My wife and I were just in Switzerland for 11 days and it was the coolest place we've ever been. While we obviously would've preferred a couple more sunny days (it rained 4-5 of the days), we made the most of it. The ability to hike to pristine, beautiful lakes surrounded by 11,000ft mountains was truly spectacular. We made a loop through the country, going Lucerne-Berner Oberland-Zermatt-Montreux with the Swiss Travel Pass. Here is a summary of our trip!
Day 1: Flight into Zurich then train to Lucerne
Weather was off and on rain so we spent the day exploring the city. We ended up at the Lion Monument where they were having a festival with live music, which was a lot of fun. We had dinner at an Italian restaurant - La Baracca, where we encountered our first language gap. We should've noticed the lack of an English translation on the menu, but they did find an employee who was able to assist us. We got a bruschetta, pizza, and desert, all of which were tasty. However, one thing that I'll never fully understand is why Swiss restaurants get upset over sharing a giant 8-slice pizza.
Day 2: Lucerne: Pilatus + Rigi
Sunshine. We went up to Pilatus first thing, which was incredible. We walked to a few lookout points to take in the views and heard our first cowbells. On the way down we stopped to do the toboggan ride which was a blast. I'm apparently a thrill junkie as I caught the person in front of me and had a slow ending. We then got some lunch and hopped on the boat in Lucerne to head to Rigi. Rigi had some spectacular views and we were glad we decided to do both. For dinner we went to Balances. It was raining at this point so we unfortunately couldn't sit on their terrace, but the food was delicious.
Day 3: Train to Berner Oberland
Another day of off and on rain. We hiked from Lauterbrunnen to Trummelbach Falls. The views from inside the valley were incredible. We lucked out and got some sunshine for most of this hike. Trummelbach Falls was a great experience as it was impressive to see just how fierce these falls are. It was raining when we got out so we decided to head back to Wengen where we had some pasta at Da SiNa, which was excellent.
Day 4: Aare Gorge, Grindelwald, Gimmelwald/Murren
Rain and more rain. The Aare Gorge was a last minute decision due to rain. It was neat but pales in comparison to hikes near Lauterbrunnen. We then toured Grindelwald, had some fondue, then went to Gimmelwald/Murren after the rain stopped. The terrace at Pension Gimmelwald was incredible despite the clouds. Great beer, great view.
Day 5: Shynige Platte - First + Kleine Scheidegg - Mannlichen hikes
Sunshine. We weren't sure we were going to have another sunny day so we crammed these into one day. The Schynige Platte - First hike was our favorite experience on the trip. While it was long and strenuous, the views were unmatched. It was also our first time interacting with cows as they approached us on the trail. It was a lot of fun, but man, their tongues are gross! The hike down to Bachalpsee Lake was breathtaking. Definitely the most beautiful spot I've ever been. 30 cows running around, light reflecting off of the pristine water with the alps in the background was truly memorable. These views persisted the entire walk to First, we were mesmerized. After lunch in Grindelwald we headed to Kleine Scheidegg for the walk to Mannlichen. This gave us another amazing view of the alps, though we were spoiled from the First hike.