2 week trip to Switzerland in April
A traveler is planning a two-week trip to Switzerland with their spouse in early April. They need advice on which travel pass to get, how to dress for the weather, and where they might see cows and alphorns during their trip. This traveler has a packed itinerary including popular destinations such as Zermatt and Lucerne.
- Get the Swiss Travel Pass for your trip, as it covers major trains including the Glacier Express.
- Bring warm clothes and layers, as it can be chilly in April with possible snow.
- Expect to see cows in places like Gruyeres, but for alphorns, look in Lucerne, as they'll be more common in summer.
AI-generated summary-
Will be going with my wife to Switzerland in early April for a 2 week vacation in Switzerland. I have already made the itinerary as follows:
Day 1 – Arrive ZRH, train to Grindelwald.
Day 2 – Grindelwald First, afterwards if there’s free time, try to go to any nearby towns.
Day 3 – Jungfraujoch and Lauterbrunnen
Day 4 – Schilthorn and Murren
Day 5 – Iseltwald, then train to Montreux
Day 6 – Geneva
Day 7 – Gruyere
Day 8 – Train to Zermatt
Day 9 – Zermatt
Day 10 – Goernergrat / Matterhorn / Riffelsee
Day 11 – Glacier Express to St. Moritz, then train to Zurich
Day 12 – Bern
Day 13 – Zurich (covid RT-PCR test as requirement for going back to my country)
Day 14 – Lucerne
Day 15 – Flight back home
Questions:
1. Which travel pass shall we get for our trip?
2. How’s the weather in those places during our trip?
3. We are coming from a tropical country, what should we wear?
4. Do we need waterproof shoes? Will the trails be very wet from melting snows?
5. Can we see cows in the places that we’re going to? Where can we see alphorns?
Thanks in advance for the replies.
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Hi travelislife,
1. Based on your itinerary, you should probably be looking at getting the Swiss Travel Pass (STP).You can buy it online from a list of resellers here: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price .The STP is valid on the Glacier Express but be sure to make a seat reservation.
2.In April, the days get warmer as Spring comes. But it might still be cold for you if you’re used to a tropical climate. In fact, it’s common to still still find snow on the mountains at this time of the year. So bring a warm jacket and sweaters for layering up. You can find some information about what to pack here: http://www.myswissalps.com/weather Also, this link is helpful to give you some ideas about the Swiss weather all year round http://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit
3/4. If you are planning a few hikes I suggest looking at this link for ideas on what to wear: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/preparation
5. Yes, in April there’s a big possibility you’ll come across some cows in some of the places you’re travelling to. Definitely in Gruyeres I think. Alphorn players play daily on Schynige Platte from June onwards. But in April, you’ll probably see Alphorn players in touristic places such as Lucerne.
Hope this gives you additional ideas for your trip.
Regards,
Anna
Many thanks!
Early April is too early for quite a few ‘summer like’ activities, so beware. Zermatt in particular is still in ski season so Riffelsee will not be visible as it is under the ski slopes!
Cows will only just be being let out of their winter barns – so you will need to travel around in the low altitude part of Switzerland (known as the Mittelland: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Plateau ) to see them in April
The second section of your itinerary is a bit confused/convoluted in my opinion.
Day 11 is almost impossible to do in 1 day.
Less backtracking would be needed for days if you did this:
Day 8 – Bern
Day 9 Montreux – Zermatt (am ); (Zermatt (pm)
Day 10 – Gornergrat / Matterhorn
Day 11 – Glacier Express to St. Moritz
Day 12 – St Moritz – Chur / Landquart – Zurich
Day 13 – Zurich (covid RT-PCR test as requirement for going back to my country)
Day 14 – Lucerne
Day 15 – Flight back home
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