Switzerland to where?

Jesse, Either northern Italy or Germany would be great destinations to consider. Do either one of you have a slight preference for one or the other? In northern Italy, you could consider the Cinque Terre, Lago di Como, Florence, Siena or Venice. If you'd prefer more of a "hiking" holiday, have a look at the Dolomites. In southern Germany, visiting Munich and area would be fantastic. You could visit Füssen (Neuschwanstein Castle), venture into Austria (Salzburg is great!), perhaps Hallstatt (one of the most incredibly beautiful areas I've seen) or even Berchtesgaden. You might find it helpful to have a look at a few Guidebooks to get some ideas on which areas are most appealing to both of you. If you have a PBS TV station in your area, watch some of Rick's "Travels in Europe" as you may get some ideas from the shows. Here's an example. Is there any possibility you could get more time. With only 10-12 days, you WON'T have a lot of time for the "Switzerland and beyond" part of your journey. With more time, you could include not only Mürren, but also a small part of both Italy and Germany (fly home from Munich). Good luck with your planning!

Thanks Ken! I know 10-12 days isn't much, but I'm hoping 12 days on the ground - not including travel. But I'll worry about that later. I've read many of the guidebooks - I love spending afternoons reading them at the library. And I've been to Munich, Neuschwanstein, Berchtesgaden, etc. We may end up only doing Switzerland. I guess what I'm looking for is a few gems - suggestions for specific towns or itineraries (with September in mind) that may not be in the guidebooks. There is a lot of the "big stuff" I haven't seen yet but I'd like to get off the beaten track a bit too.

Did you know Switzerland makes very good wine? You may have never seen it in the US; they don't let much of it out of the country! The main wine-growing regions are the slopes above the Rhone Valley, from Sion to the shores of Lac Leman (Lake Geneva); the Lavaux region on the slopes above Lac Leman (near Montreux), and the Neuchatel area. Here is an article with some information on the Lavaux region: http://europeforvisitors.com/switzaustria/vaud/lavaux/ There are hiking trails through some of the vineyards. I believe there is a major wine festival at Neuchatel at the end of September. And on your way to this area from Mürren, you could stop for a couple of days in one of my favorite Swiss villages, carfree Bettmeralp, where you can hike along the ridge above the Aletschgletscher, Europe's longest glacier. www.bettmeralp.ch for photos This is off the beaten path (for Americans anyway) but a very short distance from Brig. From there, return to Brig and on west to one of the towns along Lac Leman for you Levaux vineyards. Stay in Montreux for your city experience, and be sure to visit Neuchatel if the wine festival is going on.

Thanks Lola! I read something once about there being a festival near Interlaken for when the cows come down the mountain in September. Do you know anything about this?

It's probably Wengen or Mürren. Quite a few mountain villages have the festivals when the cows return, with them all decorated. I'll look for dates for the Wengen and/or Mürren festival and return.

Jesse, This is the spring trip when the Cows are led up the mountain, but I assume this is what you were thinking of? Have a look at www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss1Pnenx9Gc for a short video.

So far I have found lots of YouTube videos of the cow parades, but no dates. In the past it has been the 3d weekend in September (the Mürren one), but it may vary year to year. You might try an email to the Mürren tourist office. I'll keep looking.

The cow parade takes place in the fall when they take the cows down from the high pastures. We were there on a hiking trip in early october, and they had the cows parading down the main street with lots of decoration!

Thanks everyone. I can look it up, no big deal, just thought you might have been to know if it was worth aiming for.

You might also look at the Burgundy region of France. Certainly can't beat the wine! And it would be the middle of harvest. :-)

It's not just a parade and it's not just for show - Transhumance. Switzerland is a great place to visit.