Planning a 15 day Swiss train trip in June has become quite overwhelming. I've changed our itinerary many times. Would really appreciate suggestions from the well-traveled folks on this site.

I'm in my 50s - Husband in his 60s. We really love to hike, enjoy the outdoors, old town architecture, a little shopping and contemporary art. We are not so much into churches and museums. Railsaver.com tells me to get the 15 day Swiss saver rail pass. Here's our latest itinerary. No res. have been made so am very flexible. We want your ideas.

Arrive Zurich 8am May 31 - take 4.25 hr train to Appenzell
Night 1-2 in Appenzell (2.75 hr train to Luzern
Night 3-4 in Luzern (3 hr train to Ascona)
Night 5 in Ascona (3 hr train to St Moritz
Night 6-7 in St Moritz (8 hr train to Zermatt)
Night 8-9 in Zermatt (3 hour train to Lausanne)
Night 10 in Lausanne (2.25 train to Interlaken)
Nights 11, 12 & 13 in Interlaken (1 hr train to Bern)
Night 14 in Bern
Day 15 - Catch the 4:51 am train to Zurich Airport (1.5 hour ride)- Our flight leaves at 10 am

Questions: Are we packing too much in by adding Lausanne and Bern? Should we keep both on the itinerary?

Are we foolish to spend the night in Bern (instead of Zurich) when our flights leaves at 10 am?

Should we spend Night 5 in Ascona or Lugano or somewher else?

Should we spend night 10 in Lausanne or some other charming village?

We are hoping that our average nightly hotel cost before VAT won't be too much over $200. A little higher in some places and a little lower in others to average out. Since we won't have a car, we'd prefer to be in the center of town or not too far from the train station - may not be possible to have both.

I welcome your hotel sugesstions in that price range for Appenzel, Luzern, Ascona/Lugano?, St Moritz, Zermatt, Lausanne or nearby?, Interlaken or nearby,
Bern.

or any other comments. Thanks so much!

Some comments about a 15-day itinerary with 8 hotels: I would add more days or reduce the number of hotels. You "enjoy the outdoors," but you're going to spend a lot of time on trains and in train stations.

Seems like you are going too many places.
You might consider three or four base places and do day trips out if you have
the extra time. From Bern a day trip to
Montreux was a wonderful scenic trip.
From Lugano there are some nice day trips
on the train and also by boat. We loved
the Lugano Dante Swiss Hotel.

Seems like you are going too many places.
You might consider three or four base places and do day trips out if you have
the extra time. From Bern a day trip to
Montreux was a wonderful scenic trip.
From Lugano there are some nice day trips
on the train and also by boat and the Lugano Dante Swiss Hotel was more than
wonderful.

You both make a good point. I'll have to re-think this, but will most likely take out the nights in Lausanne and Bern. Where would you suggest I spend those extra nights?

I would skip Lausanne (I live in Lausanne). You will be backtracking. From Zermatt I would take a one hour train to Brig, which has a charming medieval center, stay there one night and then take the train the next morning to Interlaken.

Or skip Brig altogether, go right to Interlaken and then spend night 13 in Bern and night 14 in Zurich so you don't have to get up at 4:00 a.m. to catch your flight!

We are spending 20 days in Switzerland in June, here is our itinerary for what it is worth. Arriving and departing Zurich.

8 nights Brienz - including a day trip to Lucerne
2 nights Vevey
2 nights Zermatt
3 nights Locarno
3 nights Pontresina - day trip on Bernina Express
2 nights Zurich - hope to visit Guarda on the way and will try to visit the Rhine Falls.

We have purchased a Swiss Saver Pass. I know there is a lot we will miss but we figured this way we get to visit each region. The Alps, French, Italian and German. We found it very hard making our minds up too!
Best of luck with your planning and have a great time - we intend to.

"Take 4.25h train to Appenzell"

Are you taking the afternoon train? The journey from Zürich Airport to Appenzell takes 1h35m.

I would add a night to Ascona and leave out Bern. You can always daytrip to Bern from Interlaken.

Thank you so much for all of your comments.

Schuler - You are so right. It is 1.5 hrs Zurich to Appenzell. Thank you. We arrive at the Zurich airport around 8 am & were planning on retrieving our luggage and hopping on the first available train to Appenzell. That should give us almost 2 full days in Appenzell to recover from jet Lag & do some hiking (Mt Santis & Wasseauen)

I am also taking your suggestion to delete Bern as an overnight stop; and instead add a night to Interlaken to give us the option to day trip to Bern. That sounds so much better

Maudie - Great itinerary. Wish we had 20 days, but like you said, you can't see everything in one trip. Lots of questions for you: Why did you choose Petrisina over St Moritz. Your reasons may influence me to switch this choice as well. What hotel did you pick?

Also why did you choose Brienz over Interlaken. I thought Interlaken might be more convenient for hikes to Lauterbrunen, Wengen, Murren - and trips to Schynige Platte/Gindlewald, Junfrau or Piz Gloria. Also may take Ferry to Speiz or Thun. What are you planning to do with your 8 days?

