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Switzerland in October

Posted by on

Hi there,

I'll be traveling to Switzerland for the first time October 21-28 (I'm 30, will be with my parents who are in their mid 50s). We're still in the process of working out our itinerary, but we have a general idea of what we want to see. We're most excited about the food and the scenery, though we love exploring old cities and learning about their history as well.

Day 1: Land in Zurich at 6am, travel to Luzern
Day 2: Spend day in Luzern
Days 3-5: Travel to Berner Oberland region. Not sure where we'd stay at this point as I've heard mixed things about Interlaken.
Day 6: Travel to Bern, stay the night. Potentially stay here on days 5 & 6.
Day 7: Travel back to Zurich, spend the night. Fly back to the US the next afternoon.

Would enjoy seeing Montreux, Gruyeres, and Zermatt but not sure how we could work this in. My major concern is the time of year we're traveling.. I know late October is considered the "off season". Will we face any problems with trying to find lodging and food in the Berner Oberland area? We are definitely feeling overwhelmed by all of the amazing things to see in this country so any help would be much appreciated!

Thank you!

Posted by
32350 posts

In the Berner Oberland region, the usual favourites with most here would be to stay in Lauterbrunnen or Mürren. Lauterbrunnen is a great location as it allows good access to both sides of the valley, although it's not quite as scenic as Mürren. At that time of year, those will be your best choices for lodgings, but you'll have to check with any hotels you're considering.

One other point that stands out from your Itinerary is that I'd suggest adding time in Lucerne and deducting time in Bern. In fact with such a very short Itinerary, I'd drop Bern completely. I don't think there's any hope of adding Montreux, Gruyeres and Zermatt. Have a look at the RS Switzerland guidebook for sightseeing and hotel information.

Posted by
7209 posts

What mixed things have you heard about Interlaken? It's not in the alps. It's a touristy town best used for rail connections and Big Macs. If you're coming to the BO (some will call it the Interlaken Region) what you're really coming to see is Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Wengen, Gimmelwald, Jungfrau, etc...non of which is in Interlaken.

Posted by
21142 posts

Late October, you could also have the possibility snow in places like Muerren, Gimmelwald, Wengen. That wouldn't be all bad. It can be beautiful to wake up to. But I would eliminate Gimmelwald unless you want to be in a tiny village with not much there. And also agree that Luzern and the Berner Oberland is enough for 7 days.

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