Hello all. First time posting here. I am planning a trip to France/Switzerland with my family May 24-June 5. It’s me, my wife, and my teenage daughters (ages 17 and 14). We’ve never been to Europe, so I need some help planning my trip. We prefer small towns/villages to larger cities. We enjoy easy to moderate hikes, and other outdoor activities. We are splitting this trip between France and Switzerland. We fly into Paris and out of Zurich. We are using public transportation until we get to Switzerland. I have a car reserved for $400 from May 28 to June 5. It seems like it would be much more expensive to get the Swiss Travel pass. I also like the freedom a car provides. Here is the tentative plan:

Day 1 - Paris

Day 2 - Paris

Day 3 - Paris

Day 4 - early train to Lausanne. Get rental. Visit Montreux. Check into apartment and late dinner in Chaminox.

Day 4 - Chaminox

Day 5 - Chaminox. Visit Megeve for afternoon/dinner.

Day 5 - Breakfast in Chaminox. Check out. Lunch/chocolate factory in Gruyeres. Drive to Thun, stopping at Gstaad for snack. Dinner and spend the night in Thun.

Day 6 - breakfast in Thun. Checkout and visit St. Beatus Holen caves. Drive to Kanderstag for lunch. Afternoon in Kanderstag (hiking). Drive to Lauterbrunnen and check into Hotel Silberhorn.

Day 7 - Lauterbrunnen. Visit Murrey and Gimmelwald. Paragliding from Murren.

Day 8 - Lauterbrunnen. Visit Grindelwald. Do Grindelwald First activities in morning. Wegen for dinner.

Day 9 - Breakfast in Laterbrunnen. Check out hotel. Lunch At Greisbach Hotel (take boat from Brienz). Check into hotel in Lucerne. Afternoon/dinner in Lucern.

Day 10 - 10:20 am flight from Lucerne.

It is somewhat overwhelming to plan this trip so all thoughts are sincerely appreciated. The only thing we are really tied to is doing a few nights in Paris after we fly in, staying a few nights in Lauterbrunnen, and being in the Zurich area to fly out on June 5. Thanks in advance for any responses!

I'm not sure that a car rental makes sense for Switzerland -- it has some of the best public transportation anywhere in the world. And -- bonus! -- no one needs to ignore the stunning scenery to watch the road. I know that having a car can offer some freedom, but I'm not sure the benefits outweigh the freedoms of public transportation in Switzerland, where trains are frequent and comfortable. Here's the website: https://www.sbb.ch/en

As I understand it, your choice of Chaminox complicates your trip planning. Perhaps you have a specific reason for targeting it, but FWIW, I think you have alternatives that would be far easier to include in your travels. Perhaps if you say more about why you chose it, some of Fodor's experts can suggest alternatives.

I think your flight home (day 10) is from Zurich, not Lucerne? If driving, I'm not sure I'd want to stay overnight in Lucerne the night before a flight from Zurich. It's not that far, but you'd need to be at the airport in Zurich hours before your international flight, after returning your car (which can take time) and you would need to leave plenty of extra time for traffic or unexpected wrong turns, etc.

First, thank you for the response. You are correct, the flight is from Zurich, no Lucerne. Just an oversight on my point. I’ve read a lot about the benefits of public transport in Switzerland - the place to use a car is solely a function of cost. With that said, perhaps I’ll reconsider. It’s funny you mention the Chaminox portion. Thats the part of the trip that is the most questionable to me. Originally, I planned to stay in Saint Saphorin for two nights, before Lauterbrunnen. My airline changed my flight schedule, adding two more nights. I decided on Chaminox because it adds some more “France” to the trip and is somewhat less expensive. I’m really on the fence about it, though. Your response confirms my instincts on that. Any idea for an alternative to Chaminox given the rest of our itinerary?

Don't overlook the cost of gas, parking and the need for a vignette in Switzerland, not to mention the hassle. Also, when crunching your numbers do take into account that Wengen and Murren are car free, so you'll need to take public transport/cable cars/funicular to reach both anyway, and if you have a Swiss Pass or Half Fare Card or similar these fares will be discounted and or included.

I think you need to reserve parking spaces in Lauterbrunnen, so you might want to look into that as well before making your final decision.

I've been visting Switzerland for 25 years and have never wanted or regretted not having a car. The public transport system is second to none.

