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Destinations · Switzerland & Austria

The Alps

Lakes, passes and valleys from the Bernese Oberland to Tyrol. Fly to Zürich or Innsbruck, take a car for the valleys, and let the mountain railways and cable cars do the climbing.

Best: June to September, and December to March for snow7 to 12 days

Why here

Nowhere else in Europe puts this much scenery this close together. From Interlaken you can be in the Lauterbrunnen valley, with its 72 waterfalls, in twenty minutes, or on a 3,000 m ridge in an hour. Over the border in Tyrol the villages are quieter, the prices lower and the walking just as good. Both countries run the most reliable mountain transport in the world, so a holiday here mixes short drives with cable cars, cog railways and boats.

A week that works

Three nights in the Bernese Oberland, based in Wengen or Mürren (car-free villages above Lauterbrunnen; you leave the car at the valley station) or in Interlaken if you would rather keep it with you. One day for the Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch, one for the Oeschinensee near Kandersteg, one for the lakes of Thun and Brienz by boat. Then drive east, over the Susten or Grimsel pass if they are open, to Lake Lucerne for a night, and on into Tyrol: three nights around the Ötztal or Zillertal for high valleys, alpine huts and a spa evening, and fly home from Innsbruck.

In winter the same trip becomes ski-based: Grindelwald-Wengen or Mürren in the Jungfrau region, then Ischgl, Sölden or the Arlberg in Austria.

Do you need a car?

Useful, not essential. Switzerland's trains and PostBuses reach every village, and a Swiss Travel Pass covers most of them; the Austrian side is thinner. A car makes the pass roads, the smaller lakes and the two-country route easy. If you stay in one region, skip it and buy the pass.

Good to know

  • Switzerland is not in the EU and uses Swiss francs, but it is in Schengen, so no border checks. Roaming is usually charged separately: check your plan.
  • Austria is in the EU and uses the euro. Motorways need a vignette (digital, bought online) and some passes charge a toll.
  • High passes open from roughly June to October. Snow chains are compulsory to carry in winter in both countries.
  • Switzerland is expensive: budget roughly €25 to €35 a head for a simple lunch and €200-plus for a mid-range double. Tyrol costs about 30% less.
  • Mountain weather changes fast; plan the big cable-car day for the clearest forecast, not a fixed date.

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