2 Week Itinerary Help - Switzerland to Croatia

A week in Switzerland focused on the Lauterbrunnen area (which includes Muerren and Gimmelwald) is great. On 9/18 go to the Lauterbrunnen area and stay 4 to 5 nights. Transfer to Luzern for 2 or 3 nights. You can easily get to Zurich for your flight on the 24th.

I think you have an ambitious agenda in Croatia for 5 days. It is not the easiest country to get around. Maybe two bases, one near Plitvice and Split, from which you can day trip to Trogir and an island.

@Laurel - thank you very much! I agree - i'm thinking we stay in Lauterbrunnen for the majority of the time. Is it worth it to spend a night in Murren or just do day trips everywhere from Lauterbrunnen? Also, is there any other towns I'm missing?

As for Croatia, I'm really looking forward to visiting Plitvice, Hvar, and Split (in order of importance). I've heard Hvar is a cool/younger vibe to just relax and have a few drinks here and there. I'm thinking fly into Zagreb, do Plitvice the next day and see if we can get down into Hvar the same day, spend 2-3 days in Hvar then end Croatia in Split for a day or two. Maybe that makes it easier?

Thanks again!

It is not a good idea to try to see Plitvice the day after you have such a late flight into Zagreb. Plitvice is very popular with day-trippers, to the point that it's dificult to fully appreciate the park's beauty. Think mobs of people moving in lockstep down the walkways. To avoid those conditions, you need to spend the night before your visit very near the park, then enter it when it opens the next morning.

Zagreb is a very nice city. It has a good-sized historic district, an active cafe culture, and a bunch of interesting museums. You could spend the morning and early afternoon seeing a good bit of Zagreb, then head for Plitvice.

Lauterbrunnen is a great base from which you can visit both sides of the valley and all the way to Grindlewald easily. Muerren is lovely but there is added transportation time to go anywhere beyond Lauterbrunnen and the Schilthorn. We’ve stayed 3 times in Lauterbrunnen and once in Muerren. We will be back for another week in Lauterbrunnen this year if that tells you anything.

@Acraven - I was hoping it wouldn't be as busy in late September but yea, that is one of my dilemmas - trying to figure out how to get from Zagreb, to Plitvice, to Split & Hvar. Thoughts on Korcula vs Trogir??

If you goto LauterBrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald. Grindelwald is right next door. Great mountain views and hiking. To me if you do Gimmelwald you must do Grindelwald as well. They are both Great!

When traveling to these mountain areas. In the event of bad weather I always have a plan B. like maybe Zermatt = "the Matterhorn" or St. Moritz. or even the Dolomites in Northern Italy.

@elvisparsley8 - Good call to have a backup plan but not sure how I'd book everything in advance then switch my accommodations last minute due to weather. Unless of course I can cancel my bookings once I'm there (hopefully no charge) then book last minute stays in places like Zermatt or St. Moritz.

Sean,

You asked for day plans for Lauterbrunnen and surrounding towns. I've sent you a private message showing our dozen favorite hikes in the region. Click on your name in the upper right to read your forum mail.

Sean, Late September is great in Lauterbrunnen. We've been 3 times in late Sept to mid-Oct. No need for a back up plan.

I'm not sure why you have Gimmelwald and Grindelwald on the same day and Mürren on a different day. Gimmelwald is right next to Mürren, and Grindelwald is in the opposite direction.

Where you say you need day plans in Switzerland, Rick Steves’ guidebook has oodles of ideas. By all means hike from Mannlichen to Klein’s Scheidegg and between Grutschalp and Muerren.

Given the time of year you're traveling, I'm not sure you'll be able to get a timed ferry to Korcula for a day trip, returning the same day to Hvar. There may not be such a point-to-point ferry or the timing may not be such that it's possible as a day trip. I couldn't find great ferry synchronization when I went in late August a few years ago. If you want to make your life easier, pick one island and spend a day/night in Trogir. Where and on what date are you planning on dropping the car? It won't be of any help in Hvar and you really don't need a car in Split either.

Question - is Old Town Bern worth a visit? Seems to be a pretty popular place on Trip Advisor. Would it be worth it to lose a day in Lauterbrunnen and spend it in Old Town Bern? Or maybe skip Lucerne and do Old Town instead? How would you rate Old Town Bern vs Lucerne?

Thanks to everyone for all their suggestions! I've been updating the itinerary on the top as I'm going (still need to add the day hikes).
Sean