Milan, Chur, Interlaken, Zurich in April – itinerary planning
Ahm is planning a family trip from Milan to Switzerland, arriving in Milan on April 3 and departing from Zurich on April 9. They want to explore various areas such as Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen, and Zermatt while looking for easy trails and considering where to base their stay—likely in Interlaken. Ahm is open to adjusting the itinerary and possibly adding Zermatt and St. Moritz.
Invest in a 6-day Swiss Travel Pass to cover your travel from April 4 to 9, which offers various discounts on train rides and attractions. For younger travelers, get the FREE Swiss Family Card; this allows children to travel for free in Switzerland when accompanied by adults with a Swiss Travel Pass. For easier travel plans, consider staying three nights in Interlaken to explore the surrounding areas comfortably.
AI-generated summary-
I plan to travel from Milan To Switzerland
3 April – Arrive In Milan
4 April – Milan to Chur using Bernina Express
5 April – Chur To Interlaken
6 April
7 April
8 April – overnight in Zurich
9 April – departure from ZurichWe plan on visiting Grindlewald first, walk around Lauterbrunnen area.panorama trail, glacial canyon , Harder klum, lake brienze boat ride. Allmendhubal (is there a funicular ride to a tobaghan safari in that area?) Top of Europe. Looking for suggestions for easy trails /walking path.
shall we base in Interlaken for 3 nights or any other recommendations to cover above areas.
is it possible to include zermatt st moritz?
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Hello Ahm
Welcome to MySwissAlps
Might I suggest the following.
INVEST in a 6-day Swiss Travel Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/) April 4 to 9.
On April 4 go Milan to Tirano (Italian ticket required); Tirano to St Moritz using an ordinary regional train along the Bernina Line. Stay the night in St Moritz (https://www.myswissalps.com/accommodation/hotels/st-moritz/).
April 5. Take an IR38 train from St Moritz to Chur via Filisur. SBB Intercity trains via Zurich and Bern to Interlaken (https://www.myswissalps.com/accommodation/hotels/interlaken/). Stay three nights there.
April 6 Go to Zermatt changing at Spiez and Visp. On arrival at Zermatt go up the Gornergrat (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/gornergrat/). 50% discount on this line with STP. Sit on the right for splendid views of the Matterhorn.
April 7 Visit Jungfraujoch- Top of Euriope (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/jungfraujoch/) and Harder Kulm (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/harder-kulm/). Discounts on both lines with STP. Forget Brienzersee and Allmendhubel. They will not be operating.
April 8 Take the 08 04 train to Luzern (the German name for the city often called Lucerne). Park your luggage in a locker and take a boat to Vitznau. Go up mount Rigi (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/). This mountain ride is FREE with the STP. Return to Luzern either the way you came or via Arth-Goldau. Retrieve your luggage. Continue on to Zurich.
April 9 Your STP will take you to the airport.
Best wishes
Roger
Thank you Roger,
Need some additional inputs to plan itinerary
Will we get same experience on Bernina ordinary line as Bernina Express.
How can we add Glacier express experience in the trip?I am traveling with Kids 10 & 12 years old what adventure activities we can take in Grindlewald ?
can we add Lauterbrunnen, Rhine Falls?
I am open to adding one day in the beginning of the trip and cutting our stay in Milan
Hello again ahm
I am now assuming that your party consists of two parents, and two children aged 10 and 12. The children will need tickets for the Italian part of the journey, Milan [??Malpensa Airport??] to Tirano.
Invest in Swiss Travel Passes for the two grown ups. Get the FREE Swiss Family Card (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/tickets/discount/) for the children. This in turn will mean that the children will travel FREE in Switzerland. BUT, if you are travelling on one of the FEW trains in Switzerland which require seat reservations, you will have to pay for FOUR seat reservations.
Whether you can drop the one night in Milan really depends on the time you expect to reach Milan. Which airport are you flying into (Milan has three!) and when do you touch down?
If you are able to drop Milan, the grown-ups may need 8-day STPs commencing 3rd April; these are 419 CHF per adult, second class. (6-day STPs are 379 CHF)
Bernina Express v Ordinary Train.
The scenery is the same whichever type of train you travel on! The Bernina Express (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/bernina-express/) runs twice a day. The ordinary trains Tirano to St Moritz are approximately hourly. Journey time is about the same. The Bernina Express has luxury ‘Panorama’ carriages which are ARGUABLY better to travel in than the ordinary carriages on ordinary trains. Seat Reservations ARE compulsory for the Bernina Express, and cost 36 CHF per person. So that is 144 CHF for your group of FOUR to travel in ?’better’ carriages.
Glacier Express v IR38 Train
The scenery is the same whichever type of train you travel on! The Glacier Express (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/glacier-express/) runs twice a day. The IR38 trains are exactly hourly. Journey time St Moritz to Chur is about the same. The Glacier Express has luxury ‘Panorama’ carriages (some of which are 30-years old) which are ARGUABLY better to travel in than the modern five-year old carriages on the IR38 trains. Seat Reservations ARE compulsory for the Glacier Express, and cost 49 CHF per person. So that is 196 CHF for your group of FOUR to travel in ?’better’ carriages.
