Swiss driving tour / route ideas?

[Hopalong64]

Hi

I will be going to Switzerland in my Z3 for a driving tour in July 2013. I will have six days in total to drive from Zurich to Geneva.

I would like to take in several mountain passes and probably spend two nights in Interlaken or close by.

I an getting a bit bemused by all the possibilities and don't ideally want to spend more than around 4 hrs a day driving.

Any help / suggestions on the route and options for basic but clean / tidy accommodation would be appreciated.

Thanks

[MattW]

If you are heading towards Interlarken a few tips would be:

Have a blast up to Grindelwald, nice pleasant drive and if I remember correctly there are a few things to do / visit up that way. E.g. Trottibiking (think giant adult sized scooter, cable car and an empty mountain)

If you are looking for somewhere to stay try the Grand Hotel at Giessbach (on lake Brienz), one of my favourites, a real hidden gem.....assuming you are going with a partner that is....on your own might be a bit....weird. There is a paddle steamer that picks you up at the foot of a private funicular railway that will take you to Interlarken.

http://www.giessbach.ch/about-the-grandhotel.html

From Interlarken and lake Thun, I would suggest taking motorway 11 (google maps) towards Gstaad, and from Gstaad head down toward Les Diablerets. If you like small quaint Swiss villages you might want to stay here, if not maybe drive over to Villars via the ‘Route du Col de la Croix’ (lovely road) ultimately dropping down via Aigle to lake Geneva. Personally from here I prefer going around the Northern side of the lake and visiting Montreux and Lausanne; it’s more motorway than the southern side so not as pretty (although there are some spectacular raised sections of the motorway above Lausanne) but if you stop at Lausanne and Montreux it will take you the best part of a day to get to Geneva. If you don’t stop it’s a couple of hours from Les Diablerets.

Hope that helps

[Nollub]

I don't know too much about the northerly part of what MattW is advising. However from Villars towards Geneva I am more familiar as I am a regular visitor to Villars. The Hotel Alpe Fleurie in Villars is a great hotel and has rooms from CHF115 per night. It also has wifi.
To go to Geneva you do not need to take the motorway. There is a (non-motorway) road which follows the northern shore of the lake and whilst not a particularly fast road it is very scenic and a relaxing drive.
Montreux and Lausanne are interesting, there is the Chateau de Chillon just before Montreux and the Olympic Museum in Lausanne. Vevey is worth stopping at too with an interesting market on Saturdays.
Morges may be worth looking at and Nyon has some great restaurants on the waterfront.
Many towns have Tourist Centres where you will be able to get brochures and guides to what is happening in the region. Les Diablerets, Villars and Montreux do for sure and probably most other places you might stop at.

Edited by Nollub on Tuesday 9th April 18:33

[Nollub]

Edited, sorry, message seems to have appeared twice!