Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald for 2 nights in April
A family of six is visiting Switzerland for the first time in April and has planned a 12-day trip. They will travel by rail, staying in Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen, and Geneva, and are looking for advice on their itinerary, hotel choices, and potential scenic train trips. They prefer sightseeing and want to avoid extensive hiking due to their parents' mobility.
- Consider getting a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass for convenience and savings on train travel.
- Both Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald will be quieter in April; choose Grindelwald for more liveliness.
- Look into scenic train trips from Lucerne, such as the roundtrip to Mount Rigi or the Gotthard Panorama Express.
- Ensure you book a room with a balcony at Hotel Staubbach for great views of the waterfalls.
AI-generated summary-
Hi all, we are a family of 6 visiting Switzerland the first time in April 2020. I previously posted a thread about travelling whether by rail or rented car. I’ve decided to do it by rail.
The itinerary is planned based on 3 locations as our base. I limited it to 3 as my parents are not used to travelling with luggages by rail but they are willing to give it a go. So our itinerary is like this:
April 12 to 16: Arrive Zurich. Head to Lucerne as our first base. We will stay here for 4 nights. Staying at Hotel Monopol Luzern.
April 16 to 20: Lucerne to Luterbrunen. We will stay here for 4 nights. This was a struggle as initially I am looking at Grinderwald as base. Staying at Hotel Staubbach .
April 20 to 24: Lauterbrunen to Geneva. We will base at Geneva and plan our day trips from here. Staying at an apartment booked via Airbnb.
Questions:
1. But after much googling, I’m just worried that Grinderwald might be a dead town in April. Please give me a suggestion even though I am more or less settled for Lauterbrunen. But please, any opinion is very much welcome.
2. Are these bases and the days we planned to stay sufficient for us to travel around?
3. Any opinion on the hotels chosen?We are sightseeing type of traveller and we just like looking at scenarios (not hiking though as my parents can’t walk much), we like to travel at our own pace, probably a few museums visits etc.
Thank you so much for your opinions.
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Hi adrienteo! Great to hear you’ll be traveling by train. I think that’s a wice decision. Have you been looking into rail passes already? Based on your current itinerary, I’d say a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass is worth your consideration: https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass. If you want to compare several options and make calculations, here’s explanation on how to do so: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass.
As for your questions:
1. Both Grindelwald as well as Lauterbrunnen will still be pretty quiet buy mid-April. Grindelwald is larger and more commercial, so if you’re looking for some liveliness, that might be a better choice. Please compare both towns with the aid of http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen and http://www.myswissalps.com/gr indelwald. We’ve listed some pros and cons for both towns on thosep ages as well.
2. Yes, I think your itinerary looks fine the way it is. About 4 nights in each location should allow you to explore the regions and make several day trips, with some flexibility in terms of weather. Please find tips at http://www.myswissalps.com/la kelucerne, http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion / http://www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland and http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva. Note that Geneva (http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva) isn’t close to the Alps. It’s a wonderful town, but you’ll find a somewhat wider range of (mountain) day trip options from Lausanne (http://www.myswissalps.com/la usanne) or Montreux (http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux).
3. I haven’t stayed in these hotels myself, but Hotel Monopol in Lucerne has a great location, right next to the railway station and the old town centre. Hotel Staubbach in Lauterbrunnen is located at walking distance (about 10 minutes) from the railway station too, and it’s close to the waterfalls. Did you book a room with a balcony there? I’d do so for the views :-).
HI annika, Thanks for the feedback. 2 more quesrions:
1) while in Lucerne, is there any scenic train trip recommended for day trip?
I understand I will be taking the Golden pass line from Lucerne to Interlaken on my trip to Lauterbrunen, but other than that, what other scenic train trip I can take from Lucerne as day trip?
2) on the day we are heading to Geneva, I believe we can take the Golden Pass line via Montreux right?
Will we be able to reach Geneva by evening, if we leave Lauterbrunen early morning?
Adrian
Hello Adrian,
I tend to say that the scenery is scenic, not the train as such, so you’ll find lots of scenic journeys to do, even if they’re not labelled as such.
From Lucerne you can for example do a wonderful roundtrip of Mount Rigi and many more. See
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ri gi, see the “Route” tab for route options
– http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/activitiesDepending on the exact date of your stay you could also do the Gotthard Panorama Express as a day trip, whereas this is quite a journey, but do-able. Find details below:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/go tthardpanoramaexpress, check “Dates of Operation” in the “Route” tab
– http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/gotthard-panorama-express-in-a-dayAlso make sure you get to know the Swiss timetable and how it works by reading the following link:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metableAnd yes, you will be using the Golden Pass route both between Lucerne and Interlaken and the main part of the Golden Pass route between Interlaken and Montreux. See:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass/gettingthereHappy planning and get back to us anytime for further support.
Best,
Steph
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