We are spending 5 days in Lake Constance starting mid June. We will be arriving and departing from Zurich airport. We are thinking of staying in Zurich for 5-6 days and making daytrips to Lucerne and the surrounding Alps. Would it be better to stay in Lucerne? What is the best way to get around? We enjoy the city sites as well as the beautiful countryside. Looking for suggested itineraries.
Milly
IMO Zurich is not particularly interesting, so I would stay in Luzern although I would not stay there the whole time. Plenty of other places in the mountains worth a stay. BTW, the train station at the Zurich airport makes it easy to get there from anywhere else, without having to go to Zurich first.
If you have to choose between Lucerne and Zurich then DEFINITELY choose Lucerne. However, you have more than enough days to see the absolute most beautiful areas of Switzerland. Head for the Lauterbrunnen Valley and the surrounding alpine villages of Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald. You'll take the train to Interlaken Ost station and change to a smaller train to go up into the alps. The tiny villages are accessible only by trains/gondolas so you are fortunate to not have a car.