I want to travel for 10 days from Los Angeles to Switzerland and airfare is very high ($1200-1600). What is the best way to get a round trip reduced air? I also want to see Montreaux, Lucern, Bern, Lavertezzo, Annecy, Bellinozona. Which main city should I fly to? Geneva? Bern? Are these cities very close to each other, and easily accessible with one train pass? I don't know if I should book a combo of air/hotel to save money or do it separately. As mentioned, a couple of nearby french towns would be nice. If this sounds too costly, should I fly to S. France first, and take a 2-3 day trip to Switzerland? Which is the most economical? Thanks for all the suggestions. Happy traveling!
tia, You'll probably find the greatest availability of flights into Zürich (I haven't checked Geneva or other cities). There's a rail station right at the airport, so it's very easy to get from there to other points in Switzerland. It's going to be a bit "challenging" to visit six locations in a very short 10-days, an average of 1.6 days per city. Keep in mind that each change of locations will require a minimum of about half a day. You'll probably find that you'll have to reduce your list somewhat. Does your 10-day time frame include your two flight days? Good luck with your planning!
I flew into Geneva, took a boat to Montreaux (1 day), a train to Interlake & Berner Oberland (4 days), a train to Luzern (1 day), and a train to Zurich (2 days). My only regret was not spending more time in Luzern & Berner Oberland. I would skip Zurich... although maybe you want big city Switz. In my opinion, it's worth paying a couple hundred extra to get where you want to go. If you are like me, it might be decades before getting back, and efficiency was more important than a little cash. Enjoy!