Changing our plans a little. Need just a little input. Thanks in advance. Not sure how many days in each place for sure. Thinking 4 in Dolomites and 3-4 in Berner Oberland (this area can change).
Fly into Munich morning arrival, train to Salzburg. Spend 2 nights.
Train to Zillertal area - stay 2 nights.
Train to Dolomites - Stay 4 days. possibly 5.
Train to Lake Lugano. This is an area i could use some help with. Should we travel halfway there from Ortisei? Spend the night in Verona or somewhere else along the way? Or just take a long day to Lake Lugano. Spend the night and then go to Berner Oberland area.
Berner Oberland area - spend 3-4 days. Suggestions on towns to stay in?
Train to either Geneva, Zurich or back to Munich for flight home. We would spend the night in whichever city we do decide to fly out of. I realize Munich is backtracking but it would be cheaper as a round trip. However it is also Octoberfest so flights back might be more crowded. We have been to Munich so only spending the night is okay.
Or is it better to start in Switzerland and go the opposite way. Or skip Lake Lugano and travel from Ortesei back up north and across northern Switzerland to Berner Oberland area?
Probably too many scenarios but any input is appreciated.
Thanks so much.
Posted by
8684 posts
I have flown into Zurich and Geneva. Zurich itself is not much of a tourist city, so I wouldn't spend much time there touring. Geneva is great for a couple of days, but it is at the far west end of the country. Still, you could fly into Munich and out of Geneva. Another option is Milan, which is close to the border.
Spent some time at Lugano, it is beautiful, but don't remember anything that historic in the area.
Zermatt would be something to see. Also, stayed in Interlakken for a few days and visited that central area of Switzerland, that was great.
Salzburg is super, also, nearby Berchtesdagen.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2648 posts
We did a somewhat similar trip in 2023, traveling by car:
Flew into Munich and spent 1 night
Drove to Santa Cristina Val Gardena for 2 nights
Drove to Venice for three nights
Drove to Stresa on Lake Maggiore for 2 nights
Drove to Wengen for 5 nights
Continued to France and Germany
We adored our time in Stresa. I highly recommend it. Staying on the Italian side is cheaper and the food is better (sorry, not a fan of Swiss food). It might be an easier stop on the way to the BO area by train.
I recommend you spend as much time in the BO as possible. We were there in late June and the weather definitely dictates your experience. You need to be flexible in your plans so you can go where the weather is best. We had only one clear day out of 6 to go to Jungfraujoch.