2 Week Switzerland Itinerary: First-Time Visitors Ultimate Highlights

Traveled in May 2019

This 2 week Switzerland itinerary is the perfect introduction to the jaw-dropping beauty of Switzerland. For our first trip to Switzerland, we wanted to see a little bit of everything – glittering lakes, majestic alps, and charming towns – so that we could decide where we wanted to spend more time on future trips. This 2 week Switzerland itinerary hits all the main tourist highlights, including Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen, Zermatt, Lausanne and Montreux, and Bern. While we encountered some unexpected winter weather on this summer trip, the natural beauty convinced us that Switzerland is definitely a repeat destination. Follow along for all the details to make this dream 2 week highlights of Switzerland itinerary a reality!

This is a long post. I’ve included all the nitty-gritty logistical details I researched to make the trip as smooth as possible. You can use the table of contents to skip ahead to the itinerary. Or keep reading for all the details you need to plan your trip from start to finish, and save yourself the research time!

2 Week Switzerland Itinerary

When to Go

This 2 week Switzerland itinerary is built for summer in Switzerland, which runs from roughly June to September. This is when most of the snow in the mountains has melted so all of the mountain trains and lifts are running and the hiking trails are open. We did this trip in the beginning of June assuming it would be the start of the summer season. However, it happened to be an unusually long winter that year, and it was still snowing even in the valleys. Some of the mountain trains were not running yet and many of the hiking trails were covered in snow. So we had to adjust skip some hikes and be flexible with our mountain excursions to adapt to the weather. On our second trip to Switzerland with our toddler, we traveled in the beginning of August and everything was open.

Going to Switzerland during the peak summer season guarantees better weather, but it also means more crowds and higher prices. We did not find it to be too crowded in early June or early August. We were even able to get seats easily on all of the mountain trains and lifts without too long of a wait. However, if I were go to again I would probably choose mid to late August. The temperatures might be a bit cooler and more bearable with less crowds. It may also be a more affordable time to go as the prices for flights and hotels seemed lower.

How to Get There

The largest international airport in Switzerland is located in Zurich (airport code ZRH). The airport is only an 11 minute train ride from the Zurich city center. The train station is connected to the airport so it is extremely easy to zip into town after you arrive. There are also airports in Geneva, Basel, and Bern, but these are smaller airports that usually require connecting flights.

Switzerland is not part of the European Union, but is part of the Schengen Area. A visa is not required if traveling from the United States, but you do need a passport with an expiration date at least 6 months after your planned departure.

Booking tip: certain flight searches like Kayak, Skyscanner, or Google flights allow you to set price trackers that will alert you when the price of your flight changes. I never book a flight without tracking prices first because there is no better feeling than snagging a good deal! And if you book your flights with a travel credit card like the Chase Sapphire card, the card usually includes some travel insurance protections (like lost luggage reimbursements, trip delay reimbursements, or trip cancellation insurance) to save you the cost of buying extra travel insurance.

Bonus Booking tip: sign your kiddo up for frequent flyer accounts with airlines to start earning airline miles for them! Most airline miles do not expire for minors so your kiddo will thank you later.

Where to Stay

For this 2 week Switzerland itinerary, we stayed 2 nights in Lucerne, 3 nights in Lauterbrunnen, 2 nights in Zermatt, 2 nights in Lausanne, 2 nights in Bern, and 1 night in Zurich. We loved our recommended places to stay in Switzerland – most of them have kitchens and were in perfect locations for sightseeing.

In Zermatt, we loved the Hotel Daniela. It has a perfect location near the river and Old Town. The rooms were so cozy and had a nice balcony overlooking the town. We appreciated that breakfast is included with the stay. You also get free entry to the amazing spa in Hotel Daniela and the spa in their sister hotel, Tradition Julen Hotel. When we visited, we had the relaxing spa all to ourselves. We also enjoyed the restaurant at the Tradition Julen Hotel so much that we went for dinner both nights we were in Zermatt. My husband says the Swiss wines they recommended to complement the meal were the best he has had.

In Bern, we really enjoyed our stay at the Hotel Savoy. It had a super convenient location just down the street from the train station, and right in the Old Town. All the sights were very walkable from the hotel. The room itself was spacious and modern.

