Having had such an incredible time on this trip, I decided to put together a little post on my Switzerland Travel Itinerary. From glittering blue green lakes, hauntingly beautiful Swiss alps and unlimited picture perfect villages, Switzerland is officially one of my favourite destinations in Europe. Having lived in Geneva before, I knew no amount of time would be enough to truly fully explore the country. There is so much to see and you are in awe at every corner. With the limited four days that we had, we tried to make the absolute best of it and I would call it a success!
4 Day Switzerland Travel Itinerary
Stein am Rhine – Thun
Thun – Bern
Bern – Interlaken
Interaken – Lauterbrunnen – Grindelwald
Grindelwald – Lucerne
Lucerne – Weggis
Weggis – Zurich
Driving to Stein on Rhine and Rhine Falls
We began our trip by landing in Zurich and had already pre booked a car rental. Our flight got in first thing Friday morning and we got out of Zurich city and headed a little north towards Schauffhausen in search of Rhine Falls. These falls are known for being the largest one in Europe and I love water body attraction. Always something so calming and soothing about reveling in the nature. Needless to say I was super excited! It was truly such a cool experience getting so close to the falls that it feels like it is literally coming right at you!
Next, we headed to Stein on Rhine which is another picturesque town and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Spent some time walking around, grabbed some lunch and coffee and then took the route down to Thun via Lucerne. This is a longer route, but much much more scenic than through Bern and absolutely stunning! We drove for a couple of hours, making coffee stops along the way till we got to Bern, which is where we spent our first night.
Starting the day in Bern
Our second day started off in Bern, where we walked around the Historic City Center, grabbed chocolate heavy breakfast and then headed towards our next and most exciting destination without which no Switzerland Travel Itinerary would be complete: Interlaken and Harderkulm.
Going up Harderkulm, Top of Interlaken
Initially, Google Maps showed us a super complicated way of actually driving up to the top of the mountain but as we got closer, we found that the path was closed off. We decided to park our car in the main station lot and take the Funicular up, and voila! Within minutes we were at the top, gasping and marvelling at the most unreal views we had ever seen.
Hiking down Harderkulm
After the obligatory photoshoot (we are super touristy obviously), we decided to hike down. We were told initially that the hike was marked, safe to do and would take around 1.5 hours in total. Again, I would HIGHLY recommend doing this if you have time (and big no no to kids doing this cuz its hella steep). You get to do it on your own pace, witness even more views at every corner and get some crazy good fresh air in. It’s a steep incline and fairly rocky, so sturdier shoes are a massive plus.
Exploring Lauterbrunnen
We started driving towards Grindelwald where we were planning to stay for our second night. On the way, we stopped and did a little more hiking near Trummelbach Falls and Lauterbrunnen. There are the quaintest little towns in the region. You can walk along multiple trails and explore waterfalls and even drink fresh glacier water! It’s ice cold and delicious.
An Overnight Stay in Grindelwald
We had the coolest view from our accommodation in Grindelwald since we were pretty high up on the mountain in the village. It was almost dark when we got to the top but it was very much clear weather in general. The next day…we woke up to what seemed to be a mini snow storm! Everything was covered in snow; it was so beautiful and stunning! We got to have a gorgeous foggy view of the alps while we had breakfast before continuing on to Lucerne that day.
A Day in Lucerne
On the third day, we drove from Grindelwald to Lucern where we spent the rest of the day relaxing and drinking hot chocolate. We had actually booked a hotel in Weggis which is small picturesque town, just a 20 minute drive from the city of Lucern. After two days of hiking and exploring, it was the perfect time to unwind and just take the views in.
The best time to visit Switzerland
The best time to visit Switzerland is in the shoulder months of April – June or September – December. We ended up visiting in May which was absolutely perfect. It was just before the beginning of heavy tourist season, so we got very lucky with relatively inexpensive accommodations, amazing weather and got to experience the more popular destinations of Lauterbrunnen and Lucerne relatively peaceful.
Switzerland Travel Vlog
Switzerland Travel Tips
- Official Currency: Swiss Francs. This is usually 1 USD = 0.94 CHF
- Languages Spoken: German, French and English
- Power plugs: Type J and the standard voltage in Switzerland is 230 V. An international converter should serve you well!
- Driving: Left hand side drive (just like North America and most of Europe).
This trip is definitely THE best trip we have taken through Europe to date (see my travels across Europe on the blog here). Hopefully my Switzerland travel itinerary can help you out as you plan your next holiday in the country! I could not recommend it enough and should be on everyone’s bucket list!
