Switzerland Itinerary 2025 🇨🇭 | Zurich, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken & Geneva
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Switzerland 9-Day Itinerary
Switzerland 9-Day Itinerary 2025 🇨🇭 | Zurich, Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken & Geneva + optional Day 10
This 9-day Switzerland itinerary is designed for international travellers (families and couples) and focuses on cable cars, panoramic trains, lakes, mountains and easy day trips. You can easily adjust the days depending on your arrival/departure time and budget.
Quick overview of this Switzerland itinerary
This Switzerland itinerary splits your trip across 4 main bases: Zurich → Lucerne → Interlaken → Geneva, with an optional 10th day to visit Montreux and Chillon Castle. For each day you’ll find:
- Key activities in and around the city/region.
- A quick note if the day is family-friendly or better for adults.
- A suggested tour or ticket you can link to as a separate affiliate article later.
💡 You can swap the order between Interlaken and Geneva, or add/remove activities based on weather, kids’ ages and your travel style.
✈️ Flights to Switzerland
Before fixing your dates, compare flight prices into Zurich or Geneva. You can also create a separate guide like How to book flights to Switzerland to highlight the best airlines and routes for Europe and the Middle East.
Search Switzerland tours & transfers 🔎Itinerary at a glance
- Day 1 – Arrival in Zurich + Old Town & lake walk
- Day 2 – Rhine Falls day trip + more of Zurich
- Day 3 – Zurich → Lucerne + Mount Pilatus
- Day 4 – Lucerne Old Town, Chapel Bridge & Lake Lucerne cruise
- Day 5 – Lucerne → Interlaken + Lake Brienz & Giessbach Falls
- Day 6 – Jungfraujoch: Top of Europe
- Day 7 – Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald
- Day 8 – Interlaken: Harder Kulm or adventure activities
- Day 9 – Geneva: lakefront, Jet d’Eau & Old Town
- Day 10 (optional) – Montreux, Chillon Castle & GoldenPass train
Day 1 Arrival in Zurich – Old Town & Lake Zurich
After landing at Zurich Airport and clearing immigration and baggage, head to your hotel in Zurich for a short rest. Then go out for a relaxed walk to get your first feel of Switzerland.
- Check in at your hotel in Zurich and freshen up.
- Walk along Bahnhofstrasse, Zurich’s famous shopping avenue.
- Explore the Old Town (Altstadt) with its narrow lanes and churches.
- End the day with a sunset walk along the Lake Zurich promenade.
🔥 For couples: Extend your evening in the Old Town with a romantic dinner overlooking the river or lake.
Day 2 Rhine Falls day trip + Zurich highlights
Today is about one of the most popular day trips from Zurich: visiting the Rhine Falls, then returning to see more of the city.
- Take a morning train or an organised tour to Rhine Falls near Schaffhausen.
- Join a boat ride close to the falls (gentle options for families, closer ones for thrill-seekers).
- Return to Zurich in the afternoon.
- Visit Zoo Zürich or continue shopping along Bahnhofstrasse.
⚠️ If you dislike crowds or getting wet: You can simply enjoy the views from the viewing platforms without taking a boat.
🎟 Suggested booking: Full-day tour to the Rhine Falls from Zurich, including a boat ride if available.
Book a Rhine Falls tour 🎟Day 3 Zurich → Lucerne + Mount Pilatus cable car & cogwheel train
After breakfast in Zurich, take the short scenic train ride to Lucerne, then spend the rest of the day on iconic Mount Pilatus with its mix of cable cars and cogwheel trains.
- Travel from Zurich to Lucerne by train (about 1 hour).
- Check in at your hotel in Lucerne and drop your bags.
- Head to the cable car station and make your way up Mount Pilatus.
- Enjoy viewpoints, terraces and restaurants at the top.
- Descend by cable car or cogwheel train, depending on your ticket.
🔥 For adventure lovers: Some packages include slides or extra activities at mid-stations. You can detail these later in a standalone Mount Pilatus guide.
🎟 Suggested booking: Mount Pilatus round-trip ticket (cable car + cogwheel train).
Reserve Mount Pilatus tickets 🚠Day 4 Lucerne – Chapel Bridge, Old Town & Lake Lucerne cruise
A relaxed day in the heart of Lucerne: perfect for photos, easy walks and a beautiful cruise on Lake Lucerne plus a visit to the Swiss Transport Museum.
- Visit the famous Chapel Bridge and water tower.
- Stroll around Lucerne Old Town with its squares, murals and shops.
- Explore the Swiss Transport Museum (excellent for children and adults).
- Take a lake cruise on Lake Lucerne (short 1-hour loop or longer round-trip).
🔥 For photographers: Focus on Old Town streets, Chapel Bridge and a sunset cruise for the best light.
🎟 Suggested booking: Lake Lucerne cruise + entry to the Swiss Transport Museum.
Book Day 4 activities in Lucerne 🚤Day 5 Lucerne → Interlaken + Lake Brienz & Giessbach Falls
Time to dive into Switzerland’s dramatic alpine scenery. Travel to Interlaken, then enjoy Lake Brienz and Giessbach Falls.
- Take the train from Lucerne to Interlaken (ideally to Interlaken Ost).
- Check in at your Interlaken hotel.
- Head down to Lake Brienz and take a boat towards Giessbach.
- Visit Giessbach Falls using the small funicular and the short forest paths.
- Return to Interlaken, stroll along Höheweg and relax in the park.
🔥 For photographers: Lake Brienz and Giessbach Falls offer some of the most photogenic scenery in the region.