How to Get Around

Part of the fun of traveling around Switzerland is riding all of the public transportation. While you can rent a car and do a road trip, you really don’t need to. You can get to everywhere on this 2 week Switzerland itinerary on the train. These are easy, comfortable train rides with minimal train changes and maximal views.

The Swiss Travel Pass gives you unlimited travel on trains, buses, and boats within Switzerland, covers some mountain excursions and gives at least 25% discount on the other mountain excursions, and gives discounts to museums. For this trip, we purchased the 15 day Swiss Travel Pass and really maximized the benefits by taking advantage of the included museum entrances and throwing in extra day trips. You could also get by with an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass if you plan on staying close to Bern for the end of the trip.

For more practical details on how to use the Swiss Travel Pass and pro tips for how to maximize savings, check out our complete guide to the Swiss Travel Pass.

Show Me the Money

The currency in Switzerland is the Swiss Franc (CHF). Remember, Switzerland is not a part of the European Union so they use their own currency. Credit cards are widely accepted in the tourist areas, and we did this entire trip without withdrawing any cash. Just make sure that you are using a credit card with no foreign transaction fees. We use the Chase Sapphire Reserve card.

When paying with credit card, it offers you the option of paying in CHF or USD. Always choose to pay in CHF for a better exchange rate! Get cash from ATMs after you arrive in the country for the best exchange rate. Some ATMs will give you a choice of withdrawal amount in USD or in the local currency – again, always select the local currency for the best exchange rate.

I do have to mention that Switzerland is expensive. It doesn’t help that the CHF is usually pretty strong, so the exchange rate is not in our favor either. A typical meal (like a burger and fries) will cost 25-30 CHF and most restaurants charge for tap water. Needless to say, food costs can add up quickly if eating out. (Pro tip: One waiter told me that if you order drinks, then they will not charge you for tap water. So make sure to order drinks before asking for tap water.) Supermarkets are great for grabbing breakfast foods and picnic lunch supplies to help cut down on costs. And most of the accommodations we recommend have kitchens, so you could cook dinner to save on costs as well.

Other than food costs, the other big cost will be transportation. But if you have the Swiss Travel Pass, most of the transportation costs will already be covered. Since the majority of the activities are just taking different modes of transportation to enjoy nature, you won’t be spending a lot extra on entrance fees or tours.

Saving tip: to avoid ATM fees (from the foreign bank and your bank), look for a checking account that offers ATM fee reimbursements. I can personally recommend the Schwab investors checking account and the Betterment checking account for this purpose.

How to Stay Connected

If you have an unlocked phone, then you can either purchase a prepaid sim card or you can use an e-sim. The e-sim is the cheapest way to get international cell phone data. We had a great experience using Airalo to purchase an e-sim on our trip to Canada and it worked seamlessly again. The downside is that you only have data and no phone service when using Airalo e-sims, so it’s a good option if you don’t anticipate needing to make phone calls. The Airalo website has great tutorials and I also watched this Youtube video for more installation tips. We usually start the installation process at home to load the e-sim into our phones, and then once we land at our destination we turn off our US e-sim and turn on the international e-sim.

You can choose an Airalo e-sim for Switzerland or one that covers all of Europe. If planning on doing the side trip to Colmar, go for the e-sim that covers all of Europe since you will need coverage in both Switzerland and France.

If you prefer to be able to make phone calls as well, buy a prepaid sim card at the Swisscom store in the train station connected to the Zurich airport.

2 Week Switzerland Itinerary at a Glance

Day	Activity	Sleep In
1	Arrive in Zurich Train to Lucerne (1 hr)	Lucerne
2	Day trip to Mt. Rigi Explore Lucerne	Lucerne
3	Day trip to Mt. Pilatus Train to Lauterbrunnen (2 hrs) Dinner in Wengen	Lauterbrunnen
4	Lauterbrunnen Valley Hike Trummelbach Falls Lake Brienz Cruise	Lauterbrunnen
5	Schilthorn Murren-Gimmelwald Hike	Lauterbrunnen
6	Train to Zermatt (3 hrs) Gornergrat	Zermatt
7	Explore Zermatt	Zermatt
8	Train to Lausanne (3 hrs) Explore Lausanne Lausanne chocolate shopping	Lausanne
9	Day trip to Montreux (25 min) Chateau de Chillon Montreux Lakeside Promenade	Lausanne
10	Train to Bern (1 hr) Explore Bern	Bern
11	Day trip to Thun (40 min) Oberhofen Castle St. Beatus Caves	Bern
12	Train to Zurich (1.5 hrs) Explore Zurich	near Zurich airport
13	Fly home

Day 1: Train to Lucerne

After landing at Zurich airport, follow the signs to the train station, located across from the airport. Catch a train directly to Lucerne (1 hr). We started our Swiss Travel Pass on this day since we had a 15 day pass, but if you get an 8 day pass I would hold off until you start doing mountain excursions.

