Is Basel-Lucerne-Interlaken-Montreux-Basel doable as a day trip?
A couple is planning a two-night stay in Basel during the last week of April after a river cruise. They want to know if they can travel from Basel to Lucerne, Interlaken, and Montreux in one long train day, while also looking for recommendations on train options like the Golden Pass Express and shorter stops in Lucerne and possibly Bern or Brienz.
- Purchase the Swiss Saver Day Pass for flexibility on your travel day.
- Leave Basel early to visit Bern before heading to Lucerne, then take the Golden Pass Express to Interlaken.
- Instead of rushing through, consider staying overnight in Lucerne to fully enjoy the attractions.
- If you want to spend more time in Montreux, take the regular GoldenPass Panorama trains instead of the express route.
- Plan to use your two days in Basel to explore, as there are plenty of scenic options nearby.
AI-generated summary-
Thank you to all who so generously answer questions on this forum. My husband and I will be staying 2 nights the last week of April in Basel on the back end of a river cruise. We were wondering if it is possible to travel from Basel-Lucerne-Interlaken-Montreaux-Basel in one long train day starting early in the morning and ending just after dark? I believe based on train schedules that it is, but…is this too much train riding? If it is, would you recommend the Golden Pass Express or the Lucerne-Interlaken panoramic starting realizing that we first must train to Lucerne or Montreaux? We are interested in stopping over for a quick hour or so walk around in Lucerne for sure, and possibly either Brienz or Bern. Thank you in advance for any recommendations of how to best use our very short time in Switzerland.
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Hello LPerry
Welcome to MySwissAlps
Buy Swiss Saver Day Passes for the day you have in Switzerland. That will give you the complete freedom of the world’s best public transport system.
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/
Your trip is doable, provided you are willing to leave Basel at 07 56 heading for Bern. Takes about an hour. The Unesco world heritage city centre and the government buildings are very close to the station. After about an hour in Bern go on the 10 04 IR15 train to Lausanne arrive 11 20. From there trains to Montreux are very frequent and take 20-30 minutes. From Montreux catch the 12 33 Golden Pass Express which arrives Interlaken Ost at 15 48. Catch the 16 04 train to Lucerne. arrive 1 7 55. Walk out of the station. The lake is just in front of you. The Chapel Bridge is to the left. Catch the 18 54 train to Basel, arrive 19 56.
(Details regarding Saver Day Passes are on this website.)
Best wishes
Roger
Thank you so much for your help, Roger! Your plan sounds perfect!
Hi LPerry,
Roger’s reply outlines the day’s train journeys very well 🙂 You can also use the Swiss timetable to look up the train schedules (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/)
If you have not purchased tickets yet, the Saver Day Passes that Roger mentions are worth looking into right now, especially if plans are confirmed. The earlier you buy your Saver Day Passes, the cheaper they are (subject to availability).
All Saver Day Pass information in the below link, together with some handy online purchase options:
Lastly, all details regarding the GoldenPass route is explained here:
Have a great trip.
Kind regards,
Yolanda
Hello LPerry,
I fully agree with Roger and Yolahda, but I may suggest that you spend the night in Lucerne if it’s not too late to make accommodations there (if so, then no reason to keep reading). After such a long day on the trains, Lucerne would be a great place to spend a/the night. It is a great walking city, small, and a lot to see as the night sets in. The next morning, you can explore at least one of the mountaintops and perhaps a lake cruise also before heading back to Basel. Personally, I think it would he a shame to just ride trains all day and not experience any of the spectacular mountaintops that can be seen in and around the Lucerne area. Just some food for thought to break up a long day of train travel. Maybe explore/read up on this site about some of the attractions available in April that may hold your interest. Have a great trip.
Regards,
Danielsan
Hi LPerry,
I agree with Roger’s route recommendation. However if you’d like to spend a little more time in Montreux, I would skip the GoldenPass Express and instead take the standard and hourly GoldenPass Panorama or Belle Epoque trains to Zweisimmen (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/goldenpass/). You then continue on the regular train to Interlaken.
Regards,
Anna
Thank you so much, Yolanda! I did not realize that we could save on the Saver Day Pass by purchasing early. I will get on that immediately.
Thank you, Anna. That is a great idea. We might consider saving Bern for another day and getting to Montreaux earlier to have a look around. There is so much to see everywhere that I can’t wait to schedule another trip that allows a few weeks of exploring.
Thank you, Danielsan! Although it’s too late to change our Basel accommodations due to them being part of our river cruise package, we are very interested in seeing some of the mountaintops around Lucerne. We have about 8 hours the first day (after an included guided tour of Basel) that we are thinking about riding the train to Stans and continuing up to Stanserhorn via the funicular and Cabrio or riding the train to Lucerne, taking a ferry to Vitznau and continuing up to Rigi Kulm. I’m not sure if that can be done in the roughly 8 hours of daylight that we will have on that day. Another option is to save the scenic trains for another trip and do both Rigi and Stanserhorn. Switzerland has so much to see that I hate we can only be there for 2 days this trip. We certainly plan to come back for at least 2 weeks next time!
Hello again LPerry
Following up on Danielsan’s reply 4 and your reply 8, here is another suggestion.
If I have understood you correctly, you have TWO days in Basel. I would forget the Basel City Tour (even if it is non-refundable.) You then have another complete day to explore Switzerland. Get Saver Day Passes for this day as well! Go to Lucerne as Danielsan recommends. Go on to Stans and then on up the Stanserhorn (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/stanserhorn/). In the afternoon go boat to Vitznau, train to Rigi (https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rigi/). 17 16 Train down to ARTH-GOLDAU. Then back to Basel via Zurich. This will be another long day, (not back to Basel until about 20 30) but it would be doable.
Best wishes
Roger
Thanks so much, Roger. That helps a ton! The Basel tour was included in the river cruise extension, and I kept trying to research whether it was worth our limited time as it takes one-third of the first day. I think your and Danielsan’s plans as two full days are the best use of the limited time.
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