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Help with Switzerland itinerary for 2022

Two 2020 excursions postponed due to Covid have been rescheduled for 2022. The first ends in Munich, Germany 10 days before the second begins in Reykjavik, Iceland. Rather than fly back to the states and go through jet lag twice, we are piecing together a trip on our own. We will not rent a car so will depend on trains or local busses/tours.

From Munich, we will take the train to somewhere in the southern Black Forest area, possibly Offenbach or Freiburg im Breisgau. We will arrange a driver tour one day and possibly try the local trains a second day.

After Germany, we want to go to Switzerland. We will train down to Basel and then train to??? This is where we need help. We want to end up 8 days later in Zurich because we can fly nonstop from there to Reykjavik. We are interested in picturesque, historic towns, possibly Lucerne or Interlaken, maybe Bern. The Matterhorn (Zermatt?) seems interesting but that's way south and, I understand, very weather dependent.

Any suggestions very welcome!

Posted by
1888 posts

Hi,

A few questions come to mind

  1. What time of year is your trip?
  2. Any interest in the mountains (Zermatt or Berner Oberland?
  3. What kind of activities do you enjoy?

Answers can help us suggest appropriate locations to visit

Posted by
10 posts

Great questions. Trip is first week of July 2022. We enjoy seeing historical areas, learning about local culture, and light hiking/biking/boating. We are seniors so not really in to night scene. My husband definitely wants to see mountains.

Posted by
33820 posts

thanks for the information. regarding your husband's desire (not yours??) for mountains is he more attracted to Zermatt or the Berner Oberland (Lauterbunnen Valley, or Grindelwald, Jungfrau, Monch, Eiger, etc.?

Posted by
21145 posts

Can't miss (unless weather is an issue) in the Berner Oberland region. Easy and frequent train service from Basel. Suggest Muerren for a classic Swiss village, car free. Its IN the mountains, not near them like Interlaken. Great hiking, scenery, cows and cheese.

Posted by
1406 posts

Take the train to Lauterbrunnen and then stay in either Wengen or Murren for 3-4 nights. You can make a stop in Interlaken. Then head back toward Zurich with a few nights in Lucerne. Bern is also worth visiting but we liked Lucerne better - more picturesque.

Posted by
920 posts

Agree with KBK…..Interlaken was WAY too touristy for us…..fun to walk around in but prefer staying in Lauterbrunnen or Wengen or Murren……in the heart of the mountains! Lucerne is delightful as well but not in the center of the scenery.

Posted by
272 posts

I suggest that you get a copy of the RS Switzerland guidebook and take a look at what appeals to you. If you don’t want to buy it, it’s usually available at a library. I’ve spent some time in Zurich, Lucerne, and Bern, and they are interesting, but most people go to Switzerland to spend time in the mountains. There would be some wonderful mountain walk possibilities in July, even for us older folks.

Posted by
8880 posts

Another resource to check to help define your interests is to look at some of the Rick Steves Travel shows on the Alps or Switzerland. You can get a sense for the scenery and some of the more popular spots that way.

I've been to Murren twice and loved it both times. I've never heard anyone say that they spent too much time in Murren.
I really like the Luzern area as well and it is a short train ride directly to the Zurich airport. I would choose to spend time in Luzern over Zurich.

Posted by
10 posts

Thank you all so much! Yes, I will get the guidebook and will begin researching these areas and train routes.

Posted by
3226 posts

You can take a direct train from Basel’s SBB station to Interlaken Ost (2h) which will plant you in the Berner Oberland, Switzerland’s masterpiece that will not disappoint. I would not sleep in Interlaken, but from here you can easily get to where you want to sleep in the Oberland.
When you’re ready to move on, take a direct train from Interlaken Ost to Bern (1h). After a couple nights in Bern, take a direct train to Luzern (1h 15m). Zurich is a 45-minute direct train ride from Luzern.