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Help with my itinerary

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My husband and I will be in Switzerland, Austria & Poland this fall. We decided not to rent a car, but instead use the railway system. We arrive in Zurich on Sept 25th and take train directly to Innsbruck to start our trip. On Oct 9th we will fly from Krakow to Basel for the Swiss leg of the trip.

Current plan is to take train from Basel to Lucerne and stay 2 nights. Then on Oct 11th we would go to Interlaken and stay there 3 nights to explore Lautertbrunner, Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch, and if we can fit it in Murren, Wengen, Iseltwald. Is it better to stay in Interlaken or Wengen? How are the crowds in 2-3 week of October? Do things start to shut down?
After that region, I want to head to Zermatt and stay 1 night. From there we would head back to Zurich and spend 1 or 2 nights. I’m going to leave that flexible in case we really like Zermatt area. Is it better to add an extra day in Zurich or an extra night in Zermatt?
Although we are 60+, we are active and like to hike.
Need recommendations for some moderate hikes that are shorter since we don’t have too much time.

I’ve been reading about all the train passes options…. Making we confused on which one would work best for us. Any tips or recommendation how to save some money on all the train travel?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Posted by
1098 posts

If it were me I’d rearrange your itinerary to do Switzerland first and then go to Austria/Poland. The higher altitudes of the Swiss alps get colder and colder the more days you head into fall and you could very likely end up with snow or frigid temps in October, as well as things starting to shut down for the shoulder season.

Sounds like you have around 8 nights to spend in Switzerland. I’d fly in, head straight to Zermatt for 2 nights > Wengen 3 nights > Luzern 2 nights and then move on to your next destination (flying or training out of Zurich if needed is easy from Luzern) Staying in places in the mountains for 1 night is a bad idea, as then you never have a full day for any activities, just travel days and staying in Zurich is unnecessary on a short trip.

Posted by
321 posts

Is it better to stay in Interlaken or Wengen?

Things will still be open in Wengen, so if you want to wake up to a mountain vista then stay there. The hillsides around Interlaken might have their fall colours already by then, which is really pretty, which makes it also a nice location.

How are the crowds in 2-3 week of October?

Much better than in the summer!

Do things start to shut down?

Not yet, your dates are still early enough. For example, Männlichen - last day of the season Oct. 26.

https://www.maennlichen.ch/en/summer/information/timetable.html

My photos from early to mid-October over the past years in the Wengen/Lauterbrunnen/Grindelwald area capture glorious weather and vibrant fall colours — perfect for hiking and enjoying the landscape. I have never experienced snow there at this time of year, that usually happens closer to mid-end of November.

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