[Removed user]

19 January 2012 at 21:35:05 #804858

Hi, first-timer to Europe. Family of 2 adults and 2 kids (very young, 7 yrs and 9 yrs). Will be in London on 11 Mar. Thinking of taking a trip as follows :

a) 11 Mar – evening flight from London. Will land in Zurich at 11pm. Overnight in Zurich.
b) 12 Mar – spend few hours on city tour of Zurich iin morning. What would be the touristic sightts I should not miss here?
Then taking of travelling to Lucerne in mid-afternoon. Tour around Lucerene city. Overnight in Lucerne.
c) 13 Mar – thinking of going to Pilatus or would there be something nearer? Then travel by train to Paris. Overnight in Paris.
d) 14 Mar – 15 Mar – Paris.

Do you think the above is doable (esp. with young kids in tow?)? Have the following aims :
a) Beautiful sights of snow-covered mountains (if in mar, there still is) / lakes / countryside
b) chocolate factory – if there is one nearby.

The above is just my initial planning but if you think the cities in Switzerland i’m thinking of going to does not fit my objectives and not that suitable for the young kids, hope to hear more from you.

Thanks.

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[Annika]

22 January 2012 at 4:40:05 #834685

Hello noreenc, and welcome. Yes, your itinerary looks doable, even with kids. If you visit the Pilatus (which is the nearest viewing point to be reached from Lucerne) you’ll definitely get to see snow-capped mountains. A chocolate factory can be visited in Flawil, but this will be at the expensive of your time in Zurich. While in Zurich you can visit the old town, the lake, the Swiss national museum, viewing point Uetliberg, and so on. I suggest that you take a look at the Zurich tourism website for further ideas.

The timetable may be of help too. And you could consider using the Swiss Half Fare Card, which (in combination with a free STS Family Card) will allow your two children to travel along for free and offers a 50% discount for the adults. This will be cheaper than buying regular tickets for each trip.

Does that answer some questions? Best regards,

[Removed user]

25 January 2012 at 1:03:54 #834686

Hi Annika,
Yes, your info has been extremely helpful and after considering what you’ve stated, I’m thinking that after I arrive in Zurich, I try to get a train to Lucerne. Then I can overnight for 2 nights in Lucerne and use Lucerne as my base. From Lucerne, I can then do Pilatus, Lake Lucerne and all the touristic sights of Lucerne (incluidng lion’s monument, chappel bridge etc). Would it then be nearer to travel to Flawil from Lucerne – do a half day tour? Also, would you know of any cheese factor opened for public walk-in? I’ve went onto a http://www.viator.com website which shows some Lucerne tours but they do not mention any tours to chocolate nor cheese factory. Would it be better for me just to arrive in Lucerne and then only look for the tours from there?

[Removed user]

25 January 2012 at 17:22:29 #834687

Hi Noreenc, if you now plan more time in Lucerne, I suggest you take the children to the Transport Museum – they would love it as it is very interactive as well as interesting for the adults. The children can wear hard hats and drive mini-dumper trucks among other things! When we went there we found the children’s enjoyment as entertaining as the exhibits! Maggie.

[Removed user]

25 January 2012 at 18:05:29 #834688

Hi Maggie – thanks for your heads-up on the Transport Museum. Will keep a lookout for it. What other things should I aim to see in Lucerne?

[Annika]

27 January 2012 at 9:57:11 #834689

Hello Noreen! Flawil is closer to Zurich than to Lucerne (you can just enter your destinations in the timetable). This current topic on cheese and chocolate factories/demonstrations may be interesting.