Swiss itinerary

Hi,

With 1 full day in each location, you'll see and experience very little. For instance, you travel all the way to Salzburg and spend the 1 full day you have not in Salzburg, but in Hallstatt. 1 full day in Munich will be spent going to and from Neuschwanstein. It will be a full day out. Plus, you're basically passing by Neuschwanstein/Fuessen on the way from Zurich to Salzburg.

13 nights, 7 different locations. Too much in my opinion. Add the fact that 3 locations interest's depend entirely on weather (Luzern/Mt. Pilatus, Lauterbrunnen/Schilthorn, Zermatt/Matterhorn) and you should add nights in these locations and cut a few places.

Since you've never been to Europe before, experience a few places instead of basically passing through a lot.

Just an opinion.

Paul

Agreeing with Paul. You are underestimating the time and effort it will take to get from one place to another. Skip Zurich and your side trips, for one suggestion.

Please listen to Paul, or you'll be miserable.

Remember these basic principles of travel: Two nights in a location equals only one full day. Every time you change locations, you lose at least a half-day. For weather-dependent places, you want at least 3 nights.

What to remove? I'd start with the Matterhorn and Zurich. Spend 3 or 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen; you won't run out of things to do, and this way you should have at least one day of weather good enough to justify the high cost of the Schilthornbahn. Put the other "saved" nights into either Luzern or Lausanne (whichever interests you more).

Next, with only 13 nights and a lot of transit, consider focusing on just Switzerland, or Switzerland and either Salzburg or Munich (but not both). I've never been to Salzburg, but Munich and environs can certainly fill several days. Also, at the end of the trip, at least one member of your party is likely to be tired from all the moving around (even on my modified itinerary). Three or four nights in one place will be just what the doctor ordered. Munich also has the advantage that as a big city, there's a variety of attractions and you can split up. If two people are interested in an art museum, one is interested in the Englischer Garden, and one just wants to rest in the hotel, it's no problem - you can all just meet back at the hotel for dinner. Trust me, after two weeks together, you will all need your "alone time," and that's much harder to accomplish when you all have to be together to get to the next place.

Presumably you built this itinerary to enjoy the mountains.

To reinforce the importance of fewer places and longer stays, we left Chamonix last week and there were some very disappointed people who came all the way there (not an easy place to reach) and saw NOTHING of the mountains (Mont Blanc is the reason to go there) because the weather was so bad. If they'd stayed 3 nights, their trip would have been better. Mountains are fickle and you need to allow time when you go, or risk missing the fabulous beauty.

Harold is right on with the advice to stay longer in Lauterbrunnen. 4 nights is perfect! Skip Luzern (we were just there) as it is super expensive and does not even begin to compare with the Berner-Oberland for outdoor activity and beauty. I'd also drop Munich in favor of more time at Zermatt (3 nights total) and maybe add that one remaining night to Salzburg.

• Go straight to Lausanne from Zurich, 2 nights

• Lausanne to Zermatt, 3 nights

• Zermatt to Lauterbrunnen area, 4 nights. Of all the places we have been in Switzerland this is the one we return to time and again.

• Lauterbrunnen to Salzburg is a VERY long travel day but if you must, 4 nights and add a side trip to Berchtesgaden to your plans.

• Fly out of Salzburg

"We will return" needs to be the philosoph\y as you cannot do everything in one trip. This will whet your appetite and you will be planning your return trip on the way home.

FYI, try to get apartments where you are staying the longest. SW it very expensive and even a couple non-restaurant meals will help the budget enormously.

Once you have the itinerary set, you will need to pencil out ( I do a spreadsheet) the full cost of each train and lift you will want to take and determine is a Half-Fare Card or a Swiss Travel Pass makes the most sense. I've never been able to make a Swiss Pass make financial sense, but the Half-Fare Card does, and often a regional pass for lifts, like the Berner-Oberland Reg Pass is worthwhile.

Thanks, travel friends! I was toying with removing Zermatt and Zurich, probably Salzburg, too. Maybe if I stay 4 nights in Munich I can side trip to Salzburg. I'll try to add another night in Lauterbrunnen. Flying out of Munich, so must finish there.

With 3 or 4 nights in Munich you can easily day trip to Salzburg. Salzburg's very pretty old town is small and easy to see on foot in a day. Get at least 4 nights in Lauterbrunnen. Maybe 5. We spent 4 nights in Wengen and wished we had more time in the Berner Oberland. It really is all that and more.

Paul

I second the 'take Zurich an Zermatt off the list. Before I suggest additions or other changes, when exactly are you going in July? There are a couple of things happening really worth looking at/seeing at the end of the month.

Re Salzburg, don't forget the huge fortress over the city--Festung Hohensalzburg. http://www.salzburg-burgen.at/en/hohensalzburg/ Good views and cool to do if it is hot, literally. Take a snack or better yet a picnic lunch in your bag. Good music can be found too.

We arrive in mid-July so one of the reasons for a mountain-centric itinerary...trying to avoid summer heat! Good tip on the Salzburg fortress; I really want to visit this city. I'll have to rethink the Swiss Travel Pass if I am removing cities from the schedule. Better to rent a car in Munich or are trains as well run as in CHF?

If I add another day in Lausanne, is a side trip to Geneva or Bern worthwhile?

Bern is an easy day trip from Lauterbrunnen.