Switzerland, worth the wait

Switzerland is expensive, and there is no planning around that. What there is to plan around is how you spend the money. The single biggest factor is the rail pass: Switzerland's trains, boats and mountain railways are exceptional, and the right Swiss Travel Pass for your itinerary can save more than the cost of a hotel night.

The second factor is how many bases you use. The classic mistake is a different town every night, which means you spend your holiday moving luggage. Interlaken and Lucerne between them put almost everything within a day trip, so two or three bases across eight nights is plenty.

The third is the weather, which decides whether a mountain excursion is worth doing at all. Jungfraujoch on a clear day is extraordinary; in cloud you have paid a great deal of money to stand in fog. We build flexibility into the plan so the mountain day can move.

Why Switzerland works for travellers from Tamil Nadu

• Alpine scenery that genuinely exceeds the photographs, on a clear day
• The best rail network in the world, with scenic routes that are attractions in themselves
• Very safe, very clean and easy to travel with family or elderly parents
• Indian restaurants in all the main towns, and Jain food arrangeable with notice
• Combines well with France, Italy or Austria on a longer European trip

The best time to visit Switzerland

There is no single right month, only the right month for what you want. Here is how the year breaks down, and what each window means for weather, crowds and price.

June to September	Summer. Green valleys, wildflowers, all mountain railways running, long daylight. The best overall window.
May and October	Shoulder seasons. Fewer people and better rates, with some high routes closed.
December to March	Winter. Snow everywhere, ski resorts open, and the Christmas markets in December.
April and November	Between seasons. Many mountain railways close for maintenance, so we generally advise against these months.

What to do in Switzerland

Jungfraujoch, the Top of Europe

A railway journey to 3,454 metres, ending at a station inside the mountain with an ice palace, a viewing platform and the Aletsch glacier below. It is expensive and it is weather dependent, so we keep it flexible in the itinerary and go on the clear day rather than the scheduled one.

Interlaken and the Bernese Oberland

Between two lakes with the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau behind. Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen with its waterfalls, and Schilthorn are all short trips away. Three nights here gives you the heart of alpine Switzerland.

Lucerne and Mount Titlis

A beautiful lakeside old town with the wooden Chapel Bridge, and the Titlis rotating cable car with a cliff walk at the top. Lucerne is also the best base for a lake steamer trip, which is included on the Swiss Travel Pass.

Zermatt and the Matterhorn

A car-free village beneath the most recognisable mountain in Europe. Worth two nights if you have the days. The Gornergrat railway gives you the classic view without any hiking.

The scenic rail routes

The Glacier Express, the Bernina Express and the GoldenPass are journeys rather than transfers, with panoramic carriages and seat reservations required. We book these in advance because they fill up, and we will tell you which one suits your route.

Getting the rail pass right

A Swiss Travel Pass covers trains, buses, boats and city transport, plus discounts on mountain railways and free entry to many museums. Whether a three, four, eight or fifteen day pass is right depends entirely on your itinerary, and we calculate it for your specific plan.

A sample Switzerland itinerary

A starting point, not a fixed plan. Every MilesBeyond itinerary is rebuilt around your dates, your group and the pace you actually want.

Day 1	Arrive Zurich, transfer to Lucerne, evening by the lake.
Day 2	Mount Titlis and Engelberg, evening in Lucerne old town.
Day 3	Lake steamer, then train to Interlaken.
Day 4	Jungfraujoch by rail, weather permitting.
Day 5	Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen valley.
Day 6	Scenic train to Zermatt.
Day 7	Gornergrat railway and the Matterhorn.
Day 8	Train to Zurich, city evening.
Day 9	Fly home.

Who this trip suits

Switzerland suits travellers who want scenery over sightseeing and are comfortable with a higher budget. It is excellent with elderly parents because the trains do the work and there is very little walking required. Families with young children do well in summer, when the valleys are green and outdoor days are long.

Switzerland at a glance

Ideal duration	7 to 10 nights
Visa	Schengen visa required; apply eight to ten weeks ahead. We assist with documentation
Currency	Swiss Franc. Cards accepted everywhere; Euros accepted in some places at poor rates
Flights from Coimbatore	One or two stops to Zurich, usually via a Gulf hub
Time difference	3 hours 30 minutes behind India in summer, 4 hours 30 in winter
Best suited to	Families, honeymooners, first-time Europe travellers, photographers

What a Switzerland package includes

Unless your quotation says otherwise, our packages include return flights, accommodation on twin sharing, airport and inter-city transfers, the sightseeing listed in your itinerary, daily breakfast, visa or permit assistance where applicable, and our planning and on-trip support.

They exclude personal expenses, meals not specified, optional excursions, tips, travel insurance and anything arising from delays outside our control. Every quotation lists inclusions and exclusions separately, so you know exactly what you are paying for before you pay anything.

How we plan your Switzerland holiday

You tell us your travel month, how many people are coming and roughly what you want to spend. We come back with a written itinerary showing the hotels by name, the transfers, and a clear price. If something does not suit you, we change it. There is no obligation, and we do not take a booking until you are happy with the plan on paper.

Once you travel, you have a real person on WhatsApp for the length of the trip. Flight delay, a hotel that is not as promised, a change of plan on day four: one message and we handle it from Coimbatore.