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Our last two days in Switzerland - Need suggestions

We are anxiously planning our European vacation for May and are stuck trying to decide what to do for our last two'ish days in Switzerland. Our plans begin in Italy where we will travel around for about 10 days. We arrive in Lauterbrunnen (coming from Venice) on May 17 and have arrangements to stay in Murren for 3 nights (checkout on May 20).

I have stated in Gimmelwald (per Rick Steve's guidebook suggestion), however, my husband has never been to Switzerland (or anywhere overseas for that matter). We are wanting to do something really fun or see something on our last day or so before having to head to Zurich to catch our flight back to the states.

Keeping in mind that we need to be leaving Zurich on May 22 at 11:45 and at some point will need to arrange to have Covid tests, what are your suggestions? Thank you advance! So excited to be traveling again!

Posted by
3125 posts

I would make your last stop Lucerne. You can easily catch the train from there straight to the Zurich airport. It takes just over an hour.

Posted by
920 posts

Hubby and I are into fun adventurous side trips and we hit a home run with one we planned and took last September……we got an early train out of Lauterbrunnen and got off in Interlaken….took a boat trip to Hotel Geissbach, had lunch in this beautiful old hotel, walked the grounds, saw the waterfall and walked on the forest path back to the bus where we were taken to the train station and back to Lauterbrunnen again. It was a WONDERFUL day….one we will long remember! The boat ride on Lake Brienz was lovely…..the water is so blue and the boat serves refreshments you can enjoy as you ride. A cogwheel lift meets you as you leave the boat and takes you up to the hotel where you can see the waterfall and walk through the flowers on the hotel garden grounds. This is a beautiful old restored Victorian hotel that closes for part of the year……google it! Our fresh-catch trout meal in the hotel dining room was delicious…..and we sat by a window with a view of the falls. Someone at the hotel encouraged us, as we are walkers, to forgo the boat ride back to Interlaken and walk the path right by the lake to our bus stop at Iseltwald. If you have seen calendar pictures featuring Switzerland there is probably one of Iseltwald…….a lovely peninsula with this stately old home on it looking out over Lake Brienz……we caught a bus there and it delivered us back to the train station in Interlaken…..this was an all day adventure…..from about 9 to 5…….but would do it again in a heartbeat!

Posted by
920 posts

Like Carrie I also LOVE Lucerne…..but this Hotel Geissbach day was such a treat!

Posted by
682 posts

Hi Jane, you've sold me/us on Hotel Geissbach. I'm hoping we can do that while we are based in Wengen. "So many choices; so little time."

Posted by
920 posts

Great Carol…you will love it! Google the hotel and see how beautiful it is on their website…..we made a lunch reservation ahead of time but when we got there earlier they went ahead and seated us

Posted by
5604 posts

I would highly recommend adding a day to Murren. You need some flexibility for weather, and even cloudy days are beautiful. We were in Murren for four nights last Sept and I'm ready to return already!
Safe travels in this beautiful country!

Posted by
497 posts

We have done the EXACT day Jane is discussing and it was so fun. Was raining in mountains so we did as a day trip from Wengen.

Posted by
33820 posts

I agree with Jane. I've visited the Giessbach both by boat and by my car. Pretty good both ways, but that view from the ship is fabulous!