Switzerland in April 2024

A few initial thoughts: First of all, do some more research into whether a car is really necessary or better than using public transport. Keep in mind that you will have to pay to park everywhere and many of the mountain destinations are not even directly accessible by car, so you will also have to then pay for transportation on mountain railways etc. You will not need the car at all in Lucerne (which is only about an hour from Zurich by train - or from Basel where your train also stops) and will just have to pay to park it at an overpriced garage. Also, you can't drive all the way to Zermatt - you have to park in Täsch and then take the train for the last part of the journey. And in Berner Oberland, you will have to park in either Matten bei Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen and then take public transportation up to Mürren etc. Look into the various transport passes (which include or discount mountain railways) and weigh up costs and convenience before you commit to renting a car - many in the forum can offer advice on passes based on what you want to do.
Also, may I ask why you are planning to stay in Sigriswil? It's a nice village, but it probably makes more sense to stay in either Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen area to save on travel time.
Finally, a few of your planned activities are not realistic for April - for example, mountain biking at Gornergrat. In general there is also a good chance that some days won't be great for outdoor activities this time of year, so make sure you have a few back-up ideas for rainy days.

Thanks, @hopper18, and @maureench, for your thoughtful responses! We live in California and are so dependent on our cars that it feels very challenging for us not to have one, but I see your point that it would seem more inconvenient to have one due to areas where cars are not allowed. Sigirswil because of the view, definitely, as well as less expensive.
Can you please advise on my Day 7 itinerary? I want to ride the Bernina Pass, but not the whole trip, as I feel it would not give me enough time to get to Amsterdam, though if I did not have the rental car, it would cut time. Thanks so much!

Zurich to Amsterdam is about an 8-9 hour train ride (7-8 from Basel). Plus you have to get to Zurich or Basel in the first place, which adds another few hours, so it's unlikely you would have time to really do much else on day 7. Is Zermatt a must-see for you? You mention wanting to see Riffelsee - this will likely still be under ice/snow in early April (it's about 9000ft elevation). And mountain biking is out. Is it worth it to you to go there anyway?
And to reiterate, trains from Paris and to Amsterdam will pass through Basel on their way from Zurich so you don't really need to go via Zurich at all, especially if you're not planning to actually stay there anyway. You can rent a car or start/end your train journeys in Basel - it may even save you some time.
Re: Sigriswil, agree with Maureen that it's a great little place and I'd happily stay there for a week to hike etc. But for your itinerary, I'd really have another look at staying closer to the things you actually want to do. (And yes, Sigriswil is a bit less convenient without a car). If you do end up staying there, have you read about the Sigriswil panoramic bridge? https://www.interlaken.ch/en/experiences/poi/sigriswil-panoramic-bridge
As for car vs no car, just consider cost v benefit and decide what is best for you. To reassure you about public transportation, I live here completely car-free (and I don't live in a large city) - the system is efficient and reliable. In many cases, a car is not significantly faster than public transport, plus you don't have the hassle of looking/paying for parking, driving in bad weather on unfamiliar roads, etc. Gas costs almost $8 a gallon here, so factor that in too. And as a bonus, if you decide to have a glass of wine or a beer while you're out, no need to worry about who is driving!

Thank you again, so much hopper18 for your advice on taking the train as well as Riffelsee Lake! My goodness i would have been disappointed! So here is our revised Day 6 and 7 itinerary, please if you can provide input it would be great, thanks!

Day 6 Lauterbrunnen to Chur, check in to hotel then Bernina Express round trip. Overnight Stay in Chur

Day 7 Chur to Zermatt - matterhorn and gonegrat then leave for Amsterdam via night train.

What do you think?

I don't think you really have enough time to do all you want to do on Day 6 & 7, something's got to give. If you want to to do the actual Bernina Express, there is no way to get there from Lauterbrunnen in time for it. You could opt to take regular trains which have some changes along the way.

Chur to Zermatt you will have to back track to Zurich as that is the fastest way. The Glacier Express will get you into Zermatt too late to do anything. Going to Zermatt to see the the Matterhorn with a one day window is a crap shoot anyway. If it is socked in by clouds, it is a long way to go for the disappointment.

So I think you do one or the other. There just seems to be never enough time to see everything you want in Switzerland.

