Milan is a city that underwhelms many here - may as well chose Venice or Rome if going to Italy.