Switzerland: Itinerary
ABOUT
In July 2023 we traveled to Switzerland, rented a car and drove across the country over the course of one week with overnights in four prioritized locations (full route here).
Best times to visit Switzerland depend on whether you want to hike/swim in the summer or ski in the winter. Switzerland is split between French and German influence, so the architecture/language changes pending which portion you’re in.
If we had more time on this trip I would add:
Valle Verzasca to swim in river: Popular swimming spot is Lavertezzo.
Luzern-Interlaken Express Train: Gorgeous views the whole way.
St.Mortiz: Would go in the winter to ski.
Day 1: GenEva To Lausanne
Fly into Geneva
Pick up rental car
Driving Notes: Smaller cars are easier for parking and small mountain roads. Ensure to choose automatic transmission. The left lane is ONLY for passing. Speed limits are electronically enforced everywhere. Your car will beep every time you go over the speed limit and tickets will be sent later. You can get away with 5-10 kilometers per hour over, but beyond that you will be ticketed.
Drive to Lausanne (~50min)
Hike through the lakeside vineyards. We did this in the Puidoux/Chexbres/Rivas areas.
Cocktails at Le Deck Bar Terasse
Stay the night in Lausanne (we specifically stayed in Lutry at a friend’s house)
Day 2: Lausanne to Zermatt
Morning swim in Lake Geneva
Lunch in downtown Lutry
Ice cream at Glaces Veneta, walk down Grand-Rue to see historic French buildings
Drive to Zermatt (~2hrs)
There are no cars allowed in Zermatt. You park at the parking garage in Täsch and take the train up to Zermatt. You don’t need to buy tickets ahead of time and the train arrives frequently.
Dinner in Zermatt
There are not a lot of dining options in Zermatt. We sought out Swiss food as much as possible, so went to Restaurant Pinte at Hotel Pollux for the fondue.
Stay the night in Zermatt at Hotel Helvetia
The cheapest available hotel we could find. Our room only had space for the beds. The location is on the main drag Bahnhofstrasse. For fancier options: Grand Hotel Zermatterhof and The Omnia
Day 3: Zermatt
Free Breakfast at hotel
At 9am every morning they heard the Zermatt Blackneck goats from their barn up to the mountains to graze. They walk along the main drag (Bahnhofstrasse) wearing bells- it’s a fun procession to watch.
Grab to-go lunches at the Coop Supermarkt
Hike and see the Matterhorn
Take the Sunegga-Rothorn tram/funicular up to the top of Sunegga.
Hike the 5 Lakes walk. More info here. Stop at the third lake, Grünsee, for lunch and swimming (pending water levels).
Try to find the blacknose sheep- they are adorable and roam the mountains in the summer.
After the final lake, Leisee, instead of heading back to the tram/funicular, we hiked down to Zermatt. If you’re comfortable with the milage, would highly recommend this route as the views of the Matterhorn were incredible.
Dinner at Restaurant Du Pont for more fondue and raclette. Followed by gelato at Gelato Italiano.
Stay the night in Zermatt at Hotel Helvetia
Day 4: Zermatt to Berner Oberland
Free Breakfast at hotel
Quick hike to Furi (town neighboring Zermatt)
Depart for Berner Oberland ie., the Bernese Highlands.
This area is the alpine region on the northern side of the Bernese Alps. It’s home to many cute and quintessential Swiss towns.
Stop 1: Interlaken (~2hrs 30mins)
Interlaken is where Lake Thun and Lake Brienz meet. It's known as the adventure capital and popular for skydiving, bungee jumping etc. We did not spend much time here, as it can be slightly more touristy.
Note that on this drive you must take a car train through the Lötschberg Tunnel which cost ~30 francs. You park your car in a single file line of 50+ cars on a platform train. Then the train hurdles through mountain tunnel for 20 minutes. It’s an unsettling sensation.
Stop 2: Lauterbrunne (~30mins)
Village famous for it’s picturesque waterfalls- Staubbach waterfall in particular. It can be pretty touristy, there is a massive parking lot for visitors and paved paths to see all the falls.
Stop 3: Wengen
This is a car-less village. You must park at Stechelberg LSMS and take the Gondola. However we were unable to do this as it started thunder storming.
Stop 4: Grindelwald (~22mins)
This ski town has stunning views of multiple glaciers and is much larger/more dramatic than Zermatt. It has plenty of food options, so we took a break from swiss cuisine and ate at Golden India.
Stay the night in Grindelwald at First Lodge
Would recommend this budget hotel, it’s right next to the First Mountain Gondola and has spacious rooms.
Day 5: GrindeLWald
Free Breakfast at hotel
Hike to Bachalpsee Lake
Take the First Mountain Gondola up to the top of the mountain. Then hike ~2 miles to the lake, there is clear signage everywhere.
You can take the Gondola back down, but we got off mid-mountain at Bort, and walked to town (~2.5 miles). Would highly recommend stopping at Bort for the views of the Grindelwald valley and glaciers.
The alternative activity we considered was Jungfrau Joch.
This excursion involves taking the Eiger Express Gondola up to Kleine Scheidegg then taking a train to Jungfrau Joch- the saddle between the mountains Jungfrau and Monch. This is the highest railway in Europe, and highest peak in Europe.
Dinner in town at Hirschen for more fondue and raclette.
Stay the night in Grindelwald at First Lodge
Day 6: GrindElwald to LAke Lucerne
Free Breakfast at Hotel and depart for Lake Lucerne
Stop 1: Brienz
This town borders Lake Brienz. There are various public parking lots and you can walk along the lake via the Brienzer Uferweg trail. It’s a gorgeous lake with ample swimming opportunities.
Stop 2: Lake Lungern
We didn’t stop here (only noticed it as we were driving by) but I’ve added it to the itinerary because it looked so stunning.
Stop 3: Lucerne
Lucerne is the most populated city in central Switzerland and is known for preserved architecture from the middle ages. We walked down the famous Kapellbrücke/Chapel Bridge, that was built in 1333 and connects the old town with the right bank.
Stop 4: Vitznau
For the last two nights of the trip, we stayed at the Park Hotel Vitznau which requires a 2 night minimum stay. This was one of the most beautiful hotel properties I’ve ever seen. Two days here is enough time as the only available food is from the hotel’s restaurants, and the main activities are swimming and the spa.
Stay the night in Vitznau at Park Hotel Vitznau
Day 7: LAKE LUCERNE
Spend the day at the hotel swimming, reading and relaxing
Stay the night in Vitznau at Park Hotel Vitznau
Day 8: Zurich
Drive from Vitznau to Zurich (~50mins)
Return Rental Car
Fly Home