3 SHORT DAYS AROUND SWITZERLAND

Hi All,

I've laid out a plan for our 3 days in Switzerland, in September. We've decided to drive, train is a good option but too costly for 5 adults, even the travel passes, especially for just 3 days. Our main purpose is to enjoy the views along the drives, not planning to do activities like shopping, skiing, hiking. Please input, appreciate your kind opinions. Thanks in advance!

DAY01 ::: GENEVA - BERN
- Arrive in Geneva Airport at 1000am.
- Drive straight to Bern, quick stop along the way at Lausanne or Montreux.
- Sleep in Bern, Glocke Hotel.
- What is the driving duration and driving condition for this route?
- Is there any scenic route along the way?
- If not Lausanne or Montreux, what better stop do you suggest along the way?
- What are the attractions in Bern or along the way, that is not to miss?

DAY02 ::: BERN - INTERLAKEN
- Drive to Interlaken in the morning. Sleep in Interlaken.
- Day trips to Jungfrau, Lauterbrunnen or Wengen.
- Maybe trip to Top Of Europe. I think cheapest round trip is CHF90, the Good Afternoon Ticket.
- What is the driving duration and driving condition for this route?
- Is there any scenic route along the way?
- What better day trips do you suggest in this area?
- What are the attractions in this area, that is not to miss?
- Where can we take a quick cable car trip, that is around this area and not too costly?

DAY03 ::: INTERLAKEN - GENEVA
- Leave Interlaken in the morning, driving back to Geneva.
- Maybe take the route through Brig - Sion - Geneva.
- Sleep in Geneva, Hotel F1 (Ferney-Voltaire, France) near the airport.
- If I stay in this hotel, do you know if I need to go through immigration, and is my swiss rented car allowed entry?
- What is the driving duration and driving condition for this route?
- Is there any scenic route along the way?
- What are the attractions along the way, that is not to miss?

DAY04 ::: Leave Geneva early in the morning.

OTHER QUESTIONS :::
Is there any Scenic Pass we can traverse along the way in these 3 days? Maybe Furka Pass? Is it dangerous condition to drive in September? We have good driving experience, but not in snowy/icey roads.

Best Regards,
D :)

PS - I posted this in another topic. Apologies if you may have seen it already. Thanks!

Is there any scenic route along the way?

It's Switzerland, there is nothing scenic.

Not at your pace, anyway.

Firstly, you need to catch your breath, slow down!
Driving conditions - Switzerland has highways and you are coming in September so there is no reason to worry about snow. And since you haven't got a lot of time you may want to stick to the highways anyway, to save time.
Stop at Montreaux along the way and go to Chateau Chillon.
For your stay in Bern, just take a walk through the historic old city, you are staying at the Glocke so you will be there anyway. The hotel should be able to give you a good map, otherwise the railway station has a good tourist office. Don't miss the view from the Rosengarten.
On the way to Interlaken, stop at Thun and visit the castle there.
Again, driving to Interlaken from Bern takes 45 minutes on the highway. Good roads and pretty scenery. Thun is on the way so there is no problems stopping there on the way.
What do you want to see? If the weather isn't nice than the Top of Europe can be disappointing as all you will see is fog, so why not go to Lauterbrunnen to the Trummelbach Waterfalls, or to Grindelwald and take a cablecar up to First and then walk down some of the distance back to Grindelwald. You can also take a scenic boat trip on the lake of Brienz which is still possible in September. Another nice trip is to the Schynige Platte (from Interlaken/WIlderswil) and see the mountains from there and the botanical garden walk is lovely. The train to the Schynige Platte is a cogwheel train and it is a very scenic trip up to the last stop.
There is also a bus that takes you to 4 mountain passes in one day, leaving from Meiringen and travels in a day over
Grimsel–Nufenen–Gotthard–Sustenpass.
I can't advise you on your hotel choice in France, but you will probably pass through border control. Why not just stay in hotel in Switzerland, close to Geneva airport?

WHY DO YOU ASK THE SAME AGAIN AND AGAIN?
Read the anwers you got yesterday.

Sorry, I thought posting my question under Switzerland thread is more appropriate, so I posted here again. Thanks for all your answers!

Hi Dacyl,
I think your main itinerary Geneva-Bern / Bern-Interlaken / Interlaken-Geneva is doable however I'm not sure you'll have time to stop as much as you're planning too, seems like a lot of stops to fit in one day! Don't know about travel time for day 2 and day 3 but for day 1, you should count approximately 45 to 60 minutes to drive from Geneva to Lausanne, and about 20 to 30 minutes from Lausanne to Montreux. Both Lausanne and Montreux are nice but if you have to select one I'd say go straight to Montreux as it offers the most amazing view of the Alps and of the lake. Château de Chillon just after Montreux is definitely worth going. The view is amazing all the way from Geneva to Montreux (Lausanne is along the way). Whether you take the motorway (speed limit is 120 km/h) or the "national road" (speed limit is 80 km/h) you'll get the same view. I'd suggest you take the motorway otherwise it will take you much much longer! Then going to Bern must take between one and two hours. Take the motorway!. Scenery is less spectacular from Montreux to Bern but still nice.
Bern is very small so you'll quickly see the historic center which is very pretty.
Can't help you with day 2...
Day 3: Drive back from Interlaken to Geneva will take you first through mountain roads and then regular national roads and motorways. Don't worry about the state of roads, they're very well maintained everywhere and you won't get snow at this time of the year. Travel time is several hours for sure.
I suppose you took a hotel in France because it was cheaper - don't worry too much about that. Ferney Voltaire is just across the border from Geneva. I suggest you take some time to visit the center of Geneva, at least to see the old town and the lake which are amazing. Keep Ferney Voltaire just for sleeping - not much there to see.
When it comes to border crossing I don't see why you should encounter any problem. You don't mention your country of origin so just check whether you're allowed entry into France or whether you need a visa. Most probably if you don't need one for Switzerland you won't need one for France. And if you got a Schengen visa for Switzerland it will be valid for France. Most of the time there's no border control at all... It's Schengen area so most border crossing points are empty. If you do get checked by customs you'll have no problem unless you smuggle goods across the border :-) Just check with the car rental agency whether you're allowed to take the car abroad but it shouldn't be a problem...