Where you’ll travel in Switzerland depends on the reason you’re travelling there. You could easily spend a week skiing or snowboarding in Zermatt or St Moritz (if you could afford it) but you could also travel from one end to the other in a couple of weeks. Here’s a few ideas to help you plan your trip to Switzerland.
Switzerland in 2-3 days
For a relaxing break on Europe’s largest freshwater lake, fly into Geneva but don’t spend too long exploring this city. Catch a train to Lausanne and visit Vevey, Montreux and the Chåteau de Chillon.
If you’d prefer a city break, fly to Zürich and catch one of the frequent trains to Lucerne (1 hour) or Interlaken (2hr15), if you’re into extreme sports.
In 7-9 days
You can trip across the country in just more than a week. Start in Geneva and stay overnight, walk along Lake Geneva and lose yourself in the city’s Old Town. Take a train to Lausanne and stay for a night or two depending on how much you want to travel around the region (Montreux is just 20mins away on the train).
If you are keen to see Switzerland’s capital head north to Bern — its gorgeous medieval town centre is a Unesco World Heritage Site. Consider a stop in Thün (pronounced ‘toon’) — a small town with a beautiful castle — on your way from Bern to Interlaken.
If you are keen for some adventure, skip Bern and head straight to Interlaken for some extreme sport and high-altitude adventures in the Jungfrau region.
Stop for two nights in Lucerne before heading to Zurich, where there’s little to do, before flying out.
Two weeks +
If you’ve got more time to travel in Switzerland book your place on one of the country’s famous rail journeys. The Golden Pass Express runs from Lucerne to Montreux and the Glacier Express runs from Zermatt to St Moritz — but the Brig to Zermatt leg of the journey is the most spectacular.
Make time for some winter sports action in Zermatt — a gorgeous car-free ski resort near the border with Italy.
