Switzerland in November

I'm presuming that you are driving. Be advised most of the passes will be closed and you will need to tunnel often (and frequently at some cost...$20 plus). Also Switzerland has a special tax to drive in, through, around the country (they do use it to have GREAT roads). They will nail you at the border ($50?) Given the overall cost of a trip I'd just blow it off. I don't care where you go the scenery will be fantastic. Fondue everywhere. Try Raclette as well (aka cheese plate O death). It's a wonderful wedge of cheese suspended over a little small flame. You catch the melting cheese on a small plate. Served with little potatoes, some small meats, pickles etc. Try staying at a B&B (anywhere). They frequently have good connections at local resturants and great tips on sights. Frankly I'd avoid the ski areas on/around weekends.

November is shoulder season in many mountain towns, especially the Berner Oberland. Although the gondolas and funiculars still operate at this time, most of the restaurants and lodgings close down for a few weeks. You can still visit the mountain towns, but don't expect too much to remain open. Weather permitting, you may be able to accomplish some hiking.

I'm not certain about Luzern, but I know there's little mountain scenery in Zurich. Interlaken sits in a beautiful valley between two glacial lakes. Unlike the towns in the mountains, most businesses here remain open during the shoulder season, so perhaps staying here is your best option. The scenery here is not quite as breathtaking as the nearby Lauterbrunnen valley (which goes into near- hibernation in November)... but its still pretty impressive.

Thanks for the good tips! We are actually not planning on driving while in Switzerland. We are trying to plan around this if possible. Any other advice is appreciated- Thanks!

I learned while spending a week in Switzerland that you can travel by train cheaper by buying point2point tickets instead of the Swisspass.

Some places will be closed in Nov, but I would still go because you will find enough places open.

Since most people often seem to go through Zuerich rather than to it, here is my nod to Zuerich though I doubt you could go wrong with any of your choices. For a quick and beautiful side trip, we went to Uetliberg via the Uetliberg Express (cog wheel) train. It was great and we were back in Zuerich in 30 minutes. The Lindt chocolate factory/museum is also a fun and quick side trip (nice little town). The museum (you actually cannot tour the factory itself) was closed for renovation, but the factory store was paradise. (YUM!) For great fondue and raclette (my favorite) we ate at the Swiss Chuchi at the Hotel Adler (fake cow on the balcony). Regardless of where you go in Switzerland, make sure to try Sprugli and have Luxembourgli.

thanks for the tips- we're in the process of trying to figure all of this out, including train info., so this is all very helpful!

Sounds to me like you described the city of Lucerne beautifully! It has a medieval old town, beautiful lakes and Mt. Pilatus you can visit for some good views. (Sorry, I don;t know if the cog-wheel train runs in November. Maybe others know.)

Lucerne is about an hour train ride from Zurich. You could spend day one touring the old city on foot and see the famous Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, and the city walls. A couple of the churches are interesting, if you're into that. Day two could include the trip up Mt. Pilatus.

The mountain scenery doesn't really compare to the Bernese Oberland area (Gimmelwald, Grindelwald, etc) though. I've been to (or should I say "through") Interlaken twice. It never struck me as very interesting. It has a Casino and a lot of expensive shops but that never interested me. However it sits right between Lake Thun and Lake Brienz. Both lakes provide fantastic drives around them (if you have a car).

Anyway, have a great trip, and next time, plan to spend more than two days in Switzerland.

I recommend going to Wengen in the Berner Oberland. Read about hotels at Wengen, in the book "Rick Steves' SWITZERLAND".