Switzerland trip with 2 year old

vermas

Hi

I am looking to go to Switzerland for about 5 nights with my wife and 2 year old son

I know there is a lot of travel via public transport and organised tours so i am reluctant to go as it may be difficult with a young child and with so many different hotels and travelling I could not probably travel comfortably with a child

I was thinking of maybe staying in one hotel for 5 nights like in Interlaken and then travelling around from there- so a couple of days where I go on a train ride like the Glacier Express (would need to stay a night at the destination and then drive back or get another train route back?) and Bernina express, a couple of days driving to nearby places like Bern, Lucern and Geneva

Would this work- has anyone got any suggestions about itinerary or other things to do?

fatboyonadiet

You thought about Basel? Great place to visit and near to Zurich, Freiberg (Germany) and Strasbourg (France) on the train. I hear the Glacier Express is pretty amazing...

ali1972

I've always based myself in one place when visiting Switzerland and then done day trips out from there (organised independently). I've noticed that the resorts in the summer are really geared up towards young families and there are always lots to do with kids in the resorts themselves. Haven't been to Interlaken though so can't help with specifics. To be honest, I tend to go for the hiking. Incidentally, I've regularly seen people pushing buggies over the mountain trails!

Liz_the_Whizz

We always used to take our back pack carrier on holiday for our son when he was younger - great way to get around when little legs get tired.

Voyager2002

Switzerland is a great idea. Public transport is really efficient and user friendly, so no need to worry.

If you want to be based in one place for a week, why not consider renting an apartment? A Swiss company (interhome) offer some good deals and high standards.

Interlaken itself is rather boring, although it is the nearest city to the Bernese Oberland, which is stunning. So why not stay in one of the resorts up there (Lautenbrunner for example)?

The Glacier Express is a good idea, although the full journey is too much for a single day. Anyway, what is spectacular is the view from the window, and other trains run along much of the same route. Be aware that you pay a supplement to travel on the Glacier Express itself

See the Swiss railway site (SBB) for full details of the various transport passes that are available.

vermas

Thanks for the advice - I think I will base myself in one of the villages in the Bernese oberland like lauterbrunnen and then do day trips from there like on the trains and nearby cities

what are the main things to do / places to see I was thinking

1. Glacier Express
2. Bernina Express
3. Geneva
4. Bern
5. Lucern

as some of the key places

are the roads to Bern, Lucerne, Geneva etc scenic and are there roads to the mountain villages you can drive on?

what is the weather like in early may in these placeS?

ali1972

vermas wrote: »

what is the weather like in early may in these placeS?

According to my Rough Guide to Switzerland the weather in May tends to be:

Bern: Min 8C, Max 18C, Precipitation 97mm
Geneva: Min 8C, Max 19C, Precipitation 67mm
Zurich: Min 9C, Max 20C, Precipitation 108mm

I usually base myself in the mountains and find you really can get very contrasting weather from 1 day to the next: one day the sun shines and it feels like the mediterrean, the next day is cloudy and drizzly. I normally pack lots of light layers to wear (easy to peel off a layer) and good waterproofs and lots of high factor sunscreen (the sun can be really powerful at altitude and you can go up really high if you take a cable car trip up to the top of a peak). However, I have to say Lauterbrunnen is about 900m lower than I often stay at so I would have thought you'd have clement weather down there!