Based in Stans for 6 days in April – itinerary check
A traveler named Puja K is planning a six-night trip to Switzerland in April, traveling from Innsbruck to Stans. She has created an itinerary filled with activities and is seeking suggestions on must-visit places, especially in Lucerne, Interlaken, and Zurich, while considering the use of a Swiss Travel Pass for their travels.
- Invest in a Swiss Travel Pass for free and discounted travel on various attractions and transportation across Switzerland.
- For a scenic experience, consider a boat ride to Vitznau and then take the cog-wheel railway up Mount Rigi, as it's free with the Swiss Travel Pass.
- Balance your itinerary by checking opening hours for attractions; some may not operate until mid-April.
- Explore other options like Stanserhorn and Klewenalp, both accessible from Stans and offering fantastic views, especially with the Swiss Travel Pass.
AI-generated summary-
Hi , i have extensively read the forum and am a fan of the bolgs. My husband and I are planning a trip in the month of april will be travelling from innsbruk and will be staying in stans for 6 nights. Have curated an itinerary which is open to corrections/suggestions/opinions. We are enthusiastic travellers are dont mind to cram things if they make sense.
Day 1: travel from Innsbruck to zurich. Reach by noon.Keep luggage at storage in station. Go to rhine falls. Explore the region. Castle munot if possible. Leave for stans in eveing.
Day 2 : go to pilatus and explore city of leucerne in evening. What are must visits here do let me know.
Day 3 : start the day early. Go to interlaken. See harder klum , boat ride in lake brienz , visit Iseltwald/lauterbrunnen. Which one will be a better? Or more feasible ? Any recommendation is welcome. Later take a late train back to stans
Day 4 – engelberg and mt titlis. Considering its closeness to stans, we have this day at leisure. Will spend the evening enjoyinv locally
Day 5 : this day is open to discussion. We can do grindelwald with jungfraujoch or take a sceinic train to matterhorn or any other suggestions, which you feel shouldn’t be missed are welcome.
Day 6: zurich city with lindt museum . This day is open too. We are more than welcome to ideas around zurich. We are staying in zurich this night and will leave next day for airport.
We can change our place of stay too. If absolutely required. But how does the itinerary sound.
Also , have thought of using swiss pass for 6 days. But if anyone has any other suggestions, we can consider that too.Thank you
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Hello Puja k
Welcome to MySwissAlps
Thank you for sharing your travel plans with us. But, speaking just for myself, it would help if you clarified two points.
Firstly, would I be right in thinking that you intend to catch the 07 47 RJX train from Innsbruck, arriving at Zurich Hauptbahnhof at 11 20? (This is important to day one.)
Secondly, (and more importantly) what are the exact dates of your stay? I ask this, because at least two relevant attractions, the mountain line from Stans up the Stanserhorn (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/stanserhorn/), and the boats on Lake Brienz (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-brienz/), do not start operating until 12 April
As you will be doing quite a lot of travelling in Switzerland, you should probably invest in Swiss Travel Passes (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/). (Note that is the correct name for the ‘go anywhere in Switzerland’ pass aimed at tourists.)
As you are staying in the Lucerne area there is a further special reason for investing in a Swiss Travel Pass. Usually the STP only gives a discount on high mountain lines. For example, you get a 50% discount on the fares up Mount Titlis. However on the lines up the Stanserhorn and the Rigi (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/), the Swiss Travel Pass does give free travel!
Best wishes
Roger
Thank you so much Roger for prompt reply 🙂
1) yes, we are planning to take the Rjx train . We will be travelling from innsbruk to zurich on 14th april.2) that answers your second question we will be in switzerland from 14th to 20th april , but essentially till 19th as we have an early flight back home on 19th.
Is there we should particularly not miss during mid april season in switzerland
Hi Puja k,
Your itinerary is doable. Since you’ll be doing a lot of day trips, using the Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) is the way to go.
From Stans, you have several cruise options on Lake Lucerne (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-lucerne/). I recommend taking the lake steamer to Fluelen or the excursion to Burgenstock.