We arrived in the evening so spent our first day in Switzerland just wandering around the Old Town of Lucerne, soaking up the atmosphere and admiring the building facades.

For dinner ideas, bookmark our guide on where to eat in Switzerland (these are kid-friendly restaurants but still taste amazing for adults!).

Day 2: Mt. Rigi and Old Town

Mt. Rigi

The trip from Lucerne to Mount Rigi is completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass, so I would definitely do this mountain excursion to maximize the pass. The views on the way up and at the summit overlooking the lakes are breathtaking. However, none of the mountain excursions are worthwhile if you don’t have clear skies, so you do have to be somewhat flexible about which day you go. You can check the conditions at the top of Mt. Rigi on their live cam. Save Mt. Pilatus for the clearer day since you have to pay for it.

At the summit of Mount Rigi we enjoyed the views from the viewing platform. There are also many hikes to choose from adapted for all levels of fitness. Because it was somewhat overcast when we visited on this trip, we skipped the hikes at the top of the summit. But even if it is overcast at the summit, I would recommend traveling down via Rigi Kaltbad-First if you have time. Sometimes it is less cloudy midway down the mountain and the Felsenwegg cliff walk hike is simply stunning.

How to get there: we did the “Classic Round Trip” to Mt. Rigi from Lucerne, which is the slower but more scenic way to see Mt. Rigi that includes a boat ride. The total trip there takes about 1.5 hours. Click the links for all the timetables.

• Ferry from Lucerne to Vitznau (1 hr): The ferry docks are located across from the train station in Lucerne. The ferry to Vitznau usually departs from Pier 1.
• Cogwheel train from Vitznau to Rigi Kulm (30 min): The cogwheel train station is across the street from the ferry dock in Vitznau. The cogwheel trains are usually timed to depart shortly after the ferries arrive. Ride the cogwheel train all the way to the summit station (Rigi Kulm).
• On the way down, for our favorite hike in the area, I highly recommend making a stop at Rigi Kaltbad-First. The short but scenic Felsenwegg cliff walk hike was one of our favorites in Switzerland. To get there, take the cogwheel train from Rigi Kulm to Rigi Kaltbad-First (15 min) and follow the signs to Felsenwegg. Check our Switzerland with a toddler post for detailed instructions on how to reach the cliff walk. After the cliff walk, head back to Rigi Kaltbad-First to find the cable car station, and take the cable car down to Weggis. In Weggis, follow the signs down to the harbor to catch the boat back in the direction of Lucerne.
• Or if you prefer to skip the hike, a more direct way back to Lucerne is via Arth-Goldau. Take the cogwheel train from Rigi Kulm to Arth-Goldau (40 min). At Arth-Goldau, transfer to the train (the train station is next to the cogwheel station). Take the train back to Luzern Bahnhoff (35 min).

Cost: completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass

Lucerne Old Town

We spent the afternoon exploring the main sights in Lucerne. We like to meander on our own and take our time taking photos. To make the most of your time, you can also book a guided walking tour with a local guide for more insight and a local’s point of view.

Chapel Bridge

Back in Lucerne, the Chapel Bridge is the iconic landmark of the city. Although there are a couple bridges that span the river, this wooden covered bridge is the most charming and the quintessential photo spot in Lucerne.

Lion Monument

The Lion Monument in Lucerne is a powerful sculpture carved into a rock, honoring the Swiss Guards who lost their lives during the French Revolution. It’s a beautiful and peaceful spot, tucked in a quiet park.

