Swiss itinerary in april...plz let me know what u think
 

Hi everyone,
My husband and I are planning a holiday from april 4 to the 11th and initially we decided on russia (moscow and st petersburg) but have now decided to go to switzerland instead. I have been to Switzerland a few times but always in aug or sept so I do not know what to expect with the weather. I have loved the scenery and feel of luzern, lugano, interlaken, zermatt and lugano. I have also been to Berne, Geneva and Laussane and didnt like them much. This trip will be my husband's first trip to switzerland so I really want him to enjoy the scenery and culture. We both do not ski. We like driving around train rides too. We also want a day to do some shopping in zurich before we head home.

So far the itinerary is:-
April 4- arrive in zurich at 1:30pm and take the train to luzurn. Take it easy the rest of the day with just a walk around the old town.
April 5- Go to mt. pilatus and come down from the other side of the mountain and take the stam boat back to luzurn. Walk around the old town the remaining day.
April 6- Take a day trip to interlaken and go up to jangfru.
April 7- Lugano
April 8- Lugano
April 9- undecided
April 10- Zurich- Do some shopping in Bahnhofstrasse
April 11- Leave Zurich at 9pm


We also would love to do Zermatt or St moritz so do you think I can somehoe change around the itinerary? Also can you sugguest other places that I might not know of?

While I have never been to Zermatt, St. Moritz was a dissapointment to me. Mostly modern, with glitzy designer shops. Seemed like a place for skiing. Otherwise, not worth the stop (unless you just want to say you've been there, which I can certainly understand).

Also, I'm not sure one day for Interlaken and the Jungfrau makes sense. Too much shlepping for too short a stay. I'd go somewhere on the way to Lugano. Perhaps somewhere like Sils or Maloja or Soglio. Maybe even Locarno.

Lugano and Locarno will be much warmer than the other places you mention, which may be a plus.

I was in Switzerland in mid to late March, and it was still winter season. You might be surprised how much snow is still on the ground in the higher elevations when you are there.

When in Lugano, make sure you take the funicular to the top of San Salvatore and hike down (2 1/2 hours if you're up for that) to the village of Morcote. Have lunch on the lakefront and take a boat back to Lugano.

Last time I was in Switzerland it was the second week in April.

It appeared that many areas were a couple of weeks behind the US East Coast (mid-Atlantic) in terms of what was in bloom/coming into bloom, etc. Weather was mild throughout and we were in Geneva, various spots along Lac Leman, Zermatt, Lucerne, and Interlaken.

I would agree with Zermatt over St. Moritz. the village of St. Moritz itself seems somwhat sterile whereas at least in Zermatt they have tried to maintain some sort of "Swiss village" atmosphere even if the guy who drives that heard of goats or sheep or whatever they are is totally a fake...I have always found Zermatt to be more "charming" than St. Moritz...BUT you can spend just as much money there in some of the higher end stores.

The trip up to zermatt by rail from Brig can be spectacular as can the view of the Matterhorn and the Monte Rosa Massif if the weather is clear.

Frankly, I think you could get similarly stunning views out of Interlaken and in the Jungfrau area even if those peaks are lower than the Matterhorn.

Sorry..that should be "herd" of animals being paraded through the village dodging the elctric carts and the two-legged visitors.

Everyone thanks for your help :)

Do you think I can have a better itinerary than the one I have? How would you do it? Will I be doig too much if I add zermatt?

I really don’t think you should go in April to the mountains of Switzerland. I used to live in Zurich, and April is really between seasons. Skiing is pretty much over by the end of March, and the spring has not yet come (see the comment above about Switzerland being a few weeks behind, I would say it is about a month behind). Many hotels close from the end of March through the beginning of June, check their websites and the Fodor’s lists above. The worst thing is that with rising temps, you get fog in the mountains areas as the snow is melting. IMO the mountain areas are not good from April through mid-May. If there is any way you can move this trip to then, I would really encourage you to do so. With only one day planned for the Jungfrau, that is taking a chance on the weather for sure.

The TOWN of St Moritz, I would agree, is nothing to write home about. However, the area around it is lovely, the valleys, the mountains, the lakes. Celerina, Pontresina, the utterly charming little village of Guarda; all these are “worth” seeing. I just don’t think they are worth doing in April. I am very afraid that the Matterhorn in Zermatt would be shrouded in fog. Perhaps Dukey had a lucky experience in Zermatt, perhaps you will too, but I have taken people there in early May (despite my encouraging them NOT to come them) and been in fog.

Lake Geneva is OK in April, the vineyards will still be brown. Even the Lugano area can be very rainy. Generally April is not really a good month in Switzerland. It is like March in the east coast of the US.

I like the Russia idea personally.