You can find further excursion options in Central Switzerland from your base in Stans: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/#activities
Regards,
Anna
Hello again Puja K
Many thanks for the additional information.
The advice which follows is based on two assumptions.
Firstly, that you take Anna’s advice to invest in Swiss Travel Passes.
Secondly, that in the mornings you are willing to catch the 07 34 train from Stans to Lucerne, arriving there at 07 49!
Day One. Buy Austrian tickets Innsbruck to the frontier at Buchs (SG). Even though the train is owned by OBB (Austrian Railways) your STPs will take you on to Zurich.
Now the RJX trains are almost always very busy, so make sure you reserve seats for the whole journey Innsbruck to Zurich
You are due at Zurich at 11 20, so you have plenty of time to go to the Rheinfalls at Schaffhausen. Just bare in mind that the journey from Schaffhausen to Stans is via Zurich and Lucerne, and will take two to two-and-half hours.
Day Two There are lots of things to do and see in Lucerne (Luzern in German). Note that while the STP gives free admission to most Swiss museums, it only gives 50% discount on the entry fee to the ‘Verkehrshaus’ transport museum.
If you want to go up Pilatus you will have to catch the number one trolleybus to Kriens ‘Zentrum Pilatus’, from where it is a short walk to the bottom station of the cable cars which go up Pilatus. The ‘bus is free with the STP; the STP gives a 50% discount on the cable car fare. (Note that the cog-wheel railway up Pilatus does not run in April.)
Day Three Get the 07 34 into Lucerne. Change there to the 08 06 train bound for Interlaken Ost, and you arrive there at 09 54. The bottom station for the funicular up Harder Kulm is close to Ost station. (50% discount with STP).
Make sure you are down from the Harder in plenty of time for 13 07 BOAT from Interlaken Ost to Brienz via Iseltwald. Disembark at Iseltwald at 13 52. You have two hours there. Then catch the 15 52 boat to Brienz, arrive 16 20. The harbour is right by the train station.
Trains back to Lucerne leave at 25 minutes past each hour and take 90 minutes. Brienz is another very attractive village.
Day Four Perhaps combine a trip up Titlis (50% discount with STP) with a trip up the Stanserhorn (free with the STP).
Day Five Jungfraujoch via Grindelwald, or Gornergrat (great views of the Matterhorn) via Zermatt.
Without hesitation, I recommend Gornergrat. I advise Gornergrat even though the journey to Zermatt timewise is longer than the journey to Grindelwald.
If you were to go to Grindelwald for Jungfraujoch and you left Stans at 07 34 you would get to Grindelwald Terminal at 10 33. You would change at Lucerne and Interlaken Ost.
Going to Zermatt and you left at 07 34, you would reach Zermatt at 11 17, having changed at Lucerne, BERN and VISP.
Why then Gornergrat not Jungfraujoch?
Yes, the Jungfrau is a bit higher altitude than Gornergrat, BUT
Gornergrat (50% discount with STP) is a lot cheaper than Jungfraujoch.
The last 20 minutes of the railway up Jungfraujoch is in tunnel. The line up Gornergrat is almost entirely in the open air, with fabulous views of the Matterhorn.
At the summit of the Gornergrat you get 360 degrees views of the Alps. That is not the case at Jungfraujoch.
(And note that going to Grindelwald means going over a lot of ground already covered on day three.)
Day Six There is an enormous amount to see and do in and around Zurich. And remember that the STP gives free travel on all public transport – trains, trams,buses and the boats on the lake. One possibility would be to take a boat to Rapperswil and come back on the S-Bahn train. Another is to go up the local mountain, the Uetliberg. This is also free with the STP.
Kind Regards
Roger
Thank you so much anna! 🤩the links are super helpful
Roger, you are some kind of a swiss travel magician💫
I am really thankful to you for such detailed itinerary help.
I am going to follow it to the T.
