Help Please! Approx. 14 Days Switzerland with Family of 4

What is the date of this trip. I ask because there is some rail work this summer in various locations.

You've obviously worked very hard to come up with your itinerary.

When I'm in the Alps, I find it so much easier to have a rental car. There's nothing we like doing more than getting up on the mountain and going from village to village. The car allows to see more and travel so efficiently. And with a car, you're not having to keep to a schedule.

Hi @Sam thank you - this is end August (August 19-Sept 2)

Thanks so much @David. I hear you - we are torn on getting a car or not. Maybe I will look into it just for the BO leg of the trip to give us more flexibility.

Of course, with the frequency and ease of use of trains, you are never really "on a schedule". And if your staying in Muerren, that rental car will be sitting in a pay parking lot most of the time. The trains and cable cars will take you places cars can't go.

Day 10: instead of walking down to Gimmelwald, take the little funicular in Muerren up to Allmendhubel, where you will find this wonderful playground, and a nice restaurant with a terrace for lunch.

https://schilthorn.ch/26/en/Adventure_playground_Flower_Park

Then follow the “Flower Trail” from the playground toward the mountain (Schilthorn) and go left at the “Y” to where you can see down into the little valley below, with farms and restaurants (Sonnenberg and Suppenalp). Take any of the easy trails down and just keep heading toward Muerren (or you can follow the signs to Gimmelwald but then you will have to walk or take the cablecar back up from there to Muerren). You should come across some cows in the meadows you pass.

Two nights would be enough for Luzern, unless you want to spend a day on nearby Rigi, with a boat/train/cablecar ride to get there and back. There are easy trails there, and cows here and there. The Rigi trip is fully covered with a Swiss Pass for the adults, and the children will be free on all your travel with the Family Card included with your Swiss Travel Pass.

Another thing to do at Luzern is walk the old city walls and visit the towers.

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-us/experiences/musegg-wall/

My grandchildren loved this when we were there last September. We ended up outside the walls at a little farm with goats and a pig for them to pet.

You will find a minority agreeing with a car being a good idea. Your itinerary is much better done by train/cable car. The idyllic Switzerland you’re talking about is done leisurely by train.

I also think you need an extra day in Murren and maybe one less in Zurich.

For your Thun day, perhaps do this:

Murren > Interlaken West > Boat to Spiez (castle + delicious local ice cream from local dairy) > boat to Oberhofen (castle + walk along the little castle promenade where you can get in the water and swim with the swans on a hot day) > boat to Thun (castle + dinner along the river) > return to Murren

This could also be done in reverse by training to Thun and then boating to Oberhofen, Spiez & Interlaken and returning to Murren from Interlaken. Just depends on whether you want to start or end your day in Thun.

If you add a day to Murren, do one day Thun, one day Murren/Allmendhubel/Gimmelwald and one day Wengen>Mannlichen>Walk to Kleine Scheidegg — it’s a great family walk with lots of cows, a unique playground & places to have dessert or lunch. You may also enjoy continuing the walk from KS another 20 minutes up to Fallbodensee where they have a kneipp bath - it’s a shin deep pool with foot jets, smooth stones and relaxation benches. It’s a fun spot to relax with a view while the kids enjoy the water.

Depending on your sense of adventure, the kids might also enjoy going up to the Schilthorn and then stopping at Birg on the way down for the Thrill Walk.

A couple of suggestions to tighten up the trip.

Day 6; Take the train from Appenzell to Gossau and connect to the Voralpen Express to Luzern. Halfway, you will pass through Rapperswil, so get off there. stow bags in a lockers, and walk the 1/4 mile to the castle. When you are done, walk back to the station and retrieve your bags and take the next Voralpen Express to Luzern. They go every hour.

Day 12: Going to Zurich via Bern, you pass through Thun, so stop off there and tour the castle, just like Day 6. This leaves Day 11 open to other activities, maybe a James Bond excursion to the Schilthorn?

Day 14: Why a day trip to Zug? It is half way between Zurich and Luzern, only 20 minutes from either. You could use another day in the Berner Oberland anyway.

Assume you are getting Swiss Travel Passes and free Family Card.

Day 9, take the direct train from Luzern to Interlaken Ost via the Brünig Pass, sit on the right hand side facing forward. Great views, cogwheel, a specially beautiful route. When the train changes ends in Meiringen you will be a few minutes walk from the Reichenbach Falls where Sherlock Holmes had his fatal encounter with Professor Moriarty. Fictional characters, genuine place. An ancient funicular goes up the falls to the scene.

Stay on the same side leaving Meiringen as you pass Brienz, where the Black Forest carving was (and still is) done, and then great views over Lake Brienz including the waterfall.

enjoy

Based on your itinerary consider Geissbach Falls and Rhine Falls. YouTube videos can give you an idea if they fit your interests.

