My husband and I traveled to Switzerland in October and spent 3 amazing weeks touring this fabulous country. We went in October because it’s not as busy and the weather was excellent. We traveled by train (the Swiss Rail Pass) and I highly recommend it, however learn their system first and once you do it is very easy.
Zurich our first stop which we used as a way to acclimate the higher altitude - I highly recommend. Zurich is rich in culture and a great place to explore. I would recommend staying at the Hotel Bristol (a Rick Steve’s recommendation) it is close to everything including the train station. Great breakfast but the rooms are small as are most in Switzerland. For a good fondue eat at Adlers Swiss Church Restaurant and for good sausage and beer try the Zeughausteller but get reservations first, it is very popular.
Next, we took the train to Pontresina in the Upper Engadine area (southwest Switzerland). We stayed at Hotel Muller a nice quiet hotel with a great breakfast. In beautiful Pontresina we hiked Muottas Muragl which is a nice easy and beautiful hike high in the mountains and had lunch on St. Moritz which I recommend. This area is a bit more touristy but the hiking is great.
Next stop was Menaggio, Italy on Lake Como. We took a train and then a ferry to this quiet little village. We just loved this side trip to Italy and stayed a couple of days. One of our favorite restaurants of the trip was Osteria il Pozzo a small very authentic Italian place with wonderful food.
From Menaggio we took the train to Zermatt home of the Matterhorn. This was our longest day changing trains several times but the scenery was unforgettable. I highly recommend staying at the Brunnmatt Holiday Apartments. We had a large apartment with a balcony that looked out over the Matterhorn. The cost was no higher than staying at a hotel. Zermatt is a bit touristy but not crowded and the hiking and beauty of the alps was well worth the time we spent there. .
Zermatt to Lausanne another beautiful train ride. A fun city with lots of places to walk along Lake Geneva. We stayed at another Rick Steve’s recommendation the Hotel Elite. A nice room with a balcony that looked out over Lake Geneva. We took a boat ride on Lake Geneva to the Chateau de Chillon which was worth the trip along the shores of Lake Geneva. Our choice of restaurant was another Rick Steve’s choices Café du Vieil-Ouchy quaint and excellent food.
From Lausanne we took the Golden Pass Scenic Rail to Interlaken. We stayed at Hotel Edelweiss in Wegen which is up the mountain via train/cogwheel, no cars allowed! A wonderful little village with our room looking out over the alps. Wegen was probably our favorite place because it is in the Berner Oberland region and the charm of this majestic area is unbeatable. We did a lot of easy hiking and spent a wonderful day taking the cable car from Lauterbrunnen up to Murren where we ate lunch looking out over the alps and then a walk to Gimmelwald past cows with bells and beautiful green hills with mountains in the background. It was magical. This is an area I recommend spending more than 3 days which we did and we still didn’t get enough of this place.
From Wegen we went to Luzern where we spent a couple days but could probably spend more time exploring this charming city. Great place to walk, take a boat ride, eat and drink beer.
Our last stop was Basel and we fell in love with this old but interesting city that has much to offer. We spent one day at the ATP Men’s Professional Tennis Tournament but we also found it to be a fun city to explore our last few days in Switzerland. We stayed at Hotel Spalentor right next to the entrance of Old Town another excellent hotel.
There is so much to love about Switzerland and it's magical beauty, it's yummy chocolate and cheese, good wine and beer and wonderful people. I could easily write another page full about this amazing country.