Switzerland Itinerary 8 Days - In-depth Swiss itinerary for 2025

Day 1 - Montreux - Chillon Castle

Head directly to Montreux upon arrival at either Zurich or Geneva airports.
Zurich airport to Montreux - roughly 2.45 hours.
Geneva to Montreux - approximately 1.15 hours.

Check in to your hotel, freshen up and head out to see this beautiful lakeside town. Start off with the gorgeous Chillon Castle (20 minutes by bus number 201 from Montreux), built on an outcrop on the lakeshore. The Chateau de Chillon has, at different times in its history, been an armoury, a prison and even a hospital. It is also the inspiration behind the poem 'The Prisoner of Chillon' by Lord Byron. This is Switzerland's most visited monument, so visit it and find out why.

Note: The castle closes at 5 pm, so ensure you are there on time.

Take the bus back to Montreux and explore the lovely lakeside promenade. Make sure to take a photo with the legendary Freddie Mercury, whose statue holds a prime spot overlooking the beautiful bay. If you are a Freddie and Queen fan like me, check out the 'Queen: The Studio Experience' exhibition at the Casino Barrière. Visit Montreux's beautiful Old Town with its cobble-stoned streets, historic old houses and fabulous views over the lake and surrounding Alps.

Day 2 - Montreux- Zermatt- Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

Get ready to take a train to Zermatt (roughly 2.40 hours), a quintessentially Swiss town and one of Switzerland's most popular ski resorts. Don't stress; Zermatt is not just for skiers and winter sports enthusiasts. In fact, Zermatt is home to the world's most photographed mountain- The Matterhorn, which is said to be the inspiration behind the peculiar triangular shape of one of Switzerland's most popular chocolates. Yes, you guessed right ..the Toblerone.

One of the best places to view and photograph the Matterhorn is the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise (also known as Kleine Matterhorn). Take a bus or a leisurely 20-minute walk to the cable car station of the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise. Make your way to the peak by cable car via two changes en route. Once at the peak, you can head to the viewing platform, walk through the Ice Palace and enjoy a snack or meal with the best view you can imagine.

Upon returning to Zermatt, walk through this lovely car-free village, visit the historical quarter 'Hinterdorf', the Matterhorn Museum and, time permitting, the Gorner Gorge (summer months) before heading back to Montreux.

Note: A jacket, sturdy shoes and goggles are a must when travelling to the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise in any season.

Matterhorn Glacier Paradise

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Day 3 - Montreux - Gstaad- Gruyeres - Broc

First, let's find out why the rich and famous have made Gstaad their go-to getaway and then, carry on Swiss chocolate and cheese heaven today.

Try to leave Montreux by 7.30 am and take a train to Gstaad (roughly 1.40 hours). On arrival in Gstaad, walk along the town's pedestrian centre with its boutiques, cafes and designer stores. Pop into the 18th-century Gstaad church with its dominating steeple and enjoy a coffee and snack before leaving for your next stop of the day- Gruyeres (roughly 1.20 hours).

Just minutes from the Gruyeres station is the Gruyeres cheese factory (free with your Swiss Travel Pass), where you can see a live demonstration of the process of cheese making (check the timings of the live demonstrations so you can arrive accordingly). Enjoy the offered samples of a few different kinds of cheese before you start your audio-guided tour of the facility. If hunger strikes, have a cheesy meal in the restaurant at the factory before you walk or take a bus to Gruyeres town. The medieval, pedestrian-only town with its cobble-stoned streets looks just out of a fairytale. Visit the Chateau de Gruyeres, which houses a museum and also offers fantastic views over the surrounding area.

As the announcements in Swiss trains go, “Next halt- Broc”. From Gruyeres, take a train to Broc (roughly 30 minutes). The Maison Cailler chocolate factory (free with your Swiss Travel Pass) is just outside the train station. Trust me when I say I think I could have followed the divine scent of fresh chocolate to the factory if I had been blindfolded! Once there, you can go on a multimedia tour to learn all about the history and process of chocolate making. You could even opt for a pre-booked chocolate-making course.

Keep a note of the time since you have to make your way back to Montreux (roughly 1.30 hours).

Day 4- Interlaken - Grindelwald- Grindelwald First

After covering the western region from Montreux, we move to Interlaken and make it our base for the coming days. Not only is Interlaken perfectly located, it is also conveniently connected to all other major towns.

After a journey of roughly 2.30 hours from Montreux, check in or leave your luggage at the hotel and leave for Grindelwald (35 minutes). Walk for a few minutes to the cable car station of Grindelwald First and hop on a cable car to the peak.

Grindelwald First offers some amazing views from the peak. From there, walk to the Cliff Walk by Tissot, which is a metal bridge along the side of the cliff with a viewing platform in the middle. Take in the stunning views of the surrounding Alpine territory before you head back. Ready to descend down the mountain in the most fun way? Choose some or all four fun activities that take you from the peak back to the base station.

Start off with the Ice Flyer - get strapped into single seats and zip down an 800-metre cable at 84 km/hr.

Next is the First Glider - enjoy soaring down an 800m long route at 72km/hr while being securely strapped face down under the wings of a giant eagle.

After this, get on the Mountain Cart and steer yourself down a three-kilometre route from Schreckfeld to Bort. The three-wheeled low-to-the-ground vehicle has wide tyres and hydraulic brakes, which give you full control of the speed you wish to travel at.

Lastly, the Trotti bike - this motorised two-wheeler with a wide footboard and large tyres will take you down the last leg of the descent back to the base station.

On reaching Grindelwald, walk through this picturesque alpine village, have a meal (there are many food outlets around the station) and head back to Interlaken.

