Luxembourg to Switzerland in 4 days

The area around Lake Geneva isn't in the Alps. It's a scenic region of Switzerland, with lots to do, but if you're looking for more of a mountain experience then head to the Berner Oberland. In terms of safety, Switzerland is very safe for solo travlers. Even if you hike by on your own, most of the popular trails with have lots of other folks. Get a copy of Rick's Switzerland Guidebook you can get idea of the distances between each region, all the various attractions, and lodging recommendations.

In general travelling in Europe is safe.Use common sense and you will be allright. While travelling by train, keep an eye on your belongings. Do not leave them unattended even if you go on the hallway to look over the window. Do not go to the restroom and leave your bag on your seat. Don't fall for the scams that sometimes take place in trains.
It never happened to me but I read in a few forums about horror stories.

I would suggest that the Lauterbrunnen Valley (part of the Berner Oberland) is the most beautiful part of the alps. A train trip there would take about 7.0hrs from Luxembourg (3.5hrs to Basel SBB and another 3.5hrs to Lauterbrunnen). In my opinion, the very best scenery can be had by staying in Murren. At 5,300' (reachable only by gondola), it's everything you would want in a Swiss alpine village. No tourist cars in the village. The scenery is breathtaking. You can walk down a road to Gimmelwald (it's all downhill) and gondola back up. From Murren, you can gondola up to the top of the Schilthorn. The top of the Jungfrau is across the valley. I would suggest that both mountain tops are a must.

A second choice would be to stay in Lauterbrunnen in the valley below. It's more centralized and contains the train station. I highly recommend the Hotel Silberhorn (www.silberhorn.com). Only 7 hotels in Lauterbrunnen and this one is the best. It's not in the RS book as it's a bit more than his price range. It also has the best restaurant. Very private and safe. We have stayed there and it's great.

From Lauterbrunnen, you are 2.5hrs from the Zurich Flughafen (airport) stop by train. The train station is under the airport. We stayed the night at the airport Hilton (on points) and flew out the next morning. They have a shuttle.

Larry,

This sounds absolutely wonderful!!! - Do you have any recommendations where to stay in Murren?

Cherri, check out Hotel Alpina in Murren at www.muerren.ch/alpina They have beautiful rooms with balconies that give you a breathtaking view of the alps. This is a car-free town with lots of cute streets, restaurants and a small grocery store. Have fun!

Yep, I can. CLICK HERE to see the hotels listed by www.tripadvisor.com

Oddly, there are 12 hotels in Murren. I don't see the Hotel Fontana, usually rated #1 (www.chaletfontana.ch) or the Hotel Jungfrau. The Chalet Fontana is probably the least expensive but they have shared bathrooms.

Go to www.muerren.ch and select ACCOMMODATIONS to see pictures of most of these hotels. Expect other experienced Murren travelers to offer their thoughts. You won't go wrong on many of these hotels.

For train tickets, go to www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm. Put Luxembourg in the From: and Murren in the To: Expect to see a gondola and a cog train as the last modes of transportation. If you need more information on these methods of transportation, message back and I'll explain.

Totally agree with Larry. My daughter and I spent 6 nights in Lauterbrunnen and loved every minute. We took days trips from there. It is majestic. We stayed at the Valley Hostel (2nd floor with a balcony)...nothing fancy but very clean and included a kitchen with a dining area.

I would only stay on the 2nd floor as younger travelers stayed on the ground level.

Did the laundry while using the internet.

Lauterbrunnen is great and has a few more services than Murren - stay in Murren if you want solitude.

Here's a fairly good list of places to stay in L'brunnen:

www.lauterbrunnen-tourismus.ch/seite332.htm

"What is the best most scenic route from Luxembourg?"

You should route yourself through Trier, along the Mosel River Valley (to Koblenz) and the Rhine Gorge (Koblenz to Bingen) on your way to Switzerland. This is spectacular territory. I'd suggest you squeeze out some time for Trier (Roman roots) and set up in Cochem for one night. Cochem is a lovely town full of cobblestones and half-timbered buildings and has its own 1,000-year-old castle you can tour, a scenic chairlift ride to an overlook and several other attractions.

Some photos of the Mosel area:

www.mosel-reisefuehrer.de/moselhighengl/moselhighlightsengl.html

Thanks to everyone for their responses - one last question - I think I would like to stay at Lake Geneva area and take a boat across then pick up the train and continue on to the Murren area. Any suggestions?

This is the first time that I do not have the time to pour over all the books and research the "must see" places - so any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!

Gimmenwald was very nice too. My daughter and I stayed at Walter's Hotel and enjoyed a great three course meal. We talked with other guest for four hours! Of course the three bottles of wine (part of the meal) helped the conversation. Walter's is the Hotel Mittehorn in Gimmenwald. Lovely but call ahead if you can and call again the day before you arrive. Walter is 86 and Tim, a transplant from England is helping Walter out. A great host. Joe