Musegg Wall

The Musegg Wall in Lucerne is a medieval fortress that dates back to the 14th century. This well-preserved fortress stretches over 800 meters, with some towers you can climb for awesome views of the city and mountains. We’re not exactly history buffs, but we do enjoy viewpoints overlooking cities and the views from these walls did not disappoint. Best of all, it’s free!

Day 3: Mt. Pilatus and Train to Lauterbrunnen

Mt. Pilatus

Mount Pilatus is one of the mountain excursions that requires an additional fee even with the Swiss Travel Pass. On a clear day, the views of the surrounding lakes from the summit are stunning. You can check the conditions up top on their live camera. There is an observation deck at the summit, and you can hike up 5-10 minutes to two viewpoints for more amazing views. You can also walk through the Dragon Path, a path along the side of the mountain that passes through caves with panoramic vistas of the surrounding Alps and Lucerne below. When we visited there were locals playing alphorn music from the observation deck. Listening to the soothing tones of the alphorn while taking in the views below was the perfect Swiss Alps experience.

How to get there: from Luzern Bahnhoff take the train to Alpnachstad (22 min ride). Switch to the Mount Pilatus cogwheel train (timetable here) for a 30 min ride up to the summit on the steepest cogwheel train in the world. For the best views, try to snag a downhill facing seat with your left shoulder against the window.

Coming down from the summit, take the gondola from the summit to Frakmuntegg. At Frakmuntegg, switch to the cable car (or get off here if you want to do a ropes course or toboggan run). The cable car takes you down to Krienseregg and then on the Kriens. After exiting the Kriens cable car station, turn right (past the bus stop in front of the cable car station) and follow the blue and white signs for Luzern bus Nr. 1. Walk downhill for about 10 minutes until you see the bus stop for bus #1 to take you back to Luzern.

Cost: the Swiss Travel Pass covers the train ride from Luzern to Alpnachstad on the way to Mt. Pilatus, and the bus from Kriens to Luzern on the way back. The cogwheel train from Alpnachstad to the summit, and the gondola and cable cars from the summit to Kriens require an additional fee (book online here), though there is a 50% discount with the Swiss Travel Pass. You can also pay extra to reserve a seat on the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad to the summit. This is recommended during peak season because you may have a long wait without one.

Train to Lauterbrunnen

Take an afternoon train from Luzern Bahnhoff to Lauterbrunnen Bahnhoff (2.5 hrs, with a transfer in Interlaken Ost). The train from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen is one of the most popular scenic train rides in Switzerland. In Switzerland, even the transportation is an activity in and of itself!

Dinner in Wengen

One of the best ways to fully appreciate in the “Valley of 72 Waterfalls” is to see it from above. Wengen is located just above Lauterbrunnen, perched on a plateau on the mountainside. We headed up to Wengen just before sunset to catch that magic hour light before dinner. We went to the restaurant at the Hotel Berghaus, which specializes in fish from Swiss lakes.

How to get there: from Lauterbrunnen Bahnhoff, take the cogwheel train up to Wengen (12 minutes). Sit on the right side for the best views. Make sure to check the train schedule on the SBB app so you don’t miss the last train back down to Lauterbrunnen! The train ride is completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.

Day 4: Trummelbach Falls and Lake Brienz

This was one of those days where our itinerary for the day went out the window because the weather had different plans. We woke up to a full on snow day in Lauterbrunnen in JUNE. Because of the snow, we postponed Schilthorn and did activities in the valley instead. We really appreciated our Swiss Travel Pass this day because we could change our plans on the fly without having to spend a lot more money since the cruise is included with the Pass.

On a sunny day, if you would rather do some hiking instead, I highly recommend the Mannlichen Panorama Hike to Kleine Scheidegg and a visit to Fallbodensee near Kleine Scheidegg (described in our Switzerland with a toddler itinerary). Fallbodensee is a beautiful manmade lake with a lovely little footbath in an idyllic setting – one of my favorite last-minute addition activities of that trip!

Lauterbrunnen Valley Hike

We started the morning doing the Lauterbrunnen Valley Hike. This very easy hike is more of a walk along the floor of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. It starts from the town of Lauterbrunnen, taking the path on the right that goes past Staubbach Falls and continues on a paved path all the way to the Schilthornbahn cable car station, passing many waterfalls along the way. The path passes many family-owned farms so you’ll hear the music of the cowbells as you walk. Keep an eye out for the cheese vending machine! You can walk as far as you like – we walked about 45 minutes until we reached Trummelbach Falls.

