4 days by train: Lucerne-Montreux-Zermatt-Lugano
A traveler is planning a trip to Switzerland in late September with three friends. They aim to take part in a 4-Day 'Mini' Grand Train Tour starting in Zurich, covering various cities and scenic routes, and seek advice on must-see attractions and appropriate rail passes while considering one member's altitude sickness.
- Consider the 4-Day Swiss Travel Pass for flexibility and multiple journeys.
- Suggest visiting shops in Lucerne to keep your wife occupied while you hike My Rigi.
- Ensure to allow sufficient time when traveling between destinations to fully enjoy the scenery and activities.
AI-generated summary-
We are a group of 4 seniors 70+.
We planning to visit Switzerland late September and
will arrive in Zurich at 130 pm.
We are considering the following itinerary:
The 4 Day “Mini” Grand Train Tour of Switzerland
1st day: Lucerne – Interlaken – Montreux
2nd day: Montreux – Martigny – Zermatt
3rd day: Zermatt – St Moritz
4th day: St Moritz – Logano – Lucerne
What is a must see for each day?
How much time to allow for My Rigi with little hiking while my wife waits below since she suffers from high altitude sickness?
Is there any shops in the area to keep her busy?
Which rail pass would you suggest, 3 Day Swiss Pass,
Half Fare or point to point?
Thanks in advance!
-
Hi Ccgin131 and welcome to MySwissAlps.com!
“The 4 Day “Mini” Grand Train Tour of Switzerland” – is this an organized tour?
You can find activity tips here:
- Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/activities
- Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/activities
- Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/activities
- Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt/activities
- St. Moritz: http://www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/activities
- Lugano: http://www.myswissalps.com/lugano/activities
Regarding Rigi, here is how you can get to the top: http://www.myswissalps.com/rigi/gettingthere. From Lucerne to Rigi it takes at least 1,5 hrs (one way). You can also travel by cogwheel train, maybe your wife can join you then. She does not need to travel by cable car.
There are many shops in Lucerne.
I recommend the 4 days long Swiss Travel Pass, you can check the price here: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price.
I hope this helps,
Ildiko
Your wife should not not need to stay at the bottom of the Rigi since the highest point of the Rigi massif is a relatively low 1797m a.s.l.
Most of Zermatt’s best sites are at higher altitude than that.
Obviously I don’t know your particular circumstances but ‘problematic’ high altitude sickness is unlikely to kick in at elevations lower than about 2000m
You itinerary crosses several mountain passes that at higher altitude.
Thanks Ildiko and 1060man. This is not an organized tour. What is the difference between going up by cogwheel train and cable car? Don’t you eventually reach the same elevation? Are there shops at the location? We don’t have any sights selected yet but possible trains and cities that the trains passes through. What did you mean our itinerary crosses several mountain passes at higher altitude?
Ildiko is referring to the fact that the Rigi can be ascended by train (at ground level) or cable car (dangles above the ground). The concern may be that altitude sickness may be worse on a cable car, but IMO that would be motion sickness not altitude sickness.
By “Your itinerary crosses several high mountain passes” I am referring to the fact that the Zermatt – St Moritz railway crosses, most notably, the Oberalp Pass (altitude 2,044 m) and climbs up to over 1800 m at Preda.
It is also worth noting that St Moritz, despite being in a valley is at high altitude (1,856m)
Hi there,
I was thinking that maybe your wife’s high altitude sickness has something to do with some height phobias. In this case, traveling by cogwheel train might help.
Usually, high altitude sickness affects people above 2000-2500 m as far as I know. But make sure to consult with your wife’s doctor before you start your holiday.
There are some shops in Weggis but they are not as big as Lucerne.
Check this one about the high altitude sickness. You can also find some tips at http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch.
Ildiko
I found the following tour on the internet: 4-Day Switzerland Tour from Zurich Including Mt. Titlis Cable Car
This experience isn’t bookable for now. Can you revise the itinerary using the 3 Day Swiss Rail Pass to include as many of the sights as possible?
Hi Ccgin131,
you can search for self-guided packages here: http://www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/selfguided.
In case you have only 3 days instead of 4, you can leave out Bern, Gruyeres and Geneve from that itinerary.
Here is the validity map of the Swiss Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/validity
Ildiko
I have been doing additional research and found the following: Top 5 scenic train journeys in Switzerland
Zermatt to St. Moritz (Glacier Express / use local train)
Lucerne to Montreux (GoldenPass route / Luzern-Interlaken Express)
Montreux to Zermatt
St Moritz to Tirano (Bernina Express / Bernina Express bus)
Lugano to Lucerne (Gotthard Panorama Express / use local train) Questions: Do you Agree? How many days using Swiss Rail Pass and can it be done efficiently? Would you do it any differently?
This most recent list is no different to the circuit you put in your very first post, which is a circuit that works OK
Thanks again! I didn’t realize in my initial post that the top 5 scenic train journeys were already included.
No problem!
However, you need to be certain about the time you have and the number of days for which you want a Swiss Travel Pass (which are available for 3, 4, 6 or 8 or 15 days). For example in your first post you stated “arrive Zurich 13.30” but then stated ‘Day 1 : Luzern – Montreux’ so is your Day 1 actually day 2 of your trip ?
To repeat your earlier itinerary:
1st day: Lucerne – Interlaken – Montreux
Yes that works OK as 1 day
2nd day: Montreux – Martigny – Zermatt
Also works as 1 day, although it is really a ‘top 5 scenic’ route
3rd day: Zermatt – St Moritz
This would be a full 8 hours on the Glacier Express end to end
4th day: St Moritz – Lugano – Lucerne
This would be a long day, but it is possible. The disadvantage is that you could get to Tirano earlier than the Bernina Express passengers from Chur but you would still have to use the single daily Bernina Express bus to get to Lugano: the 3 hour bus ride gets to Lugano at 17.30, arrival at Luzern would be 19.41 via the base tunnel, not the old mountain route.
