Landing in Geneva ... THEN ???

Greetings Global Citizen,

Is Geneva a must visit on your Euro trip? I have a third option you can entertain.

Lugano can be your BASE

Lugano >>>>>> Milan >>>>>> Zermatt

Lugano offers the mountains, lakes, scenery, and culture. Milan is only 1 hour by train from Lugano. Bellinzona and locarno are. make for great day trips from Lugano.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLpS_HIo0CE

You can take the train from Milan to Zermatt, Switzerland, via Trenitalia, SBB, and Trenord. The trip is scenic and comfortable, with views of the Italian and Swiss landscapes.
You can travel on a high-speed train between Milan and Zermatt. The fastest journeys can take 3 hours and 37 minutes on Frecciarossa trains.

Since you are arriving in Geneva Switzerland, here is a link below how to travel from Geneva to Lugano.

https://www.omio.com/trains/geneva/lugano

Best,
Rjean

Will update my post but forgot to mention that we're already booked for Geneva (Flights). Nothing else!! Lugano looks beautiful and the itineary seems nice but the commute time from Geneva to Lugano :(

How about these 2 options:

Option#3 - When you land in Geneva, you are based there then you go to Basel Switzerland and from Basel you can go to Zermatt

Option#4 - Geneva to Lucerne then to Zermatt

You are near mountain excursions and lake Lucerne when you are in Lucerne

Fastest train from Geneva to Lucerne is 2 hours and 48 minutes

From Lucerne to Zermatt, fastest train is 3 hours and 14 minutes. I believed option #4 is your best bet

Considering it's early June (not peak season) I'm shocked at the pricing :(

"Not peak season". That is probably not an accurate assessment/judgement.

And given the number of beds you need, your budget is really tight.

Switzerland is not on any list of 'budget friendly destinations'.

Good luck & happy travels.

I would at least travel to Montreux rather than staying in Geneva.

It is far, far nicer and much cheaper, although I agree that your budget is very low. Switzerland is the most expensive country we have ever stayed in.

Your budget is quite low for 5 people in the most popular destinations, and for tourist hotspots like Zermatt and Interlaken, I wouldn't consider early June off-peak these days. Another question: Will you have train passes or a car? Keep in mind that Zermatt and places like Wengen/Mürren are car-free and parking isn't that cheap anywhere in Switzerland.
Have you thought about the Luzern region (3 hrs by train or car )? The mountain town of Engelberg is only 45 minutes away, lots of activities for kids in the region. Check prices at Titlis Resort. Or look at smaller towns near Luzern or between Luzern and Interlaken (particularly the triangle between Lungern, Brienz, Meiringen).
If you are set on Interlaken or Zermatt region, try the local tourism sites booking engines, as they sometime have properties that don't show up on the commercial sites or are in nearby villages. For the Jungfrau region, try looking on https://jungfrauregion.swiss/en/discover/marketplace.html. (select type of accomodation, dates and number of people; after the search you can filter by budget and towns you would consider: for example Grindelwald, Mürren, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen). Or go further out to somewhere like Kandersteg.
For Zermatt, I did see a few apartments available depending on the exact dates and you could also be checking places like Täsch or Grächen, maybe even Visp. For Zermatt/Täsch, I again recommend using the Zermatt tourism office booking search https://zermatt.swiss/en
Good luck

Your budget is extremely small for a family of five even in the off season. You are coming to one of the most expensive countries in Europe you are going to have to up your budget or lower your expectations... I appreciate you have your flights booked and if you can't come up with a bigger budget, I'd suggest you consider doing something in France instead....

Have you tried the Swiss B&B site, there might be something there, but the prices there go up as well when you look at places like Geneva. https://bnb.ch/en/

Milan is not spending time in the alps and it really doesn't make sense to go to Switzerland and then not really be in Switzerland. You've picked a more expensive destination, whereas you can get more affordable lodging in the alps in places like Austria or Slovenia. That being said, you can find places to stay around $300/night - you just have to do the leg work to find them. You may also have to look in places that aren't on the main tourist radar. Zermatt and Interlaken are two of the most popular places to go. Instead of Zermatt, look at somewhere like Saas Fee. It's also a car free village in the valley over from Zermatt with gorgeous alpine views and all the cable cars are free when you stay there with their visitor card, so that significantly cuts down on your expenses. Look at chalet apartments via Konig (https://koenig-apartments-saasfee.ch/rentalsaasfee/), as well as e-domizil, chalet.myswitzerland.com, interhome, airbnb, vrbo and google.
Another place to look into Is Bettmeralp or Riederalp. Again, a car free village, but less on the main radar.
And if you really want to do the Interlaken area, you should widen your search to Interlaken, Wilderswil, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Spiez, Brienz, etc. It's a large area and perhaps if you're willing to stay in a suburb with not great views like Wilderswil, you may find something cheaper while still being a short train ride away from the highlights.

Global Citizen,

Hi again! I commented on your other post. As a family of 5 we spent an average of $364/night on lodging last summer for 2 nights in Germany and 7 nights in Switzerland. When planning a trip, I like to think of the budget as an average nightly amount which allows for some more expensive nights (like Chalet Roosi in Wengen), or less expensive (an AirBnb in Gais, just outside Appenzell).

Another way that I save money while traveling with my kids is by having a space with a kitchenette, to allow for breakfasts in the apartment/room and even simple suppers. Switzerland is very expensive, true. However, groceries aren't worse than where I live (Alaska), and restaurant prices were also about on par with Alaska.

The Swiss train system is wonderfully efficient and fast. You could save money by staying a bit outside of the city center but still near a train stop.

Just some suggestions. It is difficult to find accommodations large enough for a family of 5, but it can be done! That Swiss Family of 5 blog I recommended on your other post was helpful in that. :) Also, hotel managers were fantastic when I emailed them asking if another bed could be added to a room (sometimes for a small fee). Booking.com usually has this listed if it is an option.

Thanks everyone - you've all been so helpful! We're most def upping our budget to make this work :) Thanks for all the additional tips in how to save whilst traveling! 1 down, 2 more to go (Bookings!).

GlobalCitizen,
Here’s another option you may want to consider.

My daughter and I enjoyed our visit to Chamonix and Annecy back in 2016.
We flew to Geneva, took a shuttle van to Chamonix, great door to door service.

Chamonix is amazingly beautiful and there are many activities to keep you busy.
Make sure you visit the incredible Aiguille du Midi (but familiarize yourself with the effects of altitude sickness first)
You can also take easy day trips, by train, to neighboring towns- the scenery is stunning!

Here are some helpful websites:

• Chamonix.com
• Seechamonix.com
• Chamonix Guest Card information
• Le Caveau - favorite restaurant built in a cave featuring delicious pizza.
• MBC Brasserie - we went here twice as we were craving a good burger!

Annecy is a beautiful alpine town with a crystal clear lake. We enjoyed the outdoor markets, walking around the town and the lake,
eating delicious pizza at Sapaudia and the best gelato/ice cream at Glacier des Alpes
There was a creperie we really liked but unfortunately it looks like they are permanently closed.

Wishing you a wonderful trip!