I'm trying to get a full scope of Switzerland without too much travel, and that is getting me very stuck.

I have 12 nights in August, departing from Zurich, but our entry point can still be flexible (Zurich, Geneva, Milan) since we we be flying from within Europe. We are in are mid 60's, well travelled, in good shape (enough) and like to hike moderate or easy hikes, but not excessively for many days in a row. We have been to Berner Oberland and Montreux and area before. The "stuck" part is that I need to be in Saanan/Gstaad area for 4-5 days to visit relatives, so that puts me in that area of the country and need to work around that timing.

My latest two scenarios are: 4 N Zermatt, 5 N in Saanen and 3 N in Lucerne OR 4 N in Pontresina, 3 N in Zermatt, 4 N in Saanen and 1 N in Lucerne.

I really want to see the Engadine area as it seems very "different" from the rest of Switzerland and way less people - especially since we are going in August. But it is so far away from wherre i want to be and I dread the 8 hour Glacier Express ride to Zermatt, which I would normally break up with a stop somewhere but am running out of time. I have been to Lucerne twice before, so I don't "have" to see it, but it does seem like a good stepping stone for a few day trips that look interesting. From Saanen we will see Gruyeres, possibly Bern, and walking around various lakes in that area.

Am I spreading myself too thin with scenario #2? Am I getting enough "cross section" in scenario #1? I know Zermatt is going to be crowded, but we will be doing lots of hiking. Is there an obvious "entry" point that might make my situation a little more manageable? Any other thoughts or suggestions?

Thank you!

FWIW, I adored the Engadine, both the upper area (around Pontresina) and perhaps especially the Lower Engadine (which I'm not sure you plan to visit). I skipped Zermatt.

KJA - you skipped Zermatt completely? Glad you hear you adored it. I have not read one thing that people would recommend not going to Engadine - which is a good thing. For Zermatt - some people love and others not so much. But I wonder if those "not-so-much" people don't go much past trying to see The Matterhorn and maybe a quick visit in town vs a 3 full day stay? That is where I am going back and forth. I can either try to do both Engadine (I already have a place booked in Pontresina) OR Zermatt (have a place booked there too at the moment), or both. I did plan to go to Lower Engadine for at least a day. From everything I read, it seems as although Engadine will be busy in August, it's nothing comparable to Zermatt and the craziness.

Is there anyone out there who has done both areas and can chime in at all?

Our first trip we went from Zurich to St. Moritz and stayed in Sils. September. No reason, just chose that. Great time, more laid back, great scenery hiking food...a regional travel pass gives you free, extensive travel on rail and bus to lots of cool places. Highly recommended. From there went down to Lake Garda and out Milan. Contrasting the Matterhorn, Lauterbrunnen, Montreux area...seems to be two very distinct areas with no easy way to do both without careful planning and time.If you already did the whole Matterhorn deal and have not been to Engedine I'd say do what you can to get there ...logistics look kinda brutal. Too bad you can't fly.

Yes, I completely skipped Zermatt, so I can't provide a direct comparison. I don't know what drives people's reactions to it; I do know that most people recommend at least 3 nights there so you aren't completely out of luck if views of the Matterhorn are blocked on one day.

FWIW, there's a lot to see in both the upper and lower Engadine. I would have found a day trip to the Lower Engadine frustrating. And magnificent Mustair is also in that area....

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my old trip report:
My delightful sampling of Switzerland’s gems, with many thanks

Wildiowa - glad to hear you liked Sils. How long did you stay in the area? I have researched it extensively, and the Engadine Card is very appealing to be be able to see everything.

kja - WOW - that is an amazing trip report. You are super organized and know what you want. I am the same way - I am agonizing over this decision and although I thought I had a final itinerary, it doesn't "feel" right.

Just hearing from people who went to both of these areas helps me decide.

I'll be delighted if my TR helps you decide. I think it's really hard to come up with suitable itineraries! I know I struggle over each and every one I've adopted. Knowing how I prefer to travel and what I prioritize helps a lot.

