Switzerland Roadtrip Itinerary
Surprise surprise, we went on another roadtrip. I must say, I think this was our best adventure yet. I call it our Switzerland roadtrip but we technically started in Italy and popped over to France as well as it made sense with the route we picked, but the purpose of the trip was to visit Switzerland!
Some other roadtrips we did we packed the days full, whereas this roadtrip was two weeks long and we wanted to have some chill time too. You could definitely shorten the length of the holiday if you wanted to pack as much in as possible.
Just a few tips before we get started. Switzerland has different plugs than mainland Europe, I only found this out a couple of days before we left. So you will need a different adaptor when visiting Switzerland. Because Switzerland is not part of the EU your mobile data will most likely not work or at least be very expensive. I recommend getting a e-sim to make sure you have data on your trip. We got them on Revolut, but I also got e-sims on Holafy before. Both are quite affordable and really easy to install. Make sure to check out my Iceland roadtrip blogpost if you want to get some tips on renting a car abroad.
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| 5 Lakes hike, Zermatt |
We booked all our activities before we went, especially the cable cars. This worked in our favour sometimes and there was one day it really went against us. The weather up a particular mountain was bad so it was not worth going all the way up! It was great to have the tickets paid for in advance and to make sure we'd get to the spots we really wanted to go to.
I would suggest booking the Lindt factory if you want to visit as this sells out months in advance. Oeschinensee lake cable car is also worth booking before because they only let a certain amount of people go up every day, so you might not get a time slot if you want to buy a ticket on the day. This was definitely our favourite thing we did so highly recommend going!
For the rest of the activities, maybe just keep an eye online to make sure things aren't selling out that you want to do and get tickets on the day so you can make sure you have good weather.
Switzerland weather can be quite changeable, it could rain one minute and be glorious the next. So make sure to pack layers and rain gear even if you're going in the summer. And don't be put off by the weather forecast, a predicted rainy day can turn out lovely and sunny too.
One last note before we get onto the itinerary. Everyone says Switzerland is crazy expensive, but I must say we didn't find that to be the case. Yes, some things like dining out can be more expensive but everything else from transport, petrol and supermarkets were the same as home. You can always splash out on your holiday but it is so manageable to make your adventure cheaper too. So don't let that stop you visiting Switzerland!
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| Isola Madre, Lago Maggiore |
Like my other roadtrip itinerary blogposts I'm going to go through day by day what we got up to, ate and where we stayed. I find this is the best way I plan holidays myself so hopefully it will be helpful.
Day 1:
- Get an early flight from Cork to Milan Bergamo and pick up your rental car.
- Visit Città Alta, Bergamo and go for brunch in California bakery.
- Drive to Stresa, Lake Maggiore.
- Chill for the evening before exploring the town of Stresa and going for dinner in Pizzeria Mama Mia.
- Stay in Hotel La Palma.
Day 2:
- Have a lovely breakfast in the hotel before booking a boat tour.
- Hop on a boat tour that brings you to all three of the Borromen islands, Isola Madre, Isola Bella and Isola dei Pescatori. I would definitely recommend paying for tickets to get into the gardens of Isola Madre and Isola Bella, it was worth it.
- After the afternoon of exploring relax at the rooftop pool in Hotel la Palma.
- Finish the evening with a few drinks in Bar Moka in Stresa.
- Stay in Hotel La Palma.
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| 5 Lakes hike, Zermatt |
Day 3:
- Wake up in Lago Maggiore and start hitting the road to Zermatt, finally making it to Switzerland!
- Park in the Matterhorn Terminal in Tasch and get a train to Zermatt as Zermatt is a car free village.
- Check into your hotel and make sure to use the spa and pool.
- Enjoy strolling around Zermatt before having dinner in Republic followed by a crepe in Stephanie's crepes.
- Stay in Resort La Ginabelle.
Day 4:
- Fill up on the best hotel breakfast I ever had in Resort La Ginabelle.
- Get a train from Zermatt to Sunnegga station. Then get a cable car to Blauherd to start the 5 lakes hike.
- This hike was absolutely gorgeous and really well signposted. You can do it either direction, from Sunnegga to Blauherd or Blauherd to Sunnegga. We did it from Blauherd to Sunnegga and I would recommend doing it this way as there is less uphill parts to do on this route.
- Once you're finished the hike get the cable car back up to Blauherd station to go down the mountain on mountain carts.
- Stay in Resort La Ginabelle.
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| Aiguille du Midi, Chamonix |
Day 5:
- Hit the road to Chamonix.
- Have a stroll around Chamonix town and stop for lunch in Fabrica.
- Go for dinner in Josephine, make sure to get a crepe for dessert.
- Stay in Hotel Les Aiglons.
Day 6:
- Have breakfast in Cafe Tartine.
