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Quiet location with hiking options and lake

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Hello fellow travelers,

Please excuse my ignorance in this post, I am fairly new to venturing out and want to get ideas from those with more experience.

I am planning a two week holiday with my parents (mid 50-60s) in summer of 2025 and we have always wanted to visit Switzerland for it's nature and beauty. We all love the sun and prefer to stay away from the cold. My father loves taking long walks, caves, gorges, and I prefer 2-4 mile hikes along with biking. My mother enjoys getting her feet wet in lakes/streams. We prefer to have a quiet time with lots of outdoor explorations. We were originally planning on visiting Lauterbrunnen but I'm having some hesitations due to it being a popular tourist spot, being 2 hours drive from Zurich and I've heard it receives less sunlight in the valley due to it's location.

I am now thinking on going somewhere in eastern Switzerland so that we can also make drives to the western part of Austria, maybe south to Tirol and then up through Lichtenstein and Lake Constance. That way we can experience a little bit of Switzerland, Austria, Tirol in Austria if possible, Lichtenstein and Germany. We might change the duration of our trip once we have more solid plans of our route and which places to visit.

So my question is, what are some good places to visit in east part of Switzerland that will fulfill our outdoor hobbies? I'm also open to recommendations for around western Austria, through Lichtenstein, lake Konstance as well? We will be renting a car so can visit areas within 2-3 hours of each other. We prefer to have a quiet time and refresh our minds for the time we spend in Switzerland. Shopping (except groceries) is not important but if castles, caves, waterfalls, historic sites are nearby then we would visit.
Anything else that you think I should know, I greatly welcome the suggestions and insight.

EDIT: To add, I don't like driving much, since it's holiday I wan to spend the maximum time enjoying nature and castles etc. That is also one of my reasons for choosing a place where I can drive 2 hours at a time to explore the next spot. I know trains are good in Europe, but since it will be our first time there, I want to have some control over where we go, and at what times.

Posted by
20940 posts

Please stop calling your parents elderly. Mid 50-60s makes them youngens to many of us here.

Assume you are flying into Zurich and renting a car there. There are plenty of off-the beaten-track spots in Switzerland. Looks like you have identified one. When is this trip planned for?

Posted by
950 posts

How long do you plan in being in Europe? And what time of year? Late summer is best for hiking, swimming . At one point you mention south to Tirol and then go on to mention South Tirol which an area of the Dolomites in Italy. Did you mean the south of the area of Tirol in Austria? Have you looked at what is involved in renting a car to visit different countries?

Get hold of good road maps of the area (Michelin for example) and start looking at where you want to go and researching what is available in various towns to meet your interests. Google can be your best friend at the beginning of trip planning. In Austria I have fond memories of a stay in Seefeld, lakes and mountains, good selection of accommodation (hotels to pensions) with good train connections to Innsbruck and elsewhere in southern Germany and Austria.

Posted by
2 posts

Assume you are flying into Zurich and renting a car there. There are plenty of off-the beaten-track spots in Switzerland. Looks like you have identified one. When is this trip planned for?

It's for summer of next year, 2025

How long do you plan in being in Europe? And what time of year? Late summer is best for hiking, swimming . At one point you mention south to Tirol and then go on to mention South Tirol which an area of the Dolomites in Italy. Did you mean the south of the area of Tirol in Austria? Have you looked at what is involved in renting a car to visit different countries?

We initially plan on two weeks but can adjust depending on the itinerary. For summer 2025. I'm not too familiar with the geography, I think I remember seeing tirol in austria which looked lovely and I've wanted to visit since then. I have researched a little bit on car rentals and I know that you need a sticker to pass through different countries.

Posted by
11634 posts

Take a look at the Engadine region of Switzerland. We like to base in Pontresina and have spent a week there twice. I could easily make it two full weeks. Rick Steves covers some of the area in his Switzerland Guide Book, and there are lots of hiking/outing ideas here https://swissfamilyfun.com/destinations/discover-st-moritz-and-engadin-region/. Don’t stay in St. Moritz but choose Pontresina or Samedan. Your car may remain parked a lot of the time as the little red train serves many cable ways, trailheads, and towns. There is a lovely lake at St. Moritz but others as well. You can take a scenic ride to Italy as a day trip.

Posted by
20940 posts

If you rent the car in Switzerland, it will come with a Swiss vignette, so you will only need one for Austria. You will also need to get an International Drivers Permit from AAA to go with your driver's license.

Posted by
25 posts

There are many options. The Klosters area is close to Austria and has many great hiking options. You can take a ski lift part way up the mountain if you wish. Also look at the St. Antonien area, which isn't too far from Klosters. The Swiss area around Wildhaus is also scenic, not too far from Austria, and has many great hiking options. For Tyrol, you can find a lot of options, information, and hiking ideas on tyrol.com.

Posted by
169 posts

Know that August is peak travel season. Many places can be overrun with tourists, making for lines at popular destinations.
Personally I like the latter half of September to avoid crowds.

Posted by
4742 posts

There are two lakes surrounding Interlaken (hence the name)

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