I had planned the itinerary after reading a lot of your replies on other questions in rhe forum. And i can’t thank you enough for sorting it out so well for us🌼🌼
I will flip Day One with Day Six.
- Finish Lindt and Zurich Walk – gives you enough time to go to Lucerne. If there is time, take the boat from Lucerne train station -> Beckenried -> Bus to Stans – all covered by pass – think of first class. (you can do the boat part on Day 2)
- Day Six: You will have more time for Rhein Falls (not very impressive if you had been to Niagara Falls!) + Steim am Rhein
- Last but not least – you are staying in Stans and not going to Stanserhorn (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/stanserhorn/) ? I would skip Pilatus for Stans (free with swiss/day pass). I have not been to Pilatus but I am guessing you will get the same experience in Zermatt!
- I had been to Matterhorn (oxygen breathing issues – take precautions). The restaurant at the top is decent. Gornergrat may be better!
- Mt Rigi (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/) + Stoos ( https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/stoos/) can be done in one day vs Titlis/Engelburg (included in the pass)
- Look into Rosenlaui and Aare Gorge
Stans is a good place to stay for some prime attractions and the Proximity.
We did a 3 week trip (one week in Austria) &15 day trip to Swiss and split it between Stans (4 days) and Thun 11 days.
Since you are planning to stay in Stans, & will have a Swiss pass, I will recommend what you should not miss and get the best out of your Swiss rail Pass.
Stans is about 25 mins by train to Lucerne and well connected by frequent trains. Stans city / village itself has a beautiful scenic setting and has beautiful mountain views. There is a Coop store next to the train station if you want to get some Groceries / snacks. They all are closed by 6/7pm and closed on Sundays. We stayed in an A BnB 15 min walk from train station and loved it.
There are 3 attractions / mountain trips to the top, listed below that are FREE with SRP(Swiss Pass):https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/
1. Stanserhorn – This is a 5 minute walk from the Stans Train station, and you can take an open cable car to the top. Beautiful view shouldn’t miss especially FREE all the way up & down with SRP.
2. Klewenalp – This is FREE too with SRP. Since you stay in Stans, From the Stans Train station take a Bus (I think # 311 & 310) to Beckenried. Beautiful scenic view of the lake at the bus stop. Get off and walk to Klewenalp cable car station. You get an awesome view of Lake Lucerne from above and and a breathtaking cable car ride.
3. Mount Rigi – At the Beckenried Bus stop if I recall right, there is a Ferry Terminal. Beautiful scenic view. Take the Ferry to Vitznau and take a Bus, I think # 508 that will take you straight to the Mount Rigi Gandola station This bus ride is very scenic. Alternatively, take the same Ferry to Weggis and walk up to the Rigi entrance for the train. Remember that it will be ideal to combine Rides 2 & 3 the same day as they are easy to cover in 1 day if you start early.
4. There is also another attraction “STOOS” that is free with SRP. I dont remember how we did but its easy to go from Stans area. this ride has a unique round shaped cog rail.
All the above 4 are amazing and being free should not miss.
Pilatus / Mt. Titlis
In my opinion Pilatus was not worth the extra 48-50 CHF we spent with the SRP. If you have seen the 4 above you have seen it all. Anyway its up to you. I will definitely visit Mt. Titlis (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/titlis/) , and its easily accessible from Stans Train station, a single 30 min train to Engelberg and from there walk 10 mins to the Titlis Entrance. This is a must see and you would want to take a picture with SRK/kajol cut out. Titlis is pricey and you get a 50% discount with SRP.
If you start the day early, you can finish Mt Titlis, head back to Lucerne, and right opposite to the station entrance are the Ferry terminals and you can take a free ferry ride from one of the piers with SRP. Then take a walk on the wooden Chappel bridge, may be take a walk to the Lion Monument have a dinner at the restaurants with a seating by the Lake.
The above activities can be completed in 3 days easily if you have good walking legs and start the day early.
