Switzerland 14 nights in September 2026

Rick Steves itineraries tend to be catered towards his guided tours, which have you moving a lot and are anything but relaxing. You have 6 bases listed in your plan, which is too much for 2 weeks, unless you’re on a guided tour where they take care of all your luggage and logistics. With 14 nights in/out of Zurich with your own luggage and logistics, I’d recommend 4 bases max — something like this:

Fly into Zurich > Wengen 5 nights > Zermatt 3 nights > Montreux 3 nights > Luzern 3 nights > Fly out of Zurich

*Lausanne is not a good base, as it’s a steep city that requires riding the subway system to get to the train.

*The Bernina Express is not realistic with your itinerary, as it’s a completely different part of Switzerland.

*You can ride the Golden Pass Express train from Montreux to Luzern. Make sure to reserve your seats ahead of time for that ride.

*I’d skip Appenzell for this trip, 1 night there with jet lag really isn’t worth your time. You’ll get plenty of amazing views and sights with the 4 bases listed above.

*I’d plan for 5 nights to start your trip in Wengen. This gives you a couple days to recover from jet lag and there is a ton to see and do in that area (what you listed + options for lake/castle exploration, etc.)

*It’s fine to use something like kayak to do searching for options, but I’d strongly recommend booking your hotels directly through the hotels. You often get just as good or better of a deal and if you have any issues, you can deal with the hotel directly instead of trying to get a middleman overseas on the phone who may or may not help you.

*Make sure to prioritize hotels close to train stations when you’re in the mountains so that you don’t have to hike to/from your hotel every day. In Wengen, the Maya Caprice is very convenient to the train and has beautiful views. In Zermatt, pick something not too far up the sides of the hills. In Montreux, being waterfront would be nice. Staying in Vevey is also a nice option there. In Luzern, prioritize staying in the historic district if you want a nice ambiance.

I agree with Wanderweg that you’ll need to pare down the itinerary if you only have 14 days.

The Berner Oberland will be a highlight and going there immediately upon your arrival into Zurich is a good plan. Views are what Switzerland is all about, so adding days to a location — particularly in the Berner Oberland— is wise just in case you hit a day or two of cloudy or inclement weather.

Then, possibly three nights in Zermatt, followed by three nights in Montreaux . Montreaux makes a better base than Lausanne and is just a couple miles from Chateau de Chillon.

Then, the Golden Pass train to Lucerne for your final three nights. The section of the route from Interlaaken to Lucerne is spectacular.

Depending on the weather, you may want to wing it a bit and add time to a location when the weather’s optimal. Rain is possible in the Berner Oberland and Zermatt during about 40% of the days during April. Keep in mind the weather during April in Switzerland is not like the weather in Florida and it will be cold, with highs in the 50’s and lows in the 30’s.

You also might want to try www.Skyscanner.com to search for airfares.

Have a great trip!

My wife and I took the RS Switzerland tour this summer. Wow! What a trip! You'll love the country.

We found the trip pretty full (and relaxing) but I hasten to add the two above posters really know their stuff and they give solid advice.

Happy travels!

In August of 2024, we did Zurich to Appenzel (relatively quiet) to Zermatt (extremely crowded) via Glacier Express (very scenic) to Wengen to Evian in a two week period (actually 15 days). There were 6 of us, 2 in their seventies, 2 in their forties and 2 grandchildren 7 and 9. We had a wonderful time. I think my favorite spot was sitting on a bench in Wengen overlooking the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We always want to stay longer in Switzerland but felt we had enough time to see what we wanted this time.

Skip Appenzell and Lausanne and add days to Berner Oberland … beautiful boat rides available on Lake Thun and Brienz from Interlaken. Wengen is a great, calm, picturesque base for all the BO offers.

Again, as mentioned, don't book anything thru a third-party vendor, such as Kayak. This is especially true of airlines! Often the hotels will offer a discount if you book directly thru their websites. Some hotels may be closed now, getting ready for ski season, so you may not get a response until they re- open around December.

You don't need to stay in Zurich the night before a flight home, unless your flight is very early. The world-class rail system is very dependable, and we often stay in an area an hour from Zurich, and train in. The train station is in the Zurich airport. So spending either the first days- or last days- in Lucerne works out great.

Stay in the BO at least 4-5 nights. You've come a long way, so sleep in the Alps. No one is ever ready to leave the BO. Stay in either Murren or Wengen. Gimmelwald is tiny, and an easy 30 minute hike from Murren, so don't stay there.
You are going to at a beautiful time of year. Enjoy!

