switzerland, germany italy?

In what city does your business travel drop you?

Sounds like you are flying in and out of Zurich and that is the hub around which you want to plan 6 days of free time? Is this all happening within the next few weeks? In May the weather can be very changable. If you have blue skies and are into the outdoors, the Berner Oberland is a great choice. As for myself, I'd probably get a rental car and explore the villages of Alsace. Another option is to hop a train for Lugano on the Italian side of the alps. Better chance of good weather down there. Just some ideas. Depends what you are into. (Giving us a hint about what kind of experience you are looking for might help.) Good luck!

We land in Zurich, Switzerland and spend 1 day in Bern, one day in France and two days in Ulm, Germany.

Our travel time is the 3rd week of June. Looking to visit cities/places that are easy to get around in, have beautiful scenery, good food and will whet our appetite for more European travel. We would like to experience traveling by train and a more relaxing vacation. Thanks!

So you have six days to travel, starting in Ulm and ending in Zurich. If you want to keep it relaxed, you could do a nice loop all by train, to Munich, Bavarian Alps (Mittenwald or Garmisch-Partenkirchen), the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and back to Zurich. If your flight is in th eafternoon, you don't need to actually spend a night in Zurich, unless you choose to. The Bavarian alps offer stunning scenery, charming villages, nice walks or hikes, great food and hospitality, and should be very nice in late June. The same with the Bodensee, which is a favored holiday spot for Europeans but little known to Americans. You might ask for recommendations on which village to choose there. If you would rather visit Italy, you would have to make a beeline south, Munich-Innsbruck-Verona. That is 5.5 hours on the direct train (no changes). Verona is lovely and well worth two nights. It will be the start of the opera season so hotel prices will be elevated if there is an opera on that night. From Verona you could easily move to Venice for a couple of nights, or to Lake Garda if you would rather have lake and mountains. From either, to return to Zurich you would take the train to Milan and change there for the direct train to Zurich. Milan to Zurich is 3 hours 41 minutes. Going this way you could spend your last night in Luzern even if your flight is in the morning; it is only a bit over an hour to the airport.

In the region your visiting, I'd definately put Alsace in the mix. Great food, great scenery, cute villages, castles. Its got it all. Strasbourg, Colmar, and surrounding villages.

Thanks for all the great travel suggestions, we will definitely look at these locations and our timeline and plan our memorable trip. Any suggestions for accommodations in any of the cities/areas mentioned? Some small B&Bs or quaint hotels? Thanks for all the help!

In Garmisch-Partenkirchen, you can't turn around without tripping over a guesthouse oozing Bavarian charm. Check out these two: http://www.gasthof-fraundorfer.de/ http://hohe-tannen.de/ Or for something more modern, this: http://www.brunnthaler.de/

Besides the gemütlichkeit charm of Gasthaus Fraundorfer, there's at least one other essential reason to go there- the potato soup (Kartoffelsuppe)! I've heard/read it described as "Bavarian comfort food at it's finest", or "A veritable gustatory orgasm". How can something so simple be so good?

Thomas is very correct in that the weather in Switzerland can change quickly. You just have to bring clothing appropriate for the potential for cold and then warm weather. One thing to note is that the weather is usually more clear in the morning, changing to rain in the afternoon. Unless you are planning to travel to Italy or France (neither country is very far in terms of time and distance), you may want to consider taking the train to Interlaken and on to either Grindelwald or Lauterbrunnen, or both since they are connected through Wengen/Kliene Scheidegg. The scenery, including the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau mountain peaks are outstanding.