First time visiting Switzerland in May for 2 weeks
A couple is planning their first trip to Switzerland in May for two weeks, needing advice on their itinerary which includes Luzern, Lauterbrunnen, Montreux, and a brief stay in Chur before heading to Munich. They are considering the Swiss Travel Pass but have questions regarding train tickets to Munich and the overall travel plan.
- Consider staying in Wengen instead of Lauterbrunnen for a more picturesque, car-free experience.
- Use the SBB Mobile app for train schedules and tickets; it’s very helpful for travel planning.
- Be aware that the Swiss Travel Pass covers only part of the journey to Munich; you’ll need a separate ticket from Chur to the border.
- For scenic travels, check alternative train routes to avoid backtracking, especially for trips around Montreux and Zermatt.
AI-generated summary-
My wife and I will be visiting Switzerland for the first time in May for 2 weeks. Any comments on the rough itinerary and places to see would be appreciated. We have not booked any hotels yet but hope it is not too late. At this time we are planning on getting the Swiss travel pass. We fly in/out of Zurich.
Days 1-4 Upon arrival, take the train to Luzern, spend 4 nights.
days 5-7 travel to Lauterbrunnen, spend 3 nights
days 8-10 travel to Montreux, spend 3 nights
day 11 travel to Chur, spend 1 night
daus 12-14 travel to Munich, spend 3 nights
day 15 travel to Zurich for flight home.
While in Luzern we will tour the town, maybe a boat cruise, and visit to mt. Pilatus or rigi or Titus. A day trip to rothist to visit where relatives lived.
In lauterbrunnen we would visit the Jungfrau area and probably schiltorn. Take golden pass to Montreux.
In montreux, we would take a day trip to Zermatt, visit deChillon castle, maybe a lake cruise.
Then take the glacier Express to chur and explore the old town in chur.
final 3 days in Munich. I assume the Swiss rail pass would not work so would have to buy tickets in Chur for Munich?
Any comments appreciated!
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Hello Ax79 and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
Sounds like a fair plan. Although if you do a day trip to Zermatt from Montreux and then travel the Glacier Express route on another day you will be covering the tracks between Montreux and Visp 4 times. If you caught regular trains instead of the actual Glacier Express you could do a side trip to Zermatt on your way from Montreux to Chur. There is plenty to do in and around Montreux. See http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/autumn-in-montreux-september-2019.
Any Swiss Travel System pass will only cover you from Chur to the Swiss border. See http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/germany.
I recommend using the SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) for checking train, bus, boat and cable way timetables, finding fares* and buying tickets on-line if required. In the unlikely event you don’t have a device capable of running the app then you can use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B).
* The SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, the mobile app allows you to nominate whether to show full or half-fares (by editing the passenger details in settings) and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass) if that offers the best fare. The app can also display a platform map (at least at the larger stations) to help you make connections. You can also easily filter modes of transport (eg bus or ship).
The app will always show the fastest, most direct routes unless you tell it you want to go a longer way round by including other stations to go VIA. For example, if you wanted to follow the Golden Pass route you would need to search the SBB app looking for Lucerne to Montreux via Interlaken and Zweisimmen.
Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.
Hi Ax79 and welcome to the forums!
I’ve just responded to your PM over an other travel site (I’m KimSanJose over there) but thought I would chime in here as well.
Rockoyster’s suggestion to use the handy spreadsheet to figure out which pass to buy is, of course, exactly right if you want to have full certainty. If you would like to save yourself the trouble I would recommend the Half Fare Card. After 21 trips to Switzerland that’s what we always do.
As for transport to Munich, whatever pass you choose will be valid to the Swiss border then you will need a ticket for onward journey to Munich. Suggest you consult bahn. de to look for Saver Fares which usually are less than buying a separate tickets or, if you choose something like the Swiss Travel Pass may be even less expensive than a full fare ticket from border to Munich. Saver tickets usually go on sale 60 – 90 days before departure. You can do a dummy booking now for 60 – 90 days out to get an idea of pricing.
