[Removed user]

3 March 2015 at 23:47:14 #806939

We are planning on getting to switzerland on May 1-2 and staying till May 4-5 (3 nights). I have the following draft itinerary. Just wanted to get feedback on whether it is doable or perhaps changes that I should make.

1. Land in Zurich Airport on May 1-2 around 6am.

2. Go straight to Lauterbrunnen (stay the night)

3. Climb the Schilthorn or the JungFrau next day (stay the night).

4. Go from Lauterbrunnen to Lucerne (stay the night in Lucerne)

5. Go from Lucerne to Munich (our next stop)

For #4, we can take an early or late train to Lucerne depending on whether we need more time in Lauterbrunnen. Or we could stop in Engelberg before reaching Lucerne and go up Titlis.Any thoughts would be welcome. I am hoping this will give us a good overview of our first trip to switzerland.

Thanks!

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[Arno]

4 March 2015 at 19:50:38 #841896

Hi thegreat23,

Your plan seems fine to me. Most important with such a short trip is the weather, but unfortunately that’s beyond control. There’s one thing though: you don’t mean to literally climb the Schilthorn or Jungfraujoch do you? The Jungfraujoch can only be reached by train. One can hike up to the Schilthorn, but not in early May as the trails will be covered in snow. But there’s a wonderful cable car.

Be sure to get the Swiss Half Fare Card or one of the other rail passes.

Have fun on your first trip to the Swiss Alps!

[Removed user]

4 March 2015 at 20:06:20 #841897

Thanks for the information Arno! Sorry “Climb” was just a bad word 🙂 I mean “Go up” using cable car and such. Do you think it would be better to just stay in Lucerne for the 3 nights since we have to go to munich afterwards. I would have loved to stay in Lauterbrunnen for the 3 nights but I imagine going from there to Munich will be a really long trip.

[Arno]

5 March 2015 at 6:51:54 #841898

Hi thegreat23,

Lauterbrunnen is wonderful, and you can travel to Munich via the scenic Golden Pass line and Lucerne. Just take into account that May is low season: some attractions and cable cars are closed and not all hiking trails are accessible as discussed here. Of course that goes for Lucerne too, but as it’s a bigger place, at a lower altitude and on a lake, you’ll have more options there.

[Removed user]

6 March 2015 at 16:22:02 #841899

Thanks Arno,

We are planning on just going up by cable car to the Schilthorn or the Jungfraujoch. Hopefully these are open during this time? Also, maybe go to the trummelbach falls etc. Will services like cable cars , buses and trains be running on a reduced schedule during this time? Also, how about restaurants etc…hopefully Lauterbrunnen will not be a ghost town!

My second questions is regarding passes. Given our itinerary, do you think it makes sense to get any specific pass? I was wondering if its better to get there and pick up individual tickets since its not clear if we will be able to go up Jungfrau/Schilthorn depending on weather.

Thanks for all your help. This is an awesome site!

[Arno]

6 March 2015 at 17:39:28 #841900

Hi thegreat23,

Schilthorn, Jungfraujoch and the Trümmelbach Falls will all be open. Some restaurants and hotels will be closed because it’s low season. A Swiss Half Fare Card makes sense, and also gives discounts on boats trips, for example, if you don’t go to one of those peaks.

I’m glad you like the site, thanks for mentioning that here!