My husband and I are taking a river cruise which ends in Basel on Monday, November 26th. We’ll be flying out of Paris on the following Sunday, December 2nd. We’d like to split our time to spend a part of that week in Switzerland and part in Paris. From my preliminary research, it looks like we’ll be in Switzerland in the awkward “shoulder season” where the warm weather activities and tourism are over but the winter activities and resorts are not yet in full swing. It also looks like the scenery is largely contingent on weather conditions and may be blocked by fog and/or snow. I’d love recommendations for where to go in Switzerland for 2-3 days where we can see scenery but won’t be without back up options if the weather is bad. Has anyone had good experiences in late November in Switzerland? If so, where did you go and what did you do? My husband and I will be traveling alone, are in our late 30’s and early 40’s, enjoy cities and are also fairly active and adventurous. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!
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Basel, Switzerland
8889 posts
Yes, you are right, that is between seasons.
I would recommend one night in Basel. There is plenty to see here, it is a good city for walking around. And Basel Christmas Market will be on (starts 22nd November). See here: https://www.basel.com/en/Christmas-in-Basel/Christmas-Market
Then on to Luzern for 2 nights. As this is a town, it is not so dependent on weather. You can look around the town, go on a boat trip on the lake (if you are not fed up with boats), or go up one of the three local mountains (Pilatus, Rigi and Titlis; trains or cable cars go to the summit of all 3).
Then on to Paris by train for the rest of your stay.
Except, after 1 night in Basel (Monday), I count 5 nights to Sunday. If you haven't been before, Paris deserves 5 nights. Difficult decision.