Trummelbach Falls

Trummelbach Falls is a very unique opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at how a powerful waterfall reshapes a mountain. There is an elevator that takes you to the top of the waterfall, then you hike down through a series of caves connected by stairways. Make sure you have grippy shoes for this because it gets pretty slippery. I got a little vertigo looking down the waterfall, and some of the caves can be a little claustrophobic, but if you like waterfalls it is definitely an awesome sight.

How to get there: we walked for 45 minutes along the Lauterbrunnen Valley Hike there, and then took Postbus #141 back to the town center. You can also take Postbus #141 there from the city center if you don’t want to walk.

Cost: the Postbus is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass, but you do have to pay an entrance fee for Trummelbach Falls.

Lake Brienz Cruise

Lake Brienz is one of the lakes that borders Interlaken. On a nice day, the lake glitters a stunning turquoise blue. On a snowy day, like when we visited, the mountain views surrounding the lake are still nice, but the lake itself is a little less impressive. However, since it is completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass, I still think it was a worthwhile activity since we had extra time. Brienz is known for its wood carvings, so we popped into some of the stores to look for handmade souvenirs.

There is also a cruise on Lake Thun, but we ended up exploring Thun later in the trip.

How to get there: from Lauterbrunnen Bahnhoff take the train to Interlaken Ost (25 min). The Lake Brienz boat docks are behind the Ost train station. The cruise to Brienz takes 1.25 hrs. From Brienz, you can take the train back to Lauterbrunnen via a transfer at Interlaken Ost (1 hr).

Cost: completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.

Day 5: Schilthorn

Schilthorn

The Schilthorn with its James Bond themed Piz Gloria station at the summit is one of the iconic scenic rides in the Alps. On a clear day, the view of the Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau mountains lined up across the valley is truly impressive. You can check the conditions at the summit on their live cam. We were not sure if we would see anything since it was somewhat cloudy on the valley floor the day we visited, but on the ride up, we ascended above the clouds and the views opened up. We were able to enjoy the spectacular views of the peaks like we were floating on top of the clouds.

After getting our fill of the views outside, we ate at the rotating restaurant inside the Piz Gloria station. The food was pretty mediocre and expensive, so the experience is really just for the views and not the food. I also got a little dizzy. So personally, I would skip the rotating restaurant if going again.

Because this is one of the iconic peaks in the region, it can get super crowded during peak season. That is one of the reasons why it is helpful to stay in Lauterbrunnen, so you can get an early start up the mountain before the tour groups arrive.

The Jungfraujoch is another of the iconic peaks in the region and is at a higher altitude. We chose to skip it because it is much more expensive, and the weather was iffy so we were not sure if we would be able to see anything.

How to get there: From Lauterbrunnen, we took the cable car to Grutschalp (Grutschalp cable car station is across the street from the Lauterbrunnen train station). Then took the train from Grutschalp to Murren (there is a flat and easy hiking trail along the train tracks with amazing views of the alps that we were planning on doing rather than taking the train, but it was too snowy to hike). The Murren train station is on the opposite side of town from the Murren cable car station, so we walked through the town of Murren and took the cable car up to Birg and then the summit.

Another route up to the summit is to take Postbus #141 to the Stechelberg cable car station to take the cable car all the way up to the summit. The ride up to the summit requires 3 changes and takes about 35 minutes total: at Gimmelwald (5 min), Murren (5 min), and Birg. We took this route on the way down.

Cost: the Swiss Travel Pass covers all transportation up to Murren. From Murren up to the summit, there is a 50% discount on the fare with the Swiss Travel Pass. You can buy tickets for the Murren-Schilthorn segment online. There is an option to reserve specific lift departure times online for an additional fee, which might be a good idea during peak season.

Murren-Gimmelwald Hike

Because our initial hiking plans to hike between Grutschalp and Murren were scrapped because of the snow, we did a paved hike from Murren down to Gimmelwald instead on the descent from Schilthorn. From Schilthorn, we took the cable car down to Birg, and then to Murren. In Murren, we got off and followed the “Gimmelwald” signs. The entire hike is paved and downhill, with panoramic alpine views across the valley. There are Swiss mountain farmers all along the route, and we stumbled upon an honor system farm stand with local goods for sale.