Thank you all so much. This is amazing advice and I'm grateful. I've updated our itin as below. Yes we will get Swiss Travel Passes and free Family Card. Any and all other insight MOST WELCOME! Also, is a Rigi day trip worth the effort? Will also consider Geissbach Falls and Rhine Falls. My kids are not super thrill seekers so probably will skip Schilthorn.

So we overnight: 2 days Lake Como; 2 days Appenzell; 3 nights Luzern; 4 nights BO/Murren; 2 nights Zurich.

• Day 1 - Depart for Milan
• Day 2 - Transit Milan to Lake Como (sleep in Varenna)
• Day 3 - Lake Como (sleep in Varenna)
• Day 4 - Bernina Express to Chur and on to Appezell (sleep in Appenzell)
• Day 5- Appenzell (sleep in Appenzell)
• Day 6 - Appenzell to Luzern via Rapperswil (Gossau) (sleep in Luzern)
• Day 7 - Luzern quiet day walk in city (sleep in Luzern)
• Day 8 - Luzern day trip to Rigi, cheese farm (sleep in Luzern)
• Day 9 - Transit to Berner Oberland region Leave Lucern; take direct train from Luzern to Interlaken Ost via the Brünig Pass; Reichenbach falls (sleep in Murren)
• Day 10 - Murren/Allmendhubel/Gimmelwald (sleep in Murren)
• Day 11 - Murren/Spiez/Obherhofen/Thun Murren > Interlaken West > Boat to Spiez (castle + ice cream) > boat to Oberhofen (castle + walk + swim) > boat to Thun (castle + dinner along the river)) (sleep in Murren)
• Day 12 - Wengen/Mannlichen/Walk to Kleine Scheidegg (sleep in Murren)
• Day 13 - Muren to Zurich (possibly stop in Thun or Zug enroute if we don't go earlier) (Sleep in Zurich)
• Day 14 - Zurich (Lindt Chocolate Musuem, Old Town) (sleep in Zurich)
• Day 15 - Depart Zurich

Is the Rigi trip “worth it”? Absolutely! Especially since it is free with your Swiss pass. Every section of the journey is fun and scenic, starting with the boat ride to Vitznau. Then the cogwheel train to the summit at Rigi Kulm—-very different from the fast commuter trains you ride elsewhere. From the summit you can walk down to the dairy if you want to see the cheesemaking:

https://www.rigi.ch/en/attractions/chaeserenholz-cheese-dairy-2a0ceebebd

Then ask them for directions to the nearest train stop—-I believe it is at Rigi Staffel, so you do not have to walk back up to Rigi Kulm. You ride down to Rigi Kaltbad, where you catch the cablecar down to the lake. But before that, explore Rigi Kaltbad, including the Adventure Playground and the “Wild man trail”.

https://www.rigi.ch/en/attractions/rigiland-adventure-playground-6b9657342c

https://www.bergfex.com/sommer/luzern-vierwaldstaettersee/touren/themenweg/332343,rigi-wildmannli-trail/

When ready to return to Luzern, you board the cablecar and ride down to Weggis. Walk through town to the boat dock and ride the next boat back to Luzern.

There is also a cheese dairy you can visit at Mürren. Our grandchildren did this with their parents and really enjoyed it. You book it at the tourist desk in the Sport Zentrum. Meet the guide at 7; am for the walk to the farm at Schiltalp. Breakfast is included. You could combine this with the Allmendhubel playground by hiking from the dairy directly up to Allmendhubel. Or walk down to Mürren and ride the funicular up. Note that this ride is discounted with the Swiss Pass, but not fully covered.

https://muerren.swiss/en/map/detail/tour-of-the-schiltalp-alpine-cheese-dairy-7cf1b3c5-4519-47a3-be48-807198a5b6e6.html

Is the Rigi trip “worth it”?

I think so, a lot. And I've also been to the top of Rigi once in the fog - still loved it that time too.

I think so, a lot. And I've also been to the top of Rigi once in the fog - still loved it that time too.

Me too.

Thank you for the Rigi responses! I'm convinced!

Just a side note that thrill seeking comment was meant for the Birg Thrill Walk suggestion, not the Schilthorn. Schilthorn is for the epic views. I can’t imagine staying in Murren and not going up to the Schilthorn. It’s the only way you’re going to get that truly expansive view of the alps and staying in Murren without going to the Schilthorn is kind of like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower :) If you get a morning with good visibility I’d highly recommend making time for it. When staying directly in Murren you could do the whole thing in 1.5-2 hours if you really want (32 min each way + 15-45 min at the top enjoying the views.)

I would repeat a Rick Steves suggestion - this is such a long busy trip, you need to pause somewhere in the middle and take a vacation from your vacation. And do laundry if nothing else.

Thank you and I was thinking the same! It’s unlikely we will get to all in here anyway but I’m also going to build on a day of total rest.

Oh thank you @wanderweg for clarifying - that makes sense :).