Swiss itinerary advice please
 

Here is our revised itinerary. Please give us any advice on easy hikes, or walks in the areas, or suggestions for things to see and do or changes you would prefer. Thanks in advance for your help. Sept. 12 NYC to Geneva. 3 nights Zermatt, 3 nights Stresa, 3 nights Grindelwald, 2 nights Gstaad, 2 nights Montreaux, final night Annecy. Any suggestions for golf?

You seem to be staying in several places closes to one another, rather than selecting a base and going from there. If this holiday for walking/ hiking you might find having a home base for 5-7 nights useful as you don’t waste time packing/unpacking etc. You can then get laundry done and take a train to/from a new starting point for the day. For example go straight to Montreux from the airport and visit Gstaad and Grindelwald from there. Then go to Zermatt for 1-2 nights before travelling to Stresa on Lake Maggiore for 3-4 nights. There’s a scenic train between Montreux and Zermatt and the train to Stresa has some good views too.

Annecy is a bit of an outlier, so you might want to leave that for a different trip

You will be spoiled for choice with walks/hikes in Switzerland. Just pop into the tourist office in each town when you arrive and they'll set you up.

Gof courses that may interest you:
between Lake Geneva and Zermatt Die schönsten Golfplätze im Wallis | Swiss Golf Courses
around Grindelwald/Gstaad Interlaken-Unterseen Golf Club | Swiss Golf Courses
around Stresa https://www.leadingcourses.com/regio...t/stresa/clubs
around Montreux Villars Golf Club | Swiss Golf Courses

Most popular hikes (among tons of others):

Zermatt:
Gornergrat - Lake Rriffelsee (Rotenboden train station) - Riffelberg
Riffelalp (train) - Lake Gruensee - Lake Grindjesee - Lake Stellisee - Blauherd gondola station
Trockener Steg (gondola) - Lake Theodulglacier - Lake Furggsee - Lake Schwarzsee (gondola station)
Lake Schwarzsee - Stafelalp - Zermatt
Sunnegga (rope railway) - Lake Leisee - Lake Mossjesee - Findeln - Zermatt
Sunnegga - Taeschalp - Sprinelboden - Charles Kuonen Rope Bridge - Randa

Stresa:
Stresa - Vezzo - Gignese (not signmarked)
Gignese - Alpe Calandro - Monte Mottarone - Alpino
Mergozzo - Rovegro - Cossogno - Cambiasca - Trobaso (bus terminal)
Piancavallo (bus) - Cima di Morissolo - Colle - Trarego - Viggiona - Cannobio

Grindelwald:
Maennllichen (gondola) - Kleine Scheidegg (train)
Eiger Trail
Grosse Scheidegg (bus) - First - Lake Bachsee - Waldspitz (bus)
First (gondola) - Lake Bachsee - Faulhorn - Schynige Platte (train)
Eigergletsecher (gondola) - Mettlenalp - Schiltwlad - Wengen (train)

Gstaad:
Iffigenalp (bus stop) - Lake iffigsee - Tungelpass - lake Lauenensee (bus stop)
Glacier3000 (gondola station) - Tsanfleuron Glacier - Refuge de l'Espace - Prarochet Hut - Lake Sanetschsee - Sanetsch Stausee (gondola staiton)
Feutersoey (bus)- Lake Arnensee - Col de Vore - Lake Retaud - Col du Pillon (bus)
Col du Pillon (bus) - Lake Retaud - Isenau - Metreille - La Le - Col des Mosses (bus)
Vieemanette (gondola) - Col de jable - L'Etivaz (bus)

Montreux:
Paccot (train) - Col de Jaman - Col de Soladier - La Cergniaule - Sonloup (rope railway)
Rochers de Naye (train) - Sonchaux - Chillon Castle
Plan Francey (Moleson-sur-Gruyeres) rope railway - Belle Chaux - Saletta - Pontet - Guederes - Col de Soladier - Sonloup (rope railway)
Bouveret -(boat/train/bus) - Calavronnaire - Lake Tanay - Torgon (bus)

Thank you
 

Thank you all for your advice and recommendations. There is so much info out there, it helps to narrow down our options. Joan

Input is welcomed! There are 7 of us traveling together ages 15 - 75, We are trying to not move every day so are planning stops of
2 - 3 nights in several places and venture out from there by train, short hikes, etc . We don't really care for large cities. What are your thoughts?
Is this feasible? Suggestions?
Day 1 (Sunday 6/25/2023): Arrive Geneva in the morning and train to Lusaunne and spend the night.
Day 2: (Monday 6/26) Train to Montreux (visit) and on to Zermatt for 2 nights
Day 3: (Tuesday 6/27) Day in Zermatt (night)
Day 4: (Wednesday 6/28) Day in Zermatt then train to Gimmelwald for 3 nights
Day 5: (Thursday 6/29) Gimmelwald (night)
Day 6: (Friday 6/30) Gimmelwald (night)
Day 7: (Saturday 7/1) Travel to Luzern for 2 nights
Day 8: (Sunday 7/2) Luzern (night)
Day 9: (Monday 7/3) Travel to Zurich for 2 nights
Day 10: (TUesday 7/4) Zurich (night)
Day 11: Depart for NY at 1:35 p.m.

bernieann - you should probably start your own thread, but to kick things off - why are you spending time in Zurich if you don't like cities?

Keep in mind that two nights in a given location only gives you ONE full day.

Day 4: (Wednesday 6/28) Day in Zermatt then train to Gimmelwald for 3 nights

You can't take a train all the way to Gimmelwald - you will need to take a train, a bus and a gondola. The journey will take close to four hours, so no way will you be spending the day in Zermatt.

Gimmelwald is tiny - what do you plan to do there for three nights?

Bernieann, you should have started a new thread. But, here are my thoughts:

Instead of going to Lausanne after landing, train directly to Montreux. Explore Monteux in the afternoon and evening. Unless you are picking up a rental car in Lausanne, it would be hard to visit Montreux on Monday morning dragging your luggage. Personally I like Montreux much, much more than Lausanne (been to both six times). I would even stay in Montreux 2 nights as there are so many small villages you can visit from Montreux by train including Gruyeres (cheese factory, castle), Broc (chocolate factory) and Rochers de Naye (scenic views).

Why Gimmelwald? I know Rick Steves loves it, but harder to get to with luggage than Wengen, Murren or Grindelwald.

I would stay in Luzern for 3 nights and Zurich only 1 night. I did not visit Zurich until my sixth trip to Switzerland. If you do not like large cities, then give Zurich a pass. Luzern is only 1.5 hours by train from the Zurich Airport. I have stayed in Luzern my last night prior to flying out several times.

You will love Switzerland. Have fun.

There are luggage lockers in both stations, Lausanne and Montreux.Montreux is the nicer base (trains to Lausanne about every 15 minutes, Upper Lake cruises every second hr, cog railway to viewpoint Rochers de Naye..........).
Zermatt iw much more interesting than Gimmelwald. I would spend at leasst 2 FULL DAYS at Zermatt.

OP -- I like your itinerary. You'll spend some time getting to and from Annecy but I think six hours and a meal is all you need there.

My only comment is that Day 1 looks unrealistic unless you start really early in the morning and get back to the hotel exhausted in time for dinner. For me you need 2-3 days minimum if visiting Como. If I was being somewhat cynical I would say that the Swiss site was rushing you round Lake Como so you spend more time in Switzerland.