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Our Switzerland itinerary: 5 days in this beautiful country

28/08/2017 By Sabs 13 Comments

I recently went to Switzerland for a work trip, and my partner joined me. Switzerland is expensive, and since my employer paid for my visa and plane ticket, we thought it was a perfect opportunity for us to spend a few days in Switzerland. It was my partner’s first time visiting the country, so we wanted to make sure we see as much as possible in the five days we were there. We found planning our Switzerland itinerary challenging as we could not decide on which places to visit and which to leave out.

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Switzerland itinerary

 

Our Switzerland itinerary: Day 1

We started our trip in Basel because of my work obligations. Some people find Basel boring, but I have always thought it is a lovely city for a leisurely walk. Basel offers a variety of sightseeing and things to do.

Our favorite things to do in Basel include:

  • Visiting the Dreiländereck, which is the spot where the borders of Switzerland, France, and Germany meet. The Dreiländereck is located in the Rhine river.

Switzerland itinerary day 1 Basel Dreilanderdeck

  • I loved the Tinguely Fountain with its mechanical instruments that could fascinate me for hours.

Switzerland itinerary Day 1 Basel Tinguely Fountain

  • The hammering man on Aeschenplatz is a must-see. It is a huge mechanical man that simulates hammering.

Switzerland itinerary Day 1 Basel Hammering Man

  • Basel also has beautiful buildings. My favorite was the city hall with its vibrant colors and the gold decorations. No photo can do this building justice; you have to view it yourself to understand how magnificent it is.

Switzerland itinerary Day 1 Basel City Hall

Our Switzerland itinerary: Day 2

We spent the second day of our Switzerland itinerary in Lucerne. I love Lucerne; I think it is a stunning city and easy to explore.

Our favorites here included:

  • Visiting Mount Pilatus. Mount Pilatus was my first introduction to the Swiss mountains, so it will always have a special place in my heart.

Switzerland itinerary day 2 Lucerne Mount Pilatus

  • The Lion of Lucerne or the Lion Monument is in a rock formation. It commemorates the massacre of the Swiss Guards during the French Revolution. It is a sad and haunting monument, one of those you have to experience yourself to understand.

Switzerland itinerary day 2 lucerne lion monument

  • And the Chapel Bridge and Water Tower. Most people will immediately recognize Lucerne when they see pictures of this bridge. I enjoyed walking on the bridge and looking at all the paintings on the inside – they were painted well, but depict some scary-looking creatures and scenes.

Switzerland itinerary day 2 lucerne chapel bridge

 

Our Switzerland itinerary: Day 3

We spent day 3 of our Switzerland itinerary in Zermatt. We arrived in Zermatt late the Friday evening and immediately planned our next day there.

I have written about the many things there are to do in Zermatt, here are the highlights for us:

  • Using the Gornergrat Going up the mountains to view the Matterhorn. Seeing the Matterhorn is a once-in-a-lifetime sights which heavily depends on the state of the weather. We were lucky and had clear weather going up the mountain, but unfortunately, the clouds moved in before we arrived at the top. Still, it was an experience I will always remember.

Switzerland itinerary day 3 zermatt matterhorn

  • We had our first traditional Swiss meal in Zermatt. We could have had Swiss food anywhere in Switzerland, but Zermatt seemed unusual enough to be the city where we try it. Also, everyone in Zermatt we spoke to, recommended the same Restaurant (Restaurant Stadel). So, we knew they had to be one of the best places to try Swiss fondue.

Switzerland itinerary day 3 zermatt stadel restaurant

  • A unique place in Zermatt is the graveyard of those who died trying to conquer the Matterhorn.

Switzerland itinerary day 3 zermatt graveyard

Our Switzerland itinerary: Day 4

From Zermatt, we made our way to Wengen. The area around Wengen is one of the most beautiful regions I have ever seen. We were there at the beginning of Summer and everything was lush and green. Our main reason for visiting Wengen was to go to Jungfraujoch. What is nice about Jungfraujoch is that the weather does not affect going up as much as at the Matterhorn. There are many things to do in the Jungfraujoch complex, including the Ice Palace, Alpine Sensation, and Spinx observation deck.

