Ten days in Switzerland

This is a brief suggestion for an itinerary to spend ten to twelve days in Switzerland during Spring – May specifically.

Regular trains run between all of the places suggested here unless otherwise indicated. For more detailed transport information visit the SBB website.

  • Day One - Geneva / Lausanne
    Arrive in Geneva and take the train to Lausanne. Relax for the rest of the day.
  • Day Two - Lausanne
    Lausanne is on the banks of Lake Geneva which provides great oppurtunities for a stroll or boat trip on the Lake.
    The Cathedral Notre Dame is widely regarded as Switzerlands finest Gothic building. Construction commenced in the 12th century.
    Take dinner at Les Brasseurs - a popular brew-pub. Their own-brew beers are excellent. They've got a good selection of food with good portion sizes.
  • Day Three – Lausanne / Montreux
  • Day Four – Lausanne / La Gruyeres / Moleson
    Trains to La Gruyeres from Lausanne involve a bit of a jiggery-pokery so you need to check with SBB for the timetable.
  • Day Five – Lausanne / Berne
    On my last visit to Berne, I stayed at the Best Western Hotel Bären which I found to be quite adequate.
    The Old-Town has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1983.
    Berne played host to a young Albert Einstein during in Annus Mirabilis of 1905 during which he wrote the Special Theory of Relativity. You can visit Einsteins house in Kramgasse.
    Whilst in Berne, I recommend that you take dinner in Der Klötzlikeller which dates from the first half of the 17th Century.
  • Day Six – Berne
    Spend the day exploring Bern. The Münster at Bern is a masterpiece of Gothic and neo-Gothic architecture. Berne also has several museums to explore as well as it's bear pits. Beyond the bear pits are Bern's Rose Gardens which afford excellent views of the Old Town.
    En route back, stop in Altes Tramdepot (Old Tramdepot) for luncheon. The Tramdepot does Swiss-style food as well as brewing their own beer. The Märzen beer is excellent.
  • Day Seven – Berne / Solothurn
    Take a day-trip to Solothurn.
    Solothurn is widely regarded as Switzerlands finest Baroque town. The main sights are the Cathedral, Jesuit Church and towers of the Old Town fortifications.
  • Day Eight – Berne / Zürich
    Leave Berne for Zürich.
    I've put a few comments on Zürich hotels here.
    Whilst in Zürich, I can recommend that you take an evening meal in the Zeughauskeller which is close to Bahnhofstrasse and does an excellent line in Swiss sausages from various regions.
  • Day Nine – Zürich
    Spend the day in Zürich. Be sure to visit Grossmünster which is the symbol of Zürich.
    St Peters Church boats the largest clock face in Europe measuring 8.7 meters in diameter and dates from 1534.
  • Day Ten – Zürich / Rapperswil / Einsiedeln
    Take a morning (10ish) boat ride from Burkliplatz to the medieval town of Rapperswil at the other end of Lake Zürich. In Rapperswil, visit the Castle, small deer park and Rose Gardens before taking lunch at the waterfront.
    From Rapperswil take the train to Einsiedeln to visit the Benedictine Monastery. While the town of Einsiedeln itself is unremarkable, the facade of the High-Baroque Monastery is 150 meters wide and the interior is as oppulent as many other Baroque buildings outside of Switzerland.
    En route back to Zürich, you will probably need to change trains in Wädenswil – if so, I suggest you take supper at the Wadi-Brau Huus a brew-pub which produces several of it's own beers. My personal favorite is the Dunkel although the Helles beer is also excellent and a Hempf beer is also available.

Assumptions

I have assumed that flights will arrive in Geneva and depart in Zürich.

This tour is, therefore, possible

  • with an open-jaw ticket.
  • arriving and departing from the same city as regular trains run between both cities and regular trains to airports are available from the other cities main train station. Visit the SBB website for more details.
  • to reverse – it is doable arriving Zurich and departing from Zürich

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