Please sign in to post.

My Swiss Hiking Trip - Itinerary Feedback

Posted by on

Planning a solo hiking trip to Switzerland and Austria during June. I'd like some feedback on the Switzerland portion of my trip. My main interests are hiking in the mountains, visiting smaller villages and checking out lesser known places. I don't want to spend much time (if any) in the larger cities.

I am traveling in and out of Zurich so I'm trying to decide whether I start my trip in Zermatt and travel north or start in Luzern and travel south. I will arrive in Zurich at noon and after going through customs I’m hopeful I could get to Zermatt around 5pm. Perhaps a nap on the train after a 14 hour flight might do me good.

Itinerary if I start in Zermatt

  • Day 1: Arrive in Zurich, take train to Zermatt
  • Day 2 - 3: Zermatt – Hiking (Is 2 full days overkill here?)
  • Day 4 - 6: Wengen Base - Visit and hike around Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, & Gimmelwald
  • Day 7 - 8: Luzern Base - Visit Reichenbach Falls (for the Sherlock fan in me), Schwyz & Stoos (hike the Stoos Ridge Hike)
  • Day 9: Zurich Base - Visit Appenzell, Aescher House, St Gallen

Am I staying too long or not long enough in any one place? Anything I should consider doing differently?

Posted by
916 posts

Reichenbach Falls in Meiringen is just east of Interlaken thus may be better visited on the way from the Wengen Base to Luzerne..

Posted by
31 posts

I did a similar trip to Switzerland and Austria in mid October with my main goal going hiking. Unfortunately, the weather was not great and I hit quite a bit of snow and rain, but here are my recommendations. For hiking I would skip Luzern. Luzern is a beautiful city but not for hiking. I spent 4 nights in Murren which I would recommend over Wengen. Great hiking in the Murren/Lauterbrunnen area. After Switzerland I went to Seefeld in Austria for hiking. Beautiful area but hit a lot of rain. I bought a BO train pass which is good for all transport in the area from Luzern to Bern including the interlocken/Lauterbrunnen area including RR, gondola, mtn railway and boat and bus. It was good not to have to buy individual tickets not sure how much money I actually saved with the pass. Good luck.

Posted by
698 posts

If your main interest is mountains & villages, don’t stay in Zurich & Luzern.

2 days in Zermatt isn’t overkill, plenty of hiking options and only 1 day risks not seeing the Matterhorn at all because of weather. Stay in Mürren instead of Wengen for best hiking straight from your door. You can stay up at Stoos at the lodge there or up at the mountain lodge at the top of the cable car (Fronalpstock). For Appenzell, have you considered staying on Seealpsee at one of the 2 Berggasthauses right on the lake that you have to hike into? Or in Appenzell. I think you’d enjoy your trip much more keeping to staying in the smaller car free options I’ve listed above instead of cities and commuting to the hikes.

Posted by
191 posts

It sounds wonderful! You’re definitely focusing on the must-see tourist highlights and popular hikes rather than venturing into “lesser-known places”; but in your case I think this is a good idea. I also hike solo most of the time, and sticking to well-traveled trails is a smart choice when you’re alone…because you won’t be alone on the trail. This is especially prudent on the higher mountain routes (Stoos Ridge) compared to the easier Wanderweg paths.

My rule of thumb is to go as early as possible to avoid the crowds - if your hike starts up on the mountain, take the first lift up in the morning.

Here is a link explaining Swiss hiking levels and what the signs look like for each:

https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/experiences/summer-autumn/hiking/information-on-hiking/

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.