- Head to Aiguille du Midi to see the famous Mont Blanc. This was such an unreal experience!
- On the way back down stop off at Plan de l'Aiguille and do the short hike to Lac Bleu.
- Once back down enjoy some food in Cool Cats, followed by a drink in La Pele.
- Stay in Hotel Les Aiglons.
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| Lauterbrunnen |
Day 7:
- Today is a big drive day, making our way back to Switzerland this evening.
- Start by driving from Chamonix and stopping in Annecy for the afternoon.
- Have a stroll around Le Veille Ville and make sure to see Quai de la catherdral.
- Make your way to the lake and see pont des amours and panorama du lac.
- We decided spontaneously to rent a boat on the lake and we're so glad we did. We had a great hour seeing the sights and diving into the lake for a swim. Definitely recommend doing this if you stop in Annecy.
- Get some lunch in a boulagnerie before hitting the road to Lauterbrunnen. You do pass by Bern if you wanted to stop in on the way.
- Park the car at the train station and stroll through the town to the Staubbach waterfall.
- Walk up to the viewpoint and you can walk under the waterfall too.
- Leave the car in the train station as Wengen, the next stop is a car free village.
- Stay in Braunbar Hotel & Spa.
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| First, Grindelwald |
Day 8:
- Wake up early and get back down to Lauterbrunnen.
- Drive to Grindelwald and get the cable car to Grindelwald First.
- We were hoping to do some of the activities up at First but even though we arrived quite early in the morning the wait times for each activity were 2/3 hours long. Bear this in mind if you are hoping to do the ziplining or mountain carts.
- We did the First cliff walk before walking down towards the lower cable car stations, this gave us great views of the surrounding area.
- Finish the journey back to Grindelwald by getting a trottbike (basically a scooter) down, this was great fun.
- Hop back into the car and head to Brienz, a gorgeous lakeside town.
- Chill out by using the hotel sauna and pool.
- Have dinner and a few drinks in the hotel bar.
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| Oeschinensee lake |
Day 9:
- Get the train down the Lauterbrunnen and drive towards Kandersteg. Park in the Oeschinensee cable car station.
- Take the cable car up and have a go at the toboggan before it starts getting busy.
- Walk up to the lake and enjoy the views.
- Go up the left side of the lake towards a gorgeous viewpoint. It is quite steep but so worth it.
- Walk back down to the lake and rent a row boat to go to the middle of the lake.
- Finish the afternoon off by having a very cold dip in the lake itself.
- That evening have dinner in Lecker Asia before having some drinks in Tanne bar and On the Rocks.
Day 10:
- Time to hit the road again, but stop in for some breakfast in Flavours cafe in Lauterbrunnen first.
- Drive to Lucerne but stop in Mount Pilatus first, park in Alpnachstad. We were really unlucky with the weather this day and had the tickets already booked so didn't see many views up here, but it seems like a gorgeous spot when the weather works in your favour.
- Stop into Lucerne itself for a wander and some food. Make sure to see Chapel bridge and the old town.
- Go for a swim in lake Lucerne when you check into the hotel, the water is so clear.
- Stay in Seehotel Katanienbaum.
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| Augustinergasse, Zurich |
Day 11:
- Drive to Zurich in the morning.
- Stop for brunch in Babu's at their Lowenstrasse location.
- Explore old town Zurich while stopping off at Augustinergasse, Lindenhof and strolling back along the river.
- Head to the Lindt Museum for a tour and some tasting.
- Once back in Lucerne, stop in Bierliebe and Friends for some dinner.
Day 12:
- Today is another long drive day, it's time to hit the road to Lake Como. The route brought us close to Lugano, definitely stop here if you have never been before it's a gorgeous spot. We didn't bother as we visited before.
- Drive to your Airbnb in Perledo, this is our third time staying here so that tells you how good it is. We planned to have a few chill days here because we have been to Lake Como before. Check out my Lake Como guide to see what else to get up to if it's your first time visiting.
- Walk down to Varenna for a stroll around and some dinner in Nilus bar.
- Stay in Varenna Hill Aprtment, Airbnb.
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| Varenna, Lake Como |
Day 13:
- Have some breakfast in Bar Il Molo.
- Rent a boat from Lake Como Boat and head out for an afternoon on the lake.
- Make sure to pass by Villa Balnianello and go down to the town of Nessa. Have plenty of swim stops on the way.
Day 14:
- Grab a quick breakfast from Lake Bakery.
- Drive up to Bellano and visit Orrido de Bellano. Explore Bellano town itself while you're here.
- Chill out by the pool for the afternoon and get the ferry to Bellagio for the evening.
- Have dinner and some cocktails in La Dolce Vita
The next day we got up early and hit the road back to Bergamo airport to unfortunately head home. I must say we absolutely loved Switzerland, what a gorgeous country! Highly recommend adding it to your travel list.
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