MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial 3-4 full days with kids. Base point for day trips?
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Hello!
My family of 4 including our two kids are planning to see Switzerland. Our trip will start from Paris to Switzerland. I am not sure where is a good base point for easy access for day trips. Our main priority is to see Alps/Mountains/Lakes. Can you recommend 2-3 towns to see? What is the perfect rail pass for us? We are also planning to take the Bernina Express from Chur to Tirano for our last day there.
I don’t know where to begin at this moment. I can’t start finding accommodations since I don’t have a starting place for this trip.
Appreciate all the help!
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Hello Jfkfamily619,
Thank you for joining MySwissAlps! When will this trip take place? Where will you travel to after Switzerland? What’s the age of the children?
As you have limited time I would normally recommend to stay in one town and do day trips from there, especially with children. But you mentioned 2-3 towns, so do you prefer to travel around Switzerland rather than hiking, cableway trips, etc?
These pages help you to get started:
I recommend to pick a rail pass once you have an itinerary.
Hello! Thanks for taking a time to answer my questions.
we will be travellinng around mid-April of this year. We have 6 and 3 years old. Walking or hiking is not a problem because we did a lot of walking when we were at Ireland last April. We will be travelling to Italy after Switzerland via Bernina express.
I think one town is ok to stay as you mentioned and do day trips from there. Do you think somewhere in Jungfrau region?
Thank you again!
Thanks for the additional information! Mid April is spring or still winter, depending on location (altitude). This means that hiking is limited to the lower trails, below 1500-2000 m. Your hiking options in large parts of Graubünden (where the Bernina Express operates) will probably be rather limited.
Montreux and Lucerne would be good options, as well as Interlaken or nearby smaller villages. All these towns are on lakes. The Jungfrau Region near Interlaken is certainly an option as well, but mind that many trails there will be inaccessible as well. Lauterbrunnen is low in the valley and you can for sure hike there.
They above links provide many details about the regions, what to do, and suggested hotels.
Your 3 year old will travel for free everywhere. Your 6 year old as well in most cases, depending on which pass you pick for yourselves.
Hello Arno,
Thanks for your reply.
If we decide to stay in Lucerne, do you think doing a day trip tour from Lucerne to Jungfraujoch is ok? I know it will cost us a lot but we don’t want to miss it.
How easy to get to Chur for Bernina express to Tirano?
Hi Jfkfamily619,
You can enter those trips in the timetable and have a look at the traveling times. Personally I think it takes too long for a day trip. If you stay in Lucerne you can consider Mount Titlis as an alternative.
Luzern – Chur takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes. At least -1 train per hour during daytime. Change trains at Thalwil.
All timetables here : http://www.sbb.ch/en/timetabl e.html. (Note: when you must select one alternative after entering a placename, e.g. “Luzern” or “Luzern Gütsch” etc., always select the stand-alone name – “Luzern” – all others are bus stops).
<<“Personally I think it takes too long for a day trip. If you stay in Lucerne you can consider Mount Titlis as an alternative.”>>
Arno has it right. It is too long a trip. However, at least one forum member has reported here that they got up early in Luzern and did that very very long round trip. They thought it was worth it.
To each his own. I have traveled to Switzerland about 80 times since 1980, and have never felt that the Jungfraujoch journey was worth the cost. Most others disagree.
If you want to make that trip, keep a close eye on the weather. Especially in the Alps, the weather is very changeable in April. Clouds up top at the Jungfrau mean that you pay a lot of money to see the insides of clouds.
Talk to Tourist Info near track #1 in Luzern to learn about the weather at Jungfrau before you travel. Forecast are not very accurate beyond 24 hours, and do not come with guarantees. There are also many other sources for weather info..
Check the timetable to plan the journey, as others have suggested.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll consider all the recommendations above.
As far as rail pass, which do you thinks is more useable? Our trip consisting from Paris-Switzerland-Italy.
1. Eurail Pass – to get to these countries?
2. Swiss Travel Pass – for 3 full days plus another day for Bernina express to Chur?
3. Swiss Half fare depending on the weather then we decide where to go.
Thank you!
Hi Jfkfamily619,
Our information page on rail passes for Switzerland and Europe will help you decide which is better suited for your trip. All have information on what each pass covers. One of the Eurail passes may be best if you are planning on multiple trips in France and Italy as well.
We also have a page to help you decide which pass may be best for you here.
Regards,
LucasHi jfkfamily619
The Swiss half fare card is probably not an attractive option for such a short stay. Your children will ride for free if they are below 6 yrs, and for half fare if they are older than 6 and younger than 16.
2nd class should be comfortable enough unless you have extravagant requirements. It is not customary to book seats on domestic trips in Switzerland.
Hi Lucas!
I’ve been reading a lot about Eurail pass especially in this site which gives me all the information that I need. So couple things to verify…
1. I can use it in France during our stay there?
2. Will I be able to use it on the train from France to Switzerland?
3. How about doing day trips in Italy? Can I use it too?
Thank you ver much!
Hi Snowman,
Thanks for the reply!
I probably just get the Eurail pass since we will be going to Paris and Italy too. This forum really helps me a lot and clarified so many things.
I appreciate for any feedback on my last reply regarding Eurail pass.
Thank you!
Hi jfkfamily619,
Yes, a pass like the Eurail Select Pass could be bought for 3 countries such as France, Switzerland and Italy. Be sure to read through our information page carefully and calculate your costs. Typically you must travel a fair bit on longer train trips to make it worth your while.
Also, the Eurail Pass does not cover 100% of Switzerland so be sure to check out the PDF map of validity under the “where its valid” tab on that page – also some routes only offer discounts off the ticket price here.
Cheers,
LucasHello family of 4: It took me a while to find out a good itinerary in Switzerland that’s why I would like to pass to you some of my findings. To really visit the Alps and to have that mountain feeling, the best towns to stay are Murren, Grindelwald, Warren and the alpine towns in that area. They have excellent hiking trails and from these you can access the high mountain picks of Jungfraujoch and Schilthorn. You will find all kinds of things to do in this area. Also Lauterbrunnen has a fabulous valley and from here you go down to Interlaken that is between two beautiful lakes. You can also visit Lucerne from Interlaken and from Interlaken you can take a fabulous train tour to Montreux. Do some research of your own. There is a Regional Pass for this area that covers most activities and gives you good discounts. Or you can get the Swiss Travel Pass for the amount of days that you will stay in Switzerland. Best to you.
Hi AG6NORA43-
Welcome to My Swiss Alps.
Your reply did not fully consider the weather near the Jungfrau in mid-April; that is why we recommended the base to be Luzern.
Where is “Warren”?
Slowpoke
Hi Ag6nora43,
A warm welcome from me as well, thanks for joining the discussions!
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