[Removed user]

21 June 2012 at 1:46:56 #805417

hi,
i am from India, and am in Milan presently on work.
I and am planning a short vacation to Interlaken, Lucern and Jungfrau in July 2012.
i am travelling with my husband, our 2 year old son and parents. we are planning to leave Milan
on 22nd July and return on 25th.
i have the following queries.
1. is this too short a trip? we can manage to squeeze 2 more days if this is too short.
2. how do u suggest we travel from Milan to Interlaken? i have been reading your posts
and would like some information on where to get Swiss pass and how to plan our journey.
as we have a small kid, i would like to know the easiest way to get there.
3. do you think travelling to Interlaken and then to Lucern and Jungfrau is a good idea?
4. what is the weather like in July? will it be difficult with a 2 year old child?
5. do you suggest any budget hotels in all these places?
6. i read about the chocolate train and it sounds really cool… besides that, are there any
events or any visits that you suggest

our basic idea is to have a peaceful vacation, without crowding too many things into the agenda.
your help will be greatly appreciated as it is all very confusing at present.
thank you,
nita

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[Annika]

23 June 2012 at 10:43:19 #836574

Hi nita, welcome to the forum. If you prefer a relaxed holiday, it’s best to pick one resort as a base and make day trips form there. Interlaken or Lucerne would be great, as they allow you to travel to some of Switzerland’s top excursions such as the Jungraujoch, Schilthorn, Rigi, Pilatus, several lake, and so on. Affordable hotels close to railway stations are listed at the Interlaken and Lucerne hotel pages.

The quickest connections from Milan to Interlaken/Lucerne can be found using the timetable. Just enter your departure and destination station and the preferred dates/times of traveling.

A Swiss Pass would be a good idea indeed. You could use one Swiss Saver Pass for 4 people, allowing the 4 adults to travel for free on the national train, bus and boat network. For your inbound trip to Milan, this means that you have to buy a regular Italian ticket up the border (depending on your connection this will be Chiasso or Domodossola). From there, the Swiss Pass will take over, allowing you to travel for free to Interlaken or Lucerne.

Specifics can be found at the Swiss Pass page. Ordering options are listed there too. In your case, you should fill out Italy as your country of residence in the upper right corner to get an overview of resellers shipping to Italy.

It’s hard to say anything about the weather. July can be sunny and warm, but there are no guarantees. Just check weather forecasts shortly before making (mountain) trips. Prepare for low temperatures when getting up in the mountains. Enjoy your stay in the Alps!

[Removed user]

30 June 2012 at 11:09:25 #836575

thanks annika for the detailed reply. i am planning the trip according to your suggestions.
i have a doubt regarding the swiss pass. when i am booking the train tickets, there is no area where i enter details of the swiss pass.

so the timetable site gives me the total charges of the journey and not the discounted rates.

there is only an area to enter details about GA card and rail pass, but i guess these are different from the swiss pass.

kindly help me in this regard.

thanks, nita

[Arno]

30 June 2012 at 12:17:52 #836576

Hi Nita,

You don’t need to book train tickets. That’s what the Swiss Pass is for. As for discounted cable car tickets: you can buy them at the valley station.

[Removed user]

30 June 2012 at 15:26:43 #836577

but what about reserving seats in the train?

[Arno]

1 July 2012 at 6:25:50 #836578

Hi Nita,

Swiss trains don’t need to be booked in advance, except for some panoramic trains and trains to/from surrounding countries. In such a case, the timetable will mark such trains with a “reservation required” symbol. More about seat reservations can be found here.

[Removed user]

4 July 2012 at 7:50:25 #836579

Dear Annika,
please tell me if i have got this right…

when i book from Milan to Interlaken, i book only from Milan to Domodossola, in a train that goes via Domodossola..brig..spiez to reach Interlaken.
the swiss pass will take over from Domodossola onwards. the pass will be activated in the train by the officer in the train.

once i reach interlaken, all my internal travel to Jungfrau, Luzerne etc will be taken care of by the swiss pass.

on my return, i need to book again only from Domodossola to Milan. the sector from interlaken to domod will be covered by the pass.
again no need to reserve tickets for this sector between interlaken and domodossola. i can sit on the same seats allocated for me from
domodossola to milan.

the price of swiss saver pass for 2 adults for 4 days is 226 euro. so we are 4 adults, and a baby… we need to book 2 such passes.

is this correct?
nita

[Arno]

5 July 2012 at 5:10:41 #836580

Hello Nita. Most of your presumptions are correct. Just a few notes:
– seat reservations may be necessary for the leg into Switzerland (and on your way back onto Italy) as well. Generally, they’re necessary for trains crossing the border. This FAQ will help you to find out which trains need reservation;
– you have to make separate seat reservations for your inbound and outbound trip. You probably won’t get the same seats twice;
– your Swiss Pass covers train, bus and boat trips and offers discounts on mountain transportation such as the Jungfraujoch. Please review the downloadable validity map at the Swiss Pass page for specifics.