Need suggestions to spend 6 days in Switzerland

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    16 August 2015 at 3:58:21 #807765

    We are planning a trip in Dec 24 arriving zurich in the morning at 6:00. Am then planning to take train to interlaken can you pls advise easy way to reach train station from zurich airport since i will be travelling my wife son 16 and 4 year daughter and we will have luggage.

    Then i will be planning to stay in interlaken for 2 day pls advise 2 days are good for interlaken.

    Then i will be going to Lucerne staying for 2 days pls advise if 2 days are good for Lucerne Or we stay in interlaken for 4 days and we make up down to Lucerne.

    Then i am planning to stay in zermett for 2 days from Zermett i will be leaving to venice italy can you pls advise easy easy way from zermett to venice italy.

    So total 6 days i want to spend in Switzerland and want to cover some mountains, train rides, winter activities, scenic views. also i checked in family pass under 16 is free my son just turn 16 so do i have to buy separate pass for him. and if i need to buy separate pass for him so is family pass worth to buy for me my wife and my daughter.

    I would like if you can let us know best possible way to see the best of Switzerland in 6 days. Thanks

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    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    16 August 2015 at 18:19:27 #845390

    Hi anilk, welcome to MySwissAlps!

    There is a train station at Zurich airport. You can simply follow the signs and walk over there with your luggage cart.

    I would say that two base towns is enough for the 6 days you have available. Both Lucerne and Interlaken offer so much to do; you could enjoy yourself for weeks there. Two days is very little time and would not allow much flexibility if the weather does not cooperate. Also note that days are short in December: sunset will be around 5 PM. Of course this is a personal preference, but I would stay in Zermatt (mind the spelling) and Lucerne or Interlaken, not both.

    Also note that you will be traveling in the busiest week of the year. Hotels in the mountains will be relatively expensive and some might be fully booked quickly. Some might only take bookings of at least 3 nights or even a week. So it would be good to book your hotels as soon as your travel plans are set.

    There are prettier places than Interlaken (e.g. Grindelwald, Wengen or Mürren), but for a short stay Interlaken can make sense, especially if you plan to make long day trips from there. Train services are excellent from Interlaken.

    The above links help you find more information about the towns, as well as nearby attractions and suggested hotels.

    An 8-day Swiss Travel Pass is one of the options, a Swiss Half Fare Card is another option. The Swiss Family Card is free, but you don’t need it. Your daughter travels for free anyway because she’s not 5 years old yet. Your son gets a youth discount on the Swiss Travel Pass. All about the passes can be found here:

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    16 August 2015 at 20:02:44 #845391

    <<“Then i am planning to stay in zermett for 2 days from Zermett i will be leaving to venice italy can you pls advise easy easy way from zermett tovenice italy.”>>

    Train. Via Brig and Milano Centrale.

    The time table will be a big help.

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    Enter Zermatt and Venice for start and finish. Watch the spelling.

    The current timetable is good only until dec 15. Trains and times should be similar after that date..

    Not sure how you can book tickets that far ahead….perhaps Annika has more data.

    (PS -Once the time table has opened up, you will have a “via” box to enter intermediate stops.)

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    17 August 2015 at 6:16:43 #845392

    Most trains allow bookings 3 months ahead of time. If you have a Swiss Travel Pass you only need a ticket from Domodossola (the border) to Venice. Retailers are listed on myswissalps.com/ traintickets/italy/ price. Most likely you can buy your ticket and pass from one retailer.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    18 August 2015 at 8:45:24 #845393

    Thanks Arno for your suggestion. So i should stay at 2 town Interlaken or Lucerne and Zermatt. Can you pls suggest if i need to chosse from interlaken and lucerne which area have more to see. Also if i stay in one town suppose interlaken is it possible to visit mt titlis or mt rigi in lucerne and come back same day to interlaken. Also if i need to choose one mountain between mt titlis and mt rigi which one is better. Also where wefind fox ride and winter activites. Also pls suggest which are the best place to visit in zermatt in 2 days.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    18 August 2015 at 9:29:30 #845394

    If you’re interested in Mount Rigi and Titlis, then stay in Lucerne as it’s much closer. Both mountains are totally different, see the links.

    Both the Interlaken and Lucerne areas have so much to do. You could stay there for weeks and do something new every day. So it’s really a matter of what interests you most.

    The contrast between Lucerne and Zermatt is quite big, so that could be a reason to choose Lucerne. In Lucerne you’ll be able to choose from city activities like museums as well as nature. In Zermatt you’ll be amidst the mountains. No cities nearby. If you do pick Lucerne, you can travel to Zermatt via Interlaken (Golden Pass line) to have a glimpse of the Jungfrau region while traveling.

    If you only want to be surrounded by snow and winter activities, then Lucerne and Interlaken are not the places to be (but Zermatt is) and you’d better pick a smaller village in the mountains, like Grindelwald or Mürren.

    I gave you the link to Zermatt before, so you can find activities there.

    What do you mean by “fox ride”?

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