Switzerland Visit

sorry, your post says you've never love to be outdoors??

In that case perhaps stick to trains from Thun and go to Bern (trams and buses) and in the Berner Oberland you can stay in trains and cable cars (gondolas) and in restaurants.

If you really meant something else there is a whole lot to do near Thun. Rick Steves Switzerland has dozens of pages on the area, and there are several of us here who are regulars there.

Middle of May can be a bit muddy at altitude depending on the snow melt.

Sorry, I edited my original post, not sure what happened.

If you love the outdoors, skip the cities and stick with Thun and the greater Jungfrau Region. You could base yourself in Thun for the week, or split your time between Thun and perhaps one of the mountain villages of Mürren or Wengen. As Nigel suggested, get a copy of the Rick Steves guide book and read about the Berner Oberland.

In May, truly high altitude experiences are limited to riding trains and cable ways, but there are lower elevation hikes and walks galore: along the shore of Lake Thun, between the village of Mürren and Grütschalp, just above Lauterbrunnen, through the Lauterbrunnen Valley (stunning in spring with gushing waterfalls), and many easy outings around Wengen.

this is a UK Amazon link to an excellent walking book in the region . I am sure there is a US Amazon equivalent. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-Switzerlands-Berner-Oberland-Jungfrau/dp/B0BSJPZSPR written by a regular here.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far, much appreciated.

We are going to be flying out of Zurich on Sunday 5/18 so I was thinking we'd head back to Zurich on Saturday morning and spend 3/4 of a day there before we fly out the next day.

I was also thinking that on our way into Switzerland from Paris, maybe we'd stop in Luzern for a 1/2 day and then take the Golden Pass train to the Lake Geneva area and spend 1-2 days there, before heading into Thun for about 4-5 days.

For May 9-18, that time of year, does the above make sense? Or am I trying to do too much in too small of a time?

Thanks!!!

This is the link to the book Nigel mentioned for the U.S. I’ve just ordered one for us for our trip in December.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0DS2473XB/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

Thanks, just ordered the book, that will be a big help.

So we are thinking of taking the train from Paris to Geneva, and spending the first weekend in that area around Lake Geneva, then the weekdays in Thun with friends and exploring that whole area the best we can before heading to Zurich for the 3/4 day before we fly out the next morning.

What is the best / most scenic way to get from Geneva to Thun by train? We are willing to take a bit longer to get there if we have options for better views and scenery along the way, and/or a worthwhile stop along the way.

We will have 8 full days in the Lake Geneva / Thun area total. Between those two spots, and anything in between, how would you allocate those days across that area?

2 routes from Geneva jump to mind. The faster route goes direct to Bern where you change for a train to Thun, taking a total of between just over 2 or 2 and a half hours all together.

Explore the routes and prices and times at sbb.ch/en and remember to put in full fare if you won't have a 1/2 fare card.

More scenic and much slower, change at Montreux onto the MOB narrow gauge train via Zweisimmen, and change at Spiez for the short hop to Thun. That will come up on the sbb.ch/en website or app if you route via Zweisimmen.

This is great information - so with taking one train from Paris to Geneva, another scenic train within Switzerland that you recommended, and then at least one more train from Thun back to Zurich, should I be considering a Swiss train pass for that ~9 days? Or just buy tickets individually?

That depends entirely how much traveling you will do while in Switzerland. A Swiss Travel Pass can be quite expensive, and if you are only making a few short trips, probably a waste of money. You say you are visiting friends in Thun. Do they have a car?

They do, but they won't be sightseeing with us every day so we'll likely be taking some trains during that time in Thun, and in the Lake Geneva area depending where we stay.

Unfortunately, you really need to list all your trips and the full fare price for each trip to see. If you have more than 240 CHF worth of train tickets per person, the a Half Fare Card costing 120 CHF will save some money. That usually saves more money than a Swiss Travel Pass, but you still have to buy tickets for every trip. Getting the SBB app will make that easier.

Of course many people just buy the STP and can hop on and off trains at will, and they are happy not having to do any math. Just be aware that if you go to the Berner Oberland (and you should) the pass does not cover you up the mountains above the towns of Grindelwald, Wengen, or Muerren. The STP gives you discounts on the tickets, but you still have to buy them.

Regarding Swiss Travel Pass, I agree it's a math problem. Adding up a bunch of train trips, and comparing them to the cost of a STP is work. For my wife and I, the great convenience of never buying tickets everyday is worth money, though. And you might consider that the STP includes a lot of boat travel, such as on Lakes Geneva, Thun, Brienz, and Lucerne. We love to just hop on and off the boats whenever we feel like. And sometimes we eat a big meal on a boat.

In a month, we'll be doing that. We'll use our passes multiple time every day. Train travel in Switzerland is a very scenic experience. Sit next to the window. And I also agree the train from Montreaux to Spiez is really exceptional, good idea.

In Geneva, you can get a pass for just Geneva busses and trams. That might be cost effective if you are in Geneva a few days.

Depends on if you have the time, but from Geneva, one can take a short boat ride to the town of Yvoire, in France, famous for all it's flowers, and beautiful old buildings. It would be a great afternoon excursion.

We spent three weeks in Switzerland in October, and I spent weeks with a spreadsheet working out the passes.

For us, the Swiss Travel Pass was prohibitively expensive and would have caused us to waste quite a lot of money.

We used a mix of the Half Fare and Bernese Oberland pass, but of course the BO pass is not quite as good this year.

I very much second the recommendation of a boat trip to Yvoire from the Geneva area. We went from Montreux and it was one of the nicest days of the trip.

I was also thinking that on our way into Switzerland from Paris, maybe
we'd stop in Luzern for a 1/2 day and then take the Golden Pass train
to the Lake Geneva area and spend 1-2 days there, before heading into
Thun for about 4-5 days

That is a bit all over the place.

If you want to see the lake Geneva area go there first from Paris. Take the Paris Lausanne train, and head over to Vevey or Montreux.
Then travel Montreux - Thun via Zweisimmen. That gives you the first half of the Golden Pass route.

Then stay with your friends in Thun. Do Luzern as a day trip. For example Thun - Interlaken - Brienz - Luzern and back. You cold even do Interlaken - Brienz by boat. That gives you the second part of the Golden Pass route.

Then from Thun head back to Zurich for your flight back.