Last question for you Maudie: Why did you choose Vevey over say, over Montreaux. Unfortuneately, I will most likely have to delete that (Lausanne/Montreaux) leg of the trip.

Beaupeep - Thanks for your candid thoughts on Lausanne. Maybe next trip.

Jean & Violetduck - I've tried to streamline my itinerary. Cant quite get it down to 3-4 hotels, but did reduce it from 8 to 5. I tend to try to do too much and must be leashed in! See what you think:

Arrive Zurich 8am - Retrieve luggage & hop first available train for 1.5 ride to Appenzell

Night 1& 2: Appenzil
Either Hotel Appenzell or Hotel Adler

Night 3-4-5: Lucerne
Probably Hotel Des Alpes

Night 6-7-8: St Moritz
Hotel Crystal or Monopol

Night 9 & 10: Zermatt
Hotel????????????

Night 11-12-13-14: Interlaken
Hotel?

Day 15 Catch 5:20 am train in Interlaken - Arrives Zurich HB??? at 7:28. Flight leaves at 10 am (making us 2.5 hrs early)But is Zurich HB the Airport???? On the fahrplan.sbb.ch website, which zurich stop is for the airport or do we have to make another connection?

Thanls everyone for your help. Please keep your ideas coming!

While I love it I would skip Lac Leman on your itinerary. Too hurried. Add the time to anywhere else you already have on the list (don't add more stops).

I don't know other people's reasoning, but I like Vevey best of those towns. It is smaller than Lausanne and more "Swiss" less international in feel than Montreux.

My suggestions:
Nights 9&10 Zermatt--Hotel Daniela, ask for room on 2nd or third floor with view of Matternhorn.

Nights 11, 12, 13, Stay in Lauterbrunnen at Hotel Staubbach. Ask for room with balcony view of Staubbach falls.

Night 14, stay at airport hotel in Zurich. Who wants to get up for a 5:20am train?

Margo

As for the railpass - you should also look at the flexipass as there are dramatic changes recently in this.

You get a certain number of flexible travel days in a one-month period - minimum of three ($156 p.p. in 2nd class currently) and for the rest of the month you get 50% off everything that moves in the country - boats, trains - even to mountain tops, postal buses, etc.

So you use your 3 (or 4, 5, etc) 100% covered travel days to do your most expensive trips then buy the short ones like Bern-Interlaken at 50% off - could be cheaper than a 15-straight day pass or may not be - depends on your travel plans.

Also on 100% covered days and every day of the 15-straight day pass you get free entry to over 400 Swiss Museums and attractions - like the spiffy new Paul Klee museum in Bern or Ballenberg Open-Air one near Interlaken - probably a $15 value or so at each.

www.sb.ch for real in Swiss prices on trains to compare.

Passes are sold in Swiss but currently for some reason significantly more than in the US last time i checked. I always recommend BETS (www.budgeteuropetravel.com) for their expertise and lack of some of RailEurope's mailing/handling fees; on the site request the free European Planning & Rail Guide that has a good chapter on Switzerland and Swiss trains. I find that www.ricksteves.com also has good things on Swiss rail travel and passes. Railsaver.com is not fallible as another post today seems to indicate. I question a consecutive day pass as you have so many short trips that at 50% off would not be all that much. But i did not look carefully and i suggest you do at www.sbb.ch, the Swiss Railways official web site.

Is there any reason you are choosing to stay in Interlaken rather than somewhere up in the mountains? Since you mention that your main interests are hiking and the outdoors, staying high up in the alps is near nirvana. I can't imagine staying in Interlaken when the villages of the Jungfrau region are so easily accessible. My choice would be Murren, but you could also consider Wengen or Grindlewald. If you don't want to stay high up in the mountains (though I can't imagine why) at least consider staying down valley in Lauterbrunnen.

I'd also take a night from Luzern and stay in Zurich the night before your flight. 5:20 AM train before an international flight??? Blah!

Ok - Ripit, Beaupeep, Margo & my husband all think its a good idea to stay in Zurich the night before our flight so we don't have to wake up so early. That's DONE.

Ripit, I followed your advise and took one day out of Luzern.

Margo: Hotel Daniela in ZermatT is not available on the 2 days I'll be there. I'll try the Allilin. Many Tripadvisor seemed happy with it.

PalenQ - I will definitely look at these websites to figure out what type of Rail ticket to buy. Thanks for all of the great information.

This is so great!

I love the idea of staying in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Murren or Grindlewald INSTEAD of Interlaken...That's so much better! The thought of being able to go out my back door to begin a mind-boggling hike makes me want to leave right now.

Just have to decide which one. They are all beautiful, but Wengen Grindlewald and Murren look like they have more to offer WRT restaurants, shopping etc - at night.

Ripit, or anyone else, WHAT HOTELS WOULD YOU RECOMMEND IN THESE TOWNS?

Just as these smaller villages would be more charming than Interlaken, does anyone have any ALTERNATIVES TO ST MORITZ??? (had narrowed down hotels in SM to Monopol & Hotel Crystal - Soldanella was not avail all 3 nights)

Any more fantastic ideas?

