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Hi!
I just got our Swiss Travel Pass in the mail for 3 consecutive days. We will be in Switzerland July 10th-12th. Originally, I wanted to take the earliest Golden Pass line train on the 12th, and get back to Luzern (our base)later that day and then take the train to Milan, but that doesn’t seem possible anymore since the train time that I’ve been seeing that is available leaves at 1600. Not enough time.
We definitely want to go to Lauterbrunnen and I was wondering if that is possible to do in half day? here is our possible timeline, July 10th we are coming from Colmar, and probably going to arrive in Luzern at around
2pm . The 11th is our only full day in Switzerland, and then have to leave on the 12th at around 1600. I want to maximize the use of our tickets.Can someone please give me a mock itinerary for those 3 days that we can possibly do? there
is 2 adults and 2 children in my party.Thank you!!!!
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Day 1 – Arrival in Luzern at 2pm
You might be able to fit in one mountaintop visit or a cruise on the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne), then stroll through the old town in the evening. The Swiss Timetable will help you to find out what it feasible. Make sure you are aware of what time the last mountain transport leaves from the mountain top.
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Day 2 – Full day trip to Lauterbrunnen
Travel time each way Luzern-Lauterbrunnen is 2 hours 20 minutes, so it’s not possible to do it in half a day if you want to have a look around. So I suggest a full day. You could also go up to Mürren or Wengen, both beautiful traditional villages with spectacular views.
Day 3 – Luzern to Milano Centrale via Golden Pass
What about going to Milano via the Golden Pass line on your last day (without returning to Luzern)? I have attached details of two possible connections, leaving Luzern at 7:05 or 9:05, arriving Milano Centrale at 16:37 or 17:37.
Hope this helps.
Alpenrose
Alpenrose. Thank you so much for that info!!! I wasn’t even aware that I can take the Golden Pass Line to Milan. I have been going nuts trying to figure out how to maximize our STP and that sounds like a great idea. Now, question, do I just hop on that train from Luzern in the morning and ride it until we get to Brig? I understand there will be changes of trains and such in between? But from Brig to Milan, would I need to purchase an international ticket? if so, where can I purchase that? and will my STP still cover the parts of Switzerland? Thank you so much for all that great info!!
PS: since this is looking like a VERY long stay inside trains, will it be worth it? I’ve seen pictures and people raving about the views, so
Im very excited! =)-May
Hi May,
You’d take a train to Interlaken Ost and switch for Spiez there. That’s where you leave the Golden Pass line and take any train(s) to Milan. The Swiss Travel Pass covers you to Domodossola, so you need a ticket from Domodossola to Milan (see here).
If you prefer to see the entire Golden Pass line you can take it all the way to Montreux and head for Milan from there. That will take much longer but it can be done in a day.
All details are in the timetable Alpenrose shared.
Thank you for all your advices!! Since I have a Swiss Travel Pass, do I need to purchase tickets? I entered my info on the sbb website and I picked the Luzerne-Milan via Gstaad route. While entering what kind of ticket we have, Im not sure which one to put down..(i included a pic from my comp) do I pick the “GA 2.cl 1yr/ GA subscription” ? Is that the Swiss Travel Pass? And do I pick that for all of us? I don’t see an option for the Swiss Travel Family Card. Also, does that include the ticket all the way to Milan? Or just to Domodossola? Thank you in advanced! I just need this out of the way already because I have to plan for the rest of our trip to Italy & France still!! 🙂
Hi May,
You don’t need tickets, except for the Italian leg. You can get those through the link I gave you. SBB is the domestic site and does not show tourist passes. GA should work, but again beware that you do not need tickets within Switzerland. That’s what the Swiss Travel Pass is for.
Thank you so much for confirming that. Can I buy my italian train ticket in one of the train stations in Switzerland since I don’t want to reserve a time right now because I’m not sure if there will be a delay or what not on my end (i’m bringing 2 kids, one in a wheelchair)
1. Are reservations required or needed for the Golden Pass Line? And when making those reservations, do I need to make one for each trains? I.e. Lucern-Interlaken Ost train, then Interlaken Ost-Zweisimmen train, then Zweisimmen-Montreux train..and so on..?
2. Since Brig will be our last stop before heading to Milan, Can I purchase my Italian ticket there? Will we need to change trains again to Domodossola to Milan? Thank you so much!!!!
Hi May,
1. Reservations are not required. For some trains on the Zweisimmen to Montreux leg they’re recommended though: myswissalps.com/golden pass/tickets.
2. You can buy tickets in Brig, but I would not recommend that. Buying tickets at the station takes time. You will either need to get off the train just to buy tickets (and wait for the next train), or if you need to change there anyway you may miss your next train if it’s a tight connection. Also if the train to Italy requires reservations there’s always the risk of a fully booked train if you buy the last minute. All you need is a Domodossola to Milan ticket, and you can buy it here. It includes reservations if needed.
Thank you, Arno! So just buy any ticket from Domodossola to Milan? It was giving me different choices of train tickets. Regionale and Eurocity? Not sure what the difference is. Not familiar with them. Will it matter if I buy a 2nd class or 1st class? I guess what I don’t get is, are we staying on the same train or getting off and connecting with another train in Domodossola to Milan? Also, how do I reserve tickets for the Classic trains? Is that possible if I take the Luzern to Milan via Gstaad route? I tried looking all over the place on where I can reserve seats for that train but I sadly can’t find it. Thank you so much for all your help!!!
You’ll be staying on the train, so just buy the ticket for the time that’s most convenient for you. Train type does not matter, and class is a personal preference. 1st is more luxurious 🙂
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