[Anonymous]

4 April 2017 at 16:14:31 #811277

Will you please assist me with the best itinerary:

We will be arriving Basel on June 13- and depart zurich on June 18. We have approximately 5 nights in Switerland. I would like to go to the following :

In Lucerne I would like to take boat to Rigi and then go to Mt Rigi, and also wanted to do Mount Pilatus. Should I do both?

Zermatt-Matterhorn and Glacier Paradise (Can I do both the same day?)

Love to do Montreaux but not sure that we have time.

Definitely want to stay in Murren to go to Trümmelbach Falls, Schilthorn Pia Gloria. Can I do this all in basically 5 days? And what itinerary should I take Lucerne, Zermatt, and then Murren?

Thank you kindly for your help!

Carla

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[User]

Reply 1 of 5 • 5 April 2017 at 0:55:02 #861017

Hi Carla-

I can’t answer all your questions at the moment, but I can suggest a valuable planning tool.

The timetable will put times on travel between the places you have thought about:

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.

Check out the menus…they can provide a lot of useful information.

If you have not looked at a map yet, this one will help you visualize those trips.

Check out the menus here as well…they also can provide a lot of useful information:

map.search.ch/

If you spend some time with those resources, you can ask your questions in a way to provide the maximum support here. If you suggest an itinerary, we can help you refine it.

By the way…do you have special interests? Why exactly do you wish to visit the places mentioned? That is not idle curiosity..I am trying t o help focus an itinerary.

By the way, the higher alpine regions are only beginning to come out of Winter in mid-June, whilst the lower altitudes are well into Spring.

Slowpoke

[User]

Reply 2 of 5 • 5 April 2017 at 5:54:20 #861018

Hi Carla,
To help with itinerary planning have a read through our information pages on the towns you are interested in visiting:
Luzern both Mt. Rigi and Mt. Pilatus) you can do both in a longer day if you want or just focus on the mountain that looks more interesting to you.

Zermatt (You can’t go on the Matterhorn so you could either visit Klein Matterhorn / Glacier Paradise and Gornergrat if you like – I think Gornergrat gives you better views of the Matterhorn if that is what you are looking for.

I think it is either Murren or Montreux and not both on a 5 day itinerary.
You can do both Trümmelbach Falls and Schilthorn in one day yes.

If you are also looking for rail passes for you trip have a look here. You may be interested in the Swiss Travel Pass or the Swiss Half Fare Card.

Be sure you check train schedules that Slowpoke linked above to help plan your trips!
I hope this information helps you put a rough itinerary together and let us know if you have further questions. Oh I should also ask where are you staying during your 5 nights? Are you planning on staying in one or two towns only?

Lucas

[User]

Reply 3 of 5 • 5 April 2017 at 8:58:02 #861019

Hi Carla-

I forgot to mention –

On Mapsearch.CH, it is convenient to zoom out for overviews and also to zoom in to the point where you can see the railroad lines. That lets you see how the railroad lines are placed between the cities, so you can visualize different routes.

Slowpoke

[User]

Reply 4 of 5 • 5 April 2017 at 16:29:58 #861020

Slowpoke and Lucas,

I just want you to know how much I appreciate your guidance. Thank you for the map and the advice about travel times and specifics about the mountains. You had asked me several questions which I wanted to answer. We are pretty athletic and like to do outside things. I know we want to see the mountains (alps), bike, hike, boat (canoe or kayak?), relax and enjoy the sites. We will have Swiss Travel passes. I have currently booked 4 days in Murren but can change it if it is too long to stay there. The reason I booked 4 days is because I had heard such good things about the area and there was a 4 day minimum stay at the place I rented. I can still change it- I have to nail this itinerary down before it drives me insane. I really wanted to go to Zermatt so that we could see the Matterhorn it just seems like maybe I’m trying to squeeze too much in.

Lucas I read somewhere on this forum that you said you thought Titus was more interesting that Rigi so I was thinking maybe we would go with Titus in Lucerne instead of Rigi.

