pingali

Planing to visit Switzerland next month (Thus far done zero home work) - Planing to use Globus or Trafalgar.

Question I have which package of Switzerland make more sense for first timer to Switzerland. I prefer more nature than Buildings ...
Globus:
The Best of Switzerland (ZG) 8 Day Tour from Zürich to Zürich.
Spectacular Switzerland (ZH) 9 Day Tour from Zurich to Zurich

Trafalgar:
Contrasts of Switzerland - 8 Day Mostly by train
Best of Switzerland - 9 Day

Any expert advise based on these itinerary please ..

OR for 8 to 11 days trip do I need to add Austria ? to make it more comprehensive ? or exclusive Switzerland is good enough....

Regards

MarthaT

They all are really similar. At this late date though I checked the Globus tours and they are almost unavailable.
the ZG had 1 date left on Sept. 15th. and no ZH available.
Trafalgar had 1 date on the Contrasts tour but none on the Best of tour.
I think you need to call and confirm dates available and take what you can get.

pingali

Thanks for quick reply ... the places these tours are covering are different ... so was looking some help which is the best in terms of areas it is covering .. ,More interested alps / nature as stated ... one tour does not touch Italy side at all... I am not doing multi country tour for this purpose only.

StCirq

Most people on this site plan their own tours, so I wouldn't expect a lot of responses. Sorry.

greg

Based on what MarthaT posted, the determining factor seems to be the availability of tour spots while you seem to be assuming you still have all these options.

Do you need to fly into Zurich? If you still have to buy flights, if you cannot find an acceptable flight that matches the tour with openings, you might not have any options.

kja

Are you fully committed to a tour? Switzerland is very easy to visit on your own. Get yourself a <i>Michelin Green Guide</i> and consult the swiss rail website,
http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

FWIW, I spent 30 days in Switzerland, and had to skip many places I would have enjoyed. YMMV.

pingali

Thanks for various input ... One more simple question ..

Based on itinarary I have to choose one option ...

2 days - Interlaken area
2 day - Gstaad

OR

to zermatt (1 day) &
St martiz (1 day) &
Locarno 1 day &
Day visit to Interlaken

which you will suggest ... ( I will post this message individually also to get enough traction since I need to book tickets with in next 48 hrs)

KTtravel

I would choose the first option as you'll have more time to enjoy those areas. The Lauterbrunnen Valley near Interlaken is stunning.

pingali

Looks like the activity in and Interlaken area is :

An unforgettable trip to the high Alpine wonderland of ice and snow is the true highlight of a visit to Switzerland. Globus Local Favorite At an amazing 11,332 feet, the JUNGFRAUJOCH is Europe’s highest railway station. Jungfrau’s 13,642-foot summit was first ascended in 1811 and in 1912 the rack railway was opened. There are lots of things to do here: enjoy the ALPINE SENSATION, THE PANORAMA 360° EXPERIENCE, and the ICE PALACE. Also receive your JUNGFRAU PASSPORT as a souvenir to take home with you. The round trip to the “Top of Europe” by MOUNTAIN TRAIN will take most of the day.

Still the advise is same ?

2 days - Interlaken area
1 day - Gstaad

OR

to zermatt (1 day) &
St martiz (1 day) &
Locarno 1 day &
Day visit to Interlaken

nytraveler

Unfortunately being stuck with only 1 day to ascent the Jundgfrau may not be a good idea since on many days the top is wreathed in clouds. We had to spend 3 days in Interlaken (in June) before we got one on which the top of the mountain was not stuck in the clouds (and you could see nothing at all).

If the day you are scheduled to head up the mountain is bad weather I would drop that and take a lake steamer to Thun or similar (charming town with great castle and colonnaded two level shopping area).

But I would still stick with the first option - less wasted time than the second.

kja

With only 3 days, I certainly would not go with your 2nd option. For that matter, I wouldn't choose your first, either. With only 3 days, I would go to the Bernese Oberland and spend all my time there, assuming you are going at a time of year when the weather is likely to be decent. JMO.