We are planning to go to Switzerland for 6 days from 18th to 23rd August.
Is it a good idea to stay at Zurich and travel to Lucern, Interlaken Basel as day trips? Are the roads good and easy to drive on or is it easy to take a train?

Staying in Zurich is a really bad idea. It is primarily a business city and is to far from the things you wan to see and do. Either stay in Lucern (with much easier access to Pilatus, Titlis and Rigi) or Interlaken (with easy access to the Jungfrau and the mountain villages on it's slopes).

Lucerne and Basel are good day trips from Zurich but the Interlaken area is not - so so much to see and do there and it takes a long time each way to get up into the hills, the area's attraction.

The Jungfrau Region as it is called to me is both literally and figuratively the absolute highlight of Switzerland - not cities like Zurich or Bern or Basel, nice as they can be.

But it is the majestic glacier-girdled Alpine wonderland that will match the dreamy picture of Switzerland perhaps etched in your minds' eye - wide lush valleys lying smack under sheer cliffs rising up several thousand feet - cows dotting the bucolic valleys - neat Alpine towns like Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, etc where from your hotel balcony the wonderful panorama unfolds.

And there is so so much to do in that area - lake boat trips on the Alpine lakes that lovingly bookend Interlaken, the region's transit and commercial hub you must pass thru to get to the higher climes - thrilling aerial gondolas and mountain trains to Europe's highest train station - one surrounded by a sea of ice with ice grottos and snow even in summer - footpaths to suit all energies and abilities.

Titlis and Engelberg just do not offer the many wide variety of alpine scenes and things to do as the wonderful Jungfrau Region - I'd head there for say 3-4 days and then yes go to Lucerne and stay there a few days with easy access to Zurich Airport. Lucerne is one of Europe's cutest cities, nicely set on a fjord-like lake hemmed in on all sides by Alps - lake boats make great excursions to famous Mt Rigi or Mt Pilatus, etc.

Trains are by far best for Alpine areas of Switzerland as cars cannot even go into many Alpine areas and you have to take the train or aerial cable ways anyway.

Investigate the Swiss Pass that is valid on nearly all trains, lake boats, buses, city trams and buses and also gives free entry to over 400 Swiss museums - if you have a family with kids under 16 then they get with the pass a free Family Pass and they never pay a dime on any conveyance TMK in Switzerland.

Great sources of info on Swiss trains, places to go and passes and alternatives like Half-Fare Cards, Swiss Card, etc I always spotlight these IMO fab sources - www.swisstravelsystem.com; http://www.budgeteuropetravel.com/id3.html; and www.ricksteves.com.

Price Swiss Passes both in dollars bought before you leave and in Swiss francs bought at any train station once in Switzerland, including those at airports - I have tracked the prices for several years and it often has been the case in the past that the exact same pass has been cheaper her than there - sometimes dramatically so - but it is not always the case, due to currency fluctuations so simply compare each and if not much difference just wait until Switzerland before buying a pass, if after researching your expected travel cost with the pass cost. I've had passes for years and always end up using them more than I expected - like if it's a rainy day in the Alps I day trip to a city like Bern or Basel, etc and with a pass I do not have to think twice about the cost, etc.

But obviously a pass' efficacy depends on how many trains, boats, buses, etc you will take. check www.sbb.ch for prices of Swiss transports in Swiss francs.

Staying in Zurich in my opinion is not good idea. If you want mountains and beautiful scenery then as PalenQ has said the Berner Oberland is one the places to go. Personally I like Unterseen, part of Interlaken, not everyone does. You could try Wengen oo Grindelwald if you to stay in the mountains. Anywhere in that area has good transport links and plenty of places to visit. The transport passes are an excellent idea, but do some homework on the costs.

I agree, do not stay at Zurich.
There are other questions:
Why do you want to drive? Why not travel by public transport?
Is there a specific reason you want to visit cities?
I would recommend you come to the Lucerne area - www.luzern.com - and do day excursions from here.
Lucerne sits on one of the most beautiful lakes in one of the most attractive areas of Switzerland. I would recommend you stay there and do some of the extremely day excursions from your base.
Here are a few links:
- www.rigi.ch
- www.stanserhorn.ch
- www.titlis.ch
- www.pilatus.ch
- www.klewenalp.ch
- www.verkehrshaus.ch
- www.gletschergarten.ch
Happy planing
pore

Personally I like Unterseen, part of Interlaken, not everyone does>

Yes so do I. I always base in Interlaken because I prefer lively towns - yet Interlaken is often maligned but IMO it is mainly because folks never get off the main tacky tourist schlock-ful main street and into the really dreamy parts of town like Unterseen, lovingly situated on lovely Lake Brienz and also in close proximity to the Interlaken-Ost train station for easy hop into the mountains or for lake boat rides on Lake Brienz.

So do not neglect Interlaken as a nice base - especially if day tripping to places other than those in the hills.

Cars can be good for Switzerland if you want to visit cities like Zurich, Lucerne, Basel, etc. but if going to alpine areas like Zermatt or Jungfrau, etc then cars can only get you there and then must be parked at a high cost on the edge of cities like Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and cannot even be driven to dreamy towns to stay in like Wengen or Murren.

so the efficacy of a car IMO depends on where you are going in Switzerland.

I also think pore's recommendation of basing in Lucerne and doing a plethora of sweet day trip from there makes sense - but it is not like staying in the Alps in the Jungfrau Region - both are great in their own way and ideally split time between the two IMO.

Hi jitendravg,

I have to disagree pretty strongly that cars are ok for Swiss cities -- they really don't mix well.

Swiss cities are centuries old, and developed before there was a lot of vehicle traffic. As a result, many of the streets are small, winding, and one-way; parking lots are not plentiful in the cities, and they are expensive. Truly, you'll be hunting for your hotel and parking space while dodging cars, trains, trams, busses, and pedestrians!!

And you won't be able to enjoy much wine or beer on your travels. At all.

In contrast, trains will whisk you from city center to city center without fuss and without stress. You'll be able to relax and watch the scenery without worrying about traffic, directions, or accidents.

Trains are the way to go -- for mountains, for cities, for pretty much everything in Switzerland.

Have fun as you plan!

s

I agree heartily with swandav2000 - my talk of cars and cities was that if only going between large cities and really want to drive then it could be OK but with the hassles swandav2000 outlines - my point was that it is impossible to tour many Alpine areas by car simply because they are banned from higher elevations and thus have to be parked far below in expensive parking lots - cannot drive to many hotels in the hills above Interlaken.