We have decided to go with the 8 Day Swiss Rail Pass so we can include the 5 most scenic train tours. I will post that itinerary for comments.
Take care not to get too ‘hung up’ on the so called ‘top 5’ or even ‘panoramic trains’ as 95% of all railway lines in Switzerland are scenic in some way.
Rides on normal trains can be just as rewarding as the so called ‘famous trains’ crammed with tourists!
Here’s my revised 8 days itinerary: The Grand Train Tour of Switzerland 8 Days — 2nd Class
28Day 1
Zürich Airport – Lucerne
(travel on the Luzern-Interlaken Express over the famous Brunig Pass)
Overnight in Lucerne
Mid-Range: Hotel De La Paix
29Day 2
Lucerne – Montreux
Overnight in Montreux
Grand Hotel Suisse Majestic
Hotel Splendid
Hotel La Rouvenaz
30Day 3
Montreux – Zermatt
(along the Rhone Valley and includes a trip up the Gornergrat at 3089m)
Overnight in Zermatt
Hotel Testa Grigia
Hotel Pollux
Hotel Butterfly
1Day 4
Zermatt – St. Moritz
(travel on the famous Glacier Express)
Overnight: Hotel Arte
2Day 5
St. Moritz – Tirano – Lugano
(travel on the famous Bernina Express to Lugano via Tirano)
Overnight in Lugano
Hotel Federale
Continental Parkhotel
3Day 6
Lugano – Bellinzona – Gotthard Paromamic Express (in summer) – Flüelen – Lucerne
(includes panoramic seat reservations and paddle steamer)
Highlights: Chapel Bridge, Lucerne Old Town, Lake Lucerne, City Wall
Overnight in Lucerne Mid-Range: Hotel De La Paix 4Day 7 AM Lucerne – Interlaken – Brienze – Zurich Lake Brienz cruise
PM
Departure
1200 PM There doesn’t appear to be enough time to complete the Lake Brienz cruise, take the train to Zurich airport and be on time for our departure at 200 PM. Departure on Day 7 is a must. Suggestions to revised the itinerary would be appreciated.
You could incorporate Lake Brienz into your revised Day 2 itinerary on your way to Montreux: take the train from Luzern to the town of Brienz (train stops right near the boat pier) and enjoy the boat all the way to Interlaken, then train from there to Montreux. If you stay at the Hotel Suisse Majestic, it is very convenient to the train station so would be easy to get to after a full day of sightseeing. You just walk out of the train station and cross the street to reach the rear entrance to the hotel. I stayed there this past June and it was so convenient – especially if you’re continuing by train again the very next day. I’m glad you’ve decided on 7 days rather than 4, so that you won’t be so rushed. There’s much to see and do along the routes you’re taking. Happy planning!
Did you book a lake or city view room? Thank you for the great suggestion Lastlook!
Oops I forgot to include Mt Rigi mountain excursion. Is there enough time to include Mt Rigi, lake cruise and continue to Montreux?
You’re most welcome. I booked a “partial lake view” with balcony and enjoyed wine out on the balcony in the evening and light breakfast in the morning (room service) to make the most of the balcony view. The higher rooms have the better views of the lake. Your Swiss Travel Pass (STP) covers the boats on Lac Léman (aka Lake Geneva) so you could take a short boat ride over to the Chateau de Chillon, or walk there in about a half hour along the promenade. The entry fee to the Chateau de Chillon is also covered by the STP. If you’re a Freddie Mercury fan, you can’t miss the statue of him on the lakefront promenade and there is a free museum with Queen memorabilia inside the casino, also within easy walking distance.
Not really, especially if you include Brienz. Take care not to try and cram in everything in such a short trip. It is questionable if Rigi is worth it given that you are intent on including the Matterhorn, the Glacier Express and the Bernina Express etc
Incidentally the Glacier Express is an 8 hour trip in sealed coaches but there are only about five truly spectacular sections.
Also, think about your stops in Luzern and how much you need to see. You mention Chapel Bridge and Luzern old town, but these aren’t really anything amazingly out of the ordinary. There are much more historic old towns in many much less famous places in Switzerland and the Chapel bridge is nice, but much of it is not original following a fire which destroyed a lot of the bridge in 1993.
That would make for a really full day and late arrival in Montreux. There are several ways to ascend Mt. Rigi, so you could look at the various options in the timetable. I think the train via Arth-Goldau would probably be the quickest way to go. We took the boat to Vitznau and had lunch on the boat (reservation recommended) during the one hour journey. At Vitznau, the train is just a few steps from the boat landing. After we spent time at the summit, we took the train part way and then the lifts down to Weggis, then boat back to Luzern, and that eats up a lot of time but is worth it if you have the time. There is about a 10 minute downhill walk from the lift to the boat landing in Weggis.
Next, we took the cogwheel train up Mt. Pilatus to stay one night. The package that we booked (I think it was called “Summit Dreams”) included the round trip transportation, 4 course dinner in a gorgeous dining room, breakfast the next day, and in the morning we took the lifts down to Kriens, and walked about 15 minutes downhill to catch a local bus back to Luzern. It doesn’t look like you would have time to do this, but I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to experience Mt. Pilatus. The views from Mt. Pilatus are amazing (assuming it is clear) and once all the day-trippers have left the summit, it is incredibly peaceful. The evening views were great too. We were fortunate to have good weather and there are some wonderful walking paths at the summit with views in every direction.
- The thread ‘4 days by train: Lucerne-Montreux-Zermatt-Lugano’ is closed to new replies.
