Hello, fellow travellers! I have been reading these forums for advice, and have a question of my own, if you'd be so kind.

In early April I am taking my mother to Europe for her first time. Yes, she's never been, and she is so excited! We're going to Switzerland because she is really into genealogy and has ancestors in Bern, etc.

We fly into Zurich on a Saturday morning, and have 7 nights before departing the following Saturday morning from Geneva.

I do not want to rush my mother at all; she is not a seasoned traveler, nor has she ever been in a time zone more than 3 hours different from home, and I have a feeling she'll get flustered if we don't take it slow. She is quite fit and able-bodied, in her 60s; it's not about any physical restrictions, but rather an out-of-your-comfort-zone issue.

She's also not a city person, so the more I can get her out of cities, the more comfortable she'll be.

In short, I want this to be a terrific experience for her and will 'hold her hand' every step of the way as needed!

Her only must-sees are Bern [ancestry] and Castle Chillum [family crest of arms located there?] She is flexible on everything else.

Here is the itinerary I have devised and would be especially grateful for any feedback.

Saturday: arr Zurich in morning; acclimate via tour bus of city; after sightseeing etc head to Lucerne via train. Spend night in Lucerne.

Sunday: Lucerne

Monday: depart Lucerne and head to Gimmewald. Am open to staying in another nearby town, not committed to Gimmewald, just have read v good things about it.

WILL IT BE TOO COLD? Should we just visit it for a day trip, and if so, would you suggest instead extending Lucerne by a day? And if so, is there a great scenic train you'd recommend from Lucerne - Bern?

Tuesday: Gimmewald

Wednesday: depart Gimmewald and head to Bern; use Bern as base for two days to explore area [recommendations welcome on affordable Bern lodging/B&B]

Thursday: Bern - do the genealogy thing

Friday: depart Bern for Geneva via Castle Chillum; spend night in Geneva at hotel near airport [not exciting but our flight is early the next day]

Saturday: depart Geneva 9 AM

in advance, thank you all for your time and input!

First, let me say what a kind and thoughtful daughter you are!

Second, if you think your mother might have "out-of-your-comfort-zone" issues, you might want to re-think your first day. Are you flying from the US? If so, doing a tour then taking a train trip all on day 1 might be a little much. If possible I would either train directly to Lucerne -- skipping the Zurich tour -- or do the Zurich tour and spend the night (early to bed!) there and train to Lucerne the next day.

Personally, with such limited time I would skip Zurich altogether in favor of Lucerne.

Your itinerary is interesting, but it is an ambitious one. Have you consulted your mother about all the travel, packing, unpacking in addition to the sight-seeing, etc.? Is she ok with such a hectic schedule? She might be more comfortable if you limited your cities to only two, perhaps Lucerne and Bern. Or Bern and some time in the mountains. Just a thought.

We stayed at a nice, reasonably priced accommodation in Bern a couple of years ago. If I can find my information on it I'll re-post later.

Have a wonderful trip!

K

I would go to Bern from Zurich, on your way to the Bernese Oberland, (Lauterbrunnen, Gimmelwald, etc.) There's not much to see in Lucerne, just the covered bridge and the lion carved into stone, so you wouldn't be missing much if you scratched it from the itinerary. After your days in Bern take the train to Lauterbrunnen via Interlaken OST (East).The train from Zurich goes right through Bern to get to Interlaken anyway. You could stay in Lauterbrunnen or I would pick Murren to stay instead of Gimmelwald. Gimmelwald is a steep little village just below Murren and is reached by cable car, or a finnicular to Murren and then walk down. Very few places to stay there.

After a few days in Murren or Lauterbrunnen I'd take the train in the morning to Montreux and stay one night. After arriving in Montreux check into a hotel then take 2-3 hours to go through Castle Chillion. The next day I'd go to Geneva, check-in, then I'd explore Geneva around the lake, visit the old town and have fondue at Les Armures, behind the cathedral. Hotels are unbelievably expensive in Geneva so staying near the airport is a wise decision. I love Geneva and lived there many years ago. It's easy walking there so take the train or bus into Cornavin station and walk down rue du Mont Blanc to the lake and over the bridge to the old town. Follow the spires from the cathedral to get there.

The secret to traveling and being warm is to layer clothing in the cold areas and on top of mountains. A mid weight coat(jacket)with a turtle neck and a cardigan sweater for instance works well for me. Maybe a t-shirt under all that depending on temperature. Also if the tops of mountains are sunny it can get rather warm.

Hope this helps. We're going again in September. Bon Voyage!

I am also for skipping Zurich. I always arrive early in Europe -- too early to check-in but need to stay up to synch with the local time. So I travel directly to the first destination.

You can travel directly to Luzern and Bern from the Zurich airport (choose the trains correctly.)

There is not much in Gimmelwald. Unless that is what you want, stay in Murren, Lauterbrunnen, or in Wengen. Lauterbrunnen is at the bottom of the valley while Murren and Wengen are perched high up.

:
"There is not much in Gimmelwald" is an understatement. I would definitely stay in Murren. You can stroll down to Gimmelwald and take a look around. I think that will be plenty of time there. Murren is small but a good stay and the views are amazing. Have a great trip. CJ

We're talking about early April, right? Definitely do not stay in Gimmelwald. I am also sceptic about Mürren, after Easter holidays the skiing season is over and most hotels will close and the village is (almost) dead.

Another vote for staying in Bern or, if you want to avoid cities, somewhere along lake Thun - see http://www.thunersee.ch/en/ferienregion-thunersee.html for hotels and general info. You'll be close enough for doing the genealogy thing in Bern. Gunten or Merligen would be my favourites, maybe Spiez if frequent train connections are important. The scenic trains from Lucerne to Lake Thun or Bern run via Brünig Pass and Interlaken (change).

Also, I agree with the other posters, sightseeing in Zürich upon arrival is not a good idea. I'd skip it and head right to Lucerne.

Btw, correct spelling is castle Chillon.

Thank you, everyone! This is so helpful and I will revise our itinerary accordingly. You are so right - we should slow down, give her time to adjust.

Many thanks for your excellent advice and your time!

Saying that your mum is not a city person, she will enjoy Luzern and even Bern (which has a small town feeling although it is the capital city).

Chillon has indeed a relation with Bern. From 1536 to 1798 Chillon belonged to Bern, and Bern even had a fleet stationed there. You find many German inscriptions and coats of arms inside the castle.

www.chillon.ch

As others have suggested, I would recommend skipping one or two destinations. Your mom will enjoy a more leisurely pace. Think about spending two days in Luzern and two days in Bern.

that is very interesting about bern and Chillon - thank you! I shall tell my mom

laurab, Do post back after your trip and let us know where you went, what you did, and how mom got along out of her comfort zone.