Hi

My husband and I are travelling to Switzerland for a friend's wedding in Zurich 10 March 2006. We are planning to stay in Switzerland for 14 days. 4 of those days will be in Zurich (incl visit to Bern).
We would like help with the remaining 10 days. Neither of us ski but we love scenery/nature, walking/hiking, food & wine.
We aren't sure whether we have enough time to include the French part of Switzerland. Have been recommended:
- Luzern
- Glacier Express
- Brig to Locarno (via Milan)
- Somewhere in Interlaken region
- Zermatt
Should we base ourselves in a couple of places or stay one/two nights in many places?
Thank you

TTT

2 days in Luzern, (Glacier Express doesn't run in March). Spend 2 days in Zurich, go up to Wintertur, go to Bern then get out. Switzerland wasn't my favorite place & it was astoundingly expensive, cold & damp.

Hi Kiwis -

I respectfully disagree with the previous poster. Switzerland is one of my personal favorites (second only to NZ). Yes, it's expensive, but so it goes.

I highly recommend you hop on a train and head to the Berner Oberland. I'd suggest Wengen or Murren, which are wonderful places to visit even for non skiers (I don't ski either and can't get enough of the area). The BO region has many hiking trails that are open year round and the scenery is just incredible with in-your-face views of the Alps. There's no shortage of things to do and I could easily spend a few weeks there myself.

I also like Zermatt, but tend to avoid both the summer and winter seasons due to the crowds. Not sure what it would be like in March, but once again, you'll find groomed hiking trails throughout winter, an assortment of cable cars and gondolas to take you up the peaks, etc.

I'd suggest perhaps two or three places with a 10 day stay, but that really depends on your personal travel style and what all you want to see. Switzerland is easy to get around in via train.

Engelberg is another possibility, and it's a short train ride from Zurich (60 minutes or so if memory serves). It's a ski town, but there's plenty for non-skiers to do.

Luzern gets alot of positive comments here, but honestly, it just doesn't do much for me. I'm not a city person though. I did enjoy the the Swiss Transportation Museum - (Das Verkehrshaus der Schweiz – www.verkehrshaus.ch), but see no reason to return to Luzern anytime soon.

Have also spent some time in Zurich and Bern, but once again, not my style. I'll take the mountains over the cities any day.

Hope this helps a bit.

Hi Kiwis,

Well if you do what charlotte4600 suggests, you too will not like the country. Switzerland is a fabulous place with astounding views and scenery; after 14 visits in 11 years, I continue to go back! Linger as long as you can!

Of course the GE runs in March; its winter timetable runs 3 Dec - 19 May. Check out its website at www.glacierexpress.ch to get timetables & fares.

Personally, I like to find a base spot in a region and then explore the area and do excursions; I usually stay in one place for more than four days. If you decide to do this, a good option would be to pick a mountain village in the Berner Oberland and then Luzern or Locarno (to get a lake destination).

If you decide to travel around, here's one possible itinerary: Interlaken - Zermatt (via Kandersteg) - St. Moritz (by GE) - Luzern (for the flight out). This itinerary has some long train rides, though, and I prefer to be out ON the mountains instead of just passing through them.

I really don't think you have enough time to visit all the places you want, so you may have to do some paring down and prioritizing. Have you found the Swiss rail website at www.rail.ch? I recommend you play around with a map & train schedules and see what fits.

Good luck!

s

You might consider taking your ten days and splitting it between three stops that will give you a variety of awesome views, foods and/or culture. I'd suggest going from Zurich to the Berner Oberland region. You could stay in Interlaken, but most on this board would suggest you consider staying either in the mountains (Grindlewald, Murren or Wengen) or in Lauterbrunnen, which is in the valley but has good connections to various places in the area.

Then travel to Locarno, a charming town on a beautiful lake with an Italian culture, via Brig and Domodossola. The Centovalli railway that takes you from Domodossola to Locarno has great views--especially from the right side of the train. If you like Italian food and red wines, you'll enjoy Locarno.

After Locarno, visit Luzern: another lovely area with German food, a cool Altstadt, shopping, and nearby mountains, lake and river views.

Hope this helps.

From there, you could train to the Zurich airport in less than 1.5 hours to catch the airplane home.

Hi. If your return flight leaves late enough, I'd agree with a last night in Lucerne to stroll the city, admire the wooden bridges, the lovely heroic lion memorial, and the blue-green lake. But if not, I'd suggest staying nearer the flughafen the night before. I like Bulach.

That would leave 3 stops of 3 nights each, and I'd go for Locarno (daytrips to Lugano or Bellinzona perhaps), then Zermatt, and then a village above Interlaken (or Brienz with its lovely lake/mountain views just below). Actually, I think I'd give Zermatt 2 nights and add the other to the Oberland or Ticino. I reversed the order because of the time of the year, thinking Locarno will have spring before the rest. (But, of course, what do I know.)

You'll experience lovely scenic rail trips without the official GE. I promise. Have fun planning. J.

p.s. I forgot to mention that you can visit Lucerne while in Zurich if your return flight leaves too early to permit a last night stay.

I'll top this post as another lover of Switzerland. But my experience is only in the french-speaking area outside Geneva (Lausanne, Vevey, Montreux) so can't help with your plans. Just wanted to chime in also that I don't think it needs to be "astoundingly expensive" especially if what you want is many outdoor activities.