The IR38 trains get to St Moritz at 53 minutes past each hour, and leaves to go back to Chur at 07 minutes past the hour. Be on the platform at St Moritz by 52 past the hour. As soon as you can, grab a group of (unreserved) 4-seats on the LEFT-hand side of the train in the direction of Chur. That is the better side for the scenery.
Lauterbrunnen (https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lauterbrunnen/)
That village is best visited on your way to or from the Jungfraujoch.
Children’s Activities.
You are travelling in early April. There will still be a lot of snow at higher levels. But playgrounds etc are not my field of expertise.
Rhine Falls (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rhine-falls/)
These are just 48 km (29 miles) north of Zurich. If your flight from Zurich Airport is later in the day, check in your bags at the Airport in the early morning and then go to Schloss Laufen am Rheinfall. Take any train to Winterthur, and change there for Schloss Laufen. Aim to be back at the airport at lest two hours before take off. Trains from Schloss Laufen run twice an hour, and the journey (including the change at Winterthur) takes about 45 minutes.
Best wishes for your detailed planning.
Roger
Thank you once again Roger …
actually I am arriving in Munich on 31st March and plan to spend 2 nights in Italy still not sure where to spend those nights..
do you have any good suggestion which can connect me Munich Italy and departure from Zurich on 9th April
Hello again ahm.
Given that you have two children with you; Given that your children will love Switzerland; Given that they go FREE when travelling in Switzerland provided you get the FREE Swiss Family Card; Given that you are focusing most of your time in Switzerland; Given that trains run every two hours from Munich to Zurich via Bregenz(Austria) and ST MARGRETHEN taking about three-and-a-half hours for the whole trip; Given that a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass is only 459 CHF, I would advise the following.
1 Scrap the idea of going to Italy
2 Get 15-day STPs commencing March 31
3 Get tickets and seat reservations for all four of you for the journey from Munich to the Austria/Swiss frontier at St Margrethen
4 (Probably) get off the Zurich-bound train at St Margrethen and head for CHUR. (Trains to Chur run hourly and take just over an hour.)
5 On April 9th, if you are leaving Switzerland by train, your STPs (and Swiss Family Cards.) will take you to the Swiss frontier. Where are you heading for on 9th? Back to Munich? Home? (If ‘home’ -where is home?)Kind regards
Roger
Thank you Roger for the suggestion..
on 9th we will return home which is Dubai.
if I drop Italy from our plan can you suggest how can I plan 8 Days in Switzerland starting from Munich.
Regards
Hello ahm
I will not be able to spend any more time on this today or tomorrow.
Do you want a plan for the whole period 31st March to 9th April? (That is ten days.) Where are you flying FROM to get home to Dubai? From Zurich?, Munich?
Now I know you are from Dubai, I am even more convinced that your children will love Switzerland. So completely different from home. And not just that the weather will be much colder!
Kind regards
Roger
Thank you Roger,
Whenever you have time you can help me plan it…
I am flying from Dubai to Munich on 31st March and Zurich to dubai on 9 aprilthanks once again for your help
Hi Ahm,
Below is a possible itinerary based on your plans to start in Munich, spend a couple of nights in Milan and depart from Zurich:
31 March – Arrive in Munich. Overnight in Munich.
1 April – Travel by train from Munich to Chur (3.5 h). Overnight in Chur.
2 Apr – Travel on the Bernina Express to Tirano (4 h). Continue to Milan on the TRENORD train (2.5 h). Overnight in Milan.
3 Apr – Free and easy. Overnight in Milan.
4 Apr – Travel by train from Milan to Lucerne (3 h). Overnight in Lucerne.
5 Apr – Travel on the Lucerne-Interlaken Express to Interlaken Ost (1.5 h). Overnight in Interlaken.
6 – 7 Apr in Interlaken
8 Apr – Travel by train to Zurich (2 h). Overnight in Zurich.
9 Apr – Depart from Zurich Airport.I think the children will enjoy the train rides but I would avoid taking long journeys on a daily basis. I hope this gives you some ideas on how to plan your trip.
You can find information on ticket and travel options from Germany and Italy to Switzerland below:
Germany – Switzerland: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/germany-switzerland/
Italy – Switzerland: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/italy-switzerland/Regards,
Anna
Thank you Anna,
The information I received here will help me plan the itinerary better.
Regards,
Hello Again Ahm
Since I last contributed, Anna has come up with her plan which she sets out in her Reply 9. If you want to combine Switzerland with a brief stop in Italy, follow her plan. Milan is Italy’s second city. It has a very long history. From the point of view of Italian culture, (especially classical music) it is arguably more important than Rome.
Best wishes for your detailed planning
Roger
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