Hi! My husband and I are doing a Viking cruise this July which gives us two days in Zurich at the end. We have extended our stay for five days afterward (9th to 14th). We’d appreciate any tips for a five-day itinerary (we fly back on the 14th out of Zurich) that hits the highlights. We’d prefer to base ourselves in one spot to avoid schlepping our luggage around but could possible store it at the train station. Also, would it be better to rent a car or use public transportation if it’s just the two of us? We’d be fine with doing either. Thank you!
Posted by
Schwerin
3323 posts
The Euro2025 women soccer tournament will happen in July 2025 in Switzerland. Try to book accomodation and transports early.
Posted by
Minneapolis
92 posts
Typical flights to Minnesota are fairly early in the morning so I stay the last night near the airport. Take a look at the Jungfrau region attractions will help determine where you want to stay 4 nights. Availability and price may drive the location of your stay. Interlaken is fine if you are hitting the major attractions with limited hiking. There are a lot of attractions around Lucerne that will fill your days. I recommend at least one boat ride.
Either home base areas are best visited using public transportation. Get the SBB app and learn the functions before you arrive. Purchasing tickets then becomes as simple as checking the weather on your phone.
Posted by
OP
MN
2 posts
Thank you both! We’ve decided to stay in Interlaken from the 9th to the 12th and booked our room already based on this advice. It was the last one in the hotel we wanted, and I had been wondering why rooms were so booked up already. Should we be booking our train tickets already also or is it ok to wait? I will look into the SBB app.
The tip about flights to Minnesota also answered my question about where to stay on our last night, so thank you for that also! We’ll head to Lucerne early morning on the 12th and then will head back to Zurich to spend the night on the 13th. It’s a shorter time in Lucerne than I wanted (I had hoped for two nights there), but we decided to prioritize staying near the alpine areas since we want access to Lauterbrunnen, etc. Thanks again!!
Posted by
Minneapolis
92 posts
You don't need to book any train tickets for that region in advance. You should research the Swiss Travel pass and the regional passes. This link is a good starting point https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/regional-passes/ . Another link is https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/. Most of your travels will be from Interlaken Ost station.
Posted by
Atlanta, GA
1156 posts
Switzerland has the most amazing train system - goes everywhere, sparkling clean, precisely on time. Don’t even think about renting a car! :)
Posted by
Moncton NB
1151 posts
If I have five days from Zurich, I would stay one day in Zurich, three in the Berner Oberland, and one in Bern. We had a car in Switzerland and were glad for the freedom it gave us. If you are sticking to a few places such as these, train should be alright, but if you want to string a lot of places together in a short time you will want the freedom of a car.
Its too bad you picked Interlaken and I hope you consider changing. Interlaken is NEAR the mountains, but not really IN the mountains. It is a transport hub and a city with little to offer (unless you have a car to drive around nearby Lake Brienz and Lake Thun. I would recommend Murren or Wengen (up in the mountains) or at least Lauterbrunnen (at the base of the mountains).