Where to stay Switzerland ?

When? What do you want to do while you are there.

Matt, Our country certainly is very small and you could easily get to most places and back from Bern. However we could probably come up with better advice if we knew what you are interested in seeing and when you are likely to be here. Best Regards, Jim.

Sorry. We were planning to be there the first two weeks in July. Our interests (in no particular order) nature, hiking, biking, wine, music, history, and of course food.

Hi Matt, Many may disagree but we spent 3 very enjoyable nights in Pontresina, Switzerland in October. It's a beautiful 4-hour train ride from Zurich - tucked in the southeast corner near St. Moritz and not so far from Italy. The best thing we liked about it was the hiking (and also biking) options - there are easily accessible trails within walking distance of the town. We stayed at Hotel Engadinerhof and purchased the half-board option for the evening meal. The food was really good and served in a large dining hall. The hotel provides a complimentary rail pass for the Engadine region so you can easily explore, hike, and hop on the train when you get tired. The pass also includes lifts to hiking trails or for sightseeing at the higher elevations. Pontresina is not centrally located - Bern or Interlaken would also be fine options.

(Part 1) Hi Matt, OK, if you are visiting in July, then you'll have good long days, so you should be able to fit a lot in. A couple of suggestions: - Take an early morning train to Montreux and do the Golden Pass Route to Lucerne. It is possible to eat lunch on the train, but I don't think it is good value, so I'd suggest picking up a picnic to eat on board at the station in Bern. Alternatively, if you want to break the train journey up you could get off at Zweisimmen, have lunch in the restaurant across the road from the station and pick up a later train afterwards to get you to Lucerne. Given the time of the year, you should have plenty of light for a wander around the old of Lucerne, before catching a train back to Bern.

(Part 2) - As the Golden Pass day is a long one, I would suggest an easy day the next day, so use it to check out Bern - wander around the old town, see the munster and the rose gardens. If you are interested, visit the Post museum or the alpine museum. And perhaps go up the Gurten. - Another possible trip would be to Grindelwald and from there go up the Jungfraujoch. If that does not grab you then you could instead go on to Kleine Scheidegg and return to Bern via Wengen. - Another idea would be to take a trip up to Murren, which is very popular with people on this forum. - If you want to do a bit of hiking, you might consider a stroll in the Ementhal and visit a cheese factory or two... Best Regards, Jim