Three day itinerary before a Backroads trip in the Jungfrau

Have you been there before? I vote for # 2. Bern is a nice city, but it's not in the mountains. Luzern is.

No it's not crazy, especially if your plane arrives in the AM, and you wouldn't be able to check into a hotel and you're only an hour or so from your real destination anyway. You identified hiking an mountains as your interest, so don't waste time in the cities.

Thanks for your reply! We've never been there or elsewhere in the Alps.

I was confused that you suggested #2, but then added that Bern, while nice, is not in the mountains. Did you mean option #1 is a better fit?

Yes, sorry, I meant to say #1 is my choice. I was reading too quickly. I meant that two nights in Luzern (#1) was a better option than Bern, if what you want is mountains and hiking. IMO. Let's see what others say.

I wanted to look at your Backroads trip to see what is included before I responded. Is this your trip? It is the only one I could see that starts in Kandersteg and then goes to Grindelwald, but this one ends with 2 nights in Engleberg, not Giessbach.

https://www.backroads.com/trips/MSWI/switzerland-multi-adventure-tour

Of the options listed, Option 1 (2 nights in Luzern) is the simplest. Luzern is just over an hour from the Zurich airport, and many people like to head directly there after landing. Spending 2 nights in one place rather than changing hotels is a good plan. And Luzern offers the option of mountain visits—-Pilatus or Rigi—-plus lake cruises, or a daytrip to Bern if you want to see that city.

However, I will admit that unlike many here I am not a fan of Luzern. It is “touristy”, and somewhat overpriced, and we have yet to find a hotel or a restaurant we like there. So we like to take a boat from the dock in front of the train station to the village of Weggis, 40 minutes away, and spend 2 nights in a lakeside hotel there (my husband loves to swim in lakes, and the swimming area at Luzern is not very appealing). A cablecar goes up Rigi to Rigi Kaltbad from Weggis; we like to hike up and ride back down.

Another variation would be to head straight to Bern and spend 2 nights there, using the intervening day to check out Luzern and maybe Pilatus if you like. The Altstadt area of the city is charming and offers a good selection of hotels and restaurants.

If, on the other hand, you are more attracted to the thought of seeing Lake Geneva and Chateau de Chillon, you could alter Option 3 by flying into Geneva and going directly to Montreux (or nearby Vevey, which is smaller) for your 2 nights. Geneva is an expensive city and very business-oriented, lacking the charm of the other cities.

In any case, my main recommendation would be to spend both nights in one place rather than move around.

When is this trip, and do you have any time after the Backroads tour to spend a few more nights in Switzerland? If you do, it would make sense to visit Luzern afterwards, as it fits better with the tour itinerary. This way you could fly into Geneva for Montreux, and out of Zurich after visiting Luzern/Pilatus/Rigi or whatever catches your eye in that area.

@Stan - Thanks for the clarification!
@ Lola - Yes, that is the one. We are going in late July,/early August. At that time, our two daughters will be 13 and 17. Thanks for the detailed thoughts and idea about Weggis though I've got to imagine that it's a cold swim in Lake Lucerne!

I wish we had time after the trip, but we're on a tight itinerary and need to head back the day after the trip ends. We end in Interlaken at about noon on the final day. I didn't think there would be time for much other than traveling to our departure city. However, I hope to return (with or without kids, and almost certainly not on an expensive group tour)!

The lake is cold but he does not mind that. We could also use the nice lakeside pool and hot tub at the sister hotel next door, so our tween grandsons and I swam in the pool. This hotel has very nice family rooms in the “turrets” you see on either end of the hotel in this photo:

https://www.gotthard-weggis.ch/en/

They also have sea kayaks you can use for free.

Here are some links to things you can do and see on Rigi:

https://www.rigi.ch/en

https://www.rigi.ch/en/experience/hiking

Thanks for the thoughtful reply. Weggis looks like a gem! I appreciate the input from both of you. Now I've got my initial few days settled!

OK, I see you are doing the Family”tour which does end at Giessbach, not Engleberg. You are in for a treat at Grandhotel Giessbach. I have always wanted to visit there, but haven’t made time yet.

Looks like you will have opportunities to swim and kayak in Brienzersee, so maybe Weggis would be redundant. It just depends on your interests and what you want to see and do with your family.

https://www.backroads.com/trips/MSWIF/switzerland-multi-adventure-tour-families-teens-kids

Just have to say that tour looks AMAZING! That is my favorite area of Europe, but it's a bit out of my price range. Have a great trip!!!

@Jill - I never imagined spending this much on a trip. I'm more of a make your own way traveler (or perhaps really a follow the Rick Steves suggested itinerary disciple). So I see this as a one time mega splurge (and I've been working many extra hours to save the scratch to make it happen). I'll report back post trip to let you know if they knock it out of the park.

If you are willing to travel a little mor independently, but within a framework of protection, look at Untours.com as well.