After wandering through the traditional farming village of Gimmelwald, we took the cable car down to Stechelberg and walked back to Lauterbrunnen. If you want to skip the walk, then take Postbus #141 back to Lauterbrunnen.

Day 6: Train to Zermatt and Gornergrat

Train to Zermatt

The trip from Lauterbrunnen to Zermatt takes about 3 hours total and requires 3 train transfers. It’s a long ride, with more train transfers than we would normally choose, but it was worth it to see the iconic Matterhorn.

Gornergrat

The Gornergrat is sandwiched between the Matterhorn and the Rothorn and has spectacular views of the Matterhorn. We were initially planning on visiting Gornergrat the day after arriving in Zermatt, but because the weather was better the day we arrived we visited that day instead. You can check conditions at the summit through their live cams. Timetables are available on the website.

How to get there: the Gornergrat train station is across the street from Zermatt train station. The Gornergrat cogwheel train up to the summit takes about 30 minutes. Sit on the right side on the way up for Matterhorn views. On the way down, we hiked from the summit down to the Riffelberg station to get a taste of mountain hiking with Matterhorn views since the Riffelsee lake trail was closed due to snow.

Cost: the Swiss Travel Pass offers a 50% discount on tickets from Zermatt to Gornergrat. Tickets can be purchased online, just be sure to select “Swiss Travel Pass” under the “Price Category” before searching.

Riffelsee Lake Trail from Rotenboden to the Riffelberg

The Riffelsee lake trail goes from Rotenboden station, passes Riffelsee lake, and ends at Riffelberg station. It’s a mostly downhill hike that takes about 1.5 hours. The highlight is Riffelsee lake, which is perfectly positioned so that you can catch the reflection of the Matterhorn on the lake’s surface. We were really looking forward to this hike, but unfortunately it was still closed because of snow. It usually opens in late June. We still did the hike through the snow, and were rewarded some amazing views of the Matterhorn without the crowds.

How to get there: take the train from Gornergrat station down to Rotenboden station. At Rotenboden station, look for the Riffelseeweg trail (#21) marked on the signposts. For a more scenic hike, make sure to take the left (downhill) path when you get to a fork in the road (marked as “35 minutes to Riffelberg”). Continue following the signs to Riffelberg until you get to Riffelberg station. From Riffelberg station, you can take the train back down to Zermatt.

Day 7: Explore Zermatt and Stellisee

Zermatt is delightfully car-free, except for the occasional electric car. While most people come to Zermatt for the Alps, if you visit on a cloudy day the town of Zermatt itself is also very charming to walk around.

Hinterdorf Quarter

The Hinterdorf Quarter is an area of Zermatt that is filled with traditional wooden buildings, and gives you a glimpse into what old Zermatt used to look like.

Walk along the Matter Vispa River

For a picture perfect view of the Matterhorn, head to the Church Bridge over the Matter Vispa River. After getting our fill of the Matterhorn views, we also really enjoyed the walk along the paved path that runs next to the river.

Matterhorn Museum

The Matterhorn Museum showcases the history of Zermatt and the Matterhorn, chronicling Zermatt’s growth as it became a mountaineering destination. I don’t know that I would pay for this, but we visited because it is covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. It was an interesting indoor activity for a cloudy day. You will find it under the glass dome across from the Catholic church in the center of Zermatt.

Rothorn and Stellisee Hike

Of the three mountains in the Zermatt area, the Rothorn offers the most classic view of the Matterhorn, and you can even catch that view from the first station up the Rothorn at Sunnegga. We were hoping to do the hike from the next station up, Blauherd, to the Stellisee lake, but it was still closed due to snow when we visited. The hike to Stellisee is a mostly flat 1 hour hike. If you’re looking for the dramatic Matterhorn photo with a lake in the foreground, then Stellisee is where it’s at. Although you can continue up to the summit of Rothorn, the views from the summit are not that much more impressive than from Sunnegga or Blauherd, so if you want to cut costs then I would skip the ticket to the summit.

