April Swiss trip: where to go after Zermatt, accommodation, rail pass
A traveler is excited about their first trip to Switzerland, planning to stay in Zermatt for 4 nights to ski, see the Matterhorn, and enjoy the area. They're seeking advice on where to go next, considering Murren or the Berner Oberland, and want to enjoy the Alps with less travel time before heading to Salzburg.
- Consider using the 15-day Swiss Travel Pass for flexibility in travel around Switzerland.
- Choose Thun or Luzern as your base instead of Zermatt to avoid being stuck in bad weather.
- For skiing, check if the conditions suit you, as slopes may be busy due to holidays and you might prefer other activities instead.
AI-generated summary-
This is our first trip to Switzerland, its been on my bucket list for many years. We are planning to be in Zermatt (or that area) for 4 nights, we want to ski for a day, enjoy the Materhorn, glacier palace and other options on the gondola – maybe go to Cervinia for a day. We are from NW Montana so the snow won’t bother us. I’m trying to decide where to go for the next several days, I have considered Murren and Berner Oberland or go to the valley. We would love to ride bikes and hike. We would like to enjoy The Alps more than time in cities. We are heading to Salzburg on April 26th for 3 nights. Do you have suggestions on where to go or base out of for 4 or so nights? We are trying not to pack to much into travel so we can enjoy the area. Thank you.
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Hi – I couldn’t figure out how to edit my above post, so thought I would just reply.. I hope I haven’t offended anyone with my initial post. I am truly so very excited, but overwhelmed with options. We are coming from Montana via Rome, Florence and Milan, I think we take the train from Milan on April 14th to Brig and then to Zermatt. Do we need to get reservations before we travel for the Matterhorn or do we wait until we get to Zermatt and check the weather? We were told that the Jungfrau and Berner Oberland aren’t great in late April, so thought going to Thun or Luzern for several days would give us a mix of winter and snow (Zermatt) and early spring. I truly appreciate any advice on where to base out of and must see options. Also, any specific recommendations for lodging in or around Zermatt would be great. We think we are going to opt for the half fare pass as we may do a mix of mountain adventures and train – is this realistic or is the Swiss Travel Pass a better option? Thank you so very much!! M
Hello Mullivan
Welcome to MySwissAlps
Thank you for sharing your plans with us. In particular, the information in your reply one is very helpful.
Invest in a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) starting on 14th. It will give you priceless flexibility. If the weather is good you head for the mountains; if not so good you jump on a longer distance train to an interesting city….
MILAN TO BRIG on 14th. If you choose this route to Zermatt, a word of warning. Throughout 2025 Italian Railways are doing engineering work on the line from Milan to Domodossola. On 14th there will be Eurocity trains (reservation required) at 07 10, 08 10, but then not another one until 15 10. If you take this direct route you will need an Italian ticket from Milan to Domodossola. Your STP will take you the rest of the way.
Milan to Zermatt the scenic way. Take the 08 43 or 09 43 or 10 43 RE80 train from Milano Centrale to Locarno. This run takes one hour and 55 minutes. At Locarno there is a little narrow gauge station underneath the main line platforms. From the narrow gauge station take the 10 51 or 12 51 ‘Centovalli’ train to Domodossola. This spectacular ride takes one hour and 49 minutes. From Domodossola take any train to Brig. From Brig, take any train bound for Zermatt.
Taking this scenic route you will need Italian tickets for the 31 miles from Milan to the frontier at Chiasso. Your STPs will cover the whole of the rest of the journey, including the part which is back on Italian territory!
Make Thun (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/thun/)(or nearby Spiez) or Luzern (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/) your main base. From these three towns you can get there-and-back in one day to almost anywhere in Switzerland.
Forget Zermatt as a base? If the weather is bad in Zermatt you are stuck. The nearest large city for a day excursion is Bern! (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/bern/) In all seriousness I would suggest you make Thun or Spiez your sole base, and take a day trip to Zermatt on a day when the weather forecast is GOOD. On arrival at Zermatt take the cog-wheel train to Gornergrat.(https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gornergrat/) (50% discount with STP) Superb views of the Matterhorn! 360 degrees views of mountains from the summit.
