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Lake Annecy, Lake Geneva, Lake Thun, Lake Lucern, Lake Como - too many lakes???I'

Posted by (Tinton Falls, NJ) on

I've always had it on my bucket list to visit Lake Annecy, FR and Lake Como, IT, and I've decided to visit them both in late spring/early summer '24. My plan is to visit Annecy and Varenna/Como for 4 nights each and IN BETWEEN visiting those lakes, I thought we'd like to explore some (but not necessarily all) of Switzerland for the first time. I haven't done extensive research, yet, but I have identified some towns/villages that I'd like to stay in, and explore from. We want to spend about 3 weeks altogether. Does this itinerary make sense, especially the Switzerland part? We've have visited much of France and Italy already, so no need to explore more of those countries on this trip. FYI, we are not hikers and don't need any extreme thrills; lol.

Fly into Lyon (from NY area) - should we spend a few nights in Lyon???
Annecy, France - 3 or 4 nights
Stopover at CERN on way to...
Montreux, SW - 3 or 4 nights
Thun, Lake Thun - 3 or 4 nights
Lucerne - 3 or 4 nights
Varenna, Lake Como - 3 or 4 nights
Milan - 1 night to catch flight home

Feel free to comment on the above.
Are Montreux, Thun, and Lucerne good bases for about 10 nights to see a decent amount of Switzerland. As you may have assumed, we love being on the water, hence basing on lakes. We do want a scenic train ride...I think the The Golden Pass - MOB Belle Epoque is right for us.

Posted by
5618 posts

Sounds pretty nice to me! Consider Berner Oberland instead of Thun, perhaps. Places to lodge could be Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen. Don't miss stopping in Gimmelwald if you are in the area. Make sure to check out the CERN website, when we went we needed to get tickets in advance. We went to Chateau Chillon in Montreaux. Very interesting and gorgeous spot.

Posted by
11337 posts

Looks reasonable but I would pick Lausanne or Vevey over Montreux. They are more interesting, IMO, perhaps more atmospheric. Vevey has a lovely lakefront and is smaller, easier to get to the station from the lake. You can visit all three from one another.

Instead of Thun, leave the lakeside, stay up in Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, or Mürren, and get an up-close mountain experience. Even if you don’t hike it is amazingly beautiful with many gondolas to ride to special vistas. Time and interest permitting, you can spend a day on one of the lakes while staying in the mountains as it is only a 20 minute train ride from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken.

Posted by
11169 posts

Lake Thun doesn’t need 4 nights, stay 2 or 3. Visit the Berner Oberland, amazing scenery.
On Lake Como, stay in Bellagio for four nights.

Posted by
486 posts

As you may have assumed, we love being on the water, hence basing on lakes.

Because of this, I think that your choices are great! Thun is the gateway to the Berner Oberland, not separate from it as many assume. It is a beautiful location, there is a lot to see locally and it is a great location to explore from as well.

I have lived here for over five years and still have not seen all that I would like to, 4 nights is definitely not too many!

We do want a scenic train ride...I think the The Golden Pass - MOB Belle Epoque is right for us.

This sounds perfect! Enjoy your holiday!

Posted by
2680 posts

Looks reasonable but I would pick Lausanne or Vevey over Montreux.
They are more interesting, IMO, perhaps more atmospheric.

I read this and thought, the RS Monday Night Travel crew should have Vevey versus Montreux for one of their duel episodes. And Laurel and I could be guest debaters. 😊

I was in the area June 2022 and I much preferred Montreux. But, it’s Switzerland, so no bad choices.

The first part of my trip report details my 5-night stay in Montreux.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-switzerland-my-trip-report

I enjoyed Montreux so much that I already have 3 nights booked for next June.

Posted by
27163 posts

Yes, you should spend some time in Lyon at the beginning of your trip. It's a very interesting city, very different from your other destinations, which are heavily focused on scenery.

Posted by
367 posts

I love the lakes in that part of the world too, and I can't decide which I love the most. We did a similar lake trip in 2019. Started visiting our daughter in Luzern and ended visiting family in Tuscany. This was our lake trip: Lucerne - when we left we took a boat to Brunnen and then a train (you can take the boat all the way to the very bottom on the south east side), then Lake Maggiore (Locarno), Lake Lugano, Lake Como, Lake Garda (then the Dolomites, Verona --no lakes there), and then Riomaggiore in the Cinque Terre - ocean, not a lake. It was an amazing trip and I loved every spot. So, no, not too many lakes!

Your trip sound similarly wonderful. Have fun!

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