Eight Day
Tour of Switzerland
Day One: Zurich
The first day in a foreign country is pretty critical- you're excited and ready to explore, but you've also had a long day of traveling and don't want to feel exhausted the rest of the trip because you over did it on the first day. We kept this in mind while planning our first day in Zurich.
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Walk around old town (altstadt)
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This day spa is really unique because it used to be a distillery. There are several different pools for you to enjoy, including a pool that overlooks the city
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Admission Price: 36 CHF
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There isn't a lot of traffic in this area so the spa may be a little difficult to find at first
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We also had a hard time finding food options in this area, so I would recommend eating closer in the city. However, we did find a cool restaurant in a hotel near the spa. The restaurant was in a stunning library.
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Enjoy the City
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Lindenhof
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Grossmunster Tower
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Day Two: Bern
Bern is a UNESCO world heritage sight, and easily my favorite city in Switzerland. There is no way to describe how charming this city is- you'll have to see it to believe it.
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Train from Zurich to Bern (about 1 hour)
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Check into hostel/ hotel. We booked a hostel in Bern through hostelworld
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Float down the Aare River & enjoy the community pool
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Walk around the city & enjoy all of its history
Day Three: Bern Continued
I could have wandered down the city's canals for weeks! During our second day in Bern we continued to explore some of the city's most popular sights, including:
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Chocolate shops!
Day Four: Grindelwald
After spending a few days in the city, it's time to venture to the most popular attraction in Switzerland- the Alps! There are plenty of villages in the Alps that are worth staying in, and you'll definitely want to check out as many of these villages as possible! Prior to this trip, I spent five days in Interlaken so there are more suggestions for the Swiss Alps under that itinerary page, including: canyoning, Harderklum, Hohematte Park, etc.
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Train from Bern to Grindelwald (about 1 hour and 40 minutes)
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The Interlaken/ Grindelwald area is very expensive, but hostels have some discounts for train & gondola rides- don't forget about these coupons! To cut down on expense we also loaded up on groceries in the supermarket and packed food for our hikes. Hostels usually have a small kitchen area where you're allowed to store food & cook
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Gondola ride up to First, Grindelwald
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Scenic Views
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Hike to the Lake
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Option: Gondola up to first & zip-ling (half-way) down, then gondola the rest of the way
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Dinner in town/ walk around the shops
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There was a festival our first night in Grindelwald so we joined those festivities in the evening!
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Day Five: Grindelwald
We spent our second day in Grindelwald hiking & enjoying the views from the sky!
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- About a 2 hour hike
- You really can't go wrong with any of the hikes in the Swiss Alps, so pick whatever fits your hiking abilities
- This hike was perfect for us because it didn't take too long, which gave us plenty of time to get to our next excursion
- Paragliding Over the Alps
Day Six: Interlaken & Lucerne
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We chose to do another short hike in the morning. However, as mentioned in my other Switzerland itinerary, there are plenty of things to do in the Interlaken area.
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After the hike, we headed down to Lake Thun in Interlaken
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Rent kayaks
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Kayak to the small castle (short walk from the lake)
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Lunch near the lake
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Train to Lucerne (about 2 hours)
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Check in/ grab dinner/ roam the city
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Day Seven: Lucerne
Explore the city:
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Chapel Bridge
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Lake Lucerne
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Cathedral
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Pilatus Tower (outside of the city)
Day Eight: Travel home
After checkout, we took the train back to Zurich (about 1 hour). However, if you have an early flight, you may want to train to Zurich the night prior to your flight.
