Which cities are must-sees in Switzerland for a limited budget and limited time?

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Starwalker

Luzern and Bern, i think, are "must-sees" in Switzerland, though too touristy for my taste (once is enough, really). you can do both in one day, since they're only 1 hour apart by train. if you have to choose one or the other, i would lean more toward Bern, because i think most people would find the cobblestone roads, whimsical fountains, clock tower more charming.

Zurich is great, and you might as well go to Rapperswil if you're in Zurich (it's only 15min away, offers a lot of charm in a lakeside town).

if you're looking for alps, i'd go with the Jungfrau, though i would also recommend going up to Kleine Scheidegg only. the view there is as dramatic as it gets, and the peaks are close enough to touch. the actual Jungfraujoch, i found, was less of a thrill (unless you're desperate to see snow).

the Matterhorn in Zermatt is a great choice, and in some ways, even better than the Jungfrau. however, Zermatt is really out of the way in the south of the country, and it'll take you 3+ hours by train either from Geneva or Zurich. so for a short visit, i wouldn't recommend such a long train ride.

Thun by Lake Thun is very nice, one of my favorite Swiss cities. Lausanne is pretty too, especially if you prefer the French part of Switzerland.

chera

Wow, you are going to have a marvelous time, believe me. I suggest going to Bern if you want to find beautiful old churches, glochenspiels, bears, and good fondue; I absolutely love Lucerne, you can walk around for days and never tire of it! The bridge is amazing and so are the beautiful paintings on the buildings. Also, Lausanne is very nice, especially if you want to take a two hour trip to France across the lake to go get a cup of coffee and an amazing pastry! Well, best of luck and have fun!

The Main Man at Yahoo

Vevey, Interlaken,Basel,Zurich,Biel
stay at the hostals and eat in the department store restraunts.

igi

Geneva and Bern
beautiful

Ladida

Why are you skipping Zurich? It's definitely one of the more exciting cities in the country. Geneva is a great pick! If you take the train from Geneva to Zurich via Bern then you'll also get to see beautiful Lake Geneva. (Don't take the train at night so you can see the beautiful landscape!)

Kari L

Those are good choices, although I personally like Zurich better than Geneva.

You'll catch a distant view on a train from Geneva to Bern, but that's all. Try going to Visp for example, and then to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn, I can highly recommend it anytime of the year.

Belindita

My choices would be Geneva (French-speaking city, people from all over the world, beautiful lake, U.N. headquarters in Europe, etc.), Luzern (German-speaking city, beautiful (rebuilt) covered bridge on the lake) and Zermatt (small, popular town at the foot of the Matterhorn - the Switzerland that you see on calendars).

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