I think it is easy to underestimate how different the parts of Switzerland are from one another -- the French, Italian, German, and Romansch speaking portions are, IMO, surprisingly varied. If you want a bit more of the French influence, Montreux would make a very reasonable choice, IMO, particularly because you want to stop in relatively nearby Gruyeres. There are impressive peaks, the glorious Lac Leman, Chateau Chillon, the Lavaux wineries, Rochers de Naye.... And you wouldn't have to stay in the city -- you could stay nearby if that's your preference.

Switzerland is expensive, but there are also costs associated with choosing a destination that requires complicated logistics. And there are ways to minimize one's costs, even in expensive countries.

I'm not an expert on your options or how the time of year might affect your plans, so I hope others with greater knowledge chime in.

Chamonix, people!

Hi, I’m not going to enter the rental car vs. public transportation debate – in my view, there are pros and cons to both options. It certainly sounds like you've found a good deal on the rental.

Here are my 2 cents on your proposed itinerary, from someone who lives in Geneva and owns a car:

• You have several days that sound unpleasant:
  • Day 5 (the first one 😉, i.e. May 30th ) is crazy busy, especially considering it's your first day driving in Europe ever
  • Day 5 (the second one, i.e, May 31st) is also quite ambitious and, in my view, the driving route is less scenic than it could be.
  • Your final day appears to involve driving from Lucerne to Zurich airport and dropping your rental car off, all before catching a transatlantic flight departing at 10:20 - this will require a very early start and even then you’ll be dealing with the massive rush hour traffic jams around Zurich; I would never advise that.
• You plan to visit several resort towns (Megeve, Gstaad, Wengen, Murren, Gimmelwald...), as if they were attractions in themselves – I would argue that while any of those make great bases, I wouldn’t head there just to walk around, much less just for a meal.
• You arrive in Switzerland along Lake Geneva, but aren’t planning to spend any meaningful time there. I would therefore sacrifice the Chamonix / Mont-Blanc region – not that the latter is a bad choice, quite the contrary, but since you’re travelling East from Lausanne it’s a bit of a detour and you’ll be experiencing the high Alps in the Interlaken/Jungfrau region anyway.
• Having your own car gives you far more latitude in terms of choosing remote and/or self catering accommodation – it’s easy to do a grocery run and you don’t need a train station/bus stop within easy walking distance. For the Bernese Oberland area, I’d actually recommend finding self-catering accommodation in one of the smaller towns along Lake Thun or Lake Brienz – this will allow you to make day trips anywhere in the Jungfrau area, as well as head towards Kandersteg. Alternatively, if you prefer something that’s up in the mountains, Grindelwald makes for the best base if you have a car.
• You are going quite early in the (summer) season; this is basically a good thing, however some of the higher elevation hikes could still be snow-covered or very muddy

So this would be my itinerary proposal:
May 28 - early train to Lausanne. Get rental. Drive through the Lavaux vineyards along the “Corniche”, stopping at several medieval towns (Lutry, Cully, St. Saphorin etc.). Overnight in Vevey/Montreux area

May 29 – Full day on/around lake Geneva – visit Chillon castle, take a steamboat ride to Evian, scenic train to Rochers de Naye, etc. Lots of options.

May 30 - Drive to Gruyeres, visit town, castle and cheese factory. After fondue/raclette lunch, drive to the Interlaken area via the scenic Jaun pass. Check in to your accommodation (see broad suggestions above).

May 31 through June 3 – 4 full days in the Bernese Oberland to explore Grindelwald/First, Wengen/Männlichen/Kleine Scheidegg (hike from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg), the Lauterbrunnen Valley (Mürren/Gimmelwald and paragliding), the Kandersteg area, the lakes or head up to the Jungfraujoch.

June 4 – check out of accommodation and drive to Lucerne via the Brunig pass. Explore Lucerne old town, then drive on to Zurich airport. Return rental car. Check in to hotel either at Zurich airport (3 hotels directly connected to the terminal) or in town (15 minute train ride away, definitely head to town for dinner if you’re staying at the airport).

June 5 – Check out and catch 10:20 am flight home.

Thank you so much. I believe everyone has provided great advise. That was exactly what I needed.

