We've been wanting to visit Switzerland for a while now but put it off for years due to the perceived cost. But with the ever rising Swiss Franc and rampant global inflation I decided to just bite the bullet and go this past October combining it with a trip to Lake Como in Italy. Glad I finally did since it was an absolute delight to for the eyes. Even coming from a very mountainous part of the world, the Swiss landscape evokes an fairy tale like atmosphere with soaring peaks, grasslands, and farmhouses all in photo shot. And before anyone asks, yes it was even more expensive than I had feared (the only place I've been where restaurants regularly charge you for tap water - insanity).
Our itinerary consisted of:
Lucerne - The town itself was nice but overtouristed like many European towns. Good to spend a couple days wandering it's streets but head up to the Alps, that's why you're here!
Pilatus - Great day trip from Lucerne and intro to the Alps. We did the Golden circle which consists of a bus ride, cable car, cogwheel railway, and boat ride. Hike over to Mt. Tomlishorn for another fantastic view.
Lake Brienz - Took a boat ride from Interlaken to the small town of Iseltwald (which is popular with fans of a particular K-drama). The water was impossibly florescent blue and the town is about as cute and quaint as you can imagine.
Lauterbrunnen Valley - We based ourselves in Wengen which was perfect as it was central enough to visit many other towns in the area - Lauterbrunnen, Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch. The views are breathtaking basically everywhere you go. If there's one place you need to visit in Switzerland it's here. Kleine Scheidegg to Männlichen is an easy yet gorgeous hike.
Jungfraujoch - I didn't love as it was super pricey and touristy . They really try and pack everyone in so go early. A lot of people from warm countries come up to experience snow year round but being from Canada the novelty was kind of lost to us. Still, the ride up on the highest railway in Europe is impressive. If only we had such infrastructure in Canada!
Lake Thun - Rainy day for us so it didn't look as great as Lake Brienz, but we had a quick stop off in the town of Speiz which had a cool castle to visit.
Zermatt/Matterhorn - Wow. words can't really describe your first view of such an icon. Was setting myself up for disappointment seeing it was overcast, but taking the Gornergrat railway up to a neighbouring peak gives you amazing views. Don't miss the short hike to the Riflesee lake to see it reflected in all it's glory.
Bern - the capital is really quite nice and I dare say I enjoyed this urban experience the most in the country. It looks like something out of a storybook and isn't completely overrun with tourists
Zurich - Had to come for the airport but we had a decent time. It wasn't as soulless as many people have described but it is one of the cleanest cities I've seen. There's a very nice old town to while away a day or two.