Switzerland by the end of May

Switzerland is generally pretty wheel-chair friendly. Most trains, both regional and inter-city, will have at least one car designated for wheelchairs, with platform-level boarding or, in a few cases, a ramp. You may have to ask a station agent for the ramp. Here is iinfo from the SBB website: http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/passengers-with-a-handicap/wheelchair-walking-impaired.html I suggest that rather than using a "hub" you fly into Zurich and out from Geneva. You can visit the places you mention in this order: Zurich, Interlaken, Zermatt, Sion, Montreux, Geneva. You can even take a lakeboat partway from Montreux to Geneva if you wish (the boat from Ontreux only goes as far as Morges and you could train from there.) Children under 16 ride free on Swiss trains with a Family Card if one parent has any type of Swiss pass, Saver pass or half-Fare card. There may be other discounts applicable to your dad as a wheelchair traveler. There is good information on the Swiss rail passes on this website in the Railpass section.

We did a similar trip some years back, also in May. We flew from NY to Zurich and then did; Zurich (2 nights), Lucerne (2 nights), Bernese Oberland (stayed in Murren, 4 nights), Zermatt (3 nights), Montreux, (1 night), Geneva (2 nights). We had much more time than you did, so we then drove into France, where we spent another week. With the time you have, I'd suggest skipping Zermatt. We LOVED it (got Spring skiing in!), but with less time, I'd eliminate the potential redundency with the Bernese Oberland (in other words, pick ONE Alpine region; the Bernese Oberland, which will give you that quintessential Swiss mountain expereience we all seek). I'd also suggest NOT staying in Interlaken; Interlaken is more of a gateway to the alps, but there are FAR prettier places to stay, such as Murren, Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen. Bottom line, with so many people on this trip and somewhat limited time (and someone in a wheelchair), I, personally, would suggest as little "running around" as possible; jumping from city to city is easy if you're just a couple, small family, etc., but logistically, just more involved when you have 12 people. Hope this input helps a little! Good luck w/ the trip planning. A big family trip; love it! Have a blast.

Thanks to both of you. Lawrance, if u dont mind share the hotel information. which hotels did u stay at? and how was the weather by the end of may?

Imran, it's quite difficult to determine the impact of the weather at the end of May. We were there at the very end of May in 2007. In our planning, we chose to stay in Lauterbrunnen because the RS and other travel books indicated that there could be snow at the higher levels. Also, villages such as Murren are just coming back online from their "shoulder season" which is when they close and transition to summer from the ski season. What we found was the complete opposite. The weather was beautiful and clear and Murren, at 5,200', was completely clear of snow. There weren't too many people yet in Murren but it was open, warm and we had lunch outside. We walked the back road from Murren to Gimmelwald and we had to stop every 50' feet or so to admire the unbelievable wildflowers. As a final plus, it's the time of the year when the farmers walk their cows, with their melodic Swiss cow bells up to the higher pastures. Each of the mornings we were there, we had cows and bells walking pas the front of our hotel (Hotel Silberhorn). Still, it would have been nice to stay in Murren but we were scared away. All of that wonderful stuff being said, there is no guarantee on the weather or the snow conditions at the higher level. Our experience was great. As for hotels, I believe that the Hotel Fontana in Murren does have a large family setup. They are not expensive either relative to other hotels in the area.

Hi Imran; Larry is spot-on. May CAN be a tough month in which to gauge/anticipate the weather in Switzerland. In fact, when we went there, we orriginally DIDN'T want to go in May b/c we had heard from many that the weather could be "iffy." So we planned our trip for the summer. But then we had work/work travel conflicts in the summer, as well as in the fall, and mid/lateMay/early June was the only time we could go, so that's when we went. And we TOTALLY lucked out! Weather was great! Cool, yet pleasent, sunny, etc. I recall wearing jeans, light fleece, etc. on most days (of course, we had heavier clothing for excuriions such as the Jungfraujock and Schilthorn). It rained ONE day the entire trip (in Zermatt), but we had enjoyed such good weather for most of the trip, that we could not complain. As for hotels, I don't recall the names off-hand other than the one in Zermatt (Hotel Romantica; we liked it. Small, clean, homey, good location and pretty reasonable, especially for Zermatt, which is a VERY expensive place!), but will try to check and get back to you soon.

One thing that would be great for your dad is "wheelchair hiking." There are extensive bicycle routes in Switzerland, many of which are paved. You can go to the MySwizerland website and inquire more about what areas might be suitable for him. Also, Rick Steves is wrong about Geneva being boring - it's a really great city and so close to places like Montreux, the Alps and the Jura mountains.

As others have pointed out, May weather can be iffy in the mountains. You could get lucky, or it could be completely cloudy, rainy and muddy the entire time. Late May should at least put you outside the shoulder season.