Anyways, I appreciate y’all. Just give me your opinion on how long I should stay in Murren knowing that we plan on hitting the valley, the falls and doing some hiking and biking.

Haven’t heard much chatter about the 007 exhibit but thought it would be very interesting for my hubby and son.

Thanks again,

Carla

[User]

Reply 5 of 5 • 5 April 2017 at 17:22:13 #861021

Hi Carla –

<<“The reason I booked 4 days is because I had heard such good things about the area and there was a 4 day minimum stay at the place I rented.”>>

Mürren is nice. I prefer Wengen:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

<<” I really wanted to go to Zermatt so that we could see the Matterhorn it just seems like maybe I’m trying to squeeze too much in.

Lucas I read somewhere on this forum that you said you thought Titus was more interesting that Rigi so I was thinking maybe we would go with Titus in Lucerne instead of Rigi.”>>

Titlis is the correct spelling.

We are now getting into subjective opinions and personal preferences.

In your case, they are guided by the fact that you have picked a poor time for outdoor activities in the higher alpine regions. It is really the disagreeable tail end of winter above 2000 meters. Trails are blocked by snow, sometimes even above 1500 meters, but the skiing is lousy. Snow slides from melting snow and lack of tourists (both hikers and skiers) and thus, customers, mean that they don’t try to keep the trails open above 2000 meters. A lot of restaurants and hotels don’t reopen from ‘Spring” break until late June.

The famous Schilthorn and Jungfrau are accessible at that time by cograil or cableways. They will not be crowded.

The famous walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (images attached)

http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg

http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king

opened on about June 16th in 2015 ( last time I was there in the Spring ( or maybe it was 2014) and there were banks of snow all around. I had my grandson with me, and we started along the trail, because the forecast said there might be a brief break in the clouds. There was…but the views were obscured by clouds above and below, and we walked a few hundred meters, then turned around, rode down to the Valley and went to Brienz. Sometimes you can be above a cloud deck, sometimes below, sometimes in one. The inside of a cloud is not very scenic. The weather comes in layers; altitude matters. Most people say, rightly so, do not make the expensive trip up to the Jungfrau if there are clouds around the top station. You can get detailed weather information for the region at your hotel, at the tourist offices, and at the train stations. In the high mountains, the weather can change quickly. Forecasts are not accurate much more than 24 to 48 hours in advance.

Further, I have a very strong personal opinion that when I have a brief time in Switzerland, I do not skip quality sights or activities just to save some money. Certainly, Switzerland is expensive. And, I try to avoid expensive lodging, and eat sandwiches for lunch….etc.

http://www.myswissalps.com/ho tels

But, after you are back home, will you remember the special places more, or the money you saved?

Also, you have focused on high Alpine regions, at a time when Spring is pleasantly evident at lower altitudes, where there are also some special places.

So, I put all that together and say what I would do …split your time with 2 or preferably 3 nights in Luzern and 3 or preferably 2 nights near the Jungfrau. Ordinarily, I prefer to stay as long a time as possible at one base, and even 5 days in Mürren or Wengen is fine, but not in early-mid June.

Luzern has some nice hikes at altitudes where the snow will be gone. (You’ll see the German spelling with the “z” in that region. Pronounced the same either way). They don’t have the dramatic high alpine scenery, and if you want to see that, by all means go to Titlis,or possibly the closer Pilatus, and spend more of your time in the Jungfrau region. Titlis is indeed nearby, but, if you have time in the high alps near the Jungfrau, and want to try something different but very Swiss, you might want to try the Rigi because there are some nice walks.

Check this thread:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/from-lucerene-to-rigi-without-using-cablecar

and, this one, which has some nice pictures in it:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

Others have been known to disagree, but I think that a boat ride on Lake Lucerne is the best in Switzerland, especially the the southern part of the lake illustrated in the link about the Swiss Path.

Luzern can be abase for a day trip even to eastern Switzerland, although I don’t recommend it..

Those are my thoughts. Strictly my own personal preferences. If I wanted to spend all my time in the high Alps and have the best chance of good weather, I’d go in September. In fact, I plan to do that this year.

Slowpoke