I hope you end up with a plan that feels right to you. One thing for certain: It's Switzerland, so it should be fabulous no matter what you decide!

Spent five nights in Sils. It was more quiet, relaxed, not very urban feel unless you head for neighboring St. Moritz which is OK but kinda cliche, high end stores etc. so we tended to use the regional card a lot using the bus system to get out and see great scenery and small towns. It allows travel in a surprisingly wide area, as far as the Alp Grum station and that is a fairly long distance. A very, very different feel than the Zermatt area. We stayed at the Hotel Sils Maria. Train schedules and service in St. Moritz are very good.

Hi marinawright,

I've spent time in both Zermatt & the Engadin, and I far, far (FAR) prefer the Engadin.

The first time I was in Zermatt was for a ski week. I found the town itself to be over-built; it sits at the end of the valley, and there is no land to build on, but they keep building more chalets & hotels. I find the effect to be higgeldy-piggedly and not the sweet, picturesque Swiss towns I've seen. The skiing was also a big disappointment for me, as the pistes were so high, they were vulnerable to very high winds (I've had the same skiing experience at the Zugspitze here in Garmisch where I live). The winds destroyed visibility with blowing snow, and made me severely cold. Instead of skiing the rest of the week, I went winter hiking -- now, that was fantastic. If you go there just to hike, then you'll enjoy it. I didn't care about seeing the Matterhorn just fyi.

I wasn't sure if my impression was accurate, so I went back a few years later as a day-trip. I didn't last an hour. I just didn't like it. I know there are tons of folks who adore it ... but I'm not one.

In the Engadin I've stayed in Zuoz, Scuol, and in Sils, each for around 4 or 5 days; I can't remember exactly. Yes, you won't experience the hordes of English-speaking tourists just there for a photo and a souvenir. What I saw was lots of families speaking German (could have been tourists from Austria or Germany, etc) in hiking gear heading for the cable cars early in the morning. More sports shops than souvenir shops.

I don't think you'll be missing much by missing Zermatt. When I was staring at the Matterhorn, I thought it didn't look any different from the poster photos -- there was no tingly, real-life joy for me there.

Have fun as you plan!

s

@ swandav: What a wonderful post! I have to believe that the OP will find your descriptions helpful.

Thanks kja! I do like to be specific when I discuss what I like & don't like.

s

While in Saanen, are you staying with friends/relatives? If not, we highly recommend the Ermitage Hotel in Schoenried. Although 5 stars, it offers great packages and is open year round. My friends and I recently had a four-day stay there (we like the hotel so much we do this every December). Ermitage.ch

We paid the equivalent of $260 a night and that covered our accommodations (spacious mountain-view rooms with balconies), four meals a day (breakfast, a light lunch, afternoon tea/coffee and cake, and dinner), plus full access to the expansive spa with two outdoor pools and one indoor. Plenty of walking/hiking opportunities available for all levels, including guided hikes.

You also get the Gstaad card for free local transport. The hotel is a five minute walk from the Schoenried train station (it's on the scenic Montreux to Zweisimmen line). BTW, there is also a bus link between Schoenried and Saanen with a stop across the street from the hotel. It's a very scenic trip. 12.183.pdf

Here's the winter view from one of the pools:

swandav2000 Thank you! This has been very detailed and helpful and exactly what I was looking for! These last details have been so time consuming, and I read and read and read books and forums.

WeisserTee Right now, I have an AirBNB booked very close to my relatives - mostly for lack of many hotels in Saanen (there is only one in town). I didn't even think of looking in Gstaad! This place looks amazing. I don't see a lot of people post about Gstaad much outside of winter time and many don't like it for some reason. But the more research I did, the more I see that there are so many great hiking trails, along with being a good stepping stone to some other places to visit. It's definitely more expensive than the $260 you paid (darn), but am seriously considering it because of the spa! I also don't want my relatives to feel too overwhelmed like they have to entertain us 24/7, so maybe a little space in between the places would be a good idea. Thank you!

