Base town for Zermatt, Gstaad & Ticino
Kajal is planning a 6-night trip to Switzerland, landing in Zurich and staying in Lucerne first. She seeks advice on how to efficiently cover major attractions, which mountains to visit, where to stay for the second half of her trip, and the best scenic trains to use.
- Consider spending all 3 nights in Lucerne to fully explore nearby attractions and mountain excursions.
- It’s a good idea to skip either the Rhine Falls or Mt. Rigi if you need to prioritize your itinerary.
- Staying in Montreux is a great choice for accessing Geneva and Gstaad, but plan your routes carefully to maximize your time.
- For scenic views, the Golden Pass Line is highly recommended between Lucerne and Montreux and doesn’t require seat reservations at that time of year.
- Use the Swiss Travel Pass to simplify train travel and consider regular tickets for trains in France.
AI-generated summary-
Hi,
Cannot seem to find my earlier thread of discussion, anyways further to the discussion v had had earlier.
We are looking at spending 6 nights in switzerland. We start by landing in Zurich by afternoon and check in at Lucerne.
We wish to cover:
Lucerne, Zurich (local sight seing of the mentioned places with covering Mt Titlis, Mt Rigi, Mt Pilatus, Rhine Falls)
Zermatt, Gstaad and The Ticino Region (covering sightseeing Matterhorn and Glacier 3000).
My query to this is.
1) in a 3 night stop in lucerne will i be able to cover the things mentioned and how should i plan this.
2) If time does not permit for all the 3 mountian excursions, which one can be omitted if i have have too.
3) We wish to have a stay for the next 3 nights at only one destination, so as to cover Zermatt, Gsattd and Ticino Region, so is living in Montreux a good idea. OR what else do u suggest. I have a booked train on day 7 from geneva to paris. So was considering staying in Montreux.
4) Which will be the best scenic panaromic trains for this entire route that v wish to follow and will i need to reserve seats for this if i have the STP.
Thanks
Hope you find time to get back to me as soon as possible.
Kajal
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Hi Kaju,
If you click on your username you should see all the threads you’ve posted in. http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/need-a-7-day-trip-plan-for-switzerland-in-april
- Yes, you could visit those 4 attractions during your 3 days in Lucerne (assuming you have 3 full days). Use the Swiss railways timetable to plan trips from your hotel or Lucerne train station to each destination: http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable – each mountain has a route description on how to get there on its own page: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/naturalsites
- I’d omit either the RheinFalls or Mt. Rigi but that is my personal opinion. 🙂 I think you can cover it all if you really want to though. Go to the Rheinfall from Zurich before you got to Lucerne.
- Montreux would be very good for Geneva and Gstaad, not bad for Zermatt and a little tricky for Ticino but it is probably your best bet for all areas. Or perhaps Brig which has good train connections; but Montreux is the nicer town I think. http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux // http://www.myswissalps.com/br ig
Be sure to use the timetable to plan trips from the base town you are considering and see how long it will take you to get to the different towns/regions and see what works best for you.
Hi Kajal
The Golden Pass Line (http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass) from Luzern to Montreux is a nice scenic route with some Panoramic trains between Zweisimmen and Montreux. You could stop off at Gstaad on the way through. You won’t need reservation at that time of year.
Seeking to fit Ticino into your current plans is being overly ambitious I think. You could easily spend a week there.
Personally I would save time by avoiding Gstaad and Glacier 3000. Gstaad is over hyped – a small village with a few expensive shops. There are much better places to visit to get a feel for the real Switzerland.
In my opinion Glacier 3000 won’t add much to your experience – Zermatt is the better place to go.
Hi Kajal,
You can take a train from Fluelen (which is also the Gotthard Panoramic Express) to Lugano. Once you get to Fluelen from Lucerne (quicker by train than boat), Lugano is only about two and a half- three hours. From Lugano, you can get train back to Andrematt, and from there, switch to a train to Zermatt. Then from Zermatt, it’s about 2 and a half hours to Montreux. Geneva is only about an hour by train from there. (I would also eliminate Gstaad altogether).
It’s possible to do, but a bit of traveling involved. Check the timetable and see if it is feasible. One problem may be just trying to squeeze too much into the itinerary and not really getting a chance to do/see much along the way, except for a lot of scenery going by. Perhaps Lucas and/or Slowpoke, or other forum folks could chime in about the feasibility of that route. Good luck to you. Hope you can fit it all in.
Danielsan
Thanks TeamAlps,
Keeping all that v have read through the threads this is what v plan to do….yes may be doing Tiscino regions looks a little extra ambitious 🙂 so omitting it out of the plan…..
This is a absolute rough plan v have made. Kindly give us ure valuable suggestions.
So Im keeping Lucerne and Montreux as my 2 destinations of moving about.
Day 1: Reach Zurich and check in to Lucerne. Do local sight seing if jetlag permits.
Day2: Lucerne to Mt Titlis. post day at leisure
Day3: Lucerne to Zurich. Do Mt Pilatus on the way to zurich usiing the golden round trip, reach Zurich to do the local sight seing
Day 4: Lucerne to Montreux, do local Montreux or go to geneva for a day tour.
Day5: Go to Zermatt for the Matterhorn Glacier Experience followed with Zermatt sightseing
Day 6 : Montreux to Gstaad and go for the glacier 3000 experience
Day 7 : Montreux to Geneve to Paris.
Would really appreciate edits in this plan. If this looks absolutely perfect, just guide and help me with the day to day planning link of timetable, links and reservations if required in any trains. As per my understanding i would be only using the golden pass line route to all my destinations, correct me if im wrong.
