[Anonymous]

19 October 2019 at 6:37:07 #824252

Hello all,

We will be travelling to Switzerland in the first week of November.

Have been reading it is going to be cold with few hours of sunshine so there are mixed reviews on driving/using the train. Also unsure of what mountains would be best to see in that time of the month.

Looking for 5 days trip itinerary suggestions for doing a road trip with using one or two places at the max as a base for stay.

The places we are keen to visit are Zurich, Interlaken, Montreaux, Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen, etc.though open to any suggestions.

Any suggestions for planning the itinerary, base for hotels and places that are best to visit and other considerations for travel in the month of November would be appreciated.

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[User]

Reply 1 of 8 • 19 October 2019 at 15:01:34 #923895

Hi KJ909 –

Welcome to My Swiss Alps!

You won’t find tourist crowds anywhere you go!

There are lot of useful links to help you plan your trip, below this tab on the home page:

http://www.myswissalps.com/ge ttingstarted

Take a look at them for general information.

Whether you go by car or train, you’ll have very little time at erach one if you try to do 5 places in 5 days from two bases. Some indiation of your interests could help us guide you.

One thing that can influence your travel plans, in addition to the time of year (thanks for the exact dates), is the composition of your group. That’s why we ask for that information. It deals with the cost factor in a car vs. train decision. Also, I’m sure that you know that Zermatt is car-free.

http://www.myswissalps.com/ca rversustrain

Any map will help you lay out your itinerary. This one is nice because it makes the train lines very visible if you zoom in far enough:

map.search.ch/?pos=641200,161952&z=32

You can learn more about each of your proposed destinations by entering their names in the search function, or looking through the list in this link:

http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo

That may help you make choices.

To define travel times by public transport, use the SBB timetable, after first checking the tips and tricks here:

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

The direct link is here, and it has a whole lot of information about the rail system, in addition to timetables, buried in the menus:

http://www.sbb.ch/en/

Slowpoke

[Anna]

Reply 2 of 8 • 19 October 2019 at 15:30:13 #923896

Hi KJ909,

In addition to the useful tips and links kindly provided by Slowpoke, here are few more links to help you plan your travel.

Things to see and do:

• Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/activities
• Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/activities
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/activities
• Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/activities
• Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/activities

Accommodation:

• Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/hotels
• Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/hotels
• Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/hotels
• Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/hotels

Please take note that November is low season and some attractions may be closed or not available.

Before you start your road trip, be sure to read this practical guide:
Travelling by car in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r

Regards,
Anna

[User]

Reply 3 of 8 • 19 October 2019 at 17:34:21 #923897

Thank you for all the information.

Am travelling with my parents who are 60 and 61 years. They need to adjust the travel plans to their pace.

Was planning on 1 night in Zurich (local sightseeing and Rhine Falls), 2 nights in Lucerne ( 1 day Lucerne local sightseeing, 1 day in Titlis and Pilatus are both mountains in one day doable? any suggestions?) , 1 night in Interlaken (local sightseeing and in and around Interlaken by car Thun/Spiez/ Brienz/ Lauterbrunen/ Bern)

Was also interested in visiting Montreux but was wondering if doable and can be accommodated in the above itinerary?

[User]

Reply 4 of 8 • 19 October 2019 at 17:34:50 #923898

Also would like to add that would be travelling all places by car.

[Anna]

Reply 5 of 8 • 19 October 2019 at 21:24:04 #923899

Hi again,

As you will be travelling with your parents, it might be a good idea to visit Titlis and Pilatus on separate days. Maybe combine the local sightseeing with an excursion to Pilatus on the same day and leave Titlis for the next day. Please take note, between 21 Oct and 8 November, the cable car and aerial cableway from Kriens to Pilatus Kulm will not be operational and the only way to get to Pilatus is via the cogwheel train in Alpnachstad.

The rest of your itinerary looks doable including the bit about driving to Montreux from Interlaken. The drive would take you about 1.5 hours in good traffic condition.

More useful links to help you plan your trip:
Titlis: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti tlis
Pilatus: http://www.myswissalps.com/pi latus
Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

Regards,

Anna

[JaneEB]

Reply 6 of 8 • 19 October 2019 at 22:00:17 #923900

Hi KJ909

Speaking from experience as my husband and I are the same age as your parents we would find your itinerary rather rushed. If you are only in Switzerland for 5 days I think you would be better off staying in two bases ie Lucerne, the Jungfrau area or Zermatt and explore your surroundings rather than spending a large proportion of the day travelling between towns and villages when there is limited daylight hours. We find trains are the easiest and most pleasant way to travel around Switzerland as some places are inaccessible by car. The SBB mobile app is a must when you are in Switzerland as it provides information on platform numbers and all forms of transport timings (trains/cableways/boats/buses etc).

