4 days of excursions from Lucerne in November: public transport or car

  • zimmee
    Participant
    2 posts
    15 April 2024 at 14:10:45 #1407722

    Hi all,

    We are three travelers (male of 62 years, female of 61 years, daughter of 24 years).

    We have 4 days to see the Greater Lucerne area the last week of November.

    I was thinking of going to Pilatus, Rigi, Titlis/Engelberg; perhaps to Lauterbrunnen-Murren (not our 1st time there). We love the outdoors, grand vistas, walking, photography.

    To minimize stress, I was thinking of taking a hotel in Lucerne.

    Question #1

    Does the above sound reasonable?

    Question #2

    Should we rent a car and rely on public transportation?

    Question #3

    If public transportation, which Swiss pass should we opt for.

    Thank you, Eric

  • Alpenrose555
    Participant
    349 posts
    16 April 2024 at 3:19:41 #1409559

    Hi Eric, and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    Yes, that looks like a good plan for 4 days.

    Public transport is definitely the way to go, but you can read about driving in Switzerland here if need be:

    https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/car/

    A Tell-Pass Winter would be good value, and would get you as far as Interlaken Ost by train if you decide to go to the Jungfrau Region for a day. You would need to pay for point-to-point tickets for any travel beyond Interlaken Ost. For your days of arrival and departure the cheapest way to travel depends on where you are arriving from and departing to.

    https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/tell-pass-winter/

    You will be able to visit all the mountain-top destinations you have listed, but there will be some limitations on the mode of transport:

    • Pilatus – the cableways from Kriens will be operational, but the cogwheel train from Alpnachstad will be closed.
    • Rigi – the Weggis-Rigi Kaltbad cable car will only be operating on weekends, but the cogwheel trains from Vitznau and Arth-Goldau to Rigi Kulm will be fully operational.
    • Titlis – fully operational

    https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/pilatus/

    https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/

    https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/titlis/

    I hope this helps with your planning!

    Alpenrose

    zimmee
    Participant
    2 posts
    16 April 2024 at 16:36:39 #1415978

    Thanks so much for your great reply.

    Regards, Eric

    Annika
    Moderator
    7126 posts
    17 April 2024 at 12:24:35 #1422219

    Hi Eric,

    I’d personally opt for public transport. Navigating with a car in Lucerne or any other Swiss city isn’t pleasant in my opinion, and for many (mountain) trips you’re dependent on public transport anyway. But of course, it’s all down to personal preferences. We’ve compared train versus car travel here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/train-or-car/. I hope that helps :-)!

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