So as the title suggests I'm here looking for some help, suggestions and past experiences for a very special 10th Anniversary trip to Switzerland later this year (Oct. 2019). First time for us, and only second time traveling to Europe in general (AMS was our first in 2010) so mass transit, logistics and Swiss destination experts will be GREATLY appreciated.
Things have started off pretty good so far, as I was able to snag direct flights in Swiss Business Class for my wife and I, booked with United miles from JFK to GVA, and returning ZRH to JFK. I redeemed 280K miles for the flights which are currently pricing out at about $5800!
As with all reward travel, piecing together a solid set of flights, non-stop AND in business class is not usually an easy task for anything besides last minute travel, and it took a few hours of trial, error and calendar surfing for sure!
Now onto the next challenge....an itinerary to make the best of our 8-nights in a foreign land.
So to start, I've put in more than a few hours (probably pushing 12+) reading comments, itineraries, travel blogs and watching YouTube videos of attractions while compiling our own "must-see" Swiss list. We are leaning towards a diverse cross-county experience full of mountain adventures, quaint Swiss villages, castles, lakes and culture, while trying to eliminate excessive train travel, route backtracking, typical tourist traps or out of the way sights (like Chamonix via Geneva
). I'm also starting to favor an extended base in Zermatt over splitting our time between Zermatt and the Jungfraujoch region.... because, well.... if you are going to see mountains go big or go home right?
:-: Draft Base/Train Itinerary:
- First Day: Arrive Geneva (GVA) Airport (~9am) - Stay 1-Night in Geneva to relax, explore the city, museums, and Lake Geneva area.
- Base 1: Depart Geneva for Montreux - Stay 2-Nights - Explore with day trips to the Chateau de Chillon, Castle of Gruyeres, La Maison du Gruyere, Maison Cailler Chocolaterie
- Base 2: Depart Montreux for Zermatt - Stay 3-Nights - Explore the village with day trips to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise and Mt. Gornergrat (extra buffer time in case of bad weather)
- Base 3: Depart Zermatt for Lucerne (via partial Golden Pass Line) - Stay 2-Nights - Explore with day trips to Mount Pilatus OR Mt Rigi, Chapel Bridge, Swiss Museum of Transport, Lake Lucerne area.
- Last Day: Depart Lucerne for Zurich (ZRH) Airport early AM (~1pm flight back home).
:-: Current Itinerary Questions:- Is it worth giving up the first night in Geneva for an extra one in another base listed or on the way?
- Should the Montreux/Zermatt "home base" order be switched to accommodate a full Golden Pass trip from Montreux to Lucerne or not missing much?
- Any "Must-See" Swiss sights that would help round out our trip?
- How am I doing? I feel like I'm getting somewhere...just not sure if it's good or bad yet, but I'm kinda OCD so this will continue for some time I'm sure haha
Always open to comments/suggestions..... Thank You all in advance! ^