Dear Forum Members would you please provide feedback for a tentative itinerary for an upcoming late July trip to Switzerland. My wife and I will be flying into Zurich (after a week in Iceland), arriving late afternoon. We’re renting a car (our preference over the last 20+ trips to Europe). The following itinerary is a hybrid I devised from the RS Travel Guide and the RS Tour; I was attempting to plan a mix of alpine walks, small towns & villages, and a bit of city sightseeing:
Appenzell (2 nights)
Pontresina (2)
Lugano or Varenna (2)
Lauterbrunnen (2)
Murten (3) Avenches, Bern, Gruyères, Lausanne
Luzern (2)
Additionally, if you’re able to suggest additional side/day trips I’d be very appreciative.
Thanks to all!
Craig
Posted by
Florida
1450 posts
I think you mean to ask us to fun-tune your itinerary!
It looks good to me, but Avenches is next to Murten so it doesn't fit with Luzern. Probably just a typo.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
I'd spend at least one more night (probably two) in Lauterbrunnen. Mountain weather is both unpredictable and rapidly changeable, so you want as many nights as possible in Lauterbrunnen as a hedge against bad weather. If the weather's good, you won't run out of hikes, walks, lifts, etc. And while other places in Switzerland are very nice, the Berner Oberland is in a class by itself.
I haven't been to Lugano, Pontresina, or Appenzell, so I'm not sure which of your other places I'd cut. But I'd definitely skip one of the other destinations and add the time to Lauterbrunnen.
Posted by
OP
Wynnewood, PA, USA
275 posts
Thanks to you both for your responses and to Chris F (via a PM) for your suggestions. We'll add a day to Lauterbrunnen by subtracting from either Murten or Luzern.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11776 posts
Two night stays one after another exhaust me. It is especially troublesome in mountain locations since weather is so fickle. I would cut the locations to three or four in we night. Minimum stays should be 3 nights.