How to get there: the Sunnegga-Rothorn funicular is across the river from the Zermatt train station. Take the funicular from Zermatt to Sunnegga (5 min), then take a gondola ride from Sunnegga to Blauherd (5 min). To get to the trail from Blauherd station, head towards the heart-shaped photo-op cutout on the ridge. Look for the path along the ridge marked “5-Seenweg and Murmelweg”. The upper path is more scenic.

Cost: the Swiss Travel Pass gets you a 50% discount on the tickets to the trip up the Rothorn. There may be discounted tickets in the afternoons. Tickets available online here.

Day 8: Train to Lausanne

Train to Lausanne

The train from Zermatt to Lausanne takes 3 hours, but only requires 1 transfer. Lausanne and Montreux are part of the French-speaking part of Switzerland, so there is a different vibe. While this Switzerland trip has been mostly mountains and lakes and more rustic and outdoorsy so far, this next leg of the trip feels more posh and resort-y. We enjoyed getting a taste of all the different sides of Switzerland!

Lausanne Cathedral

Whenever we head to a new city, we are drawn towards viewpoints like moths to a flame. Lausanne’s grand viewpoint is from the terrace in front of the Lausanne Cathedral. Lausanne is very hilly, and the Cathedral is at the top of the hill, so from the terrace you can see the town and the lake laid out beneath you. On a clear day, you might even be able to see all the way to the French Alps. For an even higher perspective, you can pay a small fee to climb the church tower (beware that it is over 200 steps).

Lausanne Promenade

Lausanne’s waterfront, known as the Ouchy district, has a nicely paved promenade where you can walk along the lake. It makes for a nice, relaxing stroll. We walked from the portion in front of the Ouchy-Olympique Metro stop towards the Olympic Museum, but you could also keep walking all the way to the next town.

Olympic Museum

The Olympic Museum has fun, some interactive, exhibits that celebrate the history of the Olympic games. We’re not huge Olympics enthusiasts, but we still found the exhibits entertaining. The Olympic Museum is free with the Swiss Travel Pass, so it is a good way to maximize the pass.

Lausanne Chocolate Trail

Our self-curated Lausanne chocolate trail came together when unexpected rain changed our plans. Switzerland is known for its chocolate. Lausanne is home to many artisanal chocolate shops with absolutely mouthwatering chocolate. We made a quest of finding the best artisanal chocolate shops and exclusive supermarket chocolates available only in Switzerland.

Day 9: Day Trip to Montreux

Montreux is a lakeside resort town surrounded by the Swiss Alps, which makes for a very picturesque day trip with breathtaking scenery.

Train to Montreux

The train from Lausanne station to Montreux station takes about 20 minutes. However, since we were visiting Chateau de Chillon first, we took the train directly to the train station closest to Chateau de Chillon.

Chateau de Chillon

The Chateau de Chillon is a medieval castle perched on the edge of Lake Geneva, just outside Montreux. It is a beautifully preserved castle in the most picturesque lakeside setting. I love wandering through castles and historic residences, and this castle did not disappoint. Unlike some other castles, there is actually a lot of interesting things to see inside the castle, so there is plenty to admire both within the castle walls and outside on the ramparts. After leaving the castle, if you walk about 5 minutes beyond the castle along the lake, you will get to the boat dock where you can get great pictures of the castle in the lake. On the other side of the castle, there is a small beach where you can get photos of the castle from a different angle.

How to get there: from the Montreux train station, take the S5 regional train to Veytaux-Chillon station (30 min). The train station is a 5 minute walk along the lake to the castle. To return to Montreux from Chateau de Chillon, take bus #201, in the direction of Vevey. You can also walk from Chateau de Chillon to Montreux along the lakefront, which takes about 45 minutes.

Cost: completely covered by the Swiss Travel Pass.

Montreux Lakeside Promenade

The lakeside promenade stretches across the entire shoreline of the lake in Montreux. It’s a very pleasant stroll, passing by parks and modern sculptures along with lake views. And if you need a snack, there are plenty of creperies and ice cream stands along the way. We walked part of the lakeside promenade on the way back from Chateau de Chillon – we just got off the bus as we entered Montreux and enjoyed a nice walk along the promenade all the way back to the train station.

Lavaux Terraced Vineyards Hike

The Lavaux wine country is just outside Montreux. Even if you don’t go for wine tastings, the terraced vineyards in this area make for an easy and scenic hike. We walked the section from Chexbres to St. Saphorin, which is an easy downhill 30 minute hike with amazing views of the vineyards and the lake.