Switzerland itinerary day 4 Jungfraujoch alpine sensation

Our Switzerland itinerary: Day 5

From Wengen, our Switzerland itinerary ended in Zurich. We had a day to spend in Zurich and we followed much of the same walking route I walked on my first visit to the city. We enjoyed watching the sunset on the many beautiful churches in the Swiss capital city.

Switzerland itinerary day 5 Zurich Grossmunster

The good, the bad and the ugly

As you can probably see, our 5-day Switzerland itinerary was a busy one. We spent a lot of time on the Swiss trains. On the one hand, we enjoyed the train rides and relaxing while getting to our destinations, but Swiss train travel is not cheap. Spending our 5 days in Switzerland in this manner allowed us the opportunity to see which cities and regions we would like to visit on future trips.

Have you ever been to Switzerland? What was your favorite sight or city during your time there? Where in Switzerland would you still like to visit? 

Mentioned in this post
  1. Basel
    City in Switzerland

    Basel Switzerland
  2. Lucerne
    City in Switzerland

    Lucerne Switzerland
  3. Zermatt
    City in Switzerland

    Zermatt Switzerland
  4. Jungfraujoch
    Attraction in Interlaken District Switzerland

    Interlaken District Switzerland
  5. Zurich
    City in Switzerland

    Zurich Switzerland
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Filed Under: International Travel, Switzerland Tagged With: Itineraries, Switzerland

Comments

  1. Eric || The Bucket List Project says

    28/08/2017 at 22:56

    Whoa, you just gave me a memory. I went to Lucerne some 20 years ago when World Youth Day was in Paris. We took a bus up from Italy & while driving the beautiful valley we stopped at the Lion of Lucerne. I just literally jumped up to find my old photo album of the site. Thank you for that memory.
    I loved Lucerne from what little I remember. Would love to see Basel too. That Tinguely Fountain looks cool. I think the Matterhorn would be an amazing backdrop to any day in Zermatt

    Reply
    • Sabs says

      30/08/2017 at 15:36

      Giving away your age, Eric? LOL! Lucerne is gorgeous!

      Reply
  2. michelle says

    29/08/2017 at 00:12

    It’s so interesting to see the difference in architecture and art in the 3 different parts of Switzerland. I’ve only been in the french part and it was lovely, but I’d love to go back and see the others.

    Reply
    • Sabs says

      30/08/2017 at 15:36

      I have mostly been to the German part of Switzerland, but I hear Geneva is more french and also nice to visit!

      Reply
  3. Patti says

    29/08/2017 at 00:37

    Would love to visit Switzerland one day especially Zermatt and the surrounding area.

    Reply
    • Sabs says

      30/08/2017 at 15:34

      Almost anywhere in Switzerland is beautiful and there are so many mountains to choose from!

      Reply
  4. Stephanie says

    29/08/2017 at 01:54

    The only place we overlapped was Zurich. I can’t wait to get back to Switzerland to explore more of the beautiful country!

    Reply
    • Sabs says

      30/08/2017 at 15:34

      It is a very pretty country. Would love to see it in Winter too!

      Reply
  5. Baia says

    29/08/2017 at 21:52

    I haven’t been to Switzerland but I have heard great things about it. I think I will like Basel too, especially the place where borders of three countries meet each other

    Reply
    • Sabs says

      30/08/2017 at 15:33

      The dreilanderreck, where the three countries meet, was my favorite too!

      Reply
  6. Barato Travels says

    23/04/2019 at 13:25

    Great Post and Stunning Pictures. I am an immense devotee of Switzerland and love to visit it over and over. Switzerland is one of my fantasy goals and it was incredible to see such a large number of things. Pictures are magnificent. Thank you for sharing this article.

    Reply
    • Sabs says

      12/05/2019 at 17:14

      I am so glad you enjoyed it. Switzerland is one of my favorite countries as well!

      Reply
  7. Barato Travels says

    23/04/2019 at 13:39

    Great Post and Stunning Pictures. I am an immense devotee of Switzerland and love to visit it over and over. Switzerland is one of my fantasy goals and it was incredible to see such a large number of things. Pictures are magnificent. Thank you for sharing this article..

    Reply

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