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Late June Itinerary Suggestions

We'll be in Italy in mid-June, then planning to travel to Switzerland by train the last week of June. I am thinking of spending 3 nights in Lucerne for sightseeing, then take a train to Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen (still deciding) for 3 nights of hiking, etc., then to Zurich for 2 nights before flying home. My questions are as follows:

  1. Is this a realistic itinerary, or too many changes? In other words, should we just stay in Lucerne and take tours from there each day instead of splitting time between the Grindelwald area and Lucerne?
  2. Regarding Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen area, we are looking for outdoor activities - hiking, nature, etc., but still want to have some dining options at night. Is one of those areas better?
  3. I've used Airbnb in the US, should I stick with hotels in Switzerland, or is something like Airbnb reliable there as well?

Thanks
Joe

Posted by
4434 posts

Wait to see what time your flight out of Zurich departs. If it is noon or later, you can stay in Lucerne and easily get to Zurich airport the morning of your flight. You didn't mention a particular passion for seeing Zurich, and I'd much rather have more time in the mountains. Three or four nights for each will be much nicer--especially since it takes time to get to the mountains.

I stayed in teeny tiny Murren four nights at the end of the season and still ate out (quite well I might add) two nights--I would not worry about dining options, but I don't know Grindelwald. Lauterbrunnen seemed to have plenty, but I just passed through. Murren has a well regarded Chinese place, just a bit of random trivia--I was bummed it was closed for the season.

I used VRBO and Booking.com. Would consider AirBnB, but also dig around as many municipalities have their own booking sites. Interhome is one I looked at as well.

Posted by
2 posts

Thank you Valadelphia for the information. You are correct, I didn't list anything in particular about Zurich, as it really is where we planned to end our trip, so I felt maybe a full day should be dedicated there. However, you brought up a good point about the mountains and staying an extra night there depending on the return flight (which still has to be booked).

Thank you
Joe

Posted by
16333 posts

Definitely take a night off of Zurich and add it it to your Berner Oberland stop. That would be 3 nites Luzern, 4 in the BO, and one in Zurich (or stay your last night in Luzern as suggested above, if your flight out of Zurich airport departs 11 am or later.

Or, if you prefer to reduce the number of hotel changes, and you flight meets the above timing, you could reverse the order of travel and head to the BO first, then to Luzern, and take the train right into the airport from there.

As for Lauterbrunnen versus Grindelwald, that is a matter of personal preference. Both villages are in the valley,( adjacent valleys) and neither is car-free like the villages above the Lauterbrunnen Valley ( Mürren and Wengen).

Both Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen offer excellent hikes, and at least one popular one (the Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg walk) that one can approach from either village, as it traverses the ridge between them. For a variety of other hikes, I would give a slight edge to Grindelwald, especially if you want longer, more strenuous ones. But the North Face trail above Mürren is also one one of my personal favorites, making Lauterbrunnen a good choice for shorter stays.

I prefer the views of the Eiger and other rugged peaks one sees from Grindelwald, but Lauterbrunnen offers waterfall views, and the cliffs rising above the valley make it resemble Yosemite.

If a ride up the Schilthorn is on your list, Lauterbrunnen is much closer to the cablecar for that. The Jungfraujoch railway can be accessed from either village, probably for the same $$$$.

Grindelwald, being larger, has more shops and stand-alone restaurants, and a small pedestrian-only zone. It also has more and fancier hotels (4-star types) if that suit your travel style.