Please sign in to post.

Fights booked - Sept 2024 - Start of Itinerary

(this is a cross post from other forums)

Hi everyone….with feedback from the forums, the dates I am planning for 2024 is the 17th of Sept to Oct 6th and need to start looking at accommodations and length of stay in each area. (previous research was done for 2020 and then had to cancel due to covid – finally making the trip!)

A little bit about us:

  • 2 people (active 50 something year old’s)

  • Not big city people at all. Prefer smaller towns, nature, hiking, scenery, wildlife vs. museums and art.

  • Like to experience things we can’t experience in Texas (like Ice caves, small villages, top of the mountains, snow 😊activities, etc)

  • Prefer small boutique hotels, or cabins, homes etc. – ok my spouse may like to be spoiled with a plush hotel every once in a while but not me)

Dates of travel:

Arrive Zurich Sept 18th

Depart Geneva Oct 5th

I think I know the big places I want to visit - I have a list of items to do in each place but still have lots to research - I am sure I will post later on those questions

Mostly trying to get the number of nights and locations so I can start booking places to stay.

High Level what I am thinking with dates (we have a total of 18 nights )

Sept 18th – arrive - 1 night Appenzell/Ebenalp ?? - (Arrive Zurich and go to Appenzell – for the cable car / hike to Aescher )

Sept 19th to 22nd - 3 nights Weggis (day trip to Lucerne – OR stop in Lucerne 1 night – see city go to Weggis for 2 nights)

Sept 22nd to 27th/28th - 6 or 7 nights Jungfrau region (looking at Wengen) –

Sept 28th – Oct 1st - 3 nights Zermatt

(We have 3 nights NOT accounted for even with 7 nights in Wengen – add to existing areas – example another night in Zermatt or another stop – maybe Vevey or Montreux before Geneva – or Geneva and day trips)

Oct 4th – at least 1 nights Geneva as we fly out of Geneva airport on the 5th

(At first we were only going to do a day trip to Geneva but now we are flying out of Geneva so would at least spend 1 night)

A few questions right off the bat:

1)Anything you see I should change / add ?

2) I think the order above makes sense, except should I change it due to weather being that different in Zermatt and the Jungfrau region in early sept vs end of sept. Do you think a week would make a big difference in weather. Example Zermatt – Sept 17th week vs end of Sept.

3) I know everyone one will say to take the train and NOT rent a car.

Would it be worth it to rent a car for the first few stops. Example Appenzell area and in Weggis. Then maybe turn the car in before going to wengen.

Let me know if you need a list of things we know we want to do so far – I believe they will be the typical things / activities people will want to do in these locations).

Posted by
11775 posts

Overall, I think you have a reasonable plan and I like the order of travel.

One night stays - especially two one night stays sequentially - are exhausting and generally unproductive, IMO. We went to Appenzell for 3 nights in late August 2022 and never had weather that supported going to Ebenalp. Setting your sights in one site and giving yourselves one night is a set up for disappointment. While Appenzell was fine and we found some easy walks to take at lower elevations, we had been to Switzerland more times than I can count before we added the area to our itinerary. It is not as stunning and compelling as the other locations in your plans.

Staying in Weggis is preferable to Lucerne. (Like you, I am not a city person!) You can easily day trip by train to Lucerne if you want to.

Those three extra nights would be well spent in Lausanne, Vevey, or Montreux which are lovely in the autumn,

Skip the car. Really. The trains are amazing.

Posted by
132 posts

Thanks Laurell...

I am not a play it by ear person, but maybe we land and see what the weather is like to go to Appenzell or just head straight to weggis.

I will take a look at Lausanne, Vevey, or Montreux.....

Posted by
17418 posts

Are you thinking of staying at Berggasthaus Aescher on the cliff? I don’t think it is a place you can decide upon at the last minute. They start taking reservations for 2024 in early February and I imagine at some point they are pretty much booked up. And I agree with Laurel on the negative aspects of successive one-night stays, especially as your first stop in Switzerland after the long flight. So maybe plan on two nights in Appenzell? (Using one of those extra days you mention for the 2d night). Note that there are some logistical issues with luggage when you stay overnight at a place like Berggasthaus Aescher.

If the goal is to spend a night or two at one of Switzerland’s mountain inns (an experience we enjoy), you could do that while in the Berner Oberland, storing your luggage at your hotel (or in a locker at the Lauterbrunnen train station) so you hike with just your daypack with a few overnight items. There are three such mountain inns up the upper Lauterbrunnen Valley, reached by hiking from Stechelberg—-I believe at least one of them is mentioned in Rick” Switzerland book.

http://www.stechelberg.ch/en/accomodation-dining/mountain-hotels.html

From any of these you could hike the rest of the way to Oberhornsee, a small lake. Here is a blog with photos of the hike (I believe the do it from Gimmelwald but you can also do the loop from Stechelberg).

https://itsabrewtifulworld.com/2018/07/19/stechelberg-schmadrihutte-oberhornsee/

We opted to stay in Weggis instead of Luzern on our trip this past September with our family, and fell in love with the place. We had 3 rooms at the small family-run lakefront hotel Seehotel Gotthard, and it was perfect.

https://www.gotthard-weggis.ch/en/

My husband swam in the lake from their dock, and the grandchildren took advantage of the swimming pool next door (Seehotel Gotthard guests have free access to this pollo and the very nice indoor hot tub).

Half our group took advantage of the position to hike up the Mark Twain trail to Rigi Kaltbad, while the other half rode the boat to Luzern to explore the old city walls. With a Swiss Pass, which I assume you will have, you could do the full Rigi loop by boat, cogwheel train and cablecar; stopping to hike at Rigi Kulm or Rigi Kaltbad. It’s all good!

https://www.weggis-vitznau.ch/en/detail/poitype/outdooractivetour/poi/rigi-the-path-of-mark-twain/

I do not see any reason to move Zermatt to dates earlier in your trip to get better weather. Zermatt is on the “sunny side of the Alps” (south of the main block of peaks) and is reputed to have more sun than the Berner Oberland area.

https://www.zermatt.ch/en/Media/Magazinbeitraege/zermatt-sonnenstube-schweiz#:~:text=Zermatt%2DMatterhorn%3A%20The%20sunniest%20corner,a%20dry%20and%20sunny%20climate.

I am sure you have read warnings here about the Matterhorn being shrouded in clouds for days at a time, but that is because that mountain makes its own clouds, just like other famous peaks that stand alone (Mt. Rainier here in Washington, and Denali in Alaska are 2 I know well). So it can be a nice day around Zermatt, but the mountain will play peek-a-boo behind the clouds. But with 3 nights/4 days there you have a very good chance of seeing the Matterhorn in full glory.

Posted by
132 posts

Thanks Lola...
we were actually just planning to take the Gondola up and then hike to the restaurant / take in the view eat lunch etc. then take Gondola back down. so really a short trip. Not staying the night.

Glad you reitterated the possibility of NOT seeing the Matterhorn.

Oh and we are staying at the Gotthard - you may be one that recommended back in 2020 - I just rebooked it for what I think my dates will be. :-)