Seems that Andre and I agree that it would be worth considering time in / around Montreux rather than Chamonix, but Andre and I disagree about where to base for the Bernese Oberland: Especially for a first time visitor, I think basing in or around Lauterbrunnen makes much more sense than basing in Thun. I think you would want to spend most of your limited time in the mountains, with only a day or part of a day in the lakes (visiting Thun / Brienz / Giesbach), so you would be better off in Lauterbrunnen (or, if you forego the car, perhaps Wengen). JMO.

The first train from Paris arrives at Lausanne at 11.40.
Count then about 2 hrs for car rental and lunch, 2 hrs for the drive to Chamonix and 2 hrs for the visit of Montreux/Chillon castle.You could of course viist a lot more than that along Lake Geneva and in Lower Valais,. like
historic city center and cathedral of Lausanne
Olympic Museum at Lausanne
alimentation Museum at Vevey
Aquapark and Vapeur Park at Le Bouveret
Castle of Aigle
Salt mines of Bex
Abbey of St. Maurice
Roman theatre, Roman Museum, automobile museum and sculpture park at Martigny.
The Pass road from Martigny to Chamonix (Col de la Forclaz and Col des Montets) is very scenic (9 hairpins)

You will have to backtrack along the same itinerary up to Aigle on your way from Chamonix to Gruyeres castle:
Chamonix - Aigle - Col des Mosses - Chateau d'Oex (close to Gstaad) - Gruyeres.
The cheese diary of Prengy and the Nestle/Cailler chocolate factory (both can be visited) are only a few miles from Gruyeres castle.

The itinerary from Gruyeres to Thun doesn't pass through Gstaad, but over the Jaun Pass tro Boltigen - Erlenbach.
You may take the motorway via Berne instead (probably faster, but much less scenic).

Kandersteg is by far not the best place for hiking. You could drive to the Oeschinensee gondola (stop over at Blausee!) and go up by gondola and down on foot.
For really scenic hikes, take the train from Kandersteg to Hohtenn or Ausserberg and hike along the railway line to Ausserberg, Eggerberg or Lalden and turn back to Kandersteg by train (full day).
Or take the same train up to Goppenstein, the bus to Wiler, the gondola to Lauchernalp and hike to Fafleralp from where you turn back to Goppenstein by bus.
Another full day trip would be Kandersteg - gondola - Sunnbuehl - hike to Lake Daubensee - Gemmipass (panorama!) - go down by gondola to Leukerbad (hot open air thermal spas) and go back by bus to Leuk and by train to Brig (castle!) - Ausserberg - Kandersteg.

The side trip from Chamonix to Mwegeve is a complete waste of time.
Giessbach parking can be reached by car. Leave the Interlaken - Lucerne highway at exit 29 Brienz and take first the road to Axalp and finally that to Giessbach.
If you leave Lauterbrunnen in the morning, you will be way too early at Giessbach for lunch.
There is a lot to do and to see in and around Lucerne. Half a day is not enough for sure!

Hey we just did this in August including Montreux and six nights at the Silberhorn in Lauterbrunnen. Then out of Zurich. I can save you a ton of grief, please send me a personal message on here not sure I have ever used it but give it a try. I have a ton of info down to including best stuff on the menu! Yes let's discuss that rental car ...

Thanks to all the very helpful responses. Based on the advice here, I’ve changed my itinerary to Paris (3 nights), Montreux (3 nights), Lauterbrunnen (4 nights), Lucern (1 night). Still struggling with the car/public transportation decision!

You can also reach Giessbach from Lauterbrunnen by train and then boat -- a wonderfully relaxing boat.

@ wildiowa: I'm curious: Why not post your comments and recommendation here, or in a trip report, rather than in personal messages that aren't available to others? Your call, of course....

Would be glad to, thought it might clog stuff up or get too far down into the weeds. I don't consider myself an expert by any means and don't have the answers, much of what we learn is through our success/failure but I do have some real time specific experiences on this one! I will gather some thoughts and perhaps dive in. I hate to suggest people replicate our movements, their ideas and needs are all different ... I know what worked for us, and what we'd do differently.

@ wildiowa: Again, your call, but I think people would find your observations helpful. I think people generally know they need to pick and choose when reading about another's experience, but you can always include caveats to that effect if you want. FWIW, I think trip reports provide an excellent opportunity to provide specifics (e.g., menu suggestions) and responses to other's questions provide an opportunity for some more broadly conceived suggestions (things you are particularly glad you did or, in retrospect, would have made a lower priority).

@ ik: Sorry for the digression! I hope it ends up generating some useful information for you.

