Switzerland 10-Day Itinerary

Day 1

LUCERNE

Land at Zurich Flughafen

1 hour train from ZURICH to LUZERN

Visit Old Town, Kapellbrucke, Spreuer Bridge, Zytturm, Franziskanerplatz and Hofkirche

Climb Mannliturn Tower

Lunch at Wirtshaus Taube

Mountain Ice cream

Nadelwehr

Lakeside Promenade- watch swans

Dinner at Fondue House Du Pont

Stay at: The Bed + Breakfast

Day 2

INTERLAKEN

Breakfast at The Bed + Breakfast

1 hour 50 minute train from LUZERN to INTERLAKEN OST

Walk around Interlaken/explore

Funky Chocolate Club Chocolate Class

Harderbahn up to Harder Kulm- Live folklore show

Dinner at Fondue Villa & Garden

Stay at: Airbnb city romantic loft INTERLAKEN

Day 3

BRIENZ BRB

24 minute train from INTERLAKEN OST to BRIENZ BRB

Train from BRIENZ to AARESCHLUCHT OST

Aare Gorge

Lunch at Bistro Rothorn

BrienzRothornBahn scenic train- view better from left-door side

Explore Brienz

Dinner at Café Walz

Stay at: B&B Brienz

Day 4

GRINDELWALD

42 minute train from BRIENZ BRB to GRINDELWALD

Explore day, walk around after early train

Lunch at Backerei

Luftseilbahn Grindelwald Pfingstegg – Toboggan run

Hike down top of Pfingstegg to Gletscherschlucht (Glacier Canyon Grindelwald)

Dinner at Hotel Steinbock

Day 5
GRINDELWALD

Breakfast at Backerei

0800 Grindelwald First- Adventure Package 2 activities

Cliff Walk

First Flieger (activity 1)

Mountain Carts (activity 2)

Eat at Berggasthaus First Restaurant

First-Bachalpsee hike

Paragliding Grindelwald First Panoramic- meeting point at top of Grindelwald First

Dinner at Hotel Alpenblick

Day 6

GRINDELWALD

Jungfraujoch 06:45-13:47 (To get to Jungfraujoch: Ride Eiger Express gondola to Eiger Glacier station from Grindelwald Terminal. Change to Jungfrau Train at the Eiger Glacier station and travel via the Eiger and Monch to Jungfrau)

Ice Palace, Explore, Jungfrau Plateau, snow tubing, sledding

Dinner at Clubhaus

Stay at: Hotel Alpenblick

Day 7

LAUTERBRUNNEN

Breakfast at Backerei

37 minute train from GRINDELWALD to LAUTERBRUNNEN

Lauterbrunnen Valley, explore

Staubbach Falls

Cable car + train to Murren

Snacks at Coop Supermarket

Cable car to Gimmelwald

Honesty Shop, Beer at Schwarz Monch, Mountain Hostel

Walked to multiple Hofladens (self- ervice vendors with farmers local cheese, sausage, milk, fruitcake, etc. need cash)

Dinner at Hotel Oberland

Stay at: Airbnb Jules Schmitte

Day 8

ZERMATT

2 hour 50 minute train from LAUTERBRUNNEN to ZERMATT

Brunch at Fuchs Backerei

Explore

Funicular to Sunnegga, then gondola to Blauherd to get to trailhead

5 Lakes Hike 6.1 miles

Ate street food

Day 9

ZERMATT

Lunch at Chez Vrony (take Sunnegga Express to Sunnegga station and then hike down 30 minutes the trail towards the valley in the direction of Findeln)

Dinner at Fuchs Backerei

Dessert at Stephanies Creperie

Stay at: Airbnb- Studio in the heart of Zermatt

Day 10

ZURICH

Train from ZERMATT to ZURICH 3 hours 20 minutes

Breakfast on train

Lindt Chocolate Museum Tour

Lake Zurich

Alstadt (Old Town)

Climbed Grossmunster

Dinner at Zeughauskeller

Stay at: Ruby Mimi Hotel & Bar

Day 11

ZURICH

Flight home

Other notable destinations/activities to consider:

-Appenzell, Aescher

-Adelboden

-Mt Pilatus

-Oeschinensee

-Kandersteg

-Gelmerbahn

Must bring items:

-Thermal water bottle, 1 per person

-Switzerland travel adapter plug

-Franks

-Neck pillow (my saving grace!!)

-Eye cover

-AirPod to plane bluetooth connector for movies (no more painful airplane supplied headphones)

-Sunscreen

-Sunglasses

-Clothes for all weather, waterproof

-backpack

Tips:

-There are beautiful drinking fountains everywhere to fill up your water bottle with cold water, so no need to purchase any water when in Switzerland.

-I highly recommend eating meals at either a bakery, supermarket, or food that you can grab and walk with. Food is very expensive in Switzerland, mostly when it is a “sit-down” meal. Grabbing snacks to keep in our backpacks and have throughout the day was a life saver.

-Must download the SBB app for transportation. It is very easy to use and makes getting around much easier. We purchased the Swiss Half Fare Card which gave us 50% off of every mode of transportation (bus, cable car, funicular, train, etc.). Certain train rides at certain times are also considered Super Saver tickets which were much cheaper than non-super saver tickets. This helped us save a good amount of money.

-Most transportation uses the honor system. They will not scan your ticket when getting on a train, but be prepared to potentially show your ticket and passport when an employee comes and asks you mid ride.

-Be aware that some hotels may provide visitor passes which include free local transportation. For example, our hotel in Grindelwald supplied us with a pass that allowed us to use three bus lines for free.

-Be aware that busses are not running 24/7. Some busses stop operating at 1800.

-Your accommodation may have shared bathrooms (most of ours did). This is a great way to save money if this isn’t a problem for you. I recommend bringing flip flops for this.

-At the end of August the weather app said it was 60 degrees, however 60 degrees in Switzerland felt like 100 degrees in Georgia, USA. This is from the elevation so beware of this.

-If you have a credit card with no international fees, it can be super helpful to avoid extra costs for conversion. Either way, you should pay for stuff in CHF instead of USD so you do not get hit twice for conversion.

-Not everyone speaks English, be sure to be able to speak a few sentences.

-Minus the hotel we stayed at in Zurich, our accommodations did not have air conditioning. VERY HOT.

-Be sure to plan where you will store your luggage. Luggage storage at the train stations are very small (only about 10-15 small lockers) and they were not big enough for our carry on suitcases. We reached out to each accommodation prior and requested luggage storage. Thankfully they were able to store our luggage. If you cannot find anywhere to store your luggage, I recommend downloading the Bounce Luggage Storage app.

-I recommend waking up early to avoid large crowds of people. We picked the earliest time slot to get to Jungfraujoch and we were able to have the Ice Caves all to ourselves in the morning which was great.

-Bring layers for Jungfraujoch as it is very cold and windy.

-The activities at Grindelwald First open at 1000. Be ready to be at your desired activity when they open because if they sell out, you will not be able to do your activity.

-I recommend watching the live webcams on Jungfrau.ch before visiting. You will be able to see exactly what the weather and visibility is like.

-Most restaurants and shops in Zurich are closed on Sunday as this is a day of rest.

My Personal Ranking:

1. Grindelwald

2. Gimmelwald

3. Brienz

4. Zermatt

5. Interlaken

6. Lucerne

7. Lauterbrunnen

8. Zurich

Our favorite traditional Swiss dishes: