Hello! i am going to Geneva this july for 3n/4d and i would be staying at my friends place

can anyone suggest how i will plan my itinerary, im planning to see lakes,mountains,scenery,small towns (doesnt have to be everything though)

i've narrowed down my choices to the ff(based on what i've read in the forum)

1.)interlaken(jungfrau)- overnight stay be sufficient?
2.)luzern and surrounding areas - day trip from GVA
3.)montreux/chillon castle

I know i wont be able to go to all of these places because of time constraints (plus i will be coming from a 2 week whirlwind trip of Spain and this part of the trip will be my r and r)

But I just need advice for the most efficient and less stressful way to plan my trip

Thanks in advance!

Hi alc1974,

To help you plan, here's the Swiss rail site, www.rail.ch. It'll help you see how to get from place to place and to see how much time it'll take.

You may want to stay in a mountain village instead of in Interlaken -- it'll be more of a mountain experience. Look into Wengen (www.wengen.com & www.wengen.ch), Muerren (www.muerren.ch) & Grindelwald (www.grindelwald.ch).

Information for Montreux & Chillon at www.montreux.ch, www.montreux-vevey.com, & www.chillon.ch.

Have fun!

s

The 4 straight day Swiss Railpass can be a great bargain for trip plans like these. www.swisstravelsystem.com

For relaxation I would suggest a train trip to Montreux or Vevey [my preference], and a ferry ride from either to Chillon. You can walk from Montreux, but the ferry does stop at the Castle. This ferry circuit also stops at some charming small towns on the other side of the Lake. All this can be done on the Swiss Pass.
If you want to go to the Bernese Oberland for one night, I would suggest Lauterbrunnen. I wouldn't go all the way to Lucerne for the scenery, as the Bernese Oberland is better for scenery. For charming small towns, I prefer the French Swiss ones, such as Vevey [actually a city], or the small towns of Aigle, Bex etc.

Thank you everyone for all your replies

Anyway i've decided to go to Montreux (chillon castle, gruyere), vevey

Are the above mentioned places too much for a day trip?

if not would i be able to insert Laussanne?

Or should i do it my 2nd whole day?

I will be based in GVA where i will be staying with a friend

Thanks in advance!

Check out scenic Annecy (France), on Lac d'Annecy - an hour or so away...

Hi alc1974,

No, you should be fine seeing the places you listed. Just use the Swiss rail site I gave you above to see how long each journey is. I usually limit my day-trips to two hours in each direction or else the memories of the destination are ruined.

Have fun!

s

You could do Lausanne, Vevey, and Montreux as a day trip from Geneva. They are all right along the train route.

Gruyere is a bit off in a different direction.