Hi Folks,
My wife and I are planning a trip to switzerland for 2-3 nights at the most (and then on to Munich). We will be landing in Zurich early morning. I was wondering what itinerary would you guys recommend for 3 nights? This is our first time to switzerland so we would like to see the best of the alps and perhaps have a short scenic rail ride as well. The only condition is that we need to get to Munich after the 3 nights. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks.
Andy
I would take the train to the lauterbrunin Valley and stay in lauterbrunin. It will be a scenic train ride. Don't stay in Interlaken, the towns in the valley are much nicer. There are many site seeing opportunities there.
Thanks Brian. Is it better to do the Lauterbrunnen valley or the Lucern-Titlis area for the 3 days? Not sure which one would give a better look at Switzerland. I wish I could do both! Also, we will be travelling end of April to early May if that makes a difference.
There's no more beautiful place in the world than Lauterbrunnen. However, you land in Zurich, have only 2 or 3 nights (that's 1 or 2 days) I would definitely choose Lucerne. It, too is a beautiful place on the lake with the alps in the distance. Mt Rigi is nearby in beautiful Weggis right on the lakeside. Pilatus is near to you also. You'll also be much closer to Munich from Lucerne.
Thanks Tim. Since I am hearing good things about Lucerne and Lauterbrunnen...I was wondering if the following itinerary would work:
Land in Zurich Airport on May 1-2 around 6am.
Go straight to Lauterbrunnen (stay the night)
Climb the Schilthorn or the JungFrau next day (stay the night).
Go from Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne (stay the night in Lucerne)
Go from Lucerne to Munich (our next stop)
For #4, we can take an early or late train to Lucerne depending on whether we need more time in Lauterbrunnen. Or we could stop in Engelberg before reaching Lucerne and go up Titlis.
Any thoughts would be welcome. I am hoping this will give us a good overview of our first trip to switzerland.
I would not recommend two Alpine destinations in such a short time. Here's the problem... you can plan everything down to the minute, but the Alpine weather gods, who have no pity that this is your only chance to see the mountains, may decide cover those beautiful peaks in clouds and rain during your stay. So, because this is a game of playing the odds, and you don't have the benefit of a short-term weather forecast, pick one destination and stay there. That gives you more of a time buffer in case one of your days gets rained or fogged out.
Given the plans for the rest of your trip, I would chose Luzern over the Interlaken area. Despite what you may read on this website, it is possible to skip the Berner Oberland and still have a great Alpine experience.
