Itinerary help Interlaken and Luzern

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    24 June 2016 at 16:38:58 #809522

    Hello,

    Thank you in advance for reading this and your help in finalizing my itinerary. Any tips for inclusion or reductions will be really helpful.

    So this will be my first trip to the area. We will be coming from Italy after a conference in July. I will be traveling with my parents. My dad has some lumbar problem, so we are not looking for much hiking as much as I would love it. May be in my next trip.

    So we have only 3 days at hand. We are taking Swiss Travel Pass.

    1st day: We are planning to start really early on the first day and do Schilthorn the first thing in the morning provided the weather is good. If visibility is less in Schilthorn, we will do Jungfraujoch. Back to the Schilthorn plan then. We are planning to go up via Grütschal, and come down via Stechelberg. On our way, we plan to go to Allmendhubel from Murren, and do a small wildflower hike. On our way back, we will see Trummelbach falls (optional really, if we feel we have time shortage we will skip it.). Then we are planning to go to Grindelwald/Wengen, go to Mannlichen. Either do the Mannlichen-KS hike, or just go up to KS, roam around and be back. In case we still have time, we will go watch sunset at Harder Kulm. (We are reaching the previous day at around 8 PM, so we might do that previous day too)

    2nd day: We will start a bit late, go boating in Lake Brienz, see Giessbach. Catch a train from Brienz for Meiringen, eat meringues, do Aare gorge and Reichenbach (Sorry, can not miss this. Absolute Moriarty fan), and reach Luzern. Roam about in the city rest of the day.

    3rd day: Go up to Mount Rigi via Vitznau, come down by train. We might do the Rigi Staffel – Känzeli – Kaltbad – First – Felsenweg trail, if we are not too late. Catch train to Milan.

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    25 June 2016 at 1:31:04 #853416

    Hi RoHirRim –

    Welcome to My Swiss Alps

    Are you a horseman?

    Tolkien fan?

    I am impressed by how well you have organized your travel plans, and your command of the transport network, as well as the geography in the Jungfrau region. You have created some very full days. My first impression is that they are not impossible. 😉

    Day 1 –

    I did not crosscheck everything against the time table. You should, if you have not already done so.

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

    Still, it all sounds like it could come together. Day 1 may be a bit tight.

    Most people do Jungfrau at about 3450 meters, and substitute Schilthorn at about 2900 meters if the clouds are thick on high. Not an issue, just an observation.

    It will be hard to fit all of Day 1 into 1 Day. Grindelwald probably is not in the plan. You may not have time for the Männlichen KS hike, but if you don’t, it would be a good idea to find time on another day.

    Day 2 – you may be arriving late in the day or at night at Luzern. You might need to cut short the boat ride, and head directly for the Giessbach. Will you walk from Giessbach to Brienz? If not, check the schedules carefully.. perhaps do the Sherlock Holmes stuff first, then decide on Giessbach. There can be significant gaps in the lake boat schedules.

    Day 3 – all possible. Train to Milan may have to be late in the day, which will mean a rather late arrival in Milano Centrale.. Känzeli walk is nice..we do it every time we are on the Rigi. Could be skipped, unless the day is crystal clear, but only if you are short of time..

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 June 2016 at 11:51:21 #853417

    Hello Slowspoke!

    Thank you for the precious comments and beautiful photos. Hope we are fortunate to have a good weather supporting all our plans. I am a Tolkien fan, not a horse-person though. I just admire their bravery, support in the many wars fought in the Tolkien world. I did check the timetable and it’s a wonderful thing to have the timetable at hand while planning.

    We preferred Schilthorn because somehow the whole journey to Schilthorn and its views captured our imagination better than Jungfraujoch. I do not hope to finish Day 1. Just a plan in case we happen to be over-enthusiastic and have extra time. About the 2nd day, yes we thought we would go to Giessbach on boat, then again catch boat to Brienz, since there are boats every hour on Sundays (Day 2 is Sunday thankfully), if I am not wrong. Someone told me Luzern is beautiful at sunset, and I am hoping to make there before sunset, see the lion monument and walk through Kapellbrücke. Reaching Milan late at night should not be a problem. Our hotel is right beside the Milan station, so that hopefully would work out well.