Saanen is 3 hrs by train from Geneva airport. Trains every hr .Change at Montreux. VERY SCENIC TRAIN RIDE.
Saanen is 3 1/2 hrs by train from Zurich airport. Trains every hr. 2 train changes. Less scenic itinerary.
Saanen is 3 1/2 hrs by train from Zermatt, trains at least every hr.
Saanen - Pontresina:
via Thun - Zurich: 6 1/2 hrs
via Bulle - Zurich: 6 3/4 hrs
via Meiringen - Lucerne - Zurich: 8 3/4 - 9 1/4 hrs
via Meiringen - Grimsel Pass - Andermatt - Glacier Express: 11 1/2 hrs
via Spiez - Brig - Glacier Express: 9 1/2 hrs

Whatever you choose, Saanen - Pontresina is a long ride with many trains changements.
The Uppper Engadine will be full of Italian tourists in August. So book well ahead.

Solution 1 would be much better IMO.
But while only Zermatt?
You could visit other gems in the area as well, like Saas Grund/Saas Fee, Val d'Anniviers or Riederalp/Bettmeralp/Aletsch Glacier.



Aletsch glacier, a few steps from the gondola station

neckervd Thank you. IF we went to Engadine, I would probably go Zurich-Pontresina (3.5 hours) and then the 8.5 Glacier Express to Zermatt, followed by 3.5 hours to Saanen, My heart wants to go to Engadine, but my mind is telling me it's sort of a pain because I need to get back to Saanen eventually. I actually do have a 5 night reservation in Pontresina at the moment, so that is taken care of while I rethink things through.

Thank you for bringing up Aletsch. I had looked at that a few weeks ago, and then immediately forgot about it because I am so obsessed with trying to get to Engadine. Is it different enough from Zermatt? Will I have these same potential cloudy day issues that I risk by going to Zermatt, or is that microclimate much different? And in your opinion, how would the travel day(s) look like from Zermatt? Seems like a long day trip, but I guess doable. Any other thoughts? I had Martigny on my list of things to do that were close to Zermatt on my way to Sannen, but not sure if it warrants a 2 night stay (I can't do 1-night stops anymore like I could when I was younger).

Weather: always unpredictable inthe Alps.
Pontresina is slightly cooler and a bit more windy, but that shouldn't be an issue in August.

Zermatt is really in the heart of the high Alps. The highest peaks of Switzerlaand are around Zermatt (38 of them more than 4000 metresw high).
The hiking trail network of Zermatt counts several 100 kms of well signmarked trails, up to Italy.
Everything is of easy reach thanks to the Gornergrat railway and the cableways to Unterrothorn (3100 m above sea level), to Schwarzsee (2600 m) and to Kleinmatterhorn (3820 m) - Testa Grigia (3500 m, Swiss border) - Breuil (2000 m, Italy).

Pontresina is close to some glaciers too: Diavolezza (train plus cableway), Morteratsch (train plus hike), Tschierva (horse car plus llong hike).
Whereas Zermatt has only tiny mountain lakes, the Engadin has bigger one's, Lake Sils even with a ferry.

FWIW, on our last trip we went from Basel to Bern, then switched to a train to Lausanne. We took that route because we were meeting up with another friend who was coming from her chalet in Nendaz.

From Lausanne there are plenty of trains to Montreux (it's a short trip). Anyway, in Lausanne we had a lovely lunch at the 1820 restaurant, then hopped a local train to Montreux where we caught the mid-afternoon scenic train to Schoenried (one train stop after Gstaad if you're coming from Montreux) and had a very pleasant trip. https://1820restaurant.ch/?lang=en

This video featuring Roger Federer and Trevor Noah is a fun overview of the Montreux-Zweisimmen (or even farther, to Interlaken) train ride. FWIW, we went regular first class rather than the Prestige Class shown in the video. We did get seat reservations but turned out we didn't really need them as we weren't traveling during a peak holiday period.
My husband wants to do the same route on his birthday, but in Prestige Class.

Regarding Alpine vistas, my husband is uncomfortable with cable cars, gondolas, chairlifts etc so we stick to trains, trams, buses, boats, and funiculars, which still allow us to do a lot of exploring.