Please sign in to post.

Trip in May

Posted by (Vilonia) on

We will be celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary with a trip overseas. We love to hike and bike. We have been to several European countries but never Switzerland, Germany or Austria. We plan on 18 days including travel from US. ### 2-Week Hiking and Biking Adventure in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria

Day 1: Departure from Little Rock, AR

  • Morning: Depart from Little Rock National Airport.
  • Evening: Arrive in Zurich, Switzerland. Check into a hotel near the city center.
  • Optional: Take a short evening walk along Lake Zurich and enjoy dinner at a local Swiss restaurant.

Day 2-4: Lake Constance, Germany

  • Morning (Day 2): Take a train to Lake Constance (Konstanz) (about 1.5 hours).
  • Afternoon: Explore Konstanz, visit the Old Town, and enjoy the lakeside promenade.
  • Day 3: Take a ferry to Mainau Island (Flower Island) or enjoy a bike ride around Lake Constance. Return to Konstanz in the evening.
  • Day 4: Relax by the lake, explore local cafes, or take another ferry excursion. Stay overnight at Lake Constance.

Day 5-6: Bregenz, Austria

  • Morning (Day 5): Travel by train to Bregenz, Austria (about 1.5 hours). Explore the lakeside town, visit the Pfänderbahn cable car for panoramic views of Lake Constance, and enjoy a relaxing afternoon.
  • Evening: Stay overnight in Bregenz.
  • Day 6: Spend the morning exploring more of Bregenz or enjoy a lakeside activity. Stay overnight in Bregenz.

Day 7-8: Zermatt (Matterhorn)

  • Morning (Day 7): Take a train to Zermatt (about 5 hours).
  • Afternoon: Explore Zermatt village and enjoy initial views of the Matterhorn.
  • Day 8: Take the cable car to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. Walk through the Glacier Palace, a network of ice tunnels and chambers inside the glacier, featuring ice sculptures, an ice slide, and ancient ice formations. Alternatively, hike trails around Zermatt, such as the Gornergrat or 5-Seenweg (Five Lakes Walk).
  • Evening: Stay both nights in Zermatt.

Day 9-11: Jungfrau Region

  • Morning (Day 9): Travel to Interlaken (about 3.5 hours).
  • Afternoon: Explore Interlaken and the surrounding area.
  • Day 10-11: Visit Lauterbrunnen Valley, hike to Trümmelbach Falls and Staubbach Falls, or take a day trip to Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe). Enjoy breathtaking alpine views and short hikes in the area. Stay in Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald.

Day 12-13: Lucerne

  • Morning (Day 12): Travel to Lucerne (about 2.5 hours).
  • Afternoon: Explore Lucerne’s Old Town, Chapel Bridge, and Lion Monument. Take a lakeside walk.
  • Day 13: Take an excursion to Mt. Pilatus or Mt. Rigi. Hike or take the cable car for panoramic views of the Alps. Return to Lucerne in the evening.

Day 14-15: Zurich and Rhine Falls

  • Morning (Day 14): Return to Zurich (about 1 hour).
  • Afternoon: Explore Zurich’s museums, Old Town, and Bahnhofstrasse shopping area.
  • Day 15: Take a day trip to Rhine Falls, Europe’s largest waterfall. Enjoy the scenic views and optional boat ride.

Day 16: Departure from Zurich

Would love input.

Thanks,

-

Posted by
9075 posts

How about staying the first 2 nights in Zurich and visiting the Rhine Falls from there? Then, at the end, skip going back to Zurich and stay the last three nights in Luzern. You can take a train from Luzern to the Zurich airport train station in <1.5 hours making it ok to stay there the night before your return flight. Zurich is OK but the other places are a better visit than this large cosmopolitan business center.

Posted by
675 posts

What a fun way to celebrate your anniversary!

May is off season for the alps - many high alpine hiking options will be closed, so keep that in mind in managing your expectations. I think you need a bit more time at some of your destinations to avoid feeling extremely rushed. Rick Steves tends to offer very on the go itineraries, which is fine for a bus tour but on your own it can get a little much.

If you want to see Austria, there are much better options than Bregenz. It’s fine for a day trip, but there are way more beautiful spots in Germany, Austria & Switzerland and you will have already seen Lake Constance, so no point in moving to the same lake just to stay overnight in a different country that will feel exactly the same.

I’d recommend something like this if you want to keep all your destinations:
3 nights - Lake Constance to recover from jet lag and experience whatever is most important on your Day 1-6 list
3 nights - Zermatt
4 nights - Wengen
5 nights - Luzern (day trips to your Zurich list, Bern, Lake Luzern, Rigi, etc)

Or if you want to see a better part of Austria, maybe something like this:
3 nights - Lake Constance
3 nights - Innsbruck
4 nights - Luzern
4 nights - Wengen
1 night - Zurich

If you haven’t yet bought your airfare I might suggest doing open jaw into Munich and out of Zurich to do something like Salzburg (Salzkammergut Lake District) > Innsbruck (day trip to Garmisch or somewhere in the Bavarian alps) > Luzern > Wengen > Zürich

Posted by
5834 posts

Interlaken is a commercial transit center, not a charming Swiss village, so I wouldn't stay there. Instead, I'd look at Lauterbrunen, Wengen, or Murren.
Your time in Zermatt is short, and spring weather is very moody. Would you be disappointed if the summit were clouded in the entire time? Perhaps use the days elsewhere?
Sounds like a bit of AI research here, with the descriptions. You are early in the season for Switzerland, but can still hike the lower elevations.
Enjoy this beautiful country . Safe travels!

Posted by
1942 posts

Very nice plan. On day 9 I would suggest heading to Lauterbrunnen and skip the exploring of Interlaken. I would suggest staying in Lauterbrunnen during your time in the Jungfrau region. Enjoy.

Posted by
16 posts

Thank you all for your input. We looked at other places in Austria to stay but trying to keep long train rides at a minimum. Good advice on not repeating same things on the same lake. Looked at flying into Munich and making a travel circle and flying out of Zurich. Lots of decisions. Thanks again.

Add Reply

Please do not reply to violations of our Community Guidelines.