6 days in Switzerland Montreux-Zermatt-Luzern
-
Hi there We are a family of 4 adults and planned a weeks adventure using Interrail Global Pass.
Travelling – We bought the Interrail Global Pass 2 Adults and 2 youths which at the time i was apprehensive as to whether this was a a good buy and would be an inconvenience as had to fill in each time we used. it was a flexible 7 day pass.
This worked out an extremely good buy as it included out initial trip from home to London. it was received on train in various ways, some asked to see passports, some actually stamped the pass otherwise just looked and somewhere very chatty and keen to know where we were traveling. overall we discovered that the priority was to mark up on the top part the actual date you were using as the travel diary part didn’t seem to be checked much. i am still unsure as to whether you had to log each part of the journey in terms of train changes. The only issue i could see was if you entered before the time and then the train was delayed but we worked out each night the trains for the next day if needed, and Swiss Trains are definitely punctual and run like clockwork, so its up to you to be there on time!!
We calculated that we actually got out money worth in the initial trip out
Train journeys we made
Chester to London, London to Paris Gard Du North, Paris Gard Du Lyon – Montreux change at Lausanne, Montreux to Geneva and back, Montreux to Zermatt, Zermatt to Luzern, Luzern to Zurich, Zurich to Brussels, Brussels to the UK
London to Paris Gard Du Nord – Eurostar – we had to pay for seat reservation at £26 each which allowed us to seat together around a table. The checking in on Eurostar was good, but it soon became clear that if you are travelling with large luggage it is a nightmare as very limited luggage storage, only one luggage rack located at the end of each carriage. We were lucky that our rucksacks fitted in the luggage rack above our seats. The journey was good, and scenic in parts.
We arrived on time in Paris gard Du Nord as we had time we thought we would walk to Paris Gard Du Lyon this was not a good idea and within 10 mins we were lost, however, we saw the bus pull out of a street near the station and decided to investigate. it turned out it was the bus station and we located the bus to the station . it cost 8 euros each but on reflection was money well spent as it took about 30 mins on the bus and would definitely been a long walk and hard to navigate. Seat 61 also show you how to do this using the underground but my daughter doesn’t like london tubes and hence we didn’t use. Arrived with plenty of time to spareParis Gard Du Lyon Station – very big station but when you enter there is a big hall with the departure boards up and you can clearly see what train is coming in .Boarded the TGV Lyria train cost £24 in total for our seat reservations, again 4 seats around a table. Lovely scenic journey to Montreux changing at Lausanne.
On arriving at Lausanne we were initially worried about the 8 mins to change trains, however we didn’t need to worry as it was on the same platform. We decided to avoid the walk from Montreux train station and catch a train to Terriet, some research previously had told us that we needed to catch a train heading to Villenvue the S2 train. This arrived and we boarded and then panic as it wasn’t showing our stop. a local lady asked us where we wanted to go and explained that the timetable only shows 4 stops at a time and therefore wasn’t showing our destination. 5 mins later we go off at Terriet. it was literally a 5 min walk from there to our accommodation and was clearly signposted from the station.
Day 2 – Train to Geneva- walked the 10 mins from accommodation to Terriet station and caught the train to Geneva. plenty of space and nice scenic train journey as it follows the lake on one side and the hillside vineyards before reaching Geneva.
Day 3 Montreux to Zermatt- We walked into Montreux main station today and caught the Golden Pass Train at 10.00 this was not a pleasant experience. although the train comes in with many carriages most are reserved and are also 1st Class. After trawling the carriages we discovered that there was only one 2nd class carriage that wasn’t reserved and it was very clear by the number of passengers on the platform that it was going to be a tight squeeze, The 20 seats at the top of the carriage were reserved and we managed to find two seats, ad people literally piled in. i ended up sitting on top of the luggage area and didn’t witness my husband have a panic attack, as it was very very hot and claustrophobic, and we were certainly not looking forward to the next 2hrs on this train.
however a very nice conductor came to check tickets and informed us that there were empty carriages in the first class as the people hadn’t shown up and unfortunately this was the norm if large group booking where made. So i strongly suggest seat reservations as this wasn’t height of the season. We changed seats and were in a carriage that by the time we were two stop empty and we were able to sit and relax looking out of the clear wide windows. Also notice that it could get very warm and at 3 euros a bottle of water it might be a good idea to have plenty of water with you . we changed at Zweissimmen and then at Visp . The journey from Visp is very very scenic as you journey up the valley . The trains with their wide windows do allow for very scenic views and you almost feel as though there is no glass there and you are actually out in the countryside.
- The thread ‘6 days in Switzerland Montreux-Zermatt-Luzern’ is closed to new replies.