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.
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Thank you 1960man. What did “not really” refer to?
If given a choice to include either Mt Rigi or the lake cruise which would you choose or do the initial 8 Day itinerary as is?
You asked about squeezing Rigi into your itinerary, which as you have seen I recommend as not really necessary
Your route from Ticino to Luzern includes the steamer from Fluelen to LUzern which is the full length boat trip no no others would be necessary!
I would prefer Lake Brienz, just for the gorgeous turquoise water and scenery along the way. We took the boat one stop from Brienz (town) to the Giessbach boat landing, took the little funicular (5 CHF) up to the Grandhotel Giessbach, had a nice lunch on the porch there, then hiked up to the Giessbach falls where you can walk behind the waterfall and then walked back down to the boat landing to continue on to Interlaken.
Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions! Let me absorb them all and hopefully come back with a final itinerary for final feedback.
Can you suggest an itinerary that would include the following: Mt Rigi mountain excursion, Lake Bienz cruise, Zermatt and Glacier Express?
Day 1 – ZRH to Luzern (do a walking tour after you drop your bags at your hotel .)
Day 2 – Luzern to Lugano via the Gotthard Panorama Express (go early up Mt. Rigi via Arth-Goldau and come down to Vitznau to join the GPE which departs Vitznau at 12:10 p.m.)
Day 3 – Lugano to St. Moritz via the Bernina Express (bus portion from Lugano to Tirano, then train from Tirano to St. Moritz.)
Day 4 – St. Moritz to Zermatt via the Glacier Express (the train moves slowly so it is an all day trip.)
Day 5 – Zermatt to Montreux (take the Gornergrat mountain train up early before you depart Zermatt for Montreux.)
Day 6 – Montreux to Brienz (connect to the boat in Interlaken and take it all the way to Brienz.)
Day 7 – Brienz to ZRH
Since you have such a busy itinerary, I would book hotels close to the train stations. Hope this helps. 🙂
Thank you!
You’re most welcome. 🙂
For Day 2, note the Gotthard Panorama Express does not go through Vitznau, it runs through Arth-Goldau on the other side of Mt. Rigi. You can still go from Luzern to Rigi in the morning, either by train to A-G then cogwheel up or by boat to Vitznau then cogwheel up. But if you want to go on to Lugano you need to go down on the A-G side to catch the GPE south.
Trying to get there from Vitznau means a bus ride to begin, then catching the train along the way. It basically doubles your time to get to Lugano once you come down from Rigi.
Lastlook has given a good itinerary but I repeat my ‘warning’ that becoming too drawn to the famous aka panoramic trains can be a distraction. By trying to fit in all the you risk just seeing many things at a glance and not going home with a truly memorable experience. The Bernina Express and Glacier Express trains both take up whole days of travel (especially the addition of the Bernina Express bus Tirano – Lugano). Lastlook’s itinerary ( and what seems to be your preference) is far too ‘whistle stop’ in my opinion. I think you have to drop something (however sadly – you will never see all the best sites in one short trip to Switzerland – I still haven’t seen everything worthwhile despite visiting Switzerland up to 3 times a year for 60 years!)
A variant on Lastlook’s suggestion taking the above into account could be:
Day 1 – Zurich to St Moritz via Chur (even better stop at Samedan)
aim: Travel the superb Albula railway in the late afternoon
Day 2 -St Moritz 09.17 Tirano 11.32. Return straight away depart 11.41 BUT stop at Alp Grum for lunch (high altitude restaurant and famous views) then back to St Moritz / Samedan for a leisurely evening
Aim: Bernina railway summit section, Brusio open spiral, street running through Le Prese, etc
Day 3 – St. Moritz to Andermatt via Chur and Disentis (Glacier Express or normal trains) . Lunch or tea at Oberalppass (views and lake)
Day 4 – Andermatt – Zermatt. Gornergrat leisurely in afternoon
Day 5 – Zermatt – Visp – Thun – lake boat – Interlaken – Brienz
Day 6 – Brienz – Luzern (Rigi in afternoon if time)
Day 7 – Luzern to ZRH
Since you have such a busy itinerary, I would book hotels close to the train stations. Hope this helps. 🙂
Lastlook has given a good itinerary but I repeat my ‘warning’ that becoming too drawn to the famous aka panoramic trains can
Day 2 would be an early train from Luzern to Rigi Kulm via Arth-Goldau. After time at the summit, then the Mt. Rigi train down to Vitznau to meet the boat portion of the GPE, which departs Vitznau at 12:10 p.m. So rather than starting the boat from Luzern, they would join it at Vitznau, to Fluelen, then connect onto the train portion of the GPE. (The GPE is a combo boat and train which used to be called “The William Tell Express” in days gone by.) http://www.gotthard-panorama-express.ch/en/stories/fahrplan
My reply was tailored to the OP’s desire to cover certain places and special trains and fit it all in to the 7 days stipulated as the absolute maximum time they had to see all the things on their list and still make their flight on day 7. The OP seemed intent on wanting to visit Mt. Rigi, so this seemed like the only way for them to spend some time at the summit before continuing their journey by joining the boat portion of the GPE, which they originally were going to take in the opposite direction later in the trip. Personally, I never go to Switzerland for less than two weeks, utilizing a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass in most cases. This past June, I took an old friend and classmate who had never been abroad and this was to be her one and only trip to Switzerland. In order for her to see as much as possible in the 15 days, I booked 10 different hotels and we covered a lot of territory. I have traveled/hiked/skied Switzerland many times previously, but always enjoy showing friends and family what I love the most and I try to incorporate a few new things for my own enrichment each time I go. I am contemplating a solo trip this summer which would be a first for me, but I am quite comfortable with the idea of traveling alone in Switzerland, based on past experience.
