3 Full days in Switzerland..?

Question

Any comment on the below planning?

Please advise.

Thanks.

Day 1. Lausanne -> Lauterbrunnen

Day 2.Lauterbrunnen -> Jungfrau -> Lauterbrunnen

Day 3.Lucerne -> Zurich

Answer 1

its good...but quite packed.....u wont have any free time to explore on your own which u shud if u go to Switzerland...

i suggest 1 whole day in Lausanne...then nxt day morning to Lauterbrunnen....then next to Luzern/Zurich and full day in Luzern or Zurich

Answer 2

for a "whirlwind" tour of Switzerland (which i generally caution against, though it admittedly has advantages), yours is not bad.  it's very do-able in terms of traveling time and distance.  your first day transit from Lausanne to Lauterbrunnen can be filled with short stops along the way; for ex, Montreux (for the Chateau de Chillon), Gstaad (if you just wanted to see a famous resort frequented by many important historical figures and current celebrities alike -- otherwise, Gstaad is not that much different from any other charming Swiss town), Thun (for the 3-4 castles in the area, a nice altstadt, friendly people, a chance to see the "real" Switzerland).  the stops can be done in a few hours, perhaps 2hr for Montreux, 1hr for Gstaad, 3hr (plus maybe dinner) in Thun, so if you left Lausanne in the morning, you can still be in Lauterbrunnen by 8 or 9pm (and would have seen a multitude of fascinating places in that short 10-12hr period).

a single train ticket from Lausanne to Lauterbrunnen will allow you to hop off and on at leisure; there is no extra charge for not taking the trip all at once (though you have to use the ticket within the day, of course).  i think buying tickets separately to connect each of the destinations actually tends to be more expensive.

day 2 is fine, though be cautious of bad weather.  the tourist office and train stations have access to mountain top webcams and forecasts (your hotel room TV also does) and can advise whether it's worthwhile taking the long train ride up.  don't go in bad weather; it's too expensive to get to the top and only see cloud.  in case of cloudy weather, there's other things to do like Trummelbachfaelle, hiking (though i'm more partial to hiking in Murren or Wengen), biking rentals, etc.  Grindelwald's First station has a deliriously fun Trottibike hire that's quite worthwhile (though getting from Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald is 1 to 1.5hrs, and may not be worth it if you're only there for 1 day).

day 3 will depend on what you want to do.  most people probably like Luzern better, for its more scenic views and historic atmosphere, and you may choose to spend more time here than Zurich.  i tend to prefer Zurich, because i think there is more to do within the city (but that's a personal preference).  Frommers has guides for both cities, with a walking tour guide complete with map, that will take you around the highlights and most important sights.  it's a good option if you're not sure where to start, and you can always linger (e.g., go to a museum that looks interesting) if you wish.  both of these walking tours can be completed in about 2 hours.  the guides are available at frommers.com for free.