Itinerary Review and Suggestions - late April to ealy May in Switzerland

I personally prefer to change hotels less and use the amazing Swiss train system to your advantage. For example, from Luzern you can visit Zurich, Bern, Basel & Weggis all in about an hour. Much easier than packing up, checking out, moving luggage & checking back in so many times. Maybe something like this…

Zurich > Grindelwald (5 nights)
*Wengen, Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Jungfraujoch, Lake Brienz, Lake Thun, etc.

Grindelwald > Montreux (3 nights)
*optional to arrive via Golden Pass Express from Interlaken
*Chateau de Chillon, Yvoire, St Saphorin, Lake Geneva, etc.

Montreux > Zermatt (3 nights)
*Gornergrat, Sunnega, etc

Zermatt > Luzern (5 nights)
*optional Day Trips to Basel, Bern, Zurich & Weggis/Rigi

Luzern > Zürich Airport on day of departure

Thanks a lot for your reply! @wanderweg.

Yes, I do share your view that changing hotels very often is not preferred. However, as we have decided to drive a car for the entire trip (even including taking the car carriage train on the way from Spiez to Zermatt!), maybe your route is not very practical for us.

Having said that, speaking about the stay allocation, can I only spend a day-trip in Bern when passing it from Montreux to Basel? Then we will need not to stay there, so I could allocate the extra 2 nights to Lucern, and Basel, etc.

Thanks a gain for your valuable opinions.

I would strongly advise against a car. We spend our summers living in Switzerland and have also been all over Europe. We love having a car in places like Austria, Slovenia, Germany, etc. but specifically Switzerland is much better done by train and cable car. The public transportation system is the best in the world and a lot of places you’re going to want to go you can’t take your car anyway, so you’re going to end up just leaving it parked (and annoyingly searching for parking). Unless you have an extremely strong reason why you must do a car, I’d recommend really looking into enjoying Switzerland by train. It’s a unique and memorable experience and a really neat way to see a country.

Hi @wanderweg,

Really appreciate for your advice. I'm now already planning for getting my car rental deal refunded.

Just one question, without a car, how would you handle the luggage for a trip over half a month (say, carrying at least 2 x 30" suitcases, plus camera bags, shoppings, etc.) when moving by trains/cable cars? Will it be too bulky to carry so many things on board?

Thank you a lot.

Pack as light as possible, but for reference we live in Switzerland for 3 months every summer up in Murren (car free village) and have to get 3 months worth of luggage up there via train/cable car. So if we can use trains with 3 months of stuff, you should definitely be able to do 2 weeks :)

The trains have luggage racks and if you plan ahead with the SBB app on your phone to know your connections and move towards the exit car 5 minutes before your scheduled stop with all your luggage you’ll be fine. If you’re able to do your carry on as a travel backpack that’s helpful as well so that you don’t have too many roller bags.

Try for one roller per person + one travel backpack carry on and you should be totally fine. You could also look for one of your chalets to have laundry facilities part way through your trip, which could keep you from packing too many clothes.

Thanks as always, @wanderweg.

I've updated my itinerary as below, with further considerations marked directly in the lines:

