6 days in Bern

Sorry I meant the **Matterhorn mountain area,** not Mont Blanc. Thank you!!!

Here is a map of the Swiss transport system so you can see your options:

https://www.travelswitzerland.com/en/download/swiss-travel-system-map-en-2023/?wpdmdl=14294&masterkey=63a023c8da36c

Bern to Zermatt is an easy journey of 2 hours, with a single change at Visp, unless you choose to opt out of the long deep tunnel and go via Kandersteg.

Check the weather the night before all of your day trips. I was in Bern in May and when it was raining I took a day trip to Montreux where it was sunny and up to the Rochers de Naye and then a boat trip along Lake Geneva. I have taken day trips from Bern to Mt. Titlis, the Stanserhorn, Kandersteg to see Oeschinen Lake and to see the Matterhorn. Get up and eat breakfast at 6am and take your day trips as early as possible to avoid crowds.

For shorter trips if the weather does not look mountain-friendly, you can check out the lovely towns of Murten and Thun. Those are just half-day trips. And Luzern for a day trip.

or if you get up one day and don't fancy a long train ride, Bern has its own mountain - the Gurten. Right in town, trams take you to the funicular which takes you to the top. https://www.gurtenpark.ch/en/

If you are going to do day trips out of Bern to places as far away as Zermatt getting the STP would be a good choice. You can take advantage of all the free travel it includes. A good excursion for example in that case is the Rigi near Luzern, which is covered by the STP. You can spend endless days just hopping on and of trains and boats.

For something a little bit less obvious: You can do a very nice boat trip that starts in Murten, and ends in Solothurn.

Thanks everyone.

Do you guys recommend a STP (Swiss Travel Pass)--I see they're a bit pricey; or would you go for a Euro Rail pass? We are gone about 2 weeks and traveling to a few countries before Switzerland.

Again, thank you! :)

The Lauterbrunnen Valley (which Rick covers extensively in his guidebook) is also pretty easily accessible by train from Bern!

You could take the train to Thun (20 minutes), which is a pleasant place to walk around (architecture and riverfront cafes to relax) and has a beautiful lake front view of the Alps. From there you could take a bus to Beatenburg, then a gondola to Niederhorn for a great hike with excellent views of the Alps and the lake.

You can also take a boat cruise around Lake Thun or just go part of the way and take the bus back to Thun.

Lauterbrunnen is 90 minutes by train, but it’s an incredibly scenic valley in the Alps with much to see.

Murten (medieval town with standing rampart walls) and Avenches (Roman amphitheater) are 30 minutes to an hour away.

Check the weather each day and head to the destinations that offer good weather; start with your priorities and if they have good weather, then head for those on the first day that offers good weather.

The architecture and historic sites can be appreciated in the rain; it’s hard to enjoy the view of the Matterhorn when it’s hidden behind clouds and rain.

All the best,

Raymond