Please sign in to post.

4 days in Switzerland

We plan to spend 4 days in Switzerland the third week of May. Looking for suggestions of places to stay and things to see.

Posted by
1451 posts

You will get more help if you tell us a few things first. What is the age and make-up of your party, what interests you about Switzerland, how will you arrive and depart, and what is your approximate budget?

Posted by
20 posts

We are two active seniors flying Amsterdam to Zurich. From there we would like to take a train to Lucerne Interlaken or some Scenic town. Or main interest is to see the beauty of Switzerland. We are hoping to stay in one down and take day trips from there. Would like to take in one of the scenic train trips.
Thank you for any help!

Posted by
1451 posts

We are two active seniors flying Amsterdam to Zurich. From there we
would like to take a train to Lucerne Interlaken or some Scenic town.
Or main interest is to see the beauty of Switzerland.

Great! Will you also be leaving Switzerland via a Zurich flight? I'll assume so for my reply.

The Zurich airport has a train station underground, so it's easy to get plugged into the rail system after you land. From there you can take about a 3-hour train ride to either Wengen or Murren. These are car-free mountain towns high in the alps just south of Interlaken. The views are fantastic, even moreso than from Interlaken. There are two valleys to explore in the area, both with epic views. Many hiking options for people of all skill levels.

I would stay your first two nights in Murren or Wengen. Other popular options in the area are Latuterbrunnen and Grindlewald. Have a look at the region on GoogleMaps.

For your last two nights I would backtrack to Luzern. The city is enjoyable to explore on foot. Mountain excursions (Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis), lake cruises, and some good museums are available. Zurich's airport is easily reached by rail from Luzern (2 departures per hour, 70 minutes).

If you are not leaving via Zurich then another itinerary might make more sense.

Posted by
20 posts

Thank you so much for that information! When we leave Switzerland we are headed to Austria. Hoping to stay in Hallstead or Salzburg. We have six nights to divide between Switzerland and Austria. We were thinking three in Switzerland and three in Austria but are open to suggestions. We were thinking of taking the train from Austria back to Frankfurt where we depart for home on the 31st.

Posted by
20 posts

One more thing. We do not want to stay where it is going to be too cold. So with that time of year would we need to stay at a lower elevation?

Posted by
7209 posts

It's impossible to predict the weather in the high alpine regions. In May/June you could see rain, fog, snow, ice, warm sunshine and wildflowers - you can't predict it. Just take a few layers and you'll be fine.

Posted by
11577 posts

Stay in the mountains where the breataking beauty is rather than down below. Bring layers. Instead of heavy sweaters bring an Icebreaker brand layer each. We used them above the Arctic Circle and they packed easily in our suitcases. Bought them in REI.