Swiss-sational Switzerland

In September of 2022, I solo backed through Switzerland starting in Zurich and ending in Geneva. Although this itinerary covers 12 days, you can essentially begin at any part of the journey! Trains were easy to navigate, and SBB Mobile made a huge different helping me map each part of my journey.

My adventure began by flying into Zurich, then taking the train to Bern, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen Valley, Zermatt, and ending in Geneva. Switzerland was even more then I had hoped for and I look forward to the day I can return.

Before we dive right into the itinerary, here are a few housekeeping, lessons learned, trial and error's I learned while trekking Switzerland as a solo female.

Tips and Tricks for Switzerland

1. There was never a moment where I didn't feel safe.

2. Their trains are very punctual.

3. Buy your train ticket as soon as possible since the prices are not static. A second class train ticket is just fine.

4. Most people speak enough English to get by.

5. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE is incredibly kind.

6. Bring a refillable water bottle. There are fresh fountains everywhere throughout the country for a quick refill or even from the tap. Switzerland has some of the purest water.

7. Hostels are great for solo travel as it gives good balance of socialization and hostel organized events. It is important to note that any hostel I stayed in (linked below) was a single room. Sharing a room is just not for me!

8. All recommended accommodations were centrally located to the train station and many main attractions. I walked almost everywhere!

9. APPS! Download the MeteoSwiss app to track the every changing weather, especially in Lauterbrunnen Valley, and download the SBB Mobile app to help plan trains, train times, departure/arrivals and you're overall journey. SBB Mobile made it SOO easy to plan all my routes.

10. The BIGGEST SWIZZ HACK of them all. 7/8 recommended accommodations below included breakfast. Switzerland was the most expensive country I ever visited and having an accommodation that included breakfast each morning was a huge money saver. The Rex hotel in Zermatt had the BEST breakfast included in the room price.

Skip to:

1. Zurich

2. Bern

3. Interlaken

4. Lauterbrunnen

5. Murren

6. Gimmewald

7. Zermatt

8. Geneva

2 Days in Zurich

I flew from Copenhagen to Zurich airport and arrived in the evening on Thursday, September 1st. Zurich airport was easy to navigate and I looked for signs Swiss Railways for the train that would take me to Zurich Hauptbahnhof, often abbreviated as Zurich HB. Zurich's HB is the main station and my accommodation, Hotel Scheuble, was in walking distance from the station. The train from the airport to Zurch HB runs every 10 minutes and is about a 12 minute journey. Upon arriving at the train station, I walked to my hotel, checked in, and being at the point of exhaustion from a full day of travel, I immediately went to sleep.

TO DO

Accommodations: Hotel Scheuble,

Eats: La Muna Rooftop - Super Bougie and expensive but I honestly went for the rooftop views of Lake Zurich

Adventure: Wander into Old Town Zurich, take a paddle boat out on Lake Zurich

Day Trip options from Zurich:

1. Hike Wildkirchli. Take the Zurich Hb train to Wasserauren then Wasserauren to cable car Ebenalp, from Ebenalp hike 20 mins to Aescher.

2. Hike 5 lakes: The 5 Lakes Hike near Zurich, Switzerland, typically refers to the hike on the Pizol mountain, which is known for its stunning views and challenging terrain. The hike takes you past five beautiful mountain lakes, each with its unique character. This is a popular and well-regarded hike in Switzerland.

1 Day in Bern

I took the train from Zurich to Bern which was about an hour. Although Bern was beautiful, I found Bern it to be sleepy. It was most likely due to my excitement of my the next few days. 1 day was definitely enough. If I did this trip again, I would have skip Bern and went right to Interlaken.

TO DO

Accommodations: Bern Youth Hostel - This place was ok. It got the job done but I am sure there are better places.

Eats: Kramer - I had a good Pizza here and was easily able to people watch and map out my day of simple wandering.

Adventure: Wander through Old City of Bern, view the clock tower in city square known as Zytglogge, walk over the Aare river on the Nydeggbrücke for AMAZING views, and visit BärenPark aka Bear Park.

2 Days in Interlaken

I took the train from Bern to Interlaken. The train ride was roughly an hour. I wish I spent more time here as I always describe Interlaken as the hub of adventure. So many great day trips and easy train access to an adventure in any direction.

TO DO

Accommodations: Balmers Hostel 10/10 recommend this place! They had an awesome bar too and I met so many great people. Plus there were views of Jungfrau when stepping outside the front door.

Eats: Balmers Hostel onsite restaurant/bar

Day Trip options from Interlaken: I did all of these and would 100% recommend them all.

1. Hike Brienzer Rothorn: 10/10 please do this! Take the train from Interlaken Ost to Brienz. Cross the street and purchase tickets for the cogwheel train for Brienzer Rothorn that will take you up the mountain. Be sure to grab a time table or take pictue of the schedule so you know when to catch the cogwheel train back down the mountain. There is also an option for the Turren cable car that will take you back down the mountain which I did not do. When you get to the top of the mountain there will be a few trails however I followed the trail called Schonbuel #65 along the ridge. It is steep at times but the views were the best I had ever seen. I saw mountain goats and scenery unlike any other. It was out and back before I headed to catch the cogwheel back down the mountain. You can find additional information here. https://brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/en/

2. Gelmerbahn Coaster: The 'mountain coaster' was terrifying and so exciting. There is no direct connection from Interlaken to Handegg, Gelmerbahn. However, you can take the train to Meiringen, take the train to Innertkirchen Grimseltor, take the walk to Innertkirchen, Grimseltor, then take the line 171 bus to Handegg, Gelmerbahn.

3. Aare Gorge - Following the Mountain Coaster I headed to Aare Gorge.

2 Days in Lauterburren:

Hotel Silberhorn

1 Day in Murren:

Eiger Guesthouse

1 Day in Gimmewald:

Mountain Hostel Gimmewald

2 Days in Zermatt:

The Rex

1 Day in Geneva:

Hotel Central