5 days in Jungfrau/Zurich in July

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    19 May 2017 at 5:57:30 #811880

    Hi folks: my first post on this forum looking for some help. My wife and I visited Montreux and Lauterbrunnen summer of 1997 and are now going back with 2 kids aged 17 and 13 because of our wonderful memories of Murren and Schilthorn. We fly into Zurich July 2 at 4pm and depart Zurich July 7 at 9am to our next country. In other words, we shall have many suitcases (ok, all 4 suitcases have wheels and can be dragged along for short to medium distances) unlike 20 years ago when we just carried large backpacks. We want to spend 3 nights in the mountains and last 2 nights in Zurich because our flight is so early in the morning. I had some specific questions which I hope the knowledgeable folks in this forum can help with:

    1) Because of the luggage situation, we don’t want to move too many times, and were thinking of staying July 2-4 in either Lauterbrunnen (I stayed at a hotel called Hotel Sternen in 1997, but I cannot find it any more), Wengen, or even Interlaken as my mountain base. Given that we shall each be pulling a suitcase, can we really stay in Wengen? I don’t think I can use the Swiss Rail Luggage Service to deliver my suitcases in my hotel given the lateness of my flight arrival, can I? Can we take 4 suitcases up in the cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen?

    2) We skipped Jungfrau for Schilthorn last time, and want to visit Jungfrau this time on either July 3 or 4. Maybe also see Mt. Titlis or Trummerbach Falls. Or Boating in Lake Thun or parasailing … Guess we shall plan the details from the ground. Given than I also want to ride the Glacier Express on July 5, would it make sense to get the Swiss Pass or the BO Travel Pass?

    3) My plan for July 5 is more complicated. I want to leave the mountains early morning and catch to train to Brig, catch the Glacier Express from Brig to Chur, and then take another train from Chur to Zurich before checking into my hotel in Zurich. Is this doable lugging 4 suitcases? Do I need reservations from Brig to Chur? Can I hand off my luggage to Swiss Rail in the morning and pick it up from Zurich at night? I believe the eastbound Glacier Express has 3 trains that day at approx 9am, 10am, and 11am from Brig, so I would need to leave the mountains at 7am to catch the 9:18am train. So what’s the better starting point for this journey: stay in Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, or even Wengen?

    The Swiss Pass special (http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/swiss-travel-pass-free-day-promotion-north-america) ends in a few days, hence I wanted to nail down my logistics before the 23rd.

    Thanks in advance to the experts for their advice. Once I nail down the travel, I can finalize my hotels (or whatever other choices folks recommend) before figuring out the intra-day details.

    Manas

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    19 May 2017 at 9:07:23 #863558

    Hi manasmandal and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    Sounds like a nice little 5 day trip back to Switzerland!

    1. Yes, I don’t believe you can get your luggage shipped to Wengen on the same day from Zurich airport – but they do ship to Wengen – read more about these services, with links to Swiss railways here. You can take your luggage to Wengen without issue (it is a cogwheel train) no one can drive to Wengen so its common practice.
    2. It would probably make sense to get the Swiss Travel Pass (current promotion of 4 days with 1 extra free), plus you can get the free Swiss Family Card at the same time which covers your youngest child on all routes and the 17 year old can get the Youth Swiss Travel Pass.
    3. Yes, you can make this trip with luggage certainly but the trip from Wengen, if that is where you are staying involves 3 changes (Lauterbrunnen, Interlaken Ost and Spiez) and 2 hours. There are several trains early in the morning that will get you to Brig by 9am….but if you want more sleep or less train changes, Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken are better options to stay the night before – but Wengen is certainly doable! Check timetables and connections here.

      Our town links above all have lists of recommended hotels for you to read through as well.

    Lucas

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    20 May 2017 at 3:00:58 #863559

    Hi Manas,

    >> Given that we shall each be pulling a suitcase, can we really stay in Wengen? I don’t think I can use the Swiss Rail Luggage Service to deliver my suitcases in my hotel given the lateness of my flight arrival, can I? Can we take 4 suitcases up in the cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen?

    As Lucas mentioned, it is a train that takes you from Lauterbrunnen to Wengen, and there will be room for your luggage. Many hotels in Wengen offer a pick-up/drop-off service between the railway station and hotel on your days of arrival and departure. (They have small electric vehicles.) So if you stay in Wengen, luggage shouldn’t be a problem. Check with the hotel before you book though – many will mention this on their website. Hotels in the main street near the station (Dorfstrasse) would be easy enough to walk to – fairly level ground, and around 5 minutes walk.

    This thread, with some photos of Wengen, might interest you:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/accommodatio ns

    Alpenrose

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    24 May 2017 at 6:53:54 #863560

    Thanks for your help, Lucas and Alpenrose. I did buy my SwissPass before the promo ended, and also made my GlacierExpress reservation for July 5th from Brig to Chur. The seats were getting sold out and I was able to find 4 seats together in the 9:18am from Brig, so that’s what I picked. So I am thinking of changing my plans and no longer staying at Wengen because of the travel on 5th morning. Instead, I was thinking of staying at Interlaken, Thun, or even Spiez. The tentative itinerary is as follows:

    • July 2: Fly in to Zurich at 4pm. Check into hotel in {Thun,Interlaken,Spiez}
    • July 3-4: Experience Jungfrau on one day, and explore my base town the other day
    • July 5: Thun to Brig to Chur to Zurich (Train, Glacier Express, Train): maybe wander around Chur for a few hours?
    • July 6: Enjoy Zurich or Lucerne
    • July 7: Fly out in the morning

    So looking for tips for my base town/hotel based on fun things to do, including just walking around aimlessly soaking in the sights. We are not really trying to “cover” or “do” a city, and don’t want to simply rush from point A to point B. Hence looking for recommendations for city/activity for the first base and a good activity/experience in Zurich or Lucerne for the 6th.

    Manas

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    24 May 2017 at 11:25:28 #863561

    Hi Manas,

    I haven’ been to Spiez but Thun is quite nice and more interesting I think than Interlaken, I think, however Interlaken will be more convenient for train connections. You may want to stay in Interlaken and make quick day trips to Thun, Jungfraujoch etc.

    Hotels and activities for both towns that we recommend can be found on the above links as well.

    There are many activities to do in Luzern, especially if you are looking for a mountain excursion – look at this link here for ideas. Zurich has fewer ‘attractions’ like Luzern. It has an interesting old town and a lot of shopping, museums and art galleries if that is an interested to you.

    Lucas

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