Swiss itinerary help
 

Work schedule change has opened up possible time off at the end of July for the first time since my University days. Never holiday in July or August. Managed to get reasonable business class tickets to Zurich with arrival July 25 and departure August 5. Had considered the Azores but airfare more convoluted and expensive. Also. Considered Norway but were there 2 years ago so thought we might go to Switzerland. Thinking of first night at Zurich airport hotel as we get in at 1010 and taking a train into the city for the day. Train to Lucerne for 2 nights possibly at Renaissance hotel. (Could do 3 nights Lucerne if we skipped Night in Zurich). Train to Wengen for 5 nights at Alpenrose hotel. We then have 3 nights extra. Any recommendations as to what to do before flying back out of Zurich?

The options are endless...what are your interests? Hiking? Cities?

So, you arrive at 1010 pm into Zurich? Then plan to head to Lucerne the next day after exploring Zurich a bit?

The good news is....you got time off. The bad news is....July and August in Switzerland. Gonna be crowded! We did this last year and most of the mountain locations were pretty nuts. Many trains to the top sites were jammed and uncomfortable I continue to recommend a less frazzled experience in Montreux. Less crowded, take a ferry to France, relax, take day trips to the mountains if you really need to. Lauterbrunnen, Wengen etc. will be jammed with frail young women hauling around refrigerator-sized suitcases. St. Moritz is also nice.

Lauterbrunnen, Wengen etc. will be jammed with frail young women hauling around refrigerator-sized suitcases.

True that.:lol:

You're asking specifically about Zurich? There's a lot to do there; IMO, it's underrated. It holds some excellent museums and two of its churches have stunning stained glass windows -- the Chagall windows at Fraumunster and the Polke and Giacometti windows of Grossmunster. Any good guide book should give you some ideas.

If you're asking more generally, you might take a look at my old trip report:
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...thanks-983126/

Interested more in mountains and hiking rather than cities. Might cut Wengen from 5 nights to four nights

If I'm following, cutting a night from Wengen would mean you have 4 nights to play with? Enough, IMO, to head into the glorious Engadine. Stunning mountains, wonderful hiking / walking paths....

I agree. There are lots of great places to base yourself in the Engadine, but we prefer Scuol. Charming, historic old town in the lower level and lively upper level. Highly recommend the Hotel Arnica. https://www.arnica-scuol.ch/en/

Re Zurich, we think it's underrated as well; we spend the week-end there several times a year and always enjoy it. However, when it comes to museums, Basel easily trumps Zurich for variety and quality.

So now thinking arrival ZUR 1010. Checking into Radisson Bleu at the airport then taking train into Zurich for the day and dinner before returning to the Radisson. We are flying business so hopefully will not be too tired. Train next morning to Lucerne. Spend 2 nights in Lucerne probably at Renaissance hotel. Train to Wengen for 4 nights at Alpenrose hotel. Train to Scuoi via Brig and Glacier express. 3nights Scuo with return to Zurich night of the 4th.

Since you plan to be in Zurich the night before your departure, have you considered going straight from the Zurich airport to Luzern upon your arrival? It takes just over an hour and I believe there are multiple trains each day.

P.S.: Here's a link to the Swiss rail website.
https://www.sbb.ch/en

Unless you are staying on points, I suggest you stay at one of the two Hyatts at Zurich airport instead of the Radisson, which has gone downhill since the Hyatts opened. (the Hyatts are in "The Circle" complex connected to the airport). There is a tram stop right outside the Hyatt to take you into Zurich. However, if you plan to spend that day in Zurich, then why not stay in town instead? If you decide to have dinner in Zurich, we highly recommend Bindella, in the old town on a small street just off Bahnhofstrasse (reservations usually necessary). Note: the nearby Zeughauskeller restaurant is a tourist trap.

Or, as suggested above, go straight to Lucerne from the airport. You can have a short doze on the train and then wake up to Alpine scenery :).

Since you've now got Engadine in your October plans, you might find this site helpful: https://www.engadin.com/en/autumn They have a community chat group on the site for advice and answers to any specific questions you might have about the region.

Thank you. Wondering about how long to stay in Wengen or if we should go at all. I suppose 4 nights might be reasonable. Any idea as to how much time to stay in Lucerne? Three nights and two full days vs two nights and one full day? We were originally planning a September trip. Hotel rates on our first night in Switzerland were quite high in Lucerne which is why we thought to stay first in Zurich. Have found reasonable rates at the Lucerne Radisson for three nights. Our flight out of Zurich is at 1:35 pm so spending the night in Zurich rather than the airport seems reasonable.

As I understand it, you've said your focus is on hiking and the mountains. From my perspective, 4 nights is quite reasonable for Wengen. There's a LOT to do in that area, hikes and cable cars and easy access to things to do if the weather turns in ways that make hiking less than ideal. I'd keep that time frame; YMMV.

Lucerne -- well again, I'd go for three nights. The city itself is lovely and has some wonderful museums and sights, but more to the point for someone aiming to experience Swiss mountains, I'd want to spend at least one day on a boat on Viervaldstatdersee -- I thought the views amazing and you can get off to explore various points of interest. So I'd want two days (3 nights) -- one for the city, one for something stellar nearby.

Switzerland is expensive. No way around that. You can choose to let cost dictate your itinerary or you can choose to spend a bit more to let your itinerary dictate costs. Your call.

While I'm not a fan of Lucerne, I think only two nights there is giving it short shrift. I personally don't care for two nights stays, as one full day never seems enough, regardless of the destination. I think four nights in Wengen is a decent amount of time, although I'd have no trouble spending much longer there. Fear not, you will not run out of things to do in either location.

A train ride from Wengen via Brig - Glacier Express to Scuol is endless:
Wengen dp 8.42 - Lauterbrunnen dp 9.01 - Interlaken Ost dp 9.29 - Spiez dp 10.05 - Brig dp 11.14 - Samedan dp 18.16 - Scuol-Tarasp ar 19.25

Yes I can see it would be a long somewhat complicated train ride. Maybe train from Wengen to Zermatt for a night then Glacier express to keep it simpler? Suspect Zermatt would be a zoo in early August

You suspect correctly.

Zermatt for only 1 night doesn't make any sense.
Zermatt is in the middle of the highest mountains of Europe and a base for unforgettable gondola rides or hikes to tons of glaciers, mountain lakes, mountain huts and viewpoints (up to 12500 feet).
But the village itself is nothing to write home about and full of all kinds of tourists.
If you want to stop over, do it at Riderealp. 30 min by train and gondola from Brig

Going from Wengen to Scuol would make for a long day ... but I don't think there's any need to go through Brig unless one wants to do so. I think there are routes that are closer to 6 hours.