Suggestions for 4 nights in Lucerne – which pass?

Short summary – read this first

A traveler is planning a 5-day trip to Switzerland with their father from July 4th, covering Zurich and Lucerne. They need advice about their itinerary, including train travel, the Swiss Travel Pass, and day trips like the Rhine Falls and Jungfrau visit.

Key takeaways:
  • Yes, you can take a direct train from Zurich Airport to the central station and should buy the Swiss Travel Pass at the airport since you can't print it at home.
  • The Swiss Travel Pass includes train journeys to Lucerne and discounts for trips like Jungfrau; no reservations are needed for trains.
  • For day trips, consider visiting Rhine Falls on Day 1, and you can explore mountaintop options like Titlis, Rigi, or Pilatus on Day 2.
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InfoAI-generated summary
  • Anonymous
    Inactive
    83503 posts
    30 June 2016 at 7:48:48 #809572

    Hi everyone

    I am going to visit Switzerland along with my father (Zurich, Lucerne) for 5 days starting 4th July 2016. Would like to get some feedback on my tentative itinerary and some suggestions on which rail pass I should buy.

    Day 1: 4th July- Reach Zurich Airport at 11:15 am. Stay for 1 night in a Hotel close to central station. can I take a direct train to central station from Airport? And should I purchase Swiss Travel pass at airport? Will it include train journey to central station as well as next day’s journey to Lucerne?

    And I was thinking of going to Rhine falls this day. Will it be possible during half day trip from central station? And can I arrange this myself?

    Day 2: 5th July: Early morning train to Lucerne and checkin for 4 nights at hotel close to central station here as well. How early can I take the train from Zurich central station? Do I need to buy tickets in advance and make reservations? And can I combine this day with some tours to any mountains like Titlis, Rigi, Pilatus etc? And all these train journeys will be included in the Swiss travel pass?

    Day 3:6th July- Any mountain ? Not sure yet which one

    Day 4: 7th July- Jungfrau visit: is it better to take a guided tour or plan it myself? And as I read, the Swiss travel pass gives 50% discount on this one, so where should I buy the tickets?

    Day 5: 8th July: Not planned yet. Should I include some scenic train trip?

    Day 6: 9th July- have a flight from Zurich at 17:25. So will the direct train from Lucerne to Zurich will be included in Swiss pass? And is it possible to do something on this day in first half in Lucerne as the flight is in the evening?

    Thanks in Advance 🙂

  • Arno
    Moderator
    15730 posts
    Reply 1 of 1 • 30 June 2016 at 12:33:18 #853649

    Hi narwal85, welcome to MySwissAlps!

    Day 1: Yes, there are direct trains to the central station. Normally I would have recommend to print your pass at home. That can save you quite some time, depending on how busy it is at the ticket office. But unfortunately you’re too late for that as it takes a few working days to receive the pass through e-mail. You will need to buy it at the airport train station.

    Here’s what’s included in the Swiss Travel Pass: myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ validity. No tickets required for anything included for free.

    Rhine Falls: myswissalps.com/ rhinefalls.

    Day 2: Trains schedules can be found through myswissalps.com/ timetable. No reservations required: myswissalps.com/ train/reservations.

    Day 3: Suggestions are at myswissalps.com/ lucerne/activities.

    Day 4: whether you prefer a guided tour or go on your own is up to you. Both are possible. You’ll find all information here: myswissalps.com/ jungfraujoch.

    Have fun!

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