Thank you, Sam. If we skipped Zermatt and focused on the Bernina Express experience, it seems an option would be to go from the Lauterbrunnen area to Chur, board the train, and stay in Tirano overnight on Day 6. Then go back to Chur, from Chur to Zurich to get to the sleeper train to Amsterdam by 8 pm on Day 7.

If we did the Zermatt experience, from Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt, experience views of Matterhorn, stay in Zermatt for Day 6. Then on Day 7 head to Zurich to catch the sleeper train to Amsterdam by 8 pm.

Any further thoughts on either of these choices?

I agree with Sam that fitting both into Days 6-7 is way too much, you should just pick one. Personally I would skip the Bernina Express idea. To me it's just too much time sitting on a train, especially considering where you will be starting from and that you then have a long night train planned afterwards. If I had to pick one, I'd go from the Berner Oberland (Lauterbrunnen, Sigriswil or wherever you are staying) to Zermatt, stay over and then go from Zermatt to Basel (3hrs 20 mins with best connection, same as Zurich) and pick up the night train to Amsterdam from there.

Many people in the forum will advise against a 1-2 day trip to Zermatt because the weather is unpredictable and you may not see Matterhorn. You do have to be prepared for that possibility - it's April, so it might very well be cloudy. But to be honest, that could happen anywhere in Switzerland, any time of year! I happen to like Zermatt and if you do have favorable weather, it's totally worth taking the chance. You might be lucky and get a beautiful clear day in the sun :)

Another option would be to simply add on another day in Luzern or Berner Oberland - this would give you more flexibility to adjust if there is rain and would be a little bit more relaxing with less time spent on long-distance train rides.

If you opt to go to Zermatt and you want to take a scenic rail ride, take the BLS "Loetschberger" train. This will take you 1 extra hour (3 hours 49 vs 2 hours 42 minutes). The route goes mostly over the Berner Oberland Mountains with the shorter old Loetschberg Tunnel rather than completely under them with the new Loetschberg Base Tunnel. My review, you would be traveling in the opposite direction, so sit on the right hand side of the train.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/ride-the-bls

Put in via Kandersteg in the SBB trip planner or the SBB app to see the routing and schedule.

Hello, Sam and Hopper18, just as I was warming up to going for the Zermatt itinerary, my husband weighed in and said he really wants to catch the Bernina Express. I hope you can still suggest an alternative route to get back from Tirano to Basel or Zurich in time for the sleeper train to Amsterdam. Thanks again, so much!

Day 6) 8:32 departure from Lauterbrunnen connecting at Interlaken Ost, Zurich, Chur, Samedan to Pontresina arrive 14:57. Hotel in Pontresina, an attractive alternative to St Moritz. The ride from Chur to Pontresina follows the same tracks as the Bernina Express.

Day 7) Pontresina to Tirano. You can take either a regular train at 10:08 or the actual Bernina Express train at 10:25. Remember, the Bernina Express requires a seat reservation fee, Arrive at Tirano at either 12:23 or 12:49. Return on the actual Bernina Express at 14.24 connecting at Chur and Zurich, arriving Basel SBB at 20:53 in time to get the 21:15 NJ to Amsterdam.

Thank you so much Sam for these specific directions! Thank you for taking the time to give your advice! What ate your thoughts on us doing this on Days 1 and 2, and moving everything forward? Meaning from Paris we will do the Bernina Express first (i dont mind the extended train rides - I am running the Paris Marathon so will need some rest time for my legs anyway). Then head back out to Lucerne after. Thoughts? Also BTW our base after Lucerne is at Lake Brienz. Thanks again!

What time does your train arrive in Zurich? There are frequent direct trains from Zurich to Chur, then onward on regular train to Samedan and Pontresina. If it is very late, you can just stay in Chur for the night as well. Returning from Chur there are trains to Lake Brienz, usually through Zurich, but there are other options.

If you download the SBB app, you can find all the schedules. They will always show the fastest way, so if you want to take a more scenic route, use the "via" function.

Thanks so much, Sam! I think we will stick to the original plan - it looks like we will need to leave Paris very early if we want to do the Bernina Express at the beginning of the trip, and even then, we "lose" a day, as the trip from Chur is at 8 am, and the trip from Tirano is at 1424.
So now I have already bought the seat reservation for Bernina Express for Day 6 - Leave Lake Brienz very early – at 527 am, board the train to Interlaken ost to Tirano – 7 hours, and arrive there at 1252.
Board the Bernina Train at 1424, arrive in Chur at 6 pm, and overnight in Chur.
Or, go to Zurich and take the sleeper train to Amsterdam since Zurich is just one hour away.
It will be a day full of train rides!

