[Anonymous]

30 December 2017 at 13:20:54 #813898

Hi all,

I am planning a trip to Switzerland with my parents in June 2018. We will be flying into Zurich and then travelling across the country by train. We wish to book accommodations (hotels or rented apartments) which are close to the train station where we will be arriving and departing from. I need some advise on location of the railway station so that i can look for accommodation accordingly.

We will be buying a Swiss railway pass for all internal travels. Our itinerary is as under:-

– Zurich airport to Geneva

– Geneva to Zermatt

– Zermatt to Interlaken

– Interlaken to Lucerne

1. Are there more than 1 railway stations in these towns – Geneva, Zermatt, Interlaken and Lucerne?

2. If yes, can you tell me which railway station will be relevant to us in each town, given the town we are travelling from and the town we want to go to next?

3. Does anyone know the name and address of the railway station in each town, that is relevant to us?

4. Any recommendations for good hotels/ rented apartments close to the railway station in the above towns?

Thankyou

Nupur Karwa

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[User]

Reply 1 of 8 • 30 December 2017 at 13:36:28 #873331

Hi Nupur and welcome to MySwissAlps!

1. There are is more than one railway station but only one main train station at each town – a quick google can show you them on the map.
2. Use the timetable here to plan out your trips = the timetable will tell you the name of the station you will depart/arrive at for each town
3. Geneva is called Cornavin, and Interlaken has Interlaken West and Interlaken Ost (both close to each other). Luzern and Zurich have no name – just main train station (Hauptbahnhof in German).
4. We have a list of hotel accommodations for each town and note the distance from the train station:
   
   1. Zurich
   2. Geneva
   3. Luzern
   4. Interlaken
   5. Zermatt

If you would like to buy the Swiss Travel Pass online please click here. You can have the pass emailed to you an print it at home – that way you are ready to hop on the trains as soon as you enter the country (and you have an electronic back-up in case you lose it).

Lucas

[Arno]

Reply 2 of 8 • 30 December 2017 at 14:52:36 #873332

Hi Nupur,

You may like this page too: http://www.myswissalps.com/ho tels/railstations

[User]

Reply 3 of 8 • 30 December 2017 at 19:40:14 #873333

Hi Nupur –

I find this map to be helpful for the kind of information you seek, when used in combination with the information in the other replies.

map.search.ch/Interlak en-Ost,Bahnhof-Station-Stop?pos=633233,171161&z=25 6&poi=bergbahn,gastro, haltestelle,parking,vi asuisse,zug

I have used the search window to find the station by name. You can also search for hotels by name.

In the menus, under Points of Interest/ Gastronomy. I turned on all the options. Often, a restaurant may also be a hotel.

Under Points of Interest/Traffic, I turned on train and bus stops. Mouse over a train stop icon, and you will see the exact name of the station stop.

Also, Geneva has more than one main station. The one which serves connections to the south in France is not of concern, so, actually, Cornavin is the only name you need. It could also be called “Geneva main station” or “HBf” or Hauptbahnhof if you see it named in English or German.

In fact, in Zürich, although there is only one main station, there are 5 or 10 other named stations that are the remnants of terminals of older suburban rail lines, not unlike Paddington in London. In Zürich they all are connected to the main station, so, in effect,they are nothing more than enlarged stops along the train routes to the main station.

An example is Station Tiefenbrunnen (” deep fountain”)_along the lake south and east of the main downtown area. Another, Station Zürich Wiedikon to the west of the main downtown area.

The extensive network of suburban railways still uses these stations, usually passing through temto Zürich main station.

The reason tha I mention this i sbecause you might see a possibly confusing list of “station” names in the timetable for Zürich.

For intercity travel, the main station is what you need in all of thse towns. . In Interlaken, Interlaken Ost is the main interface between the local mountain railways and the mainline intercity trains.

For travel within Zürich or its suburbs and some nearby towns, you can use trams, light rail, or regular trains on multi-stop suburban routes. So, the term station may be used to describe different kinds of train stops. Those suburban train lines may overlap with intercity trains on some routes.

The timetable linked by Lucas in Item #2 can help you understand the options.

Slowpoke

[User]

Reply 4 of 8 • 31 December 2017 at 9:06:03 #873334

HI Lucas,

Thank you very much for your reply. Your website and the information is very useful. I can now start planning the trip in detail.

Would you be able to give me some recommendations on the best summer activities in Switzerland. I am travelling with my parents in June 2018.. We would love to explore Switzerland – mainly scenic spots, scenic train rides, Jungfrau, Mt.Titlis, some lakes and charming towns. Not renting a car – so everything should be reachable by public transport. We have in total 10 nights.

1) We have chosen the following locations to base ourselves – Geneva, Zermatt, Interlaken and Lucerne. Could you r0cecommend the main attractions from each of these places?

2) Open to adding or deleting any place based on recommendations.

Looking forward to hearing back from you.

Regards,

Nupur

[User]

Reply 5 of 8 • 31 December 2017 at 9:27:11 #873335

Hi Slowpoke,

Thank you very much for your reply. This map is very useful to locate places and distances from the rail station!

Thankyou

[User]

Reply 6 of 8 • 31 December 2017 at 9:54:46 #873336

Hi Nupur,

For ideas of what to do in the towns you are interested in click the town links I gave you on my earlier post. Just click the “what to do” tab to change from the hotel page for the town that the link will bring you to.

In general we have suggested activities in Switzerland noted here. For your preferences I would probably skip Geneva and instead of Interlaken stay in a mountain town like Wengen, Mürren or Grindelwald.

[User]

Reply 7 of 8 • 31 December 2017 at 11:53:38 #873337

Thankyou Lucas and thankyou everyone else.

[User]

Reply 8 of 8 • 31 December 2017 at 16:16:01 #873338

Hi Nupur –

Altitude means a lot for the weather in Switzerland.

This page of links may be helpful.

June is a month which requires special attention in the high Alpine regions Early June at 2300 meters is still the tail end of Winter. Hiking trails…which may not be of concern to you…are not safe yet due to snow blockages and snow slides.

Skiing is pretty much over in late March or April inmost alpine egions, although it continues longer near Zermatt, so the various cableways and other transport to mountain locations shut down for maintenance from sometime in April until late May or early June. Many, but not all, restaurants and hotels in those regions shutdown till the hikers arrive. There is enough to see and do ayway, but early Jue is part of the “low season.”

Once the trails are open, the hikers arrive, and by late June, pretty much everything is in full swing in the high Alps.

Major tourist attractions remain open throughout the Spring. For example- Jungfraujoch and the railway to it all year, and Schilthorn and the cableways up to it except for maintenance in April.

schilthorn.ch/en/Infos /Timetable__and__Tarif f

http://www.myswissalps.com/sc hilthorn

http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion

Lake boats on major Swiss lakes have different opertaing schedules. Some continue through the Winter, some do not. Most all make major schedule changes in late May. More trips are added for the Summer.

This link discusses the transport operations in the Spring in the Jungfrau region and Luzern ( local German spelling.)

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/gondolarail-access-to-mountains-in-aprilmay-2018.

At lower altitudes, such as Luzern, Spring arrives in May,and by June, is is full force. The wildflowers in the meadows area particularly nice in June, and showers are quite common.

http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit

Showers in one place may show on a weather forecast, but they may not be more than a short orlocalized event, so don’t take them at face value for a whole larger region.. Moreover, the mountains influence the climate, and the weather can change quickly.

Slowpoke