6 days winter in Switzerland in December no skiing
A traveler is planning their first winter trip to Switzerland from December 22 to 27. They are looking for advice on itinerary planning and accommodations for a group of four adults and kids, with a focus on exploring Jungfraujoch, Lucerne, and Zurich without skiing. They are considering a glacier train to Zermatt and need suggestions on where to stay during Christmas Eve and Day.
Consider staying in Lucerne for its picturesque town atmosphere, but note that Jungfraujoch is a long day trip from there. Book accommodations in advance, especially for Christmas Eve and Day, as many places will be closed. Utilize the Swiss Travel Pass for easier travel between cities and attractions. It's possible to catch the Glacier Express from Brig if you choose to stay in Interlaken first.
AI-generated summary-
Hi there,
This is my first trip to Switzerland for winter holiday from 22nd until 27th December 2019.
I am seeking for advice how should plan for our trip and where shall we stay. We have a group of 4 adults and kids. We are not going for skiing.
Arrival Day: Italy to Zurich
Leaving Day: Zurich airport, 1pm flight
Shall we plan glacier train to Zermatt?
Hope to receive some advices
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Welcome to MySwissAlps!
The forum moderators do not create itineraries, but they will offer suggestions regarding one that you put together. We know what you don’t want to do (ski), but we know nothing of your preferences and desires.
Here’s a link to a page that gets you started with creating an itinerary.
http://www.myswissalps.com/pl antrip/doityourself/co mposeitinerary
At the top of this page, the main menu, you might click on “Where to Sleep” to find places to stay. But before doing that, you need to explore (try “Where To Go”) places that interest you. Then find hotels for the places you want to go to.
Hi Pvonk,
Thank you for your advice.
Basically, we hope to explore in Jungfraujoch, Lucern & Zurich. Shall we stay in Lucern or Interlaken would be better?
We want to experience the gracier train to Zermatt if our time allow.
Our another concern during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, where shall we stay is better choice as I heard that mostly shops & restaurants will be closed.
Above are our main focus and seeking for advice.
Hi Evepym,
Lucerne is more picturesque than Interlaken (I’m talking about the town itself, not the area). Jungfraujoch would be a very long day trip from Lucerne though. Doable but long. You can include the Glacier Express at the beginning or end of your trip, but that would require at least one night in Zermatt or Brig or St. Moritz. Please see:
Hi Arno,
Thank you for your great advice! I’ve the same thought to take the Glacier Express either from beginning or end of the day. What do you think if i plan to stay as below?
1st night: Lucern, day trip
2nd night: Interlaken, half day spend in Lucern & half day spend in Interlaken
3rd night: Interlaken, Jungfraujoch
4th night: Zermatt, taken Glacier Train
5th night: Zurich
Hi Evepym,
Sounds good! Keep in mind that you don’t need to go to Zermatt to pick up the Glacier Express. You can do that, but you can also make an early start from Interlaken to Brig and pick it up there. I think it’s worth it to travel all the way to St. Moritz. Then go to Zurich the next day.
There’s plenty to do without skiing. We’ve been there in late November and visited the Christmas marts in Zurich. We also were in Zermatt (several people snowboarded but others didn’t). We walked around the village and took the train up to the Gornergrat and the “Bubbles” (cable cars) up to Klein Matterhorn. We did make our reservations for a rental months in advance and had reservations for all dinners. Once December starts you have to have reservations in Zermatt. It’s really a small place which is extremely picturesque with lots of visitors. We stayed above the village in a rental and the views were wonderful.
Hi Cam223,
would you to share with us the hotel and restaurant you booked before in Zermatt? Will that be too late for us to book it now?
Hi Arno,
Thank you so much! We wish to visit to St. Moritz but our times is limited, got to miss it out for this trip.
Wish you have good day ahead!
Hi Evepym,
You’ll find hotel suggestions for Zermatt here, in case you haven’t seen it yet: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/hotels.
We stayed at the Heinz Julien Loft in Zermatt we booked through an agency located in Zermatt.
We ate at: Old Zermatt (fondue),at the Post Stubli and the Brown Cow (late lunch), Cervo Puro and at the restaurant in the Omnia hotel which was just below us. Since it was late November, many of the restaurants were still closed so we made certain that we had reservations. Some of these restaurants are small so it’s essential to reserve well in advance
Thank you very much! @arno & @cam223
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