3 nights in Berner. Oberland with a day and possibly a night in Gimmewald and Murren

Adding to the excellent advice above, you can easily see the heart of the Berner Oberland by basing in Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, or Wengen. You do not need to have a separate stay in Gimmelwald or Mürren. They are all in the same small area. 5 nights based in any of the three villages — with a preference for Mürren or Wengen due to their higher elevation, great views, and car-free status — would be an excellent anchor point for your trip. There are many easy mountain walks there as well.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to offer their recommendations for our 14 night Switzerland trip!
Seems the general consensus is to spend our first 5 nights in either Murren or Wenger.

RS mentions in his book that he prefers Murren to sleep but a few of you have recommended Wenger.
I'd like to hear from any of you out there as to whether we should select Murren or Wenger and why.

Thanks again!
R & C

Adjust73, you are opening a can of worms here. There are strong opinions on both sides of the Murren vs Wengen (note spelling) issue. Do a Search here for the hundreds of opinions already posted.
The good news- there is no wrong decision! Safe travels!

One reason we lean toward Wengen is that the trip down to Lauterbrunnen, the transportation hub, is easier and faster than from Mürren. But as said above, you can’t go wrong. Find lodging you like and go for it.

It really depends on your vision for that portion of the trip. If you want to explore the region at large with day trips, stay in Wengen for a more centralized location and quicker connections. There are also more hotel, restaurant & shop options in Wengen. If you envision yourself mostly relaxing, with simple walks and maybe just a couple outings, then Mürren is lovely. Typically for first time stays to the area, I recommend Wengen and suggest a southern facing balcony.

Thanks again everyone for your insightful comments! We ended up booking a great Airbnb apartment in Murren for 5 nights and Hotel Jagerhof recommended by RS in Zermatt for 3 nights.
Now on to Montreux and Lucerne. Next stay on trip would be Montreux. Any suggestions for lodging with a great lake view?

Hotel Des Alpes in Lucerne is right on the river - we had a room overlooking the Chapel Bridge, not large rooms and not cheap, but nice to sit on balcony in sunny weather (don't think all rooms have balcony and some don't face water).

On Berner Oberland area - look at Berner Oberland Pass - covers most lifts, some trains (including Golden Pass), boats on Lakes Thun & Brienz & more. Does not cover Jungfraubahn , but, at least in 2025 Schilthorn is covered in full as is Schynige Platte. Can buy for varying # of days. If you buy Swiss Half Fare Card (good for one month & can use all over Switzerland) - it is recognized for a discount on Berner Oberland Pass. https://www.berneseoberlandpass.ch/ https://www.sbb.ch/en/tickets-offers/tickets/guests-abroad/swiss-half-fare-card.html There is also a Jungfrau Pass, but it didn't suit my travel needs as well as Berner Oberland Pass, so don't know all details.

Wendy

As they say, compare and contrast. Look at suggested itineraries in a Fodors or Frommers guide, and also check out brochures for travel companies. You'll see a lot of overlap but also places where they diverge, and you can usually figure out where the package tours are staying as well.

You'll need to decide your endurance level, and if one or two night stands are your cup of hot chocolate.

Adding my agreement with other folks who say that's a lot for "only" two weeks. You really have to account for jet lag, even if you have tricks to minimize it. You also need to plan in some slow time every few days, which can consist of enjoying cable cars, just to give yourself a chance to really take it in. I did a trip once of hiking/walking decent trails in the area for two days, then taking a slow day of riding between Wengen and Grindelwald First on cable cars.

For 14 days, minus at least 2 days for jetlag and getting ready to fly out, I would suggest limiting your trip to 2 main areas, 3 tops. There is just so much to do, and it gives you a reason to go back! I'm planning my fifth trip, second with my 19-year-old, because you'd have to stay for months to do it all just in the BO region. The transportation system makes it possible to do so much from a good home base, so consider rethinking your itinerary with that in mind.

Above all, have fun and good luck!

This is good input from people I would take advice from for a trip. What may not be taken from it is the need to absorb mountain beauty photos can't capture. Less is more in the magical Swiss Alps.

It is the only place that I haven't checked my email during the trip. I am planning trip #4 as it has become an annual thing to decompress

Hi Rich, Hubby & I (81 & 76) visited SW Sept 2-18 2025. ez zip to Luzern from ZRH airport. Train we were on required getting off at ZRH Main station and switch to train to Luzern. Had known to not get the faster train via Bern bc slower one was more scenic.