Cycling? Luzern or Thun are good centres. Zermatt is not.
Hiking. Anywhere in Switzerland is good, but in mountain resorts some trails will still be covered in snow.
Skiing? What is the point of hiring skis for one day when you are from Montana? (And the slopes which are still open will be extremely busy. It will be the Easter Holidays.)
To Salzburg on the 26th. There are through trains from Zurich to Salzburg at 10 40, 12 40 and 14 40. Journey takes 5 hours and 23 minutes. These trains are always very busy. Reservations are essential. Your STPs will be valid to the frontier at BUCHS. You will need tickets Buchs to Salzburg.
Best wishes
Roger
Hi -Thank you so very much! So my dream since I learned to ski, over 55 years ago has been to ski the alps! Silly I guess in that I learned to ski in the Rocky Mountains.. is there night skiing in the Alps? Are there any little, family type ski areas in Switzerland? If we don’t ski I’ll survive! 😀 what do you think of the Matterhorn Glacier Express crossing. It sounds amazing.. we don’t have anything like it in the US..
if weather isn’t great should we consider a day on the Glacier express or Bernina? They also look incredible. Thank you again.
Hi again
There may be places in Switzerland with night skiing, but I personally do not know of any.
I know of a village which specialises in family skiing, but it is nowhere near your itinerary.
By the Matterhorn Glacier Express crossing I assume you mean going up the Swiss side of MGP and then down into Italy. You would have to return the way you came.
This would be very expensive. On the Italian leg, the Swiss Travel Pass does not give any discount.
For the best views of the Matterhorn go up the Gonergrat. And that trip is tremendous value for money.
You say ‘if weather isn’t great should we consider a day on the Glacier express or Bernina? ‘
No! The Bernina Express is nowhere near your itinerary.
The Glacier Express starts from Zermatt, but requires a high reservation fee. More importantly, the poor weather will block out the scenery!
I repeat, ‘If the weather is bad in Zermatt you are stuck. The nearest large city for a day excursion is BERN!’. (The small town of Brig has some historic buildings, as does the larger town of Sion.)
I am very conscious this is all very negative. Zermatt is a fantastic destination for a day excursion from another resort IF THE WEATHER IS FINE. But to stay there is always gambling on the weather being good.
Best wishes
Roger.
Thank you Roger.. once I get our base decided I may check back in. Based on your input it doesn’t sound like we’ll do any base out of Zermatt.. thanks again..
Hi Roger. Old guy here. Can I jump in here for advice? We are starting our June Swiss journey from Stresa then on to Lugano to start the remainder of our trip. We were looking at which train route for the Stresa -Lugano leg. I note you talk about the narrow guage scenic track between Lucarno and Domodossola. Due to your advice to “April Swiss Trip” we are now considering travelling Stresa- Domodossola- Locarno – Lugano linking up with the train that leaves Domodossola at 10.26am. Does that capture the scenic route you spoke about and will scheduled track works affect that line in June.Thanks for all the tips you provide. Regards.
Old Guy from OZ.
(Firstly apologies to Mullivan. This reply is not relevant to your thread. It relates only to reply 6.)
Hi Old Guy.
The 10 26 from Domodossola to Locarno does indeed run along the scenic Centovalli route (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/centovalli-railway/) I often refer to in my replies to people travelling between Italy (especially the Milan area) and Switzerland.
Unfortunately the Italian schedules for JUNE are not yet available. I fear that at the time of your visit the railway line between Stresa and Domododossola will be closed. If that is the case, there will be a railway replacement bus. Check the position nearer to the date of travel. You will need to be in Domodossola by about 10 15. The station for the Centovalli trains is in a tunnel under the main line station.
The shortest route from Stresa to Lugano is via Gallarate, but that is not very scenic.
Roger
Hi Old Guy,
In addition to the information provided by Roger, you can explore other travel and ticket options between Switzerland and Italy here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/italy-switzerland/.
Kindly start a new thread if you have further questions.
Regards,
Anna
Thanks Roger and Anna. Both replies most helful. My apologies if I jumped into some one elses thread. New to this sort of thing. Regards
Old Guy (Peter)
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