Switzerland Bus Tour Geneva to Zurich

Itinerary for our 4 Day Switzerland Bus Trip

• Our Route around Switzerland
• Geneva
• Montreux
• Chillon Castle
• Zermatt
• Gornergrat
• Nufenen Pass
• Lugano
  
• Menaggio
• Chiavenna
• St Moritz
• Chur
• Vaduz Liechtenstein
• Zurich
• What Did We think?

Our Route Through Switzerland

Geneva

We arrived in Geneva two days before our four day bus trip of Switzerland started, so that there was time for us to look around by ourselves. We caught the bus from the airport to our hotel, using the free tickets available in the arrivals’ hall. This is a great service and an easy way to get into the city. Located near Lake Geneva, our hotel, The New Midi was comfortable and centrally located. 

We spent the afternoon wandering around the lake, taking in the views and the Jet d’Eau fountain. Walking over Pont du Mont Blanc, we admired the old buildings on Quai du Général-Guisan, before walking through the beautiful Jardin Anglais.  From here, the view of the Jet d’Eau is very good, and we spent time relaxing by the lake shore.

Our second day was a full day-trip to Chamonix in France, because our bus tour starting the following day would take to the other attractions in Geneva.  To read about Chamonix, click here.

Our final day in Geneva was the first day of the four-day-bus trip. It started with a good overview of the major attractions, including a walking tour which took in the Reformation wall and some old streets of the city, passing the Ancient arsenal and ending as the university.

The bus took us to the United Nations and passed several other UN institutions.

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Montreux

Our time in Montreux was limited by the bus itinerary, which was 2 hours for a lunch stop. On the day we visited, there was a market on the lake’s shore ensuring a huge variety of food to buy. We purchased some food and drinks and sat near the shore enjoying the views.

Apart from the market and lake views, the most memorable part of the quick stop was the statue of Freddy Mercury from Queen, who spent a time in the town. 

Such a quick stop did not do justice to the town, because there seemed to be much more on offer. This is one of the problems with a bus tour.

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Chillon Castle

Situated on the shore of Lake Geneva, not far from Montreux, is Chillon Castle.  Time did not permit us to explore inside, however, the exterior of the castle is amazing and worth the stop just for some quick pictures.

Zermatt

We travelled to Zermatt from Tasch by train. Our buss dropped us at the station for the quick trip after which we checked into our hotel, the Resort Hotel Alex. With plenty of daylight still available we walked around the small town and took in the sights and fantastic views. One of the best views was of the Matterhorn which overlooks the town.

One of the interesting places in Zermatt is the local cemetery which has monuments to those who have been killed climbing the local mountains. The number of names was surprisingly large. The graves and headstones were well maintained and people were tidying it while we were there.

The main street has some amazing shops where you can buy some great items. There are also a huge number of places to eat, so no matter what you fancy, you should be able to find it.

As we walked past the railway station, a group of Swiss Horn players were playing, which was an amazing show.

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Gornergrat

The primary reason for the visit was to travel on the Gornergrat railway to Gornergrat, with its fantastic views. This trip starts at the station opposite the one we arrived at. The trip to the top was a great experience with amazing views of the alps and snow covered landscapes.

At the summit, the altitude is obvious as it is easy to become short of breath with lack of oxygen. We had to take a rest several times. The icy conditions also mean you need to take care of your footing so that you don’t slip over.

We wandered around as long as we could admiring the amazing views, particularly the Matterhorn and other peaks.

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Nufenen Pass

This was a fun drive up the Nufenen Pass, as it is very windy with lots of tights tuns. The views from the bus’s windows were amazing and the bus driver earned his wages doing this drive!

Lugano

Our second night on the trip was in Lugano, at the Grand Hotel Eden, on the shores of Lake Lugano and next to the water fountain.  Arriving late in the afternoon, we walked into the centre of town, after checking into our excellent room.

After taking in some of the excellent buildings and steep streets of the town (it’s built on the side of a hill, so many streets are very steep), we found a nice restaurant in the main piazza for dinner.

We had time in the morning for a cruise on Lake Lugano. The ferry service is very cheap and we spent an hour on the round trip.  We were treated to fantastic views of the lakeside villages and towns, which you cannot get from the roads. The ferry trip was the highlight of our stay in Lugano.

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Menaggio

Our tour left Switzerland for the morning and drove over the border into Italy. The bus stopped briefly in Menaggio on Lake Como where we were able to grab a snack (gelato) and a coffee. We wandered around the streets admiring the buildings, before walking along the lake shore. Menaggio was a beautiful little town and the lake looked inviting, but as we did not have the time, we just admired it from the shore. 

Chiavenna

Our second stop in Italy was Chiavenna in the Breggaglia Valley. There was amazing scenery as we drove in, followed by a stop in this lovely town. We walked up the main street and over a bridge with a statue of Saint John Nepomucene.

The old streets and buildings of the town, along with the surrounding district are beautiful.

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St Moritz

The drive into St Moritz gave us amazing views of the surrounding mountains and different to the usual wintry scenes associated with the town, as it was summer.  The green trees and blue lakes were beautiful and would be a great place to go hiking.

Our hotel, Hotel Schweizerhof St.Moritz, was centrally located and had fantastic views of the lake and mountains from the deck on the roof. After an evening meal in the hotel’s restaurant, we visited several museums and galleries that were open until 11:30PM.

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Chur

Chur is the oldest town in Switzerland and as such has some beautiful buildings and streets. We enjoyed walking around at our leisure and bought lunch at a stall in the market that was set up in the main street.

We walked through the old gate tower and then into the old church just passed it. The church was beautiful inside and it was nice to visit with no crowds of other tourists so that we could relax and enjoy the peace and tranquillity.

If we return to Switzerland this is one place we would visit again to explore in more depth, as the beautiful old buildings take more than a few hours to admire properly.

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Vaduz – Liechtenstein

Our stop in Liechtenstein was very quick and best described as a detour off the main route for an hour. We were able to walk down the main street for an hour for a very quick look.  For our full post of Liechtenstein follow this link.

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Zurich

Our bus trip finished in Zurich. Our stay here was only an overnight stop before a plane flight to Venice and the next part of our European trip. As it was late afternoon, we caught a train from the central station to the airport, where we were booked into the Radisson Blu Hotel for the night.

What Did We Think Of the Bus Trip?

Switzerland is amazing, with nearly every town and village worth stopping at to look around.  The countryside is breathtaking, with amazing mountain scenery and views. We found the first two days of the tour the best, as we had more time to explore for ourselves and do things. As with all bus tours you have to stick to their time table and this often left us wanting more.

The bus trip was a great overview of the country and gave us some great ideas for when we go back, as we will spend far more time s that we can enjoy it more.

If you would like to read more about our trips, please click here