If you do research into passes be sure to follow Rockoyster’s recommendation to thoroughly research areas of validity. For example, you will find that many of the high elevation scenic train trips in the Bernese Oberland area are not free with the STP, rather only discounted around 25%. Makes a difference as these are very expensive journeys
My 2 cents here so take it for what it is worth. We just spent 10 days in Switzerland in September.
- I would not spend 4 nights in Lucerne. We saw what we needed to see in 2 nights and were so happy to move on to the Jungfrau region afterward.
- I would consider staying in Wengen rather than Lauterbrunnen. Lauterbrunnen is spectacularly gorgeous, and you definitely need to see it, but to us at least, we were really happy in Wengen as it was car-free. My suggestion is to check it out.
- Zermatt was another favorite for us and we could have spent more than 2 nights there.
- Montreux was nice too, but we were both so happy to get out of a city and into a town after 2 nights.
- We are both active folks and did tons of walking and got started early each day. If I ever go back, it will he to spend more time in the Jungfrau and Zermatt areas, and perhaps make a ski trip to Verbier, Zermatt, or Wengen.
My 2 cents st least.
Hi Axz9,
Your itinerary is certainly doable. Don’t forget to download the SBB mobile so you can access the timetable on the go. You can download it from this link: http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/practical/websites
For train tickets to Munich, in addition toKim11’s helpful tips, you can also find more information and a list of resellers on this page: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/germany
For more details about the Swiss Travel Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price
Below are a few more useful links for your trip. You can use the hotel tab to look for accommodation.
- Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne
- Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen
- Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux
- Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt
- Glacier Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress
- Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zurich
Best regards,
Anna
Thank you all for the great information and suggestions! I’m sure you’ve heard this before but your website is fantastic and your input definitely appreciated!
My plan for the montreux area was to do a day trip to Zermatt but then when we leave to go to chur from montreux we would take a train to Brig and transfer on to the Glacier Express at that point. This way we didn’t have to backtrack from Visp to Zermatt again. Does that make sense? I’m assuming that is possible or am I missing anything?
Kim- I received your information- thank you very much!
After more research we will probably stay in Wengen instead of Lauterbrunnen. We were going to spend 4 nights in Lucerne as one day we are planning a day to Rothrist (MIL was born there). I know it’s personal preference but would it be better to take a day from Luzern (or Montreux) and add it to Wengen?
It sounds like there is a lot to do in both Zermatt and Montreux. We would rather stay in areas with more of a ‘local/swiss’ feel than a city but we are trying to avoid too many hotel changes so that is why we picked Montreux as a base. Anyone else have thoughts about a base hotel in the Zermatt or Montreux area?
i haven’t researched the train options yet as I feel I need to select the rough itinerary first, then hotels. After that I can focus on the train option. Anything I am missing in this plan? There doesn’t seem to be an urgency to figuring out the trains. It seems I should select hotels first before they get booked.
since we have never been to Switzerland your input is invaluable. Again, I appreciate your comments!
Hello Ax79,
”My plan for the montreux area was to do a day trip to Zermatt but then when we leave to go to chur from montreux we would take a train to Brig and transfer on to the Glacier Express at that point.”
Yes that works. I mis-counted when I said you would cover the tracks between Montreux and Visp 4 times. It’s only 3. 🤓
How about scratching Munich and including both Montreux and Zermatt as bases? 😉
Given your stated priorities, if it was a toss up between Montreux and Zermatt I would choose Zermatt. In which case go from Wengen to Zermatt via Kandersteg. You will then travel on the BLS Regio-Express Lötschberger (http://www.myswitzerland.com/en-au/experiences/bls-regioexpress-loetschberger/)train over the traditional, more than 100 year old mountain route, giving you a wonderful view along the impressive peaks and down into the Rhone Valley. The faster more direct but less scenic route between Spiez and Visp incorporates the lengthy (in distance) but shorter (in time) Lötschberg Base Tunnel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lötschberg_Base_Tunnel).
Hi Ax79,
I would pick Zermatt for the mountains, Montreux for the lakes and vineyards. It’s a tough choice 🙂
I think it’ll be easier looking for accommodation in Zermatt as May is considered a shoulder season. http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt/hotels
Montreux could be more challenging. http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/hotels
The link to accommodation: http://www.myswissalps.com/hotels
Good luck with all the planning.
Regards,
Anna
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