Lastlook – My apologies, I assumed you meant catching a train from Vitznau, not the boat segment to Fluelen. I also assumed that Ccgin131 would want to have a bit of time to explore Lugano and therefore concluded the faster train through the Gotthard tunnel would be preferable. Oh dopey me. Sorry I misinterpreted your response.
Thanks everyone! I will post a revised itinerary after all your great suggestions for final thoughts. The other couple is okay with the scenic train rides and my wife may not need to do any mountain excursions.
No worries – the GPE name is confusing as it does sound like an all train journey. The boat portion is especially wonderful on a sunny day and the scenery is well worth the time it takes to get from one end of the lake to the other. I hope the OP will be able to work it all out.
Thanks to all for your contributions in this thread! There have been great itinerary recommendations.
It’s a daunting task to create a Switzerland holiday that includes many ‘wish list’ destinations, especially for travelers who can visit Switzerland only once or twice. There’s a lot to see and do, so it’s understandable that a full travel schedule is often the result. And that’s perfectly fine. Every traveler has their own background, preferences and travel pace.
Lastlook, it’s wonderful that you’ve been showing around friends and creating such varied itineraries for them. You should be fine visiting Switzerland on your own this summer, especially with the experience you already have.
Ccgin131, I hope you’ll manage to create an itinerary that’s appreciated by everyone in your travel party. Looks like you’re on the right track now.
Hi Ccgin131,
For you and to anyone reading these posts: I echo the thoughts of Lastlook in regards to spending a night up on Mt Pilatus. I did so in Sept 2018, and it was one of the best 22-hour periods of my life. Not only was all mentioned by Lastlook (meals/transportation) included in the room price, but when I was there they also had a complimentary cocktail for all new arrivals in one of the cocktail bars at 1800 hrs. (Did they have that for you, Lastlook, when you were there). Not only was there the cocktail, but they also had a huge wheel (cheese wheel) filled with just chunks of Swiss Gruyere cheese (along with other chips, peanuts and such) that was produced by the same cows from which one can hear their bells jingling outside and throughout the mountainside. During this time I met and chatted with some people and we all shared a table at the four course dinner as well as enjoying some after dinner cocktails after dinner in the fresh air at 7000 feet.
. And yes, it was so peaceful, and so beautiful after all the tourists took their last descents down. The sunset that night was beautiful, and the sunrise the next morning over the different parts of the lake was truly amazing. Again, just a truly fantastic experience. Highly recommended for anyone who can fit it into their plans.
Regards,
Danielsan
Unfortunately, we missed the welcome aperitif since we’d spent most of the day on Mt. Rigi, and the return trip via Weggis took a good chunk of our time that afternoon. We caught the very last cogwheel train to the summit of Mt. Pilatus late that same day, just after 5 p.m. We had originally planned to make the journey to Mt. Rigi on our first day, but our flight was changed by the airline to a later one and then that later flight was delayed, so we arrived ZRH at noon rather than the originally planned 6 a.m. We decided to visit Mt. Rigi the following morning and that made our arrival on Mt. Pilatus much later than I would have liked. (One of the risks of trying to squeeze too much into one day.) It all worked out, but like everyone I’ve traveled to Switzerland with, my old friend now has “the fever” for Switzerland, and wants to return so I’m working on plans with her and a few other longtime friends for 2024. Another overnight on Mt. Pilatus is at the top of her list (along with paragliding later in the trip!) My first time on Mt. Pilatus was via the “Golden Round Trip” (no overnight) during my honeymoon in the 80’s. My second time on Mt. Pilatus included an overnight, but that was 2001, so 21 years had passed before I returned last year (where does the time go?) I’d love to experience one of their astronomy nights, but those are few and far between so it will probably be another “Summit Dreams” package in 2024, with my friends. In the meantime, I’m thinking about traveling on my own to Switzerland this summer, to wander a bit off the beaten track. (I’ve hiked in the Swiss National Park with my husband back in 2012, but would not hike alone in such a remote area.) So nothing too remote, but maybe some of the lesser known areas. I’ve yet to see the outdoor “William Tell” play, so might try to work that in as well. Sorry – seems I’ve wandered way off topic here!
Hi Lastlook!
Feel free to open a new thread to get some suggestions for your solo plans next summer. I’m sure many forum members can provide advice on less-traveled areas. My first thought would be the ‘Three Lakes’ region around Neuchatel and Biel/Bienne, but I’m not sure if you’ve been there already, and of course there are many more options :-).
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