If you look at the links, including the link to the SBB timetable, provided by Anna and Slowpoke it will give you an idea of what is possible each day. The timetable is an important tool to use in planning your itinerary.

Personally we would not enjoy driving through the mountainous areas of Switzerland, especially in November. We find we can both enjoy the scenery from the train and do not have to worry about what is coming around the next hairpin bend.

Hope this is of help.

Jane

[User]

Reply 7 of 8 • 20 October 2019 at 6:23:31 #923901

Hello KJ909,

Thanks for your questions! I thought I would add useful links about driving in Switzerland for you:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/c ar

• http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r/drivinginthemountain s

• http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r/parking

I just wanted to give you two important and personal tips of driving in Switzerland. When you are Zurich city, it can be challenging finding parking because space is limited. Please also pay special attention to the driving speeds in the villages and the highways. The tempo varies throughout and speeding tickets are expensive!

I wish you and your family a wonderful time when you are in Switzerland.

Best regards,

Suzanne

[User]

Reply 8 of 8 • 20 October 2019 at 9:15:01 #923902

Hi Suzanne –

<<“When you are Zurich city, it can be challenging finding parking because space is limited.”>>

as you note.

And, expensive. And, then , you may well want to buy tickets for intra-city buses, trams, suburban trains….

After many years of trying different patterns, I have developed one that is useful for trips listing for several weeks, with one or two travelers. Typically, I spend 4 to 5 weeks per year in Switzerland. For short trips…. say, less than a week, especially to famous destinations and cities, I would strongly prefer to use the simple and convenient Swiss Travel Pass, for the reasons noted by Jane EB.

I come from the USA, and have a noticeable amount of jet lag. So, I spend my first day or two in Zürich and sometimes nearby Luzern, using public transport, making sure to get enough exercise to sleep well at night and going to bed as late as possible to get “on the clock.” I absolutely do not drive for my first two days. I am unsafe, as well as easily confused. Especially so in the cities, even though I drive on the same side of the road as the Swiss, use the navigation system or GPS, and can read the German street names easily in that region. Sometimes, I do not drive for three days, depending on what time of day I arrive on the first day. That is where the Swiss travel pass could let me travel freely without buying tickets and then worrying about paying for local and intercity transport each time.

However, I tend to stay in Switzerland longer than a few days, and visit various regions of the country.. Further, some days have very little travel by car or public transport, especially if I am hiking. That changes my spending patterns and my preference for how to travel.

So, I carry a one year Half Fare Card, instead of an STP, useful for my periodic longer trips, and for a discount on city transport systems. Then I rent a car after my jet-lag has become manageable. I avoid renting at the airport because of jet lag and because of the approximately 10% surcharge for the whole trip for airport rentals. I drive to various various towns and villages that have nice inns, and good access to cities, or to Lauterbrunnen, and park my car. For visits to and in cities, I use public transport, especially to get around in the cities. My knees are sufficiently arthritic that city trams and buses help a lot with speed and comfort, although I certainly walk a lot in the cities, too.

Since parking a car overnight in Luzern costs about 60 CHF (for example) I tend avoid lengthy parking in the cities. And, even after I park, I have to pay for public transport in the city.

Also, Swiss cities, especially Zürich, have a public policy of keeping cars out of the city, and make driving and parking harder than it might otherwise be.

So, I certainly agree with JaneEB that a short trip in Switzerland, especially in Winter months, can be more flexible and relaxed by public transport than by driving.

What would cause me to drive for my whole trip?

A larger group, with each paying there own way + a long stay and/or excessive luggage. Public transport requires a cost per person. A rental spreads the costs over each person.

Excessive or heavy luggage: It is convenient to drive to a country inn, park near the door, and have little problem handling luggage. As long as you have a ticket or a rail pass, you can send luggage by train, but it only works cheaply and well station to station if you are staying a few nights at one location. To get fast service, even door to door on the same day or overnight costs a lot more. If cost is no object, that works well. Of course, it is not convenient to drive to a hotel in a city, deposit luggage and passengers, then find a place to park. Quite few hotels will park your car for you, and some have good rates for that service . They tend to be the more expensive hotels.

My pattern for my trips is not the cheapest mode, but it matches my needs. Every option is a trade off between cost and convenience, and different for different people. It makes the options complex, but offers a range of choices and cost options. I consider that a desirable feature of travel in Switzerland.

Since we do not know where KJ909 is coming from, we do not know about the jet lag issue. From the sentence construction, it might be Germany. If so, no jet-lag. And, no rental car cost.

<<“are both mountains in one day doable?”>>

Slowpoke