🎟 Suggested booking: Cruise on Lake Brienz + visit to Giessbach Falls.
Book Lake Brienz & Giessbach tour 🌊Day 6 Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe
One of the absolute highlights of any Switzerland itinerary: Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe, reached by a series of mountain trains from Interlaken (or Grindelwald).
- Start early from Interlaken Ost or Grindelwald, depending on your ticket.
- Take the scenic mountain trains all the way up to Jungfraujoch.
- Visit the Ice Palace, the Sphinx viewing platform and the snow area (in season).
- Enjoy spectacular views of glaciers and mountain peaks.
- Return to Interlaken in the evening.
⚠️ If you have respiratory or heart issues: The altitude is quite high; talk to your doctor in advance and don’t overexert yourself at the top.
🎟 Suggested booking: Jungfraujoch tickets from Interlaken or Grindelwald.
Book Jungfraujoch – Top of Europe 🏔️Day 7 Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald – valley & mountain villages
Today is all about picture-perfect villages around Interlaken like Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald, with waterfalls and alpine views everywhere.
- Take a morning train to Lauterbrunnen.
- Walk through the valley and see waterfalls like Staubbach Falls.
- Optionally continue by cable car to Mürren or Wengen.
- In the afternoon, head to Grindelwald for a walk or cable car ride (for example to Grindelwald First).
- Return to Interlaken in the evening.
🔥 For adventure travellers: In Grindelwald you can try ziplines or mountain activities (seasonal). These can become a separate article later.
🎟 Suggested booking: Grindelwald First cable car or Männlichen cable car.
Book Lauterbrunnen & Grindelwald activities 🚡Day 8 Interlaken – Harder Kulm or adventure day
A flexible day in Interlaken: you can take it slow with a viewpoint and shopping, or make it your big adventure day with paragliding and more.
- Enjoy a relaxed morning in Interlaken and Höhematte Park.
- Ride the funicular up to Harder Kulm for views over Lakes Thun and Brienz.
- Free time for shopping or booking an adventure activity like paragliding, jet boat or rafting (seasonal).
⛔ For young children: Activities like paragliding, jet-boat rides and rafting are better suited to older teens and adults.
🎟 Suggested booking: Harder Kulm funicular tickets + a paragliding flight in Interlaken.
Book Harder Kulm or paragliding 🎢Day 9 Interlaken → Geneva – lakeside, Jet d’Eau & Old Town
On the final core day of this Switzerland itinerary, you head to Geneva at the opposite end of the country and enjoy the lakefront and historic centre.
- Take a morning train from Interlaken to Geneva, possibly via Bern or Lausanne.
- Check in at your Geneva hotel.
- Walk along Lake Geneva and see the famous Jet d’Eau fountain.
- Explore Geneva Old Town, including Bourg-de-Four Square and the cathedral.
- Finish with a relaxed dinner by the lake.
🔥 For adults: If time allows, visit the UN area and learn more about Geneva’s international role.
🎟 Suggested booking: Lake Geneva cruise + Old Town walking tour.
Book Day 9 tours in Geneva 🌃Day 10 (optional) Montreux, Chillon Castle & GoldenPass train
If you have an extra day to add to your Switzerland itinerary, this is one of the best options: Montreux, Chillon Castle and a segment of the GoldenPass panoramic train.
- Take a morning train from Geneva to Montreux (about 1 hour).
- Stroll along the lakeside promenade in Montreux.
- Visit Chillon Castle and tour its rooms and courtyards.
- If schedules allow, connect part of your route with the GoldenPass scenic train.
- Return to Geneva in the evening, or stay overnight in Montreux.
🔥 For photographers: The lakeside path between Montreux and Chillon Castle is one of the most photogenic walks along Lake Geneva.
🎟 Suggested booking: Chillon Castle entry tickets + a GoldenPass train segment.
Book Chillon Castle or GoldenPass 🚆How to use this Switzerland 9-day itinerary
You can follow this itinerary exactly if you have a full 9 days in Switzerland, or shorten/extend it depending on your arrival and departure times. If your trip is shorter, you might focus mainly on Interlaken and Lucerne.
In your other Switzerland articles on Tripmoo you can break down each activity separately (cable cars, lakes, city guides, hotel guides, etc.) and turn every underlined place name in this itinerary into its own article with maps and ready-to-book links, so planning and booking online becomes very easy for your readers.
FAQ – Switzerland 9-day itinerary
Can I shorten this Switzerland itinerary to 7–8 days?
Yes. You can remove one day around Interlaken/Lucerne or skip the optional Montreux & Chillon Castle day. The key is to keep a good balance between the four main bases (Zurich, Lucerne, Interlaken and Geneva).
Is this itinerary suitable for families with young children?
Most days are family-friendly. Some activities like paragliding in Interlaken or rafting are better for teens and adults, but lakes, cable cars, museums and boat cruises work very well with younger kids.
When is the best time to travel to Switzerland for this itinerary?
Late May to early October is ideal for this route, as most cable cars and mountain activities are open and the weather is comfortable for walking and lake cruises. In winter the focus shifts more to skiing and snow activities.
Do I need a rental car or is public transport enough?
This itinerary is built entirely around Swiss trains and public transport. Many visitors find they don’t need a car at all, especially with passes like the Swiss Travel Pass. If you love driving you can of course rent a car for certain days, but it’s not necessary.
Can I combine Switzerland with another country in one trip?
Yes – many travellers combine Switzerland with Italy or France (Paris). You could spend 6–7 days following the core of this itinerary and then continue by train or plane to your next country.
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