How to get there: take the train from Montreux station to Chexbres-Village station, via a transfer in Vevey (20 min). From Chexbres, walk down to St. Saphorin. The train from St. Saphorin back to Lausanne takes 25 minutes.

Day 10: Train to Bern

Train to Bern

The direct train from Lausanne to Bern takes about 1 hr 15 min.

Bern, the capital of Switzerland, has a charming old town with arcaded passageways, making it a delight to explore. After the fast paced travel of this trip, we were happy to have a relaxing day just wandering around the old town as a rest day.

Clock Tower

The Zytglogge clock tower in Bern is one of the city’s landmarks. It is famous for its astronomical clock, which has a mechanical show just before the top of every hour. If you like cuckoo clocks or music boxes, then you’ll love watching this little show.

Viewpoints

Bern is an amazingly picturesque city. The many viewpoints dotted around the city offer pretty views of the city with the river running through it. We particularly loved the views from the Minster Terrace (Munsterplattform) and the Kirchenfeld Bridge.

Bear Park

The bear is the symbol of Bern, and they even have some bears living in the city! The Bear Park located on a terraced hillside in the city is home to three bears. It does seem like the bears have plenty of space to roam and the city has made efforts to ensure a good living environment for them.

Rose Garden

The Rose Garden is the best viewpoint for watching the sunset in Bern. It’s a pretty park with nice benches (one of which has an Albert Einstein statue, if you ever wanted to take a photo with him), a restaurant, and a kids’ play area.

Day 11: Day Trip to Thun

We wanted to fully maximize the cost of the Swiss Travel Pass. So rather than exploring around Bern, we spent our last full day in Switzerland taking another day trip, this time to Thun. Another option is the take a day trip to Basel, with it’s many museums and art scene.

This day trip to Thun was a spontaneous decision, and was surprisingly one of the most scenic days of the trip. It is for spontaneous decisions like this that I appreciate the flexibility of having the Swiss Travel Pass.

Train to Thun

The direct train from Bern to Thun takes 30-40 minutes.

Thun Castle

Thun Castle is in the center of Thun. The interior if the castle has museum exhibits about the culture of the region. When we visited, there was some kind of re-enactment happening with locals dressed up in period costumes. From the turrets of the castle, you have panoramic views of the sparkling lake, the Alps, and the city of Thun.

Cost: completely covered with the Swiss Travel Pass.

Oberhofen Castle

The Oberhofen Castle is a castle right on the lake with beautifully manicured gardens. I feel like it’s slightly off the beaten path, especially when compared to Chateau de Chillon. When we visited, there were hardly any other visitors at the castle, so we could almost imagine we were staying at the castle all by ourselves.

How to get there: take bus #21 towards Interlaken Ost, and get off at the Oberhofen Dorf stop (15 min). The castle is about a 3 minute walk from the bus stop.

Cost: completely covered with the Swiss Travel Pass.

St. Beatus Caves

The St. Beatus Caves were hands down the highlight of this day. The zig-zagging bridges connecting over the waterfalls along the cliff face are picture perfect and truly unique – I’ve never seen another structure like this built around a flowing waterfall rushing down a cliff. We arrived too late to actually go inside the caves, but even just walking around the waterfalls in front of the caves was an experience to remember.

How to get there: take bus #21 again towards Interlaken Ost, and get off at the Beatushohlen stop (20 min). The caves are just across the street from the bus stop.

Cost: walking up the bridges next to the waterfall is free, but you do have to pay to enter the cave. No discounts with the Swiss Travel Pass. Ticket prices available here.

To return to Bern, take bus #21 back the way you came towards Thun Bahnhof, and take the train from Thun back to Bern (1.5 hrs total).

Day 12: Train to Zurich

Train to Zurich

The direct train from Bern to Zurich HB takes about 1 hour. The train ride from Bern to the Zurich airport (Zurich Flughafen station) requires at least 1 transfer depending on the route, and takes about 1 hr 40 min.

Zurich Old Town

The old town of Zurich is right next to the train station, so it is very convenient for a quick visit. We were able to hit the highlights of the Old Town in a couple hours.

Day 13: Fly Home