First, thank you for taking the time to help me plan how we will best spend our time in Switzerland.
My husband and I will arrive in Basel in mid April. We have 7 days to travel and see the sights that are highly recommended in Switzerland. We would appreciate recommendations of hotels and restaurants. We fly out of Zurich after 7 days in Switzerland and return home.
We are somewhat seasoned travelers but we may need advice in determining best direction of train travel each day. We are 70 and not as spry as we use to be. We typically walk 4-7 miles a day. We are fortunate in that we often visit family in the mountains in Utah, so some Swiss mountains would be enjoyed, we would embrace unique towns, with rich history, good food, and welcoming atmosphere. We are currently looking at Bern, Luzern, maybe one town in the mountains. We are open to ideas as well as the plan for where to start and end based on train travel. I currently have a few hotels booked in Bern ( Hotel Savoy) Luzern( Hotel Beau Sejour and Hotel des Alps) and Zurich( Hotel Adler), those dates can easily be changed if better recommendations are provided. I wanted to make sure I had someplace as a safety net.
We would also appreciate a list of must see sights in the recommended towns. As we will most likely only spend a day in each.
Thank you in advance for suggestions, ideas, and your expertise.
warmly, "Working on our Bucket List"
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4575 posts
Commenting as a reminder to follow. We arrive in Basel in late May. We're heading to Colmar for a couple of days and then trying to decide between Basel and Lucerne.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11773 posts
Debbie,
There is so much answer here: too much! Have you had a chance to read a good guidebook as a start, or to watch some of Rick Steves’ videos available here on the site? That is a good way to identify towns and areas that most appeal to you. In fact, Rick has itinerary recommendations here https://www.ricksteves.com/europe/switzerland/itinerary.
Are you spending 7 nights or 8 in Switzerland? Knowing the number of nights, we can better understand how many entire days you have for activities. Will you fly both in and out of Zurich?
Posted by
OP
Midwest
27 posts
We are on a cruise to Basel and Fly out of Zurich 7 nights 8 days.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11773 posts
7 nights is really 3 full days as arrival and departure days rarely allow time for activities.
April is between ski and summer season for the mountains, so hiking is lower elevation and some of the lifts to higher places will not operate but there is snow on the peaks and the waterfalls are magnificent.
If you want to include a mountain town and get some picture-postcard Swiss scenery, head to Zermatt or the Lauterbrunnen area (including Mürren and Wengen) for 3 or 4 nights. Ride mountain trains to incredible vistas, take walks on the trails that are open. Then go to Luzern for the remaining nights and enjoy the lake and mountain scenery there. Rigi and Pilatus are accessible in any season and Luzern is only an hour from the Zurich airport by train so you do not need to stay in Zurich that last night.
Bern is fine for a rainy day, but I would base myself in one of the mountain towns.