So, in the process of getting a Half Fare Card. It appears to be the more economical choice. Do I need any other passes? Like the BO Pass? I am considering
getting the Saver Pass for Day 6 when we have all-day travel.

If I get you right, your current plan has you departing Interlaken Ost at 5:58 am and arrive in Tirano at 12:52. That plan will not work because it cuts through Italy where the Saver Day Pass does not work. You go Interlaken Ost to Spiez to Brig to Milan to Tirano. Well I say it won't work, meaning you will have to buy tickets between Domodossola to Tirano. If you do that it will work.

Where are you staying on Lake Brienz?

You can get to Tirano early through Switzerland by going Interlaken Ost at 5:30 am and arrive in Tirano at 13:00 by going to Spiez to Bern to Zurich to Chur to Samedan to Pontresina to Tirano. Chur to Tirano is the same route as the Bernina Express, so you will see it in both directions with added benefit, that part does not require the Bernina Express seat reservations.

You are arriving by train from Paris on April 8. Did you buy your train tickets yet? You can buy them Paris to Luzern, shortcutting Zurich. The Half Fare Card is likely to be useful, but I have not done the math. If you do get the Berner Oberland Pass, that knocks about 72 CHF off the cost of the 3-day pass, Saver Day Passes are about 22 CHF cheaper with the HFC, as are other travel in Luzern and getting back to Zurich or Basel on day 7.

Hi, Sam, thank you again for your thoughtful recommendations! I was about to purchase the tickets for the trip from Brienz to Tirano according to what you had said - Interlaken Ost via Spiez, I like it much better as it leaves later (7 am than 5:30) and gives us ample time to board the Bernina Express by arriving at 1300H. I do not have the exact location for our AirBnB yet in Lake Brienz, but 7 am is definitely gentler and more doable than 5 am! However, I do not see it as an option for the weekend, either Saturday (13th) or Sunday. I am a bit concerned because I booked seat reservations for Bernina Express for the 13th but it does not seem that we will get there in time for the 1424H BE departure from Tirano so I might have to cut a day in my itinerary, that is if I can change my seat reservation, make it for the 14th.

I have not bought tickets from Paris to Lucerne, still researching, thank you for your recommendation to bypass Zurich! I am still trying to see whether i should get a rail pass to save on my trips from Paris to Switzerland and from Switzerland to Zurich.

Should i buy tickets in advance for the trams, boats, buses?

The regional trains that run on the exact same tracks as the panoramic Bernina Express offer more schedule options, and you don't need seat reservations. ( I know, you just bought them.) I'm not following closely enough to know if Sam is sharing regional train times? We rode the regional trains on this route, and I would do it again. The regional trains aren't crowded, the windows open, and you can jump from side to side as the scenery changes.
We did it during Covid restrictions, so we couldn't enter Italy, so we got on at Pontressina and off at the last Swiss stop and caught a return train about 17 minutes later. I just add this because the scenery is so spectacular that I found both ways equally thrilling.
Good luck!

Alternative is to check out of airbnb a day early and take a train from Interlaken Ost to Pontresina and spend the night there. Leave at noon and be there by 5 pm. Next morning take a train to Tirano, arriving by 1 pm and ready for the return on the 13th on the Bernina Express.

Thank you, Pat and Sam, for the recommendations! I got BE tickets for the 14th and got refunded the tickets for the 13th with a small penalty fee. So we are leaving for Pontresina on Saturday the 13th, overnight there, then going for the BE on the 14th, then the night train to Amsterdam on the 14th.
Now, I am refining my itinerary for days 3,4 and 5. Any further comments on these would be great, thanks!

Hi, again! We are Planning to go to Schilthorn. We will pass by Lauterbrunnen and Murren from Brienz. Should I buy individual tickets for Lauterbrunnen, Murren, and then Schilthorn in advance, or play it by ear, depending on how long we stay in each place? Or buy the Schilthorn ticket and go down to Murren and Lauterbrunne from there?