LUZERN: Stayed at Chateau Gutsch, on a cliff above center city. Historic hotel w stunning views of city and lake throughout the hotel inc off patio, where we met trail walkers (not hotel guests) enjoying lunch. Fabulous dining and lounge areas. Top cuisine. Cool funicular option to hotel. RS comments on it in his 2023 Guidebook. (Unique experiences and ease are more important to us at our ages than convenience & price.)
Top tips: asap check events scheduled at the new(ish) Kultural Center by lake & train station. We hadn’t in advance so missed out on tics to amazing international music festival. Same for tour of Kultural center. Start day 1 with Tic Toc (name ?) electric cart private tour. About 90 mins, cheap. Got tixs online via Stub Hub in advance. Good orientation. ⭐️ visit @ Transportation museum.
INTERLAKEN: Take boat ride on Lake Brienz to the Giessbach stop(near village/town of Brienz). walk or TAKE Funicular up & explore the grand historic Grand Hotel Giessbach ⭐️ & nearby short hike up through the falls ⭐️. Have lunch on the patio with views of falls and lake. We stayed at the hotel and learned that its ethos is to welcome everyone all the time, not just guests👏🏻
In Interlaken check at train station TI for schedule of’Cow Parade’ (name skips my mind) where cows & goats are decorated with flowers, ribbons etc escorted by each farm family. One we saw near Brienz had villagers performing alphorns & yodeling ‘concerts. ⭐️
-Laundromat in Interlaken.
-⭐️place to watch gliders: TopofMet restaurant/cafe patio on 18th floor of the nondescript Hotel Metropole Hotel. RS notes this.
In the OB:
WENGEN Excellent dining at Maya Caprice (stayed there) v near bahnhof. Take train to Kleine Scheidegg to dine at the glorious Hotel Bellevue des Alps ⭐️. Read RS text on it. Found it & had to squeeze in a night’s stay. (Returning this June). This is where you get train to Jungfraujoch.
RS favorite hike in area is the panoramic trail from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg ⭐️ He give it 3 triangles. Details in his guide are spot on. Can get to Mannlichen via lift (gondola) from Wengen.
MURREN -GIMMELWALD area. We had to honor RS’s fondness for this area having read about it for decades. So upon arrival in the OB we landed in Gimmelwald at Esther’s ( clean and comfortable but impersonal self-check-in, no one around to get info unless, perhaps via phone) in an apt with fabulous views and rooster am alarms. We loved Gimmel… enjoyed great pizza, salads, drinks & ‘community’ at the nearby hostel
In winter 2017 visit we stayed in Murren at RS rec’d Hotel Edelweiss with fab views of magestic 3. As RS says, (it’s) “literally hanging on the cliff.”(Memory of getting there in 2017during snow storm in the night via cable car & cog train will be lifelong.)
Lots of good dining options in easy Murren esp Hotel Edelweiss & Hotel Murren, a larger & grander hotel where we sat by the window & thought we could reach out & touch the Eiger, Monch, & Jungfrau, though that may have been after some wine.
We salute all the hospitality professionals we’ve experienced in our several, albeit too few, visits. The Swiss are ranked no 1 in hospitality world wide for a reason.
In MURREN get Allmendhubel funicular: = great views, cool playground, large deck restaurant w inside option, flower trail, & start of hikes & ez walks inc to Grutschalp where you can keep walking to Murren or take the train.
GRINDELWALD: The place where you can connect to nearby FIRST. Otherwise skip it. I get why RS doesn’t cover it in Guidebook.
Do buy the OB Pass as all trains above Wengen are private, not SSB. May get discount with Swiss travel pass. And DO get 1st class SWISS pass. ENJOY!

@neberger123 - the Hotel Bellevue des Alpes in Kleine Scheidegg is closed this summer for roof repairs, so you won't be able to visit in June.

Wanderweg, Thanks for this info. I was about to do bookings.☹️ Of course that job can only be done in the summer. Too bad they can’t rotate the construction areas so parts can be occupied. Seems large enough.

I think it’s an unsung hero, real sleeper (pun intended 😉). The place is ao beautiful, historical and unattainable artistry in today’s construction.
Nancy

I don't think many people would want to be staying in a hotel with scaffolding all over it and banging on the roof all day :) Kind of defeats the purpose of R&R. If you want a historic hotel, there are some nice ones in Wengen & Murren to consider. They've also just recently redone the historic Hotel Jungfrau Wengernalp - https://www.wengernalp.ch/