How to see Switzerland in 8 days

Switzerland is straightforward to move around. If you wanted to, you could stay in Zurich and take day trips to most surrounding towns, about 2-4 hours away, to avoid hotel hop. There are also plenty of guided tours that leave from Zurich daily. Use this guide and make adjustments to what suits your travel plans.

This guide features a day trip to Milan, Italy.

A must-have is the Swiss Pass. I won’t lie; it is a little pricey but well worth it. This pass allows the traveler to take any form of transportation ( trains, trams, buses) throughout the country. Trains leave from every city around every half hour all day long. This pass also gives discounts to attractions such as the Grindelwald First. The app is beneficial, and you won’t have to worry about losing your Swiss access; it’s right on the app. You can also track the train times and plan your route if you need to connect to another platform. 

Side note: any train going up the mountains, such as the “Top of Europe JUNGFRAUJOCH,” is a separate price and not included in the Swiss pass.

Day 1

Flew to Zurich, Switzerland

Stay: Sheraton Zurich  2 nights

Pros: a minute walk to the tram, 5-10 min tram ride to  the  HB Zurich train station( main train station. There is also a closer train station stop near the hotel

Con: off the beaten path from the city centre of Zurich. Maybe a 10 min tram ride.

Top Sights:

• Old town: located next to the HB Zurich train station, tons of restaurants and shops line the walk along the river
• Lake Zurich: walk along the river or sit and have a glass of wine and chat about the day or take a river boat ride.
• Grossmunster- church in old town
• Lindt Chocolate museum: this is not in the city center. You will need to take a bus to get to this destination. 

Day 2 -Milian, Italy

When initially booking this trip, this was a free day to go to Germany if the price was right. Before heading to the train station, my significant other decided that if Germany was not feasible, let’s try Milan (aka the world’s fashion capital!) It would be a 3-4 hr train ride.

Morning: I headed to the train station to book tickets for our day trip.
In Switzerland, you must speak with a clerk if you want to book tickets outside of the country. The layout was similar to the AAA service stations in the U.S. The cost to Germany for the day was around $ 400 with the Swiss pass discount for two people. So we decided to be adventurous and see how much it was to go to Milian. The ticket person said $30 round trip for two, and we said yes!

Top sights:

• Duomo di Milano- cathedral that is the most stunning piece of architecture, this area is very crowded. It is steps outside of the train station. 
• Sforzesco Castle- this is a little ways off the beaten path but well worth the visit. It is free to walk around. There is also walking tours that you can pay for as well. 
• The Last Supper painting – we unfortunately were not able to see this because it was sold out. But if you know you are going to go to milian get tickets in advance. This sells out 3 months in advance. 
• The galleria Vittorio Emanuele II- located to the left of the cathedral. Lots of shops and restaurants
• Starbucks Reserve Roastery- there are only 5 locations in the world. Even if you aren’t a Starbucks person this is a must. There is a full bar with alcoholic beverages, as well as all the coffees, pastries and Starbucks mech. Well worth it!

Places to eat:

Bistro– small little bisto that serves up fresh pasta and must items are gluten free as well.

Day 3- Basel, Switzerland

Morning: Checked out of the hotel and headed to the train station to travel to Basel. 1hr 45 min train ride

Stay: Basel Marriott Hotel

The hotel is located across from the  Messe Basel. Be sure to check out the events that are happening when you visit. Also, the tram stop was in front of the hotel, making it quick and easy to get around the city. 

• Kunstmuseum- fine arts museum
• Half a house- located across from kunstmuseum
• Basel Minster- free attraction, great place to sit and enjoy the view of the river
• Markthalle- Highly recommend. Food hall with cuisine from around the world. Food was delicious.
• Take a scroll across the Wettstein bridge and walk along the Rhine river
• Basel town hall
• Steinenberg st and Stanzlergasse for shopping
• Tinguely Brunnen Fountain
• Old town

Day 4: Bern, Switzerland

Morning: We checked out of the hotel to catch the next train heading to Bern. Train ride: 1hr 30 min

Stay: Swissotel Kursaal- located a little outside the city but in a nice area within walking distance of the town. A tram stop is located across the street from the hotel. The hotel had a Casino connected and a Sushi restaurant inside.

