Lucern to Lauterbrunnen area day trip details
A couple will arrive in Lucerne on March 28 at 15:00 and want to explore the town and possibly visit Mt. Pilatus that same day. They plan to visit Mt. Titlis and Bern on Day 2, and on Day 3, they hope to see Brienz and Lauterbrunnen but need help with scheduling. They are purchasing Swiss Travel Passes for their trip.
- Don't attempt to visit Mt. Pilatus on your arrival day as the timing is not feasible; explore Lucerne instead.
- For Day 3, consider a scenic journey from Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen and back, keeping in mind it can be a long day, potentially 12 hours, depending on your plans.
- Use the train timetable link provided in the forum for travel times and planning your itinerary.
- The Swiss Travel Pass will simplify your travel, covering multiple destinations with ease.
AI-generated summary-
my husband and I will arrive in Lucern on 28/3/20 about 15:00 We plan to explore the town and maybe if possible go to Mt. Pilatus the same day.
Day 2: Mt Titlis and maybe Bern
Day 3: Brienz, Lauterbrunnen, and other areas in the vicinity that we can do in that day and return to Lucern in the evening.
Would appreciate help on how much we can fit in on day 3. We are getting Swiss Passes
-
Day 1 sounds a little ambitous. You might want to do one or the other. See how the weather is.
Day 3 – Got Luzern to Interlaken Ost via Brienz. Then to Lauterbrunnen. From Lauterbrunnen a very nice circuit to do is to Grütschalp (cable car), Mürren (train), Gimmelwald (cable car), Stechelberg (cable car), Lauterbrunnen (bus). From Mürren you can easily visit Schiltorn (don’t miss The Thrill Walk at Birg) If you have time. From Lauterbrunnen return to Luzern via Bern.
For checking timetables see http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/checking-train-timetables.
Thank you. What is the travel time for round trip not accounting for sight seeing on day 3
You can work out the round trip travel time using the timetable link I provided above. I could look it up for you but it will be useful for you to get your head around how the timetables work.
Day 1 – I agree with Rockoyster, going to Pilatus when you’re not getting to Luzern until 3 in the afternoon is unrealistic. If I read the schedule right, the last gondola on your arrival day departs on the ascent at 4 pm, which in theory you could catch once you get the bus to the proper stop and walk to the gondola base station. Worse, the last gondola for the descent leaves the top at 4:30 pm. (Starting the next day, those times increase by an additional hour.) See:
http://www.pilatus.ch/en/inform/timetable/
Since the two gondolas involved take about 35 minutes total to get to the top, you simply can’t do it. Even if you catch the 3:14 bus from in front of the train station, you still won’t get to the top until 4:19 pm, giving you enough time to turn around and go back down. So, you’d be better off exploring Luzern that afternoon & evening. Old Town is nice.
Day 2 – Certainly doable, Titlis would basically be a half day trip from Luzern, counting travel time, exploring time at the top, and maybe a short jaunt around Engelberg before heading back. I’ve not been to Bern but that also looks like a half day trip, or maybe a little more, based on travel times and time for exploring.
Day 3 – We went from Luzern to the Jungfrau area and back last October. Train from Luzern, through Brienz to Interlaken Ost, switched trains to Lauterbrunnen. Caught the bus to Stechelberg, gondolas up to Schilthorn and back down, bus back to Lauterbrunnen. Caught the train through Wengen to Kleine Schiedegg, stopped for lunch at the train station restaurant, train back to Lauterbrunnen, switched trains to Interlaken Ost, caught train back to Luzern going through Brienz again. Very scenic train, bus and gondola rides, not to mention the views from the Schilthorn and at Kleine Schiedegg. However, be prepared for a long day. Our day trip took 12 hours, leaving Luzern on the 8:06 am train and getting back at 7:55 pm. Fortunately, our hotel was close to the train station. I’m not sure you can fit much more into that day.
CabinJon has nailed it for Saturday. Sunday you could conceivably do Titlis and Pilatus in a day.
Day 3 depending on how much time you spend in the Jungfrau Region you could have a look around Bern on your way back to Luzern. Bern to Luzern is not a great scenic ride so probably doesn’t matter if you return after dark.
Thank you both for your help. I have a better understanding of the timing now. I have been reading the forum for months now.
- The thread ‘Lucern to Lauterbrunnen area day trip details’ is closed to new replies.
