My husband, 22 year old daughter, and I are traveling to Switzerland for the first time. We will visit in early December between staying in Barcelona and Paris. We only have 3 days to visit and are not skiers but do enjoy the outdoors. I understand some things may be closed due to off-peak season. What can you recommend we do and see for a few days to experience the beauty of Switzerland during our short time frame?
Posted by
San Diego, California
4719 posts
Where will you be in Switzerland?
Posted by
OP
2 posts
We haven't decided where we will go. Looking for suggestions for a short stay.
Posted by
Chicago
2678 posts
Lucerne would be a great place to stay for a few days. It has a nice old town and several options for trips up the mountains.
Posted by
San Diego, California
4719 posts
How are you getting to Switzerland- train or air?
There's a wealth of info under the Switzerland drop- down here on the Forum. I'd suggest you review the past year of input, as many of your questions will have already been answered. Also pls get an RS Guide book, as it will have an immense amount of info.
Ps- winter is not off-season, it's ski season! Also, there's Xmas markets!
Safe travels!
Posted by
Lucerne
72 posts
Unfortunately, beginning of December, Switzerland won't be that beautiful as between May and October. It is not a good time to visit Switzerland. It's neither summer nor winter. The weather is rather meh, low fog in towns, cold & wet. Ski season will only start mid of December, if at all.
Lucerne is an option, or Zermatt which is open 365 days. But, I would not tour through Europe in winter if my main goal was sightseeing. The places aren't as lively as in summer.
I suggest to book only accommodations which are fully refundable. In case of a power shortage, a risk which many countries face in winter 2022, you wish to cancel your trip.
Posted by
Paris
6902 posts
I agree that early December can be a bit of a challenging time between seasons. For just 3 days, I would perhaps look into spending more time along the way from Barcelona to Paris.
Posted by
Bern, Switzerland
978 posts
It's very difficult to say what the weather will be like in early December here. By then it is most likely that the high Alps will have had their first snow falls so some trips to the mountains might be an idea. I'd suggest you stay in Zurich as you will have good access to fast trains to get you into the mountain regions and depending on what the weather is like on the day you can decide in which direction to head off.
Posted by
Lucerne
72 posts
Zurich as a base for train journeys?
Lucerne is much better, it is central and offers excellent connections to Bern, Basel, Zurich, Ticino, and Bernese Oberland.
Another place which is totally suitable is Bern.
Posted by
Thun, Switzerland
485 posts
What can you recommend we do and see
You can search the events on the Switzerland tourism website, setting the filters for your dates and the kinds of things you are interested in:
https://www.myswitzerland.com/en-ch/experiences/events/events-search/?noidx=1
For outdoor pursuits, you can take a look at Switzerland Mobility. If there happens to be snow (our first snowfall in Thun last year was at the end of Nov. so it is possible) you can look at the winter hiking trails
https://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/winter-hiking.html
If there is no snow, then you can take a look at the summer trails, especially the lower elevation ones. I love to go for hikes in and around Thun all year long. On a clear day the mountain views, seen from these lower elevations, can be fantastic.
Posted by
NYC area
2908 posts
I have to agree with Lucerne as the place for 3 nights.
Posted by
The Heartland USA
8449 posts
Anyplace other than Luzern will cost you too much of that three days in transportation alone. Distances are deceiving in the mountains and travel is slower than you might plan on. Own Luzern you can take a cruise on the beautiful lake, and go up one of the convenient mountains like Mt Pilatus, where there are things to do and see.