re: Anyone been to Switzerland?

Just went in November. Stayed three nights in Lucerne and three in Zurich, took the train to Engelberg and then the gondola up to Titlis. The views at the top of the mountain were incredible (it was also the only time in the week we saw the sun).

Lucerne was cool and I saw the surrounding mountains when we arrived but they disappeared within an hour behind clouds and never reappeared. Transportation museum was interesting and a pleasant surprise was Red Bull F1 section (if youre into auto racing) but the museum itself was cool too. Walked along the old city walls and through the old city, good stuff, I imagine the town is incredible in summer, I get why we had good deals, weather was ugly (not horribly cold just foggy/overcast/ugly).

Zurich was pretty cool too, The Swiss National Museum may be my favorite museum Ive ever been to, no exaggeration, considering cost (10 Swiss Francs) amount of exhibits, interactive nature of the exhibits, and overall interest. We also made chocolate molds at Lindt, that was fun too. Again weather was ugly, the last night there it cleared up, and en route to airport next am the sky was clear... literally clear for the first hour in the country and last couple hours (aside from Mt Titlis).

Both Zurich and Lucerne have nice walkable old towns, Ive read Bern is even more impressive but we ran out of time. Mt Titlis for your Alps adventure is highly recommended.

Ive been to Munich twice, both Lucerne and Zurich were more picturesque than Munich.

Don’t sleep on Lucerne. Day trip to Mount Pilatus, take the cable car to the top for some amazing views, including Lake Lucerne, which has shocking blue waters. See some cows grazing 3/4 of the way up. WTH? There’s a lot to see and experience that’s not slammed with tourists: Old Town, Chapel Bridge, The Lion Monument.

We stayed in a small village a few miles away, in a 100s years old hotel. A top travel memory for me, with my son. It was during the World Cup and Germany was playing. The only small bar in town moved outside on the cobblestone street. Beautiful night, raucous drunks cheering soccer, smoking a Cuban I had picked up in France, drinking German beer.

Wow! Great pics and suggestions everyone. This is definitely next on the list. Looks like Zurich, Lucerne & Interlaken is the way to go.

Is renting a car and driving easy enough or should we just take trains everywhere?

I've been twice in my life, albeit the last trip was in 1986. May and November actually, so it depends on what you'd want.

It can get very touristy, so time of year is key. Offseason is best if you can target it. The best time to visit Switzerland I would think is in the fall, i.e. maybe around September. The weather is generally pleasant and allows for all activities except winter sports. It's just after the summer high season, so it's no longer crowded.

I will say I thought Lugano Switzerland was one of the prettiest locations I've ever seen. It's in the Italian part of Switzerland, so it has all the ambiance of Italy but with Swiss efficiency and cleanliness.

This is totally random, but my screen saver just brought up pictures of Lavertezzo! Haven't been, but it just jumped up the bucket list!