Pontresina is a great alternative to St. Moritz--several good hotels and restaurants that are cheaper than St. Moritz, and it's very nearby by train or bus. It's very easy to get around the whole area by public transportation. Take the Muottas Muragl funicular up to a beautiful, easy hike with views down the whole lake (with a cute little restaurant in the middle for lunch) and then the lift back down to Pontresina. Take the bus to Maloja, check out the steep pass and then walk back toward St. Moritz along the lake.

I vote for Wengen as a place to stay in the B.O.--lots of good hotels, and a perfect location part way up the mountain.

You could also end your trip in Luzern instead and leave for the Zurich Flughafen (Airport) station from there--it's only about an hour by frequent train.

Or, try staying at the Airport Hilton in Zurich (expensive but lots of Internet specials) or any of the hotels near the Zurich HB train station (we liked the Marriott, which we got cheap on Priceline).

Les

Les- You are the second person that suggested Pontresina so it must be special. I will look into that and will most likely tweak our itinerary. Thanks also for the great activity suggestions. I will also check out Priceline and look for internet specials for hotels near the airport and/or train station.

Thanks so much!

Hi rhodes,
Sorry this is the first chance I have had to check back.
Pontresina - I have done lots of reading and bugging everyone on here with questions, the general consensus was St Moritz is more "touristy". Really just ditto what taxatty posted. I have also found a walk from Filisur to Wiesen via the Landwasser Viaduct that we hope to do. I have a booking at the Hotel Engadinerhof, CHF160 p/n with a view to the hills. Had nice correspondence with them so fingers crossed. www.engadinerhof.ch

Brienz - well we want to do all the things you do as well as a trip to Lucerne and possibly to Kandersteg. I just thought it would give us more flexability and besides I have booked a cute Chalet with a stunner of a view: the Holiday House at www.jobin.ch but there is also a B&B and a smaller chalet. A few people told us the mountains were the ONLY place to stay - but right or wrong very thing will be a new experience. We live near the ocean on the west coast of Australia - so lakes and mountains will be wonderful.

Vevey - again took the advice of people on this board - Vevey is smaller than Montreux and has a more village atmosphere, just sounded like our sort of place. Booked Hotel Negotiants
www.hotelnegotiants.ch

Hope that helps - it can be very overwhelming but in the end you just have to bite the bullet go with what feels right. This is our first trip to Europe and we are going for 2 months so it took me an awful lot of planning, hang in there, it will all come together.

We opted for Samedan as an alternative to St. Moritz (on a Fodorite recommendation). LOVED IT. Very central for transportation. We stayed in a apartment at the Central Samedan Hotel. It was very affordable compared to anything else in the area.

We stayed three nights in the area and I would have stayed at least two more

Took a day trip to St. Moritz and despised the place immediately.

With regard to places to stay in the Jungrau region, my choice would be Murren. It is a very charming, small traffic-free village with an incredible array of potential hikes right at your doorstep, all with amazing views. If nightlife is at all important to you, however, stay elsewhere as there is precious little in Murren. If you are looking for peace, quite and relaxation - this is the place.

Wengen is similar to Murren (no cars) but larger. I think Murren is slightly more scenic than Wengen since it looks across the valley to the Eiger/Monch/Jungfrau. There are a few more restaurant/entertainment options in Wengen.

Grindlewald is a fairly large resort town with cars, etc. This would be the place to stay if you are looking for any sort of nightlife.

Lauterbrunnen as a nice village in the valley with more budget options. It is a good base for exploring both sides of the valley or if you are planning to make many excursions beyond the Jungfrau region into the surrounding B.O. area.

In Murren there is a great budget B&B called Chalet Fontana. They have an apartment with a small kitchen and private bath. The other rooms have a shared bath. Besides the apartment I think they only have 3 rooms and it is quite popular so it books up fast. Hotel Alpina is also resonably priced and has arguably the best views in the whole region, as it sits precariously on a ledge 5,000 feet above the valley floor (request a room on one of the upper floors).

Rhodes

When I first read your itinerary, I thought YIKES... too much moving around. I'm glad you are working to shave the travel down a bit.

Re: Interlaken, I've stayed in two hotels in Interlaken, and enjoyed both of them. The first one was at the east end, almost next to the train station. You have to go under all the tracks to get to the hotel, a Best Western I believe. It was so neat to sit on our balcony and listen to the ringing of the cowbells right across the stream, as the cows were grazing and moving around. There is a larger sized boat that docks very near this hotel (within easy walk) and I read that you might consider a boat ride while in Interlaken. Although this Best Western is at the far eastern end, east train station, it was really an easy stroll to the downtown area and restaurants/shops.

The other place I enjoyed was closer to the shopping area. It's called the Beau Rivage. It was 330sf for a front corner room with mountain views out of all the windows. Room 318. (I keep journals)...

Can't seem to locate the journal with the hotel name/room # by the east train station.

Zurich HB would be the main bahnhof in Zurich. You will maybe have to change trains to get to the airport from there.

It's too bad you removed Lago Maggiore from your itinerary. I really enjoy Locarno. But it's good to do less trains and more enjoyment in fewer places.

In any case, enjoy your trip. Switzerland is my favorite country in Europe!