Note: Please check the age/weight requirements and the days of operation of the activities at Grindelwald First

An early start from Montreux today will ensure you have enough time to enjoy the mountain.

Grindelwald First

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Day 5 - Interlaken- Jungfraujoch

Get ready for the Top of Europe today. Jungfraujoch, at 3454 metres, is the highest railway station in Europe.
To reach Jungfraujoch, take a train to Grindelwald, followed by a cable car to the Eigergletscher station, and then, once again, take a train for the last leg of the journey to the peak. This journey takes 1.15 hours.

You can also take a whole train journey, but that takes a little longer (2 hours).

At the peak, head to the viewing terrace for the most spectacular views. Walk through the Ice Palace with its lifelike ice sculptures and visit the Alpine Sensation to learn a little about the history of the Jungfrau railways. Needless to say, don't forget to stock up on chocolates from the Lindt Chocolate Heaven before you start your descent.

If you have taken the cableway up, you can choose to make the train journey back and choose a train that goes to Lauterbrunnen (not Grindelwald, which you have already visited). This way, you will see one more gorgeous village in the Bernese Oberland region. Lauterbrunnen is also known as 'The Valley of 72 waterfalls'. Visit and find out why.

Jungfrau

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Day 6 - Interlaken

After a few long days packed with adventure and travel, take a break and have a leisurely day in Interlaken. Walk along the Hoheweg, Interlaken’s main street, which stretches between Interlaken East and West stations. The Hoheweg is a 2 km long road with shops and cafes. You can find top jewellery and watch brands, fashion boutiques, souvenir shops and plenty of cafes.
If you crave some Swiss chocolatey stuff, head for the Funky Chocolate Club for some sinfully chocolatey food and beverages. Spend some family-and-friends time sharing a fondue at one of the cafes along the Hoheweg. Interlaken, as the name suggests, is located between the two gorgeous Lakes Thun and Brienz. You can take a boat ride on any one of these.

There are many picturesque villages to explore around Interlaken. One such village is Iseltwald (roughly 20 minutes by bus) known as the 'Pearl of Lake Brienz'. It is absolutely picture-perfect and has been the location of several scenes from the famous series Crash Landing On You.

Day 7 - Interlaken - Lucerne

Have an early breakfast and set off for the City of Lights- Lucerne, today. The journey of roughly 1.50 hours can be done on the lovely Lucerne-Interlaken Express via some of the most breathtaking scenery. On arrival in Lucerne, head for the boat pier just outside the station and hop on a ferry to reach the Swiss Museum of Transport, Switzerland's most visited museum.

Get off at the ferry terminal Verkehrshaus-Lido and make your way to the museum. This museum showcases the history of air, rail, water, road and even space transport in the most fun and interactive way. It also houses a cinema with Switzerland’s largest screen, a planetarium and the lovely Swiss Chocolate Adventure attraction, an interactive activity to learn about the history of chocolate (and get to taste it at the end).
After you have spent a couple of hours at the museum, head back to Lucerne and explore this gorgeous lakeside town.

Walk across the Chapel Bridge, Europe's oldest wooden covered bridge. Read about the history of the bridge on the information boards, marvel at the 30 remaining paintings on the roof panel (almost 120 of these paintings were lost in a fire) and get some perfect pictures at one of Switzerland's most iconic structures (for me this is the most iconic structure).

After seeing the bridge and the nearby watchtower ( even older than the bridge), visit Lucerne's Altstadt (Old Town) with its narrow cobble-stoned streets, frescoed houses and artsy boutiques.
After lunch at the Old Town or along a lakeside cafe, walk to the Lion Monument, a gigantic sculpture of a lion pierced by a spear. This moving sculpture honours the Swiss Guards massacred in the French Revolution.

From here, head to the Musegg wall, which was once Lucerne's medieval city wall. Climb one of the towers to get stunning views across the city. See one of Lucerne's oldest working clocks (in the Zyt Tower), which strikes the hour one minute before all other clocks in the town.

Make your way back to Lucerne Main Station. Don't forget to grab a meal somewhere in town or at the station since you have an almost two-hour journey back to Interlaken.

Day 8 - Zurich - Rhine Falls

Bid Interlaken adieu and head to Zurich (depending on the train you take, this journey will take between 2.00 and 2.50 hours). Take an early train so that you can make the most of a full day in Zurich.

On arrival, leave your luggage at either Zurich airport or Zurich Main Station and make your way to Europe's largest waterfalls- the Rhine Falls. You can take a train to the station Schloss Laufen Am Rhein, which is adjacent to the waterfalls. Feel the thunderous roar and refreshing mist of the falls while standing at one of the viewing platforms. The falls, which stand 23 metres high and 150 metres wide, unleash several hundred cubic metres of water per second. In the summertime, you can take a boat and go really close to the falls. If you still have some adventure left in you, climb to the Middlerock towering above the centre of the falls. It stands at roughly 30 meters and requires a climb of over 100 steps.

If you have some time upon your return to Zurich, you can walk along the Bahnofstrasse, the premier shopping street stretching 1.4 kilometres from Zurich Main Station to the lakeside. Stroll through shops showcasing all of Europe's finest watches, jewellery, fashion, and high street brands. Have an al fresco meal at one of the cafes along the lakeside before you head for the airport.

Try to keep some time for shopping at Zurich airport. Besides stocking up on your last-minute chocolate and cheese, you can also indulge in some luxury shopping for Swiss watches, jewellery and fashion before you depart.

In case you had any doubts about travelling to Switzerland, I hope this has nudged them out.
Don't think twice; grab the woollies, pack the bags and don't forget the most essential Swiss Travel Pass for all the discounts that will get you!