Regards
Kajal
Day 3. Pilatus is not on the way to Zurich. You may not be able to do the Golden Round Trip. The cog-wheel railway from Alpnachstad to Pilatus Kulm does not recommence operation until early to mid May I think.
Hi
If i consider omitting gstaad..which place from montreux would be an experience not to miss
http://www.myswissalps.com/ro chersdenaye or pick from http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/activities
If you are dead keen to see Gstaad get off the train to Montreux (from Luzern) there and have a wander round (it won’t take long) , then catch the next train to Montreux. At least you can say you went to Gstaad in your memoirs. 😉
So u say glavier 3000 if not done is ok….as im doing titlis n matrerhorn..
I had a day planned for gstaad….so if im doing a quick trip to gstaad…..what else should i cover up in the spare time
Hello Kaju,
Sorry but I have lost track of what you are planning now.
Are you suggesting going to Montreux on Day 5 and then going to Gstaad on Day 6 for a short visit but not including Glacier 3000?
I thought your earlier question was what could you do around Montreux as a substitute for skipping Glacier 3000. If you are skipping Glacier 3000 then going back to Gstaad is not worth it. Like I said before, drop into Gstaad on the way through on Day 5.
See im going to montreux on day 4….and keeping montruex as my base for 3 nights
day 5 im doing zermatt…n back to montreux
now day 6 i had kept for gstaad n go back to montruex after doing glacier 3000….but ure suggesting not a grt experience to experience….so if im thinking of ommiting gstaad of my plan….im asking what else can i do on day 6 instead of gstaad…hope ive not confused u more 🙂
day 7 ..i leave from montreux to go to geneva to paris
Hi Kajal,
It was 1960 man who said Gstaad and Glacier3000 weren’t the best places to visit of all the places in Switzerland. I’ve never been to either so can’t say. I just thought you would be going from Luzern to Montreux via the Golden Pass Line and hence going through Gstaad on your way. That being the case I couldn’t see the value of doubling back there (maybe because I hate doubling back and covering the same ground twice when touring). If you are going to Montreux by another route then by all means go to Gstaad if that appeals. Otherwise see the link I posted earlier listing things to do around Montreux.
Maybe read this http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/day-trip-to-glacier-3000-near-gstaad
Hi Kaju,
Everyone has different opinions and what one person likes another may not. I liked the Glacier 3000 – Gstaad is small and not terribly exciting (Zermatt is much nicer I think).
But I stopped in Gstaad and had lunch and walked around and then went to the Glacier 3000 last January. I enjoyed myself.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/day-trip-to-glacier-3000-near-gstaad
Other options could be the Cailler Chocolate factory (Broc) and/or the Gruyeres Cheese factory in Gruyeres (easy day trips from Montreux). They are a good back up if the weather doesn’t look good at the Glacier 3000 as well.
Thanks rockoyster and lucus for ure tips….hoping to have a lovely trip in april…. will post some queries if i have any further….and also what i actuallh landed up doing… cheers….n a happy new year to all in the team…
Go with your heart Kajal. If something appeals to you then do it. We can only provide you with practical information. Everything else is purely subjective. Whatever you do you will enjoy Switzerland I’m sure. Have a great trip.
Hey , Im Back again… 🙂
Thinking on my day 2 or day 3 which i keep for zurich from lucerne…
1) will doing black forest doable from zuruch
2) I see that in zurich other than city tour, cruize and shopping(and shopping Im not interested in) , there is nothing much for me to spend a full day on…as even Rhine falls are best done from may onwards…
SO should i do Mt Pilatus or simply cut zurich from my list and do Basel or Bern or some place else instead which will leave me with a good feel experience 🙂
Regards
Kajal
Lucas,
Cant seem to find these links on the site.
The Cailler Chocolate factory (Broc)
The Gruyeres Cheese factory in Gruyeres
Kajal
Hi Kajal,
You can easily spend all 6 days in Lucerne. There is plenty to do from there, including day trips to Mount Pilatus and Bern and Basel (so no need to stay there if you just want to see the towns). Skipping Zurich is not a bad idea if there is not much of interest there for you. I would skip the Black Forest too as it takes a full day from Zurich to only see a bit of it. Tours combining the Rhine Fall and the Black Forest can be found here: http://www.myswissalps.com/rh inefalls/packages.
The links you are looking for are cailler.ch/en/maison-cailler/la-chocolaterie-suisse/ and http://www.lamaisondugruyere. ch.
Hey Team,
Just wanted to check..im travelling to Paris from Switzerland. Im planning to at taking the STP for 8 days for my swiss travel. My question is:for my visits and excurtions in both swiss and paris is there any common ticket or pass i can take, just so, as to make a smaller hole in my pocket 🙂
And need ure reviews on the pocket wifi. All the places im covering u know by now….so will it be of great help for our family????
Kajal
So you are looking for a rail pass for both France and Switzerland to get instead of the Swiss Travel Pass?
Try the Eurail Global Pass: http://www.myswissalps.com/eu railglobalpass
But unless you are doing a several or more trips by train in France, buying the Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass) and then regular tickets for trains in France is probably best.
http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass
The Traveler’s Wifi pocket wifi works great in almost all regions of Switzerland (even on some mountain tops) and we’d recommend it for sure: http://www.myswissalps.com/si mcard
- The thread ‘Base town for Zermatt, Gstaad & Ticino’ is closed to new replies.
