2 active adults first timers that enjoy hiking, main sites, wine, views. Just starting to get itinerary if not too late. All trains. Just looking at flights - approx. 10 nights. In/out of Zurich or price looks the same coming in Zurich and out Geneva
Chicago to Zurich than train to Lucerne
2 nights Lucerne
3 nights Murren or Lauterbrunnen (whatever hotel I can get)
2 Zermatt
2 Montreux
1 Geneva
Fly back out of Geneva
or suggestions on itinerary going back to Zurich.
Posted by
5824 posts
If you fly out of Zurich 11am or later, put Lucerne last and start with Murren.
I think you can skip Geneva unless you especially wanted to visit--it's an hour from Montreux so doable unless the flight is crack of dawn early. I'd put the extra day in Murren, of course availability will dictate. good luck!
Posted by
Nashville, TN
956 posts
No need to move to Geneva, you can get to the airport easily from Montreux and it's an international diplomatic city, not a Swiss highlight in my opinion for a short trip like this.
A few options....
Zurich airport to Luzern > Luzern 2 nights > Murren or Wengen 4 nights (don't stay in Lauterbrunnen) > Zermatt 2 nights > Montreux 2 nights > Geneva airport from Montreux
Zurich airport to Zermatt 3 nights > Murren or Wengen 4-5 nights > Luzern 2-3 nights > Zurich airport from Luzern
Zurich airport to Luzern > Luzern 3-4 nights > Murren or Wengen 4-5 nights > Montreux 2 nights > Geneva airport from Montreux
From Luzern you can do day trips to Bern, Lugano/Morcote, Stoos, boat ride on the lake, etc. to see a wider area of the country + in Murren/Wengen you can do day trips around to the surrounding mountains and lakes, so if it were me with 10 nights, I'd pick 3 bases instead of 4 to cut down on the packing up and moving, which eats away half of a day every time you do it. Either Luzern, Murren/Wengen + Zermatt OR Luzern, Murren/Wengen + Montreux would be my suggestions.
If you did Luzern, Murren/Wengen + Montreux you'd get a really good mix of cultures : Swiss German (Jungfrau region, Luzern, Bern), Swiss Italian (day trip to Lugano/Morcote) and Swiss French (Montreux, Yvoire, France)