Day 1 - Arrive in Zurich at night (Sleep in Zurich)
Day 2 - Zurich (Lindt Chocolate Museum, Old Town walk, shopping for mountain area clothes) (Sleep in Zurich)
Day 3 - Depart from Zurich to Weggis: day trip to Mt. Rigi (Sleep in Weggis by the lakefront, or would Lucerne be better? -- Heard of a "Hotel Chateau Gutsch" located on a hill with view of the whole old town)
Day 4 - Take boat trip from Weggis to Lucerne, a quiet day walk in the Old Town (Sleep in same place as yesterday, whereever Weggis or Lucerne)
Day 5 - Depart from Weggis (or Lucerne) to Grindelwald, stopping by Lungern, Meiringen, Lake Brienz, etc. (Sleep in Grindelwald)
Day 6 - Take the train to Jungfrau, then back, passing by Wengen (Sleep in Grindelwald) [Note: If bad weather, swap this day with any arrangement from Day 7 or 8].
Day 7 - Go to Lauterbrunnen -> walk in Murren & Gimmelwald (Sleep back in Grindelwald)
Day 8 - Go to the lake area: Spiez/Oberhofen/Thun: Boat trip, castle + ice cream (Sleep back in Grindelwald)
Day 9 - Cable car to First and quick casual walk in the morning; depart Grindelwald for Zermatt in afternoon.(Sleep in Zermatt)
Day 10 - Day trip to Matterhorn, walk in Zermatt (Sleep in Zermatt)
Day 11 - Depart from Zermatt to Montreux, stopping by Sion, etc. (Sleep in Montreux)
Day 12 - Day trip to Geneva, stopping by Evian town in France (Sleep back in Montreux)
Day 13 - Day trip around Montreux, Vevey. The castle, boat trip, etc. (Sleep in Montreux)
Day 14 - Further day trip around Montreux [Note: any good suggestions for this day? Like Glacier 3000? Anything else?] (Sleep in Montreux)
Day 15 - Depart from Montreux to Basel, stopping by for a day trip in Bern (Old Town walk, museums, maybe some shopping) (Sleep in Basel)
Day 16 - Leisure day and rest in Basel, coffee time, visit some art museums. (Sleep in Basel)
Day 17 - Fly out from Basel (end)

Some specific questions:
(a) Is it worth staying in Montreux for the fourth night (Day 14)? Any better options if allocated to other areas? Or simply treat it as a rest day.
(b) Any better route suggestions for Day 6 to 8. Specifically, I want to cover Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen and etc.

Thanks for any suggestions!

I agree, no car, you have the best rail system in Europe to access. Altho Switzerland is safe, it is not recommended to store luggage in a car while sightseeing.
Many Swiss villages are car-free, so a car would be parked in a far away lot, and you will still be hauling your luggage to the hotel.
Decrease the luggage size, and have laundry done, or do it yourself.
You don't need to buy mountain clothes, just layer, and bring a packable down jacket, in addition to a raincoat or rain poncho.
Stay in Lucerne, as you have access to many train routes from here.
Are you flying out of Basel, not Zurich? The Basel airport is very small.
Have a great time in this beautiful country.
Safe travels!

Oh, the hotel you mentioned in Lucerne does have a beautiful view, we went up for drinks at sunset. However, you are about a mile from the train station, I'm guessing.
Instead, I'd suggest Hotel des Alpes, which is located right on the water above the Chapel Bridge. Ask for a room with a balcony that is riverside. The views from this hotel are also beautiful, and you are very close to the train station. Book directly for the best rate.
Have fun!

I still think you’re moving way too much and you’re going to feel exhausted by this itinerary. Do as you’d like, but you’re going to be rushing around checking in and out of hotels, dragging luggage around, etc when instead you could take advantage of the train system to keep your luggage in one spot for longer and do day trips to some of these places without having to waste half of a day each time you move all your stuff.

I’ll reiterate my suggestion.

Zurich > Grindelwald (4-5 nights)
*Wengen, Murren, Lauterbrunnen, Jungfraujoch, Lake Brienz, Lake Thun, etc.
Grindelwald > Montreux (3-4 nights)
*optional to arrive via Golden Pass Express from Interlaken
*Chateau de Chillon, Yvoire, St Saphorin, Lake Geneva, etc.
Montreux > Zermatt (3 nights)
*Gornergrat, Sunnega, etc
Zermatt > Luzern (5 nights)
*optional Day Trips to Basel, Bern, Zurich & Weggis/Rigi
Luzern > Zürich Airport on day of departure

Thank you all for the great suggestions about hotels, tips in clothing and especially @wanderweg for the base selections. All very helpful.

I will further fine tune it. Truly grateful.

I totally agree with Pat about the Hotel des Alpes in Lucerne. We stayed there a few years ago in a room with a lakeside balcony and the views were incredible. The location of the hotel is perfect for the old town, the lake and the railway station.

As for your extra day in Montreux, we don't go until September, but we are spending five nights in Montreux and are planning day trips to Gruyere which sounds really interesting, with a castle, cheese making and not too far from there a chocolate factory. Another couple of trips we have planned is Yvoire in France, a medieval town, and a few hours wandering the Lavaux wine terraces.