Switzerland in May
 

Am I trying to do too much? I have friends in Zurich, and Nimes, and have to make a brief stop in Venice, but I mostly want to travel around the Swiss countryside. I'm planning to go for 2 weeks at the end of May. I like trains, but I want to have time for hiking and staying in mountain huts/inns. This is what I'm thinking so far:

1. Zurich (1 day) to Appenzell (2 days)
2. Down to Chur and St Moritz (2 days)
3. Train to Lugano to Venice (1 day)
4. Venice to Zermatt (2 days)
5. Zermatt to Nimes (2 days)
6. Nimes to Bernese Oberland or Luzern (1 day)
7. Back to Zurich (2 days)

Is May too early for hiking around Zermatt (esp the Hohenweg Hohbalmen) and in the Bernese Oberland? Is it better to try to fly in to Marseilles and out of Zurich for $200 extra dollars? Is this too much to cover in 2 weeks? Any suggestions on what to parts to skip, shorten, or extend?

Thanks in advance!

First, while the first half of your itinerary sounds OK, it would be one for August, not for May. Most huts are closed and most higher hiking trails are inaccessible due to snow. You would be amazed at how long 3 m of snow take to melt even in warm weather.
Some notes on transportation:
1) and 2) are no proble, although you would need to decide between St. Moritz and Chur - they are 2 h apart. From St. Moritz there is no train to lugano, but a more or less reasonable postal bus connection through Italy, past Lake Como.
Then thing start to deteriorate in your plan. Lugano to Venice is about 3.5-4 hours one way, with a change in Milano. Venice to Zermatt - why this huge backtracking??? It is 5-6 h you will spend on the train. There are better things to do in Switzerland than sitting in a train day in, day out.
Then it gets even worse. The conenctions across France, like those to Nimes, aren't very good - you will spend most of a day just to get there. Then again this immense backtracking to Switzerland, a day in trains or on the road, just to spend one day (if at all) in Berner Oberland?
Please have a look on a map before planning. You can see Switzerland and Venice, or Switzerland and Nimes, but not both in your short time! And in any of above combination you would have to fly out of Venice resp. Marseille, NOT return to Zürich.

I agree with Altamiro, hiking in the Alpes in May is, genarlly, too early. I wouldn't be surpriesed to find some moutain transportation even closed (although major ones usually remain open). I also agree 5 & 6 seems much too a long distance to me to do in such short time, not to mention Venice. (You must have some reason/obligation to do those).

On the other hand since you mentioned Marseille, would you consider hikin on the calanques between Marseille and Cassis. That's what I will be doing in Easter in a week.

In case you are interested, the following photos of calanques were taken last December.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/b3...%20Dec%202005/

Thanks altamiro and kappa. It's back to the drawing board now. Maybe I won't go to Nimes, but I'm pretty sure I have to go to Venice (it's about a job).

Anyway, I'll make a different post because I don't know if anyone will reply to this thread again, but I'm wondering if the higher price in June (and the greater number of tourists) is worth the greater access to higher places and wildflowers.

As you are "going back to the drawing board", have you thought about hiking in the Cinque Terre area in Italy, east of Genua?

Some of the higher and mountain pass trails would probably be closed.

Back on the old AOL travel forums, I knew a lady that wanted to do the Gemini pass hike in Kandersteg in June. She reported back that there was still snow in that area as late as June.

I did that hike in late August and the trail was open. May? Not sure though about that trail and other trails in other regions in Switzerland in the month of May.

Best bet is to check out the web sites in these areas and see if they have trail reports.

http://www.grindelwald.com/summer-uk.php

http://www.kandersteg.ch/english/plan/anreise.html (Since you mentioned Berner Oberland)


That is one popular web site since you mentioned Berner Oberland. Try sending an e-mail to the tourists offices. They should be able to provide you with some weather and trail information.

As for Zermatt, not sure about May weather there. I have been there in late August and September and all of the trails are open at that time of the year.

Here is a Zermatt web site: http://www.zermatt.ch/index.e.html

Your itinerary sounds rather ambitious. I can understand that though since you would like to sample several areas, but as for me, I would settle on one area, kick back and enjoy that area for a few extra days.

Waht are your specific plans for the Appenzell area?