[Removed user]

20 March 2018 at 8:37:34 #814871

Hi, we are in group of 5 adults and 1 teenage (15 year old) will be travel in Switzerland and my itinerary will be as below:

02/11 Arrive at Zurich airport 0950 am, we will take train to Interlaken & overnight there. VIsit Harder Kulm, Lakes Brienz & Thun. (Any other places can recommend?)

3/11 Interlaken to Lauterbrunnen & stay Lauterbrunnen for 3 nights. Visit Lauterbrunnen, Stechelberg.

4/11 Lauterbrunnen. Visit Grutschalp, Murren

5/11 Lauterbrunnen. Visit Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald

6/11 Zermatt. Visit Gornegrat

7/11 Bern

8/11 Zurich

9/11 Zurich

10/11 15.25 pm To Zurich airport

Is my itinerary work? If I wish to add in Golden Pass route, which day should I change?Any other places can recommend to me? Please advice.

[Removed user]

20 March 2018 at 14:00:12 #879291

Hi ckchoy, and welcome to MySwissAlps,

Thanks for sharing your itinerary with us. This one works, but you should ask yourself if you really want to stay two nights in Zurich. Some people even decide to skip Zurich as it won’t be the highlight of your trip. I also think that November isn’t the best time to visit Zurich. If you leave Bern early enough on the 10th, you could still have a look around in Zurich and visit the old town.

Now if you decide to skip Zurich, I could highly recommend to start your trip in Lucerne. It’s a beautiful city and there are lots of things to do: http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/activities.

You could take the Golden Pass line when traveling from Interlaken to Zermatt or from Zermatt to Bern. When you plan your trip with the Swiss timetable (http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable) make sure to put Zweisimmen and Montreux in the via box.

Another scenic route that gets you to Zermatt from is the Lötschberg railway. You take the train to Spiez, from there you take the Lötschberg railway to Brig and in Brig you continue to Zermatt.

Have you decided already on a rail pass? If not, you should read How to choose a Swiss rail pass.

[Removed user]

21 March 2018 at 0:27:43 #879292

>> 02/11 … VIsit Harder Kulm, Lakes Brienz & Thun

Boats on the Brienzersee (Lake Brienz) only operate until 21 October 2018 inclusive. Boats on the Thunersee (Lake Thun) will be operating though, but on the winter timetable, with very limited departures.

The funicular to Harder Kulm will be operating until 25 Nov 2018 inclusive.

>> 4/11 Lauterbrunnen. Visit Grutschalp, Murren

The cable car from Lauterbrunnen to Grütschalp is closed for maintenance between 22 October and 9 November 2018. You can still get to Mürren by cable car from Stechelberg.

>> 5/11 Lauterbrunnen. Visit Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald

The trains to the Jungfraujoch will be operating, and you can stroll around Grindelwald. The gondola from Grindelwald to First closes for maintenance on 29 October and doesn’t start up again until December.

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

21 March 2018 at 0:52:14 #879293

Your itinerary sounds like your are imagining summer type weather? Arguably early November is one of the worst periods for travelling to the ‘iconic mountain tops’ of Switzerland as it is between seasons and can be cold and murky. Mountain railways and cableways may still be closed for Autumn low season maintenance

[Removed user]

27 March 2018 at 6:19:46 #879294

Hi Chantal, Alpenrose & 1960man, thanks for your advise. I will change my itinerary as below:

02/11 Arrive at Zurich airport 0950 am, we will take train to Luzern – VIsit Luzern old town.

3/11. Luzern – Visit Mt Pilatus & Stanserhorn

4/11 Interlaken – Visit Harder Kulm & Lake Thun

5/11 Lauterbrunnen – Visit Stechelberg, Murren

6/11 Lauterbrunnen – Visit Kleine Scheidegg, Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald

7/11 Lauterbrunnen – Murren etc.

8/11 Zermatt – Visit Gornegrat

9/11 Bern – Visit Old town

10/11 Zurich – 15.25 pm To Zurich airport

Your all help us a lot. Thanks.

[Removed user]

27 March 2018 at 6:50:48 #879295

Thanks for sharing. Looks good to me.

[Removed user]

27 March 2018 at 7:42:10 #879296

>> 3/11. Luzern – Visit Mt Pilatus

The cableway from Kriens to Pilatus Kulm will be closed for maintenance from 22 October until 9 November 2018. You can still go up and back on the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad.

>> 5/11 Lauterbrunnen – Visit Stechelberg, Murren … 7/11 Lauterbrunnen – Murren etc.

Did you mean to put Mürren in twice? Are you going to visit Wengen or the Schilthorn?

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

28 March 2018 at 5:21:23 #879297

Hi Alpenrose

Quite sad for the close of cableway from Kriens to Pilatus Kulm during my visit. You are right that I will take a boat (how much is the boat ticket) or a train from Luzern to Alpnachstad then go up and back on the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad.

After the Mt Pilatus, I would like to proceed to Stanserhorn by train then go up with Cabrio. Can I can do both destination within a day?

During the 3 days in Lauterbrunnen, could you advise the best route for me? As some of cable cars are closed for maintenance. Is the Trummelbach Falls open during my visit?

Appreciated with your advise.

[Removed user]

28 March 2018 at 13:53:29 #879298

Hi ckchoy,

The timetable will give you prices for trains, boats, cable cars etc.

Yes, you could do both Pilatus and Stanserhorn in one day. Use the timetable to see the duration of the trips and count on at least 2 hours at the top of each mountain I would guess.

As for getting around the Lauterbrunnen valley, you can use the timetable to see your options from point A (say Lauterbrunnen) to point B (Jungfraujoch). It won’t show you a train or cable car option if it is closed.

[Removed user]

29 March 2018 at 7:19:08 #879299

>> Quite sad for the close of cableway from Kriens to Pilatus Kulm during my visit … I will take a boat … or a train from Luzern to Alpnachstad then go up and back on the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad.

It’s not so bad! The cogwheel train from Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm is the steepest cogwheel railway in the world, and is a wonderful experience – you will get to experience it twice. Last time I went to Pilatus, I actually chose to go up and back on the cogwheel, even though the cableway was operating. Ascending and descending on the cogwheel train are really two different experiences in my opinion, both worth having!

You have several other cable car rides planned, so you won’t be completely missing out on cable-car experiences.

>> During the 3 days in Lauterbrunnen, could you advise the best route for me?

Best route to where?

In addition to information I have already provided, here are some other excursions that you could consider during your stay in Lauterbrunnen – some in the Jungfrau Region, others in the area surrounding Interlaken or a bit further afield.

• Train to Wengen – stroll around village, walk to lookout (possible year-round)

• Schilthorn – bus from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg, cable car Stechelberg-Gimmelwald-Mürren-Schilthorn – operating until 10 November 2018

• Aareschlucht (Aare Gorge) near Meiringen – open until 4 November 2018

• Gondola to the Niederhorn from Beatenberg – operating until 11 November 2018

• Funicular Mülenen to Niesen Kulm (in the Kandertal i.e. Kander Valley) – operating until 11 November 2018

• St Beatus Caves – open until 11 November 2018

>> Is the Trummelbach Falls open during my visit?

Trümmelbach Falls are open until the “beginning of November”, so it’s not possible to say whether that includes 3-5 November. When you are there, you could check whether they are still open.

Alpenrose

[Removed user]

29 March 2018 at 8:33:19 #879300

Hi Lucas & Alpenrose

Yours advise are so useful to me and it make me more confident to my Switzerland trip. Love your all.