Hi.
I am planning a trip to Switzerland in September for 3 couples.
I was thinking. Zurich - Montreux - Zermatt - Lugano - Lucerne - Zurich airport in that order travelling by train? Plan to spend 2 days in each city with the exception of 3 days in Lucerne.
Is this the best order to use. Should i eliminate by ate any cities or add any cities?
I’ve read mixed reviews on spending 8 hours on the Glacier Exoress and I will say I don’t find 8 hours too appealing.
I appreciate any help!
Posted by
Nashville, TN
1195 posts
What do you want to do on your trip? Hiking? Museums? Lakes? Restaurants & shopping? Cities or quaint villages in the mountains? To help with an itinerary it helps to know what you value in your trip.
How many NIGHTS total do you have? That's easier to help with an itinerary because "days" can mean you're traveling to a new location for part of the day, which gets confusing in listing out an itinerary.
Posted by
OP
Elora Ontario
2 posts
Hi.
Looking for scenic towns, versus major cities, lakes, restaurants, seeing the Alps, maybe a short easy hike.
I am now thinking to eliminate Zurich and Lugano.
We have 11 days.
Zurich airport to Montreux for 4 nights, Zermatt 3 nights and Lucerne 4 nights. Hoping we would see enough of the scenery by train travelling between these locations.
Posted by
Nashville, TN
1195 posts
Definitely eliminate Zurich & Lugano. If you decide you really want to see Lugano, it can be done as a day trip from Luzern via the Gotthard high speed train tunnel. If you do that, I suggest taking the boat to Morcote - we liked that much better than Lugano itself.
From your list you might want to consider another alpine village, in addition to Zermatt and take some days away from Montreux, which is a fairly bustling area. Both Luzern & Montreux are quite busy with lots of traffic, etc. so I think you'll find the car free villages your favorite part of your trip. Perhaps....
Zurich airport > Montreux 2 nights > Zermatt 2 nights > Wengen 4 nights > Lucerne 3 nights > Zurich Airport
If you want to stick to 3 bases, then I'd suggest one of these options....
Zurich airport > Zermatt 3 nights > Wengen 5 nights > Luzern 3 nights > Zurich Airport
or
Zurich airport > Montreux 2-3 nights > Wengen 5 nights > Luzern 3-4 nights
The Jungfrau Region (staying in Wengen) has more diversity of activities than Zermatt does. Zermatt centers around the Matterhorn and aside from doing a bunch of hiking, can easily be enjoyed in 2 days. Whereas Wengen has access to a larger region - lakes, mountains, valleys, multiple car free villages, etc. so it warrants a longer stay.