Interlaken:
No trip is complete without a trip to Interlaken (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/interlaken/)
DO NOT MISS the 2 attractions that are easy access from Interlaken:
1. Aare Gorge: From Interlaken Ost to Meiringen and from there by another train to Aareschlucht West. Will take about an hour and the Gorge walk you can do in less than 90 mins. This is a Must see and tour packages dont take you.
2. Lauterbrunnen (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lauterbrunnen/) : A beautiful scenic village very nice to walk and stroll through. There is a big waterfall you can see and there is a way to go up the walk way steps to the back of the fall. Please dont waste your time going all the way up and even during the prime waterfall time in summer there is no such thing there as being behind the falls like Behind Niagara. Just my opinion after having done that. The best one near by Lauterbrunnen is a place called Trummelbach falls. From Lauterbrunnen, take a Bus 141 to the falls (5-8 min ride). You will be amazed with this one and this is a waterfall inside the mountain /caves and a very unique and roaring water fall with uniminaginable huge water flow. Not sure how it would be in April. we went in Aug of last year. It was awesome and one to remember.
You should be able to do Aare gorge, Lauterbrunnen, Trummelbach falls in 1 day and spend the evening in Interlaken or take a free ferry ride on Lake Brienz and stop by at Iseltwald known for its beauty and a famous Netflix Korean episode film shoot. Costs 5 CHF to go inside the dock to get a picture. Ferry ride is slow and will consume a lot of time.
If time permits would recommend Zermatt (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/zermatt/) absolutely beautiful village and take a train to Matter horn.
Lots of places to visit and with your short 6 days i have covered in my opinion the best you can make out of SRP.
with our 15 days, in August, we covered day trip to Zurich, Geneva, Bern, one day on Glacier Express (too much hype for the cost and time), would have preferred Bernina Express train (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/bernina-express/) , Murren, Grindelwald, Lake Thun Ferry ride, Matterhorn, and more.
Remember Your travel in April leaves less hours of sun / day light and make the best use of it.
I am already contemplating another 2 week trip with a 15 day Rail pass this year as soon as I find a good deal. This time will start from Milan, will visit Lugano, take Bernina Express train and cover other areas like St. Moritz, Davos, Chur, Leichenstein and Zurich among other attractions.
Hope this info helps and have a great trip.
Cheers & Namaste from Dallas, Texas.
Ram
Thank you RrD for the flip suggestion. Definitely makes more sense.
Will make this change to the itinerary and also, thank you for recommendations around interlaken.
It really helps me a lot🌼🌼
Thank you so much Ram!
And NamasteEven i was a little concerned about the extra charges that i would have to pay each time and was contemplating a tell pass vs swiss pass for the longest time. But if pilatus is covered and more , we can consider dropping the idea too.
Titlis, for the love of ddlj and yash chopra films is one thing that ticks of a bucket list.Also, i read you had spent a week in austria. We are coming to switzerland after 5 days in austria. If you could tell me the absolute must do/must not miss places in austria, i would be forever greatful. 🙏🏻
And i have already added a stopover in lauterbrunnen after your recommendation.
Thank you. Tons!🌼💫
Hi Puja,
First of all let me make sure that you are planning to use the Swiss Travel pass. This is the priciest one of all and allows free travel by bus / train in all of Switzerland. The pass does not allow mountain train rides except 4 mentioned below that are free.
With Swiss Travel Pass (STP) you go totally free on the 4 below and easy to access from Stans.
Stanserhorn (only one with a open roof Gandola) right next to Stans Train station, Klenwenalp, Mt. Rigi, and Stoos.
Pilatus (i don’t recommend if you see all 4 above) is NOT FREE, and gets you a 50% discount and will still cost about 50 CHF/person.
Titlis as I said is easily accessible by train from Stans, and STP will get you 50% off entrance. Dont buy ticket for it on line as you will have to stand in line to exchange the ticket for a bar code reader which takes time. Buy a ticket at the counter and they will issue a Bar code reader and go straight to the entrance gate. Be sure to ask for STP discount and present your STP pass.
