September of 2023, we spent time in Switzerland, our first trip.
As I plan other destinations (currently planning Andalusia), I cannot get that Swiss trip out of my mind!
Incredible beauty.
We spent time as follows with all travel by train.
Flew in/out of Zurich (not seeing it).
Luzern 4N
Lugano 6N
St. Moritz 2N
Zermatt 4N
Lausanne 2N
Murren 5N
We are, or have been, car people, stopping wherever on our planned routes for our usually four week trips.
We like the slower place and getting more immersed than a Griswald type schedule.
So now wondering what we had missed that would make a great return.
If going for four weeks, what four countryside/mountain destinations are good bases for a week at a time?
Thank you in advance for any input!
Posted by
Chicago
8163 posts
I try to go every year since 2017.
You should do Ebenalp around Appenzelland (easy to access if you fly into Zurich), Bern, Kandersteg, Lake Geneva area, cross over to French alp area including Annecy and Chamonix Mont Blanc.
Posted by
Chicago
3125 posts
Welcome to the “we love Switzerland” club. 😊
I would want more time in the Lake Geneva area, perhaps staying in Montreux or Vevey for your return trip. You could really mix things up and stay in Wengen instead of Murren. 😊
I’m not much help because I like returning to my favorites—Lucerne, Montreux, Murren/Wengen. I’m adding Zermatt to my next trip.
Good luck!!
Posted by
Paris
7300 posts
Hi,
You've hit most of the highlights! You could spend some time around Appenzell, Bern, Lake Geneva as mentioned, but you could also consider other Alpine destinations like Austria and the Dolomites.
Posted by
Washington DC
28065 posts
I liked the limited bit of Lake Constance (Bodensee) I saw decades ago. I was on the German side and don't know which bits of the Swiss lakeside are most beautiful.
I will concur with the recommendations for the Appenzell area. From Locarno you could go up into the Val Verzasca via Postbus and take the Centovalli rail line over to Domodossola in Italy. I've never gotten off the train in Bellinzona, but it looks interesting with its multiple castles.
Really, practically everywhere in Switzerland is gorgeous, so it's hard to go wrong. Outside of the high-mountain regions you can get around fast by train and Postbus, so a hub-and-spoke trip could work well. Smaller places I enjoyed for a day or part of a day include Thun, Murten, Gruyeres, Fribourg, Solothurn and Schwyz. No details because that was long, long ago. I also took a Postbus up the Lotschental Valley and walked back down.
I liked Bern, and Basel looked handsome from the train.
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17418 posts
We have enjoyed 6 hiking trips to Switzerland, each time returning to our our favorite places (Mürren and Bettmeralp) and also adding something new. This past September we visiting Bern for the first time, overnighting there after arrival at Zurich airport. We liked it so much we plan to return for a 2-night stay next September.
We also spend 2 nights in a charming little lakefront hotel in the town of Weggis on Vierwaldstättersee, a pleasant 40-minute boat ride from Luzern. We much preferred this to staying in Luzern itself. Weggis lies at the base of Rigi, and a cablecar goes from the town up the mountain to Rigi Kaltbad. From there one can explore Rigi by various trails, and ride the cogwheel train down to Vitznau for a boat ride back to Weggis ( or walk back on the lakeside trail). I would happily return here.
One place we have usually included in our trips but omitted this regime is Kandersteg. In the past we have loved staying by the lake in the Berghotel Oeschinensee, and hiking from there. Ut the hotel is now closed to overnight stays (still open as a restaurant) due to the landslide threat from the Spitzer Stein, caused by melting permafrost. You can read about it here:
The landslide could send mud, debris and rocks the size of VW’s tumbling down toward Kandersteg. The community responded by enlarging the creek area below the lake and building a dam to contain the avalanche before it reaches the town. Many of the trails in the area above town are either closed or re-routed. You can see these on the maps on this recent update ( Nov. 3). It is in German, but the maps are self-explanatory. Or run the text through a translator. Basically it says the mountainside is sliding down at the rate of 1.5 cm a day over a large area. Should a large or small landslide suddenly occur, the damage should be contained within the permanent exclusion zone (indicated on the maps).
While the town itself does not appear to be in danger, the closure of the mountain inn and the changes in the trails, together with the scars on the landscape I have seen in photos of the diversion project, will keep me from returning to Kandersteg for awhile.
Posted by
Northern California
109 posts
I agree that Ebenalp area (lunch at Aescher gasthaus on the mountain if you can and include a visit to appenzell) is a beautiful part of Switzerland, very close to the German border, and you could also visit the Bodensee. If you are a bibliophile the abbey library at nearby St. Gallen is a must (take a led tour if available) . Not sure I’d stay a week there but at least 3-4 days.