tmoon

Greetings Fodorites,
My girlfriend and I are thinking about going to Switzerland in 2006. My first question is whether it would be better to go in June or July? We plan to fly into Zurich and then head directly via train to Lugano for a three night stay. We would then depart Lugano and go to Lucerne for a three night stay. We would like to take a boat ride on the lake to other locales as well as possibly take a day trip to Bern. Would it be possible to take a side trip to one of the mountains for a hike out of Lucerne? Finally, we would depart via train to the Lake Geneva region for a three night stay. What town would you suggest staying in for our stay in this area? We would also like to take a day trip from this area to Gruyeres. For our flight back to the US we would depart from Geneva. Does this itinerary seem plausible? Also, would the nine nights be enough time to enjoy these areas of Switzerland? Thanks for the help!!

Edward2005

You'll probably have fewer crowds in early June than in July if this is a concern. However, by July even the high elevation hiking trails will be free of snow, which can sometimes be a problem even into early June.

If you are set on the Lugano-Luzern-Lake Geneva sequence, then it makes more sense to fly into Milan since Lugano is much closer to Milan than it is to Zurich. On the other hand, the scenic William Tell Express is on the Zurich-Lugano route, so it may be worth the added trip time.

Luzern has two mountains which are easy to do as day trips: Pilatus and Rigi. My photos below start with a picture from near the top of Mt. Rigi looking out over Lake Luzern and with Mt. Pilatus in the distance.

Montreux gets the most raves around here for towns around Lake Geneva. I would agree except I haven't seen all the other towns, but I also like Montreux. Day tripping to Gruyeres would be easy.

Your itinerary hits some good spots and is at a good pace. Easily doable. But one thing I noticed is that the blockbuster mountain regions of Switzerland are not on the itinerary. If they are not a priority for you, that is fine but I thought I would point it out. The mountains you will see around Lugano and Luzern are beautiful, but nothing compared to what you would see in the Berner Oberland or around Zermatt. If you wanted to work in one mountain region, then I would suggest an itinerary of either Lugano-Zermatt-Montreux or Luzern-Berner Oberland-Montreux with 3 nights in each spot.

My Swiss photos from earlier this year:

http://www.photoworks.com/share/shar...BC6E&cb=PW

tmoon

Thanks Edward2005 for your response. Your pictures are beautiful, and I am sure things look even better in person. Was the bed and breakfast you stayed at in Lucerne in town or outside of town? Could you recommend any places to stay in Montreux? Thanks

Edward2005

The B&B in Luzern is in town. It's a 5-minute bus ride on the #1 line from the train station. It's off the main street in a quiet area.

I have not stayed anywhere in Montreux. I visited for the day on the way to Vevey.

suze

I *love* Vevey and Montreux and suggest either of those towns for your Lake Geneva (Lac Leman) 3 days. You can find boat rides on the lake there. They are incredibly atmospheric towns in the canton of Vaud, french-speaking part of the country. Great shops, farmers market, restaurants, etc.

suze

From the center of either Vevey or Montreux you can easily catch the train to the Geneva airport, it takes ~1 hour (so would make a perfect place for the last few days of your trip and you depart Geneva).

Overall I think your itinerary is a tad ambitious for only 9 days and would maybe skip the day trips to Bern and Gruyeres. There's nice hiking up above Montreux by taking the Roche de Nayes tram.

www.vevey.ch
www.montreux.ch

Patrick

Speaking of Montreux, which I highly recommend as your Lake Geneva base, and a day trip to Gruyeres, are you familiar with the chocolate train? It is an antique and elegant train that goes from Montreux, serving a light snack on board, stopping at a cheese factory and the wonderful chocolate factory in Gruyeres, and gives you a couple of hours in the town of Gruyeres on your own to enjoy lunch, explore the "castle" or whatever. I tend NOT to be a tour type person, but this was really a great way to do it, and we found it an excellent choice.

Also from Montreux be sure to cross the lake by boat and explore the picturesque French town of Yvoire

suec1

We recently spent 5 nites near Montreux at Hotel Masson. We liked it very much and they give you a "Riviera Card" that is good for the local buses and some discounts. It is about a 5 minutes walk from the bus route, very near the Chillon castle.

suze

Highly recommended, both the castle at Gruyeres as well as Chateau de Chillon outside Montreux.

jmw44

Hi. Your three locations are wonderful, and they contrast with each other in landscape, architecture, cuisine, language, etc. The train route from Lugano to Lucerne passes through dramatic scenery. Try to make your Lucerne to Montreux route via the Brunig pass, along lakes Brienz and Thun, and then through the mountains and down to Lac Leman. For b&b's you might want to take a look at

bnb.ch

J.