Day 1: Arrival in Tokyo

• Flight: SLC → Tokyo (Narita/Haneda)

• Airport Transfer to hotel: Private van or Narita Express train (reserved seats for ease)

• Check-in: Hilton Tokyo Bay (Disney-themed, family-friendly, pool, concierge)

• Dinner: Street food at Odaiba Rainbow Town (easy first-night option with views of Tokyo Bay)Evening: Relax at hotel (jet lag recovery)

Day 2: Tokyo Disney Resort

Arrival in Switzerland, Travel Zurich —> Lauterbrunnen —> Wengen

✈️ Fly into Zurich Airport (ZRH), land 8:50 am

Go through customs (Note: You don’t need a visa when you travel to Switzerland with a US Passport!)

🚞 Travel by train Zürich Flughafen —> Lauterbrunnen

I recommend waiting and booking these train tickets once you arrive in Zurich in case you have any flight delays or it takes time getting through customs, getting luggage, etc. There are trains that take this same route every few minutes, so you’ll be okay to wait. Connect to wifi at the airport and purchase them online at https://www.sbb.ch/en (put in the following):

From: Zürich Flughafen (Flughafen = Airport in German, so the station is at the airport)
To: Lauterbrunnen

Example route:

10:45 am —> 13:26 (1:26 pm) (2hr 41 min travel time)

🚊 Zürich Flughafen —> Interlaken Ost

🚶 Transfer (short walk to another platform/train)

🚊 Interlaken Ost —> Lauterbrunnen

Once you arrive at Lauterbrunnen station, take a train to Wengen (location of your hotel); or you can take an Uber directly to the hotel with your bags.

🏨 Get to hotel, check in, and freshen up; if hotel room isn’t available, drop bags and explore lauterbrunnen, eat lunch, visit the hotel spa, etc.

🧭 Stroll through Lauterbrunnen’s iconic waterfalls, like Staubbach Falls

👀 Visit Trümmelbach Falls for glacial waterfalls inside a mountain

🍽️ Dinner recommendation: Weidstübli for romantic farm-to-table dining (Menu)

Day 3: Monday, August 18

Jungfraujoch & Alpine Bliss

🍽️ Breakfast at hotel

🚞 Train to Kleine Scheidegg, then 🚞 to Jungfraujoch Railway to "Top of Europe" | Snow year-round, ice palace, epic views. Pack layers!

🍽️ Lunch: Eat at one of the restaurants at the top of Jungfrau.

🥾 Hike from Kleine Scheidegg back to to Wengen (hotel). This is a gentle ~1.5 hour downhill hike among wild cows and insane beauty. You can take the train back if you don’t want to hike.

🧖 Relax at hotel spa

🍽️  Dinner Recommendation: Restaurant Oberland terrace for rösti, fondue, swiss wine

Day 4: Tuesday, August 19

Lake Thun & Relaxation

🍽️ Breakfast at hotel

🚞 Train to Spiez

🏔️ Activity recommendation: Schloss Spiez, a medieval castle with a landscaped garden and a tower offering scenic views over Lake Thun

🍽️ Lunch Recommendation: Anything highly rated in Spiez. Many of the restaurants have beautiful views of the lake.

🏔️ Activity recommendation: Take a train or boat on Lake Thun to Schloss Schadau for afternoon tea, happy hour, dinner, or just to walk around.

Return to Wengen (Hotel)

Day 5: Wednesday, August 20

Happy Anniversary! Lake Brienz Boat Cruise

🍽️ Breakfast at hotel

🚞 Train from Lauterbrunnen to Interlaken Ost (~20 mins).

🛤️ Ride the Harder Kulm funicular (10 mins) to the "Top of Interlaken" for panoramic views of Jungfrau, lakes, and valleys.

🥾 Walk the Two Lakes Viewpoint trail (easy, 30 mins) or enjoy coffee at the mountaintop restaurant.

🍽️ Lunch Recommendation: Anything highly rated in Interlaken; if you’re ready for a break from Swiss food, there is Korean BBQ, Indian, Mexican, and multiple Taverns that are highly-rated.

🏔️ Activity recommendation: Lake Brienz Boat Cruise

About Lake Brienz

Depart from Interlaken Ost (West)

Option 1: Short cruise to Iseltwald (45 mins)—famous for its fairy-tale pier

Option 2: Full cruise to Giessbach Waterfalls (1.5 hours), where you can hike to the waterfall or lunch at Grand Hotel Giessbach’s terrace.

🍽️ Dinner Recommendation: Anniversary dinner at Elisa - Bistro & Terrasse, located at Grandhotel Giessbach (Menu)

Return to Wengen (Hotel)

Day 6: Thursday, August 21

Grindelwald & First Adventure

🍽️ Breakfast at hotel

🚞 Train to Grindelwald, then 🚠 ride gondola to First (pronounced “"Fierst") for amazing mountain and valley views

🥾 Hike from top of First to Bachalpsee Lake (Around 1.5-2 hour hike round-trip)

🍽️ Lunch Recommendation: Berggasthaus First (Menu)

🏔️ Activity recommendation: Grindelwald First Adventure Package Tour

My wife and I did this when we went to Grindelwald and loved it!

The gondola ride from Grindelwald to First is included in this package

Purchase package at the valley station of the First Cable Car

Ride the First Flier zipline

Ride Trottibikes back down the mountain to Grindelwald

Note: If you don’t want to do the zipline and Trottibikes, you can just take the gondola down instead.

👀 Explore Grindelwald’s charming streets.

🍽️ Dinner recommendation: Pizzeria da Salvi for wood-fired pizza with a Swiss twist (Menu | Pizza Menu)

Day 7: Friday, August 22

Mürren + Head to Zurich for Flight Home

🍽️ Breakfast at hotel

Check out of hotel + leave bags at reception for storage

🚠 Cable car to Mürren, a quaint, car-free village.

Walk the Northface Trail (easy, 2 hours) with Eiger views.

🍽️ Lunch Recommendation:  Restaurant Stägerstübli in downtown Mürren; don’t forget the homemade apple strudel! (Menus)

Return to hotel, get bags, train back to Zurich for 1-night hotel stay close to airport in preparation for morning flight. This will be the reverse of what you did on the way.

🚞 Travel by train Lauterbrunnen —> Zürich Flughafen

Again, book tickets at https://www.sbb.ch/en (put in the following):

From: Lauterbrunnen
To: Zürich Flughafen

Example route (may change depending on how early you want to depart Lauterbrunnen) 15:31 (3:31 pm) —> 18:14 (6:14 pm) (2 h 43 m travel time)

🚊 Lauterbrunnen —> Interlaken Ost

🚶 Transfer (short walk to another platform/train)

🚊 Interlaken Ost —> Zürich Flughafen

🏨 Check into hotel in Zurich, find dinner nearby

🏨 Recommended hotel: Locke am Platz, Enge

~$350, breakfast included. You can stay anywhere near the airport if you want to spend less, be closer, etc. Let me know if you need help booking something, or you can book yourself.

Day 8: Saturday, August 23

Departure

🍽️ Breakfast at hotel

🚞 Train to Zurich airport plenty early

Fly home

ZRH 11:45 am —> PHL 2:50 pm
Flight AA 93

4:05 layover

PHL 6:55 pm —> PHX 9:04 PM
Flight AA 92