    Thank you again! I would post a trip report with pictures after the trip, and let you know which places we finally could cover 🙂

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    25 June 2016 at 12:03:53 #853418

    Sounds like you have it covered nicely and well thought out. I actually have never thought that the Jungfrau was worth the money for me , so I have never done it. Still feel that way. To each his own.

    Sounds like a good plan, with the cautions noted about day 1.

    The picture attached of Pilatus was taken at dawn.

    Slowpoke

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    25 June 2016 at 13:48:14 #853419

    Forgot to say-

    Herr Simon Anderegg runs a wonderful kitchen at the Hotel Victoria in Meiringen, not far from the Bahnhof.

    I’ve been going there infrequently for about 20 years, from about the time when he first took over.

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 June 2016 at 21:49:45 #853420

    Thank you again Slowpoke. We were looking at the must-eat restaurants to fit our itinerary. This is a great help. 🙂

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    25 June 2016 at 22:47:16 #853421

    <<“We were looking at the must-eat restaurants to fit our itinerary. “>>

    This short report may help:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

    We also enjoyed Restaurant da Sina in Wengen last year.. Good Italian. But, there are many choices in Wengen, and that is just one of them.

    I also hear that Cafe Eiger (near the station in Wengen) is getting better and better.

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    25 June 2016 at 23:18:39 #853422

    I had just opened that trip report when I got your suggestion. It’s so detailed. Thank you for the suggestions. 🙂

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 June 2016 at 5:12:44 #853423

    Hello again. So I was wondering about Brienzer Rothorn sunrise. So, how good is it? Also, how do I reach Brienz from Interlaken for watching the sunrise?

    Thanks!

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    26 June 2016 at 8:38:01 #853424

    <<“So I was wondering about Brienzer Rothorn sunrise. So, how good is it? “>>

    Don’t know.

    Attached is an image taken toward Luzern ( to a bit east of northwards) from the Brienzer Rothorn, plus a couple of others. Don’t have one taken toward due east handy. All old, sorry for the technical quality.

    The views to the south, to the Jungfrau Massif would probably be pretty nice when the sun lights them up…if the day is clear. Don’t have those pictures handy, either. That’s all film stuff,and requires scanning and editing.

    <<“Also, how do I reach Brienz from Interlaken for watching the sunrise?”>>

    When you ask that question, or any other with a starting point and a destination, you first thought should be to check the time table.

    Other than walking, there are two routes up.

    One is on the Brienzer Rothorn Bahn, the other from near Sörenberg, in the direction of the Entlebuch and Emmental, on the mountain pass road between Giswil and Schüpfheim in the Emmental.

    The latter would take quite a while to reach by bus to the Talstation of the cable car , the former is a great cograil train ride, starting from just behind the hotel Weisses Kreuz in Brienz. It would probably take half a day for you to do the round trip from Interlaken.

    http://www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/en/extras/lodg e-rothorn-kulm.html

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 June 2016 at 8:58:33 #853425

    I checked the timetable, and found no public transportation in the morning that could take us to Brienz from Interlaken before 5:30 AM (unless we reach there by middle of the night of course which we are not keen about), when the Brienzer-Rothorn Bahn starts its sunrise tour. The photos are immensely beautiful though. We will hate to miss it.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    26 June 2016 at 9:15:15 #853426

    Go up the night before and stay over. Hope for good weather.

    However, it certainly does not fit well in the packed itinerary that you propsed.

    Switzerland offers too many good choices. 😉

    By the way, the picture gallery attached to the link that I gave for the hotel is pretty good:

    http://www.brienz-rothorn-bahn.ch/en/extras/lodg e-rothorn-kulm.html

    Slowpoke

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    26 June 2016 at 21:55:41 #853427

    dateandtime.info/citys unrisesunset.php?id=2660253

    And, it might well be earlier up there on the mountain top. The last trip up would get you there at 1731….time for a very leisurely dinner. ;-(

    Slowpoke

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    26 June 2016 at 22:29:04 #853428

    Ahh. That’s true. The slow color change of the peaks I am hoping to watch in the morning needs us to be awake long before the sunrise time. And you are right : this certainly does not fit well in my packed itinerary. Such a knapsack problem! 🙁

  • The thread ‘Itinerary help Interlaken and Luzern’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.