Grand Tour of Switzerland

Tanya@SwissFamilyFun - (swissfamilyfun)
Itinerary created by
Tanya@SwissFamilyFun
What you’ll do

This itinerary spends a few days in each of the most popular regions of Switzerland: Lucerne, Jungfrau Region, Bernese Oberland, Zermatt, and Zurich.

I've included our favorite activities in each location. I include options for different kinds of travelers: hikers, families, and non-hikers.

You can find more ideas on the interactive map and the longer itineraries for the specific locations. I've also included links to my website for more ideas.

Some days include a lot of activities. If you want a more relaxed pace, spread the activities over multiple days.

Customizing the itinerary

For a sampler tour, I suggest spending 2-3 days in each region. So if you have 4-7 days, I would choose just two regions.

Travel Pass

For this type of trip, visiting many destinations, it's best to get the Swiss Travel Pass, which covers public transportation for the whole trip and discounts on mountain excursions.

If you want a more relaxed pace, better to spend 4-6 days in a region. In this case, you may benefit from getting a local travel pass (like the Tell Pass or Berner Oberland Pass) instead of the Swiss Travel Pass.

If you have lots of questions or need help choosing what to do, book a video call with me to craft a personalized itinerary.

Part 1 - Lake Lucerne Region

The Lucerne region is particularly special for its many lakes, both in the valleys and hike up in the mountains.

It’s one of our favorite regions for hiking, with lots of dramatic peaks and ridges. We particularly like this region for kids since it has so many fun and easy trails.

For this itinerary, I've included three days in different mountain areas near Lucerne. For more ideas, see:

There are two big mountain peaks very close to Lucerne city, with similar day trips that include a boat ride, mountain train and cable car.

  • Mt Pilatus: more drama, cool cliff walk hike to rocky peak viewpoint, summer toboggan, ropes park, discounted with Swiss Travel Pass

  • Rigi: more room to spread out, better for hiking, classic alpine pastures with cows, round trip completely free with Swiss Travel Pass

For visitors with limited time, we suggest choosing one. If both sound nice, do both but on separate days.

Option A: Pilatus Golden Round Trip

If you choose Mt Pilatus, we suggest the Golden Round Trip, which includes a boat ride from Lucerne. In this case, you can make a seat reservation on the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad a few days before your visit to avoid long waiting times.

For a slightly less expensive day, skip the boat ride and just ride the cable car from Kriens to Mt Pilatus.

1

Mt Pilatus Viewpoint
Mt Pilatus Viewpoint
Rocky peak near Lucerne
Category
Sightseeing
Est. Price
$$$

22.8 km (14.2 mi)

36 min

2

This one is optional

Tomlishorn Peak Hike
Tomlishorn Peak Hike
Short hike along cliffs to peak viewpoint
Category
Hike
Est. Price
$$
Est. Duration
1-2h

12.7 km (7.9 mi)

21 min

3

Pilatus Summer Toboggan
Pilatus Summer Toboggan
1.3 km alpine slide near Lucerne
Category
Activity
Est. Price
$$
Est. Duration
0-30m

50 km (31.1 mi)

1 hr 2 min

Option B: Rigi Round Trip from Lucerne

If you choose Rigi, we suggest doing the Classic Round Trip, which starts with a boat ride from Lucerne. This whole journey is free with the Swiss Travel Pass (boat and cogwheel train)!

If you have a car, it's less expensive to drive to Vitznau and just ride the cogwheel train up and down the mountain.

4

Mt Rigi Viewpoint
Mt Rigi Viewpoint
Panorama views across Lake Lucerne
Category
Sightseeing
Est. Price
$$$
5

Rigi Lake View Trail (to Rigi Kaltbad-First)
Rigi Lake View Trail (to Rigi Kaltbad-First)
Easy wander with lake and mountain views
Category
Hike
Est. Price
$$$
Est. Duration
2-3h

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