[Anonymous]

29 December 2019 at 8:13:58 #824746

Hi,

I am planning for a Switzerland visit from 29-Feb to 6-Mar. Like to hear if the itinerary below makes sense and if there is any feedback.

29-Feb: Fly into Zurich airport at 1030pm. Take train directly to Lucerne Hotel.

1-Mar: Morning – Explore Lucerne ie Chapel Bridge/Old Town/Lion’s Monument etc

Afternoon – Visit Mt Rigi or Pilatus

2-Mar: Morning – Visit Mt Rigi or Pilatus

Afternoon – Travel from Lucerne to Wengen. Check in to Hotel – Wengen will be base for next 4 nights. Explore Interlaken and Lakes in the late afternoon/evening.

3-Mar: Morning – Visit JungFrauJoch.

Afternoon – Visit Grindelwald/First on the descent.

4-Mar: Morning – Visit Schilthorn.

Afternoon – Visit Murren/Lauterbrunnen on descent.

5-Mar: Morning/Afternoon- Visit Zermatt. Travel via Kanderstag scenic route from Interlaken to Zermatt. View Matterhorn after ascending via Gorgernat. Explore Zermatt.

Evening – Return to Wengen.

6-Mar: Morning/Afternoon – Take scenic Golden Pass line from Interlaken to Montreux. Travel to Geneva from Montreux (via train?)

Evening – Fly from Geneva Airport to Liverpool.

My main questions are:

1. Are Mt Rigi and Pilatus still worth visiting if I am visiting JungFrauJoch/Schilthorn and Matterhorn anyway?

2. Does it make sense to move to Zermatt for one night or keep to the plan above? I was trying to minimise staying at too many bases.

3. Would purchasing the Swiss Travel Pass for 8 days still make sense?

Thanks!

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[rockoyster]

Reply 1 of 7 • 29 December 2019 at 10:09:55 #927061

Hello azure and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

1. Sure. They are all different.

2. I think so. The Golden Pass route is no big deal. You can go to Montreux from Zermatt via Visp.

3. I think the Swiss Half-fare Card would be better value.

I strongly recommend using the SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) for checking train, bus, boat and cable way timetables, finding fares* and buying tickets on-line if required. In the unlikely event you don’t have a device capable of running the app then you can use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B). If you are not familiar with using the SBB timetable it is worth first reading the instructions at http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.

* The SBB website shows half-fare prices by default, the mobile app allows you to nominate whether to show full or half-fares (by editing the passenger details in settings) and is also smart enough to offer you the Saver Day Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/saverdaypass) if that offers the best fare. The app can also display a platform map (at least at the larger stations) to help you make connections. You can also easily filter modes of transport (eg bus or ship).

The app (or website) will always show the fastest, most direct routes unless you tell it you want to go a longer way round by including other stations to go VIA. For example, if you wanted to follow the Golden Pass route you would need to search the SBB app looking for Luzern to Montreux via Interlaken and Zweisimmen.

Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.

[User]

Reply 2 of 7 • 29 December 2019 at 10:29:33 #927062

Thank you rock oyster! This is very helpful. My original thinking with not moving to Zermatt and being based in Wengen is because it would give me flexibility to decide to go to Zermatt, JungFrauJoch or Schilthorn on any of the 3 days depending on weather conditions seen on the webcam every morning. If I commit to a hotel on Zermatt, I lose some of that flexibility. And speaking about bad weather, what would you recommend as back up plans in the event that all three of the mountains are cloudy for that day. Should we go to Bern or explore the waterfalls and lakes in Lauterbrunnen and Interlaken in the first week of March?

[User]

Reply 3 of 7 • 30 December 2019 at 17:02:17 #927063

Hello azure,

Thanks for your questions!

In case the weather is not ideal when you want to see the Alps. All of the places you are interested in seeing has plenty of activities. If it is pouring rain, I recommend Bern because it has 6 kilometres of arcades along the main shopping street. This means you won’t need to carry an umbrella and you will be shielded from the wind and rain. There is also the Einstein museum in Bern. You can visit the actual apartment Einstein lived in when he developed his theory of relativity:

• http://www.einstein-bern.ch/
• http://www.myswissalps.com/bern

Lauterbrunnen would also be great to visit. There are several waterfalls plummeting down Lauterbrunnen’s valley walls. Staubbachfall is just a short walk up the valley, and there’s a marked pathway that takes you behind the water. An important tip: The walk up to Staubbachfall can be a bit slippery, so borrow a pair of hiking poles at the start of the pathway to help keep your balance. You’ll find another popular waterfall further up the valley called Trümmelbachfäll which is my favourite!

• http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen
• http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen/activities

In Interlaken, you can make your very own Swiss chocolate at:

• funkychocolateclub.com/
• http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken

I hope this helps!

Best regards,

Suzanne

[User]

Reply 4 of 7 • 31 December 2019 at 4:02:15 #927064

Thank you very much Suzanne! Appreciate the ideas! Hiking sounds like a great idea. Would you know what would be the best way to determine which hiking trails are open when I am there in March? Do I check with someplace locally?

I have also tweaked my itinerary such that I will move over to Zermatt on the last night and travel from Zermatt to Geneva directly. On a whole, do you think the itinerary is doable or too many bases/locations?

Thanks!

[User]

Reply 5 of 7 • 1 January 2020 at 0:17:50 #927065

Hello azure,

I think your itinerary is do-able! I don’t think you have too many travel bases.

March is still considered “winter” in the Swiss mountains and the hiking trails as well. I have attached a link about the highlight activities according to the months of the year in Switzerland. I also have a detailed link about hiking too:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit
• http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking

It’s good to tweak your itinerary and have back up activities in case the weather is not ideal to visit the Alps. Zermatt is around 2 hours and 51 mins from Geneva. Make sure to refer to the train timetable and download the SBB app onto your smart phone:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable
• http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/practical/websites

You can check the weather cam for Jungfraujoch early in the morning to see what the weather is like before you venture there:

• http://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/live/webcams/
• http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch
• http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch/tickets

Lastly, I included links about Zermatt and Geneva for you to read:

• http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt
• http://www.myswissalps.com/geneva

Good luck. I wish you all the best for 2020!

Best wishes,

Suzanne

[User]

Reply 6 of 7 • 3 January 2020 at 10:15:56 #927066

Hi Azure –

<“Do I check with someplace locally?”>>-

In addition to the links that Suzanne provided, the towns in the Jungfrau region have excellent tourist information offices. They are a wonderful resource.

http://www.interlaken.ch/en/info-service/tourist-offices-in-the-region

Often, the staff at the train stations will know about some trails, as well. Hotels often keep track of availability of the famous trails.

I did not see this link in the thread… maybe I missed it:

http://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/winter-hiking/

If you can read topo maps, this one is helpful:

map.geo.admin.ch/?topic=swisstopo&lang=en&bgLayer=ch.swisstopo.pixelkarte-farbe&catalogNodes=1392,1538,1396,1430,1436&layers=ch.swisstopo.swisstlm3d-wanderwege&E=2635620.00&N=1160500.00&zoom=5

and, this link explains the color coding of the trails on the map:

http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en/wanderland/more-wl/hiking-trail-network-and-signalization.html

Slowpoke

[User]

Reply 7 of 7 • 4 January 2020 at 1:58:59 #927067

Thank you Suzanne and Slowpoke! The information and links you have shared are very helpful!