Top sights:

• Over 100 fountains in the city from medieval times, see how many you can spot
• Old town
• Zytglogge
• Bern cathedral ( able to climb to the top for a view of the city)
• Bareapark
• History museum
• Parliament building 
• The bern zoo
• The rosengarten- Steep hill to climb, once at the top you have a view of the city. There is also a beer garden and restaurant to sit and relax at.
• Albert Einstein House museum- CHF 5 entry with Swiss pass. The museum is cash only! 

Additionally, small markets and mini-events are always going on, especially on the weekends. Stop at Gelteria di Berna for some unique and classic flavors if you need a gelato break.

Day 5- Grindelwald and Interlaken, Switzerland 

Morning: We checked out of the hotel and caught a train to Grindelwald. Train ride: 1hr 41min

Stay:  Bergwelt Grindelwald Alpine design resort for two nights—an approx 10-minute walk from the train station. The town is relatively small with lots of hotels. When you think of the Swiss Alps, it looks like a classic Ski Resort town out of a storybook page. 

It was too early to check in to our hotel, so we dropped off our bags and headed back to the train station to explore Interlaken. We got off at Interlaken West ( which is the smaller station). Right when you get off the train, there is a free boat ride with the Swiss Pass. We decided to take the next boat, which would leave within a half hour. While we waited, we sat at a small coffee shop.

The boat went around Lake Brienz. The ride was a little over an hour, but so worth it! The views were breathtaking. The boat stopped at multiple ports along the lake, where people could get off and explore if they wanted to. The last stop is at Brienz, then it turns around and leaves again in 30 minutes.

The town of Brienz is where the Brienz Rothron Bahn, the open cog train, is located. Tickets are pricey, around $100 per person. If you plan on doing this, I would book tickets in advance and dress warm! Going up the mountain can be cold. There are multiple boat rides to choose from; they even offer a dinner cruise and a boat that goes around Lake Thun. You could make this a day trip in itself.

Above all, I would retake The Lake Brienz boat ride, hop off at the stops, and explore the towns around the lake.

Exploring Interlaken by foot

After the boat ride, we explored a bit of Interlaken, grabbed dinner, and headed back to the train station to Grindelwald. Overall, Interlaken was not my favorite town to explore; it didn’t have the charm Grindelwald had. However, maybe the other side of Interlaken had more to offer that we needed to see.

Day 6 -Grindelwald Switzerland 

Immediately after breakfast, we walked over to Grindelwald First when it opened. This was the best decision; it was open then (I highly recommend getting there early). The Grindelwald First offers many different options depending on what kind of activities and adventure you want to take. We took the gondola ride up and down, but I wish we did the mountain carts coming down the mountain. Everyone takes the gondola up, but you can choose how to go down the mountain. There are zip lines, gliders, mountain bikes, and paragliding.

Once at the top of the mountain, there is a food court and two hiking trails. The first cliff walk is the most known one in this area. This hike is for people not afraid of heights as it hangs off the mountain. It’s about a 15-minute walk, well worth it, and a photo op is at the end. The other hike is Bachalpsee. It’s around 2 hours and takes you on a trail to the lake with a view of the mountains all along the way. Make sure to wear comfortable shoes on this day. Once we finished exploring The First, we went back into town, walked around, and enjoyed the small city streets and local neighborhoods.

On the other hand, one of the top attractions most people come to see is Jungfraujoch- Top of Europe. This is a train ride through the glaciers to the top of Europe. If this is something on your bucket list, consider booking an advance. This is a costly adventure.

Day 7- Rest day

We had a leisurely day making our way back to Zurich. If I were to plan this trip again, I would have stayed an extra night in Grindelwald and explored the other surrounding towns more. That area of the country has many things to do, from cities to hikes and more. This day we went shopping for Chocolates and cheeses. We enjoyed our time by the river and enjoyed a picnic.

Stay: Sheraton Zurich

Day 8- Geneva, Switzerland

We hopped on a train and took a day trip from Zurich to Geneva, the second-largest city in Switzerland.
There were bus strikes on this day, so it wasn’t easy to get around. There was not much to do in Geneva.

Top sights-

• Lake Geneva
• Old town
• Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Genève
• Balcony of geneva
• International Red Cross museum: tickets sell out, book in advance ( sold out the day we went)

Day 9

Flight back home!

Places we didn’t get to but wish we did!

–Goldenpass Belle Epoque train experience

-Lucerne

-Pilatus

-Lauterbrunnen

Disclaimer: This trip took place in October 2022. Covid restrictions were lifting more. Many places were just reopening or were still closed at this time.

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