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Destination Suggestions near Switzerland.

Posted by AmeliaG (Atlanta) on 01/30/25 12:23 AM

Would love suggestions for a city to add based on this 11 night itinerary in late May of this year. I don't have flights purchased yet, so I've been considering Austrian destinations like Salzburg, Melk, or Vienna for the front of the trip. These seem far for about 1.5 days of sightseeing. Can anyone weigh in on any can't-miss activities or destinations?

Thank you!!

Destination X - 2 nights
Appenzell - 1 or 2 nights (depends if we spend 1/2 or 3/4 of a day traveling to get there, then would justify 2 nights to get activities in)
Lucerne - 3 nights ideally to explore Mt. Rigi and lake region
Murren - 3 nights (visited in the winter of 2023 for 2 nights, can't wait to go back to experience it in the spring)
Zurich - 1 night to fly out of Zurich Airport the next AM

Posted by Sam

Green Bay

01/30/25 12:55 AM

21341 posts

Salzburg is the closest of your locations to Appenzell and it is still a 6 hour train ride. In that case, fly into Munich, train to Salzburg.

Posted by phred

Los Angeles

01/30/25 01:28 AM

4898 posts

The train from Munich to Salzburg is scenic and simple and not that expensive. There's a S Bahn station at the airport and you take it into town and then transfer to a train train.

It's up to you to decide if seeing Salzburg will change your life significantly. Rick and Samantha Brown have travel episodes about it, and I hear there was a film done some years ago about some singing family there.

Posted by Lola

Seattle, WA

01/30/25 04:18 AM

17595 posts

Have you consided Italy instead of Austria? Or the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino (Lugano or Locarno)? This would be less travel,time than Austria destinations you mention,especially if you fly into or out of Milan, with the other airport being Zurich.

Posted by KGC

Alsenborn, Germany

01/30/25 09:47 AM

1658 posts

Lake Constance. There's more to see there than you could do in a week and it's a short train ride from Zurich.

Posted by Carrie

Chicago

01/30/25 12:46 PM

3319 posts

How about Colmar, France or Freiburg, Germany? Or you could base in Basel, Switzerland and visit both. That way, you can fly in and out of Zurich.

Posted by Lola

Seattle, WA