MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial 20-30 August, Bernina, Glacier Express, Lauterbrunnen, Lucerne, Zurich
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Hello everyone, this is my first post. I’m (52 m) planning a trip in late-August with my mum (80) and brother (45). My mum is interested in scenic railways, landscape photography, birdwatching, and hiking (up to 6km on well-formed tracks). I (a pastry cook) am interested in food, food history and culture, cakes, pastries, and chocolate, and I’m generally content with just soaking up the atmosphere and people watching. My brother is also mainly interested in food. We don’t drink alcohol but don’t mind it in fondue or cake 🙂 I’ve already done a fair amount of research and come up with a (perhaps) ambitious itinerary. I’m hoping to get some feedback and suggestions. Here’s the itinerary:
Arrive in Zurich. We arrive at different times of the day. They arrive in the mid-morning and I’ll arrive after 8pm. They can have some lunch, check into a hotel near Zurich HB, and spend the afternoon at the art museum or the national museum. On arrival I’ll probably check out Langstrasse and get a kebab. On Wednesday morning we can see the old city. After lunch we’ll take a train to Chur and spend the day seeing the old town. I have earmarked the Giger Bar as a potential place of interest. Thursday morning, we will take the Bernina Express (not yet reserved) to Tirano and spend the night there. Friday morning we’ll take a local train to St. Moritz. Hanselmann Confectionary is on my list. Saturday morning we’ll take the Glacier Express (not yet reserved) to Zermatt. We’ll spend all day Sunday in Zermatt. On Monday morning we’ll move on to Lauterbrunnen, where we will stay two nights. I’d like to see the Trummelbach Falls. Wednesday morning we would move on to Lucerne, where we could spend that evening and most of the next day. Thursday evening or Friday morning we’d get back to Zurich for Friday flights home. Their flights are in the early afternoon and mine is mid-afternoon. I’d like to pick up a Zug Kirschtorte to take back. I’ll also check out Sprungli in Zurich or at the airport.
I would like to know which travel card/pass would work best for us. It looks like we’ll be on trains for 8 of the 10 days, but on the rest days we may also want to take a cogwheel train (Gornergrat). Would a 15-day 2nd class travel pass be worth the expense? We would consider paying an upgrade on the Glacier Express. Would a half-fare travelcard be more economical? I find this part very confusing.
I’m also after some suggestions on how to spend Sunday in Zermatt, as well as any specific food/restaurant recommendations, regional specialties, etc. As a note, we’re Chinese. My mum and brother live in New York (I grew up there) and I live outside of Sydney. This means that we have varying degrees of lactose intolerance. I am happy to eat anything. My mum will find Swiss food a little rich, and my brother is a bit of a picky eater. I understand there are some good Chinese restaurants in Zurich- any particularly good ones? I’m always interested in Chinese restaurants when I travel. I also understand that Lebanese food is of particularly high quality in Switzerland. Any recommendations?
Thank you!
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AussiePaul – be aware of two things:
1) panoramic cars in all “Bernina Express” trains from Chur to Tirano at 22th of August are in 1st class almost sold out (afternoon train) and practically sold out at all (morning train, 1 seat left); 2nd class is occupied about in 80%;
2) seats in 2nd class “Glacier Express” are easier to book than seats in 1st class, because of different demand; 1st class seat at moment of reservation opening for individual travellers (92 days in advance, 00:00 UTC time), based on my personal experience, are sold out in about 2-3 minutes; 50-90% seats are earlier reserved by tourist operators too…
Kamil
Thank you, Kamil. I have just made reservations for 2nd class on the morning train from Chur to Tirano.
Hi AussiePaul,
Following on from Kamil’s reply, that’s good you have secured your seat reservations for the Bernina Express (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/bernina-express/) . As you can guess, it’s a popular ride and the seats can sell out.
Similarly, as you are also interested in the Glacier Express, once your dates are finalised, I’d try to lock in your seat reservations too. There is also the option to follow the route via the regular trains too if the seats are sold out. All explained in our Glacier Express guide below:
As for a rail pass. For sure, it’ll be worth investing in one, whilst you are here. If you think you’ll only be traveling 8 days out of 10, perhaps the Swiss Travel Pass Flex (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass-flex/) would suit. Going forward, the best way to be sure of which rail pass, is to carry out some maths based on daily activities. We have handy guide, with a downloadable spreadsheet to assist. Thereon the best rail pass will be displayed. All explained in the link below:
Here’s our guide to visiting Zermatt, lots of tips and useful information:
and for Swiss culinary delights, you should find the two links below helpful:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/planning/practical/food/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/activities/culinary/
As for Chinese food in Zurich. Personally, I think you’ll find better in your respective countries but if I had to choose Ah Fatt in Zurich is good as is Le Cuisine. Lebanese, Moudi’s Lecker Garten (in Zurich) is nice.
I hope this helps, do take read through the links and feel free to reach out if you have any additional questions.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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