Aare Gorge and Trummelbach falls you shouldn’t miss. There are no discounts with STP and the admission costs are reasonable.
While in Austria we landed in Vienna first spent 4 days, then stayed in Salzburg (2 days), a day exploring Salzburg, a day trip from Salzburg to Hallstatt (both places a Must visit). We wanted to do Innsbruck but that didn’t fit well with our onward travel o Swiss. I felt that Innsbruck would be similar vibe to Swiss and skipped it. Below was our trip Itinerary.
Dallas Tx -> Vienna-> Salsburg (day trip Hallstatt)->Train to Munich-> bus to Zurich->Stans (4 days)->Thun 11 days (day trips to various locations)->Zurich-> back to Dallas.
Please keep a printed copy of your STP, in addition to phone (that most prefer). Phones can go out of batteries /wifi some times so play it safe.
Interlaken has lots of Indian restaurants and prices will be a sticker shock. Travel light, and if you are going to carry a big suit case as many Indians do (to carry their best outfits for those pictures!), might as well bring with you some snacks as you will appreciate how handy they come in on trips. Also, will be a good idea to get some sandwiches / wraps / nuts from grocery stores and enjoy them in the mountains while taking a break. Have a great Trip!
Regards
Ram
Hello again Puja!
Two brief points in response to Ram’s very interesting replies.
Klewenalp I am afraid that this line (and the nearby line to Stockhutte which is also free with the STP) do not operated in April.
Mount Rigi. If you look at a map of the Lake Luzern area you will see that there are two cog-wheel railways up Mount Rigi. One goes up from Arth-Goldau, the other goes up from VITZNAU. Both lines run 365-days-a-year, and are free with the STP. If you can fit Rigi in, the best plan is to go up the mountain on one line and back down on the other!.
To get to/from Arth-Goldau you take a train from Luzern. To get to/from VITZNAU you take a boat from Luzern. This boat goes via Weggis, but please oh please stay on board until the boat reaches Vitznau. When you disembark at VITZNAU you will see the station for the cog-wheel railway straight in front of you!
(I would agree with Ram’s point that you should take a print-out of your STP!)
KInd regards
Roger
Missed the fact that you are spending 5 days in Vienna.
Here are some places we visited. Our interests are mainly places of historical attraction, gardens, palaces, squares,and happening places.
St. Stephens Platz. (right off the Metro station). Very vibrant area. Explore all different directions from there and walk thru the various directions.
Ferstal Passage- A cool area to walk through.
Anker clock – a popular attraction where at each hour figures move around the clock. Most popular -the 12.00 noon where you see all 12 figures move around the clock.
Hoffburg, Parliament building, Rathaus, Belvedere Palace and the gardens behind.- some times at the Rathaus, they have some big events and open air free movie screening. When we went in August they had a huge film/ food festival.
Nasch Market – a vibrant market to go only in the evenings. During day time its dead.
Finally Schaun Brunn palace. This is a Must see.
Vienna has one of the BEST metro. Check for 24/48/72 hour pass that gets you free travel on Metro / bus / tram (does not cover ride to Airport). 72 hour tkt costs abut 17 Euros.
Also train tickets between Vienna to other cities buy well ahead of time and its cheaper. last min tkt prices go up with their dynamic pricing.
Thank you again Roger, will keep in mind about STP copies.
Also, have noted the Vitznau bit.😀😀
Thank you once again Ram for all the suggestions and ideas!
I am twitching my itinerary here and there to try and accomodate as much as i can!
I can already feel switzerland is too beautiful for 6 short days. But i am trying my best .Also, can’t thank you enough for insights on vienna!
🌼🌼😀😀
Hi Puja K,
Lots of helpful replies 🙂
You can read further information in regard to a visit to Mt. Rigi in the link below:
As an alternative to Klewenalp, you could visit Bürgenstock. It’s not fully covered with the Swiss Travel Pass but it’ll be discounted. You can read all about a visit to Bürgenstock here:
Kind regards,
Yolanda
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