Get ready! I'm composing on Word. I hate to come off as a know it all but can suggest things based on our hits/misses.

OK, here are my thoughts regarding the family trip to France/Switzerland. I’m thinking mom and dad and two teens, first trip to Europe, cost, logistics etc. Do your thing in Paris and get that out of the way. Take the train to Montreux and base there several days, get as nice of a hotel on Lac Leman (aka Geneva) as you can afford. You can get right off the train with a 5-minute walk to a number of hotels fronting the lake with a range of $$. We were at the Marriott six nights. Check it out. Montreux can be a base for super cool day trips and interesting for the kids. You are right on the water and can do most everything within walking distance trains ferries etc. . Kids will see and be around other kids. No having to pack and move, pack and move, which is a time and $$ killer.


Do the math and consider a Swiss Flex Pass for as many days as you can afford. They are kind of expensive and you have to use them wisely, but convenient if you don’t know the train system and are new to it, and it covers a lot of travel stuff you might otherwise pay for anyway. Looks like about $1300 for your family for 4 flex days, maybe $1600 for 6 days. That might be worth it considering the cost and grief of renting and driving maneuvering parking etc...you may be much much better off. The key to the Flex Pass is to plan your day to max out each day of your pass…take as many journeys and use it as much as you can squeeze in for each day. We tried to squeeze in at least two and often three uses of the Pass in one day. Jammed it.


Spend your first day hanging around Montreux after you arrive walking eating and exploring by the lake. The Freddie Mercury Queen museum and casino is cool for kids but you will enjoy it also. Lots to see and do on the waterfront and many food options. Next morning use up a Pass day, take the train to Gruyere to see the cheese made but do the morning tour, eat fondue and head back to Montreux around noon …then get on the steamer ferry for a three-hour afternoon cruise (included w/Pass), maybe grab lunch or a late snack on board. The dock is right there on the promenade by your hotel, super convenient. Then if you have time take yet another train to somewhere close and cool for dinner (included w/Pass) and back to hotel. You might give your Flex pass a rest the next day and take the local bus to Charlie Chaplin Museum…very cool, then to the Castle. Then knock around walking again, watch people, see other stuff, eat. Make a plan to max your Flex Pass out again the next day, take a steamer ferry to Evian, France (w/pass) or beyond….go for a ride on the Golden Express or similar scenic ride, hop off, and back. Plan evening dinners and walk around the promenade. There is much fun stuff to do…DONT WASTE TIME DRIVING AND PACKING and driving and checking in hotels. Stay there and hang out and go places that are close and enjoy the time. Kids will have a good time and you won’t kill yourself.


Then take the train to Lauterbrunnen. It may be better to get a half fare card, or just pay whatever fare and not waste the Flex day. Fares are confusing for newbies. We loved the Silberhorn, right off the train, up the hill. Good service, fine food good value good people they seem quite familiar with serving Americans and Brits. Did not plan to but we ate there every night and were very pleased with value variety and quality. Again, establish your base there…you will need to purchase tickets or use your Flex Pass to get to cool places around there and there are a bunch. A huge gondola is right behind the hotel. Huge waterfalls. Cog railways. Be aware there is a hefty additional train fare charges to get to some of the mountain sites Matterhorn etc, as you transfer to different train companies…sometimes there is a discount but still very pricey especially for a family. Do your research and check that out. You can use your Flex Pass to take the train to Interlaken and get a ferry to Brienz for the morning or the day, or any number of scenic and great places. Interlaken is a place to transfer, really…not very interesting but a jumping off point and hub.


A long winded report…Again, I think you would be much better off with NO CAR and using Swiss transport. It is precise and dependable. The kids would dig it. Once you get onto it, it is very cool. When you are done with the trip, take the train to the airport in Zurich, another nice ride, watch the great scenery, get your bags and go to the gate…no car check in or other BS. Overall Switzerland is kinda expensive and especially with kids…food adds up quickly but what fun. I’d advise loading the Swissrail phone app now and start playing with it… it is not perfect but just great in planning or pricing travel. The SBB app…load it and do a lot of what-ifs. Trains are where it’s at. Great country we’ve been twice and keep going back. My thoughts….

@ wildiowa: I'm glad you shared your insights. Do consider a trip report!

Thank you so much. That detailed report is very helpful, especially since it matches our itinerary. I’ve now decided to go public transport!