Only a week in Switzerland July 2023

Three places is too much. We spent a week in Grindelwald which seemed like paradise to us!

Does a week include the travel days? How much time do you actually have on the ground? I'd suggest flying into and out of Zurich. Immediately go to Lucerne for a night out two, them on to the Berner Oberland for most of your days. Leaving the BO, you can get to Bern in under two hours, and commute to the Zurich airport from Bern. The Swiss train system is amazingly efficient and friendly. Safe travels!

I agree with Pat’s idea: Lucerne and the Berner Oberland. The bonus here is the 2-hour train ride between Lucerne and the Berner Oberland going through the Brunig pass is one of the most scenic in all of Switzerland.
Have a great trip!

You can fly in and out of Zurich and purchase train tickets at the airport. We did the swiss pass but you will need to price out the rail and see what pass works best for you. Download the SBB. app and you can see how easy the swiss rail system is to use. I would suggest heading straight to Lucerne and spending 1 or 2 nights. Then head to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. If there is bad weather in the mountains you could do a day trip to Bern. You could leave this part of your trip flexible. There is no need to pre-book trains. Bern is interesting enough but I prefer to spend time in and around the mountains and lakes. From Lucerne take the train to Interlaken and then to the Lauterbrunnen Valley. I would either stay in Lauterbrunnen or chose one of the higher villages Wengen or Murren.

Hi Nancy, One week in Switzerland is one place to, me it takes time to move around. Both RS picks of the Berrner Oberlad (BO) and Appenzell are amazing and can be reached (including the hiking trails) by public transportation. FYI July is a big rain month in the Alps, so pack waterproof shoes and good raincoat/pants. So my question would be: do you want high apls (above the tree line) or low alps (green grass and trees)? High apls is BO and low alps is Appenzell. Depending on your flight arrival time you may not need to stay the first night before getting to the alps, however staying the last night in the departure city is always a good idea. The other thing to concider the cost of a several day Swiss rail/gondola passes, moving around the BO is more expensive than Appenzell. Myself I did not care for Bern and would not return, when your in the Alps who needs a city? Cute towns sure, but a city no. Enjoy your trip, I'm sure you will have a wonderful time. J

We flew into Zurich in late August and took the train from the airport to Lauterbrunnen. We used Lauterbrunnen as our base to visit Murren and Gimmelwald on one of our days (you can also go up Schilthorn if you want to) while on that side of the valley. Then went up the other side of the valley to Wengen, Mannlichen, and Grimmelwald on a different day, then went up to Kleine Scheidegg on another day. Lots of great hikes in all of the areas!

I love all these suggestions, but I have really enjoyed staying up in the mountain on my visits rather than in the valley. The views from up top are like no other. I am sure there are many threads delaying the merits of Wengen vs Murren. I personally am in love with Wengen. All personal preferences, but the BO would definitely be my choice, in general.