Three couples are going to Switzerland in late September .We are flying into Zurich on the 24 th of September and leave on October 14. We are going to Zurich ,Montreux,Interlaken,Luzerne and Lugano in that order.We are going to buy a 15 day STP and SwissnFlex Travel Pass for the other days.We plan on staying 3 nights minimum at each place.I would like to go to Zermatt for 2 days also and thought Montreux would be the best place to take the train from. Any help would be appreciated.
Posted by
11569 posts
Stay in the mountains instead of Interlaken which is a transit hub. Grindelwald was magical, also Wengen.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8967 posts
What Suki said. Interlaken is not in the mountains: it is at the foot of the mountains. Its a gateway to the mountains, and well-known because of being the staging area for sports up the valleys. But what you want to see and do is in the mountains, so go just a bit further and you'll be in the middle of it.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11776 posts
Spend no time in Zurich. Leave as soon as your flight arrives and relax in Montreux or Better, Vevey on the lake. We stayed in Lausanne but I would choose Vevey next time,.
Montreux to Zermatt is a good plan. Stay AT LEAST 3 nights and I would stay a minimum of 4 nights in the Berner Oberland, as recommended above, Wengen or (better yet) Lauterbrunnen or Muerren. It is fabulously beautiful with magnificent lifts and trains and hiking for those of all levels from easy walks to very challenging.
IMO, Luzern and Lugano are worth 3 nights each and not as stunning or fun as the Lauterbrunnen area.
Posted by
Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Yes, I agree with all of the above.
- Skip Zürich and go direct from the airport to your first destination.
- Do not stay in Interlaken, stay in one of Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen or Grindelwald. Info on all 4 here: https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/summer/
- "Zermatt for 2 days also and thought Montreux would be the best place to take the train from." -you can take a train from anywhere to anywhere.
All rail routes have at least one train per hour.
Look up rail times on the SBB website: https://www.sbb.ch/en
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
1131 posts
Another vote for minimizing Zürich and staying in Murren instead of Interlaken. You can’t see the mountains well in Interlaken.