Hey everyone, first time poster. Been spending a lot of time reading commentary on this forum so hopefully I've got a good start.
We will be flying into Zurich in August and staying for ~10 days. We are early 30s and love hiking and good food/drinks. A rough outline of our trip is as follows:
1) Arrive in Zurich at 9am (12hr trip so will be pretty exhausted). Likely will catch a train to Lucerne. Tour Lucerne very casually for the day. Lodging in Lucerne
2) Day trip to Pilatus or Rigi, weather permitting. Otherwise Bern. Lodging in Lucerne
3) If couldn't do Pilatus or Rigi, do that. Otherwise, train to Lauterbrunnen. Tour/hike the area. Lodging in Murren/Wengen
4) Bernese Oberland activities. Lodging in Murren/Wengen
5) Bernese Oberland activities. Lodging in Murren/Wengen
6) Bernese Oberland activities. Lodging in Murren/Wengen
Activity ideas include: Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch, Kleine Scheidegg hiking, Aare River Gorge, Harder Kulm, Boat tour on Lake Brienz or Thun, Bachalpsee Lake Hike via Grindelwald
7) Train to Zermatt. Activities there. Lodging in Zermatt
8) Zermatt activities. Lodging in Zermatt
Activity ideas include: Matterhorn Glacier Paradise & Gornergrat, 5 lakes hike, Kuonen suspension bridge hike, spend time in Nendaz (wine/cheese).
9) Train to Montreux. Activities such as Chateau de Chillon and boat trip. Lodging in Montreux
10) Montreux activities. Train to Zurich in the afternoon. Lodging in Zurich.
11) Fly home at 10am.
That's our trip! Looking for any ideas on how to adjust. Not sure if just one night and 1.5ish days in Montreux is enough or worth it. Would like to see Lake Geneva but not a deal breaker.
Would love to know if anyone has recommendations on lodging (can splurge a little but tend to prefer $150-300 rooms) as well as restaurants/pubs/wineries (willing to pay up for amazing views/ambiance). Also looking for other hikes/activity recommendations.
Thanks everyone! Look forward to any responses. We can't wait for this trip!
RG