Lucerne with Pilatus and Lauterbrunnen Valley in late November
A traveler named Tanya is planning a work trip to Switzerland at the end of November and wants to add a couple of days for sightseeing. She is considering spending Day 1 in Lucerne and Mt Pilatus and Day 2 visiting Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, and Gimmelwald before returning to Lucerne. Tanya is looking for advice on whether her schedule is reasonable and how to best navigate her travel.
- Plan your day carefully, especially for Day 2, as daylight is limited in late November.
- Consider purchasing a Swiss Travel Pass for free travel on public transport and discounts on mountain excursions.
- If you’re staying less than 3 days, the Tell Pass Winter might be a better option for local travel around Lake Lucerne.
AI-generated summary-
Hi everyone,
I am going to Switzerland for a work trip at the end of November. I want to add a couple days at the end for myself to tour around. This is what I was thinking for schedule. Is it reasonable?
Day 1 – Lucerne, Mt Pilatus
Day 2 – Train to Interlaken, go to Lauterbrunnen, Mürren, Gimmelwald and then go back to Lucerne for the night
I’d fly out the day next afternoon from ZurichThank you in advance!
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Hi Tanya, welcome to MySwissAlps!
It’s a great idea to add a few days of sightseeing to your work trip. Yes, your plans are doable. The 2nd day will be pretty long, but doable if you leave early and don’t mind returning by late afternoon or early evening. Mind that daylight hours are limited by late November, so part of your trip to or from Mürren may take place in the dusk.
You can plan your day trips in detail with these resources:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel/public-transport/timetable/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/pilatus/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-guide/lauterbrunnen-murren/
If you plan well, you would even manage to include a visit to the Schilthorn: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/schilthorn/
In case you prefer a shorter day trip for your 2nd day: there are plenty of beautiful villages and mountain excursions much closer to Lucerne as well. Consider Titlis or Rigi, for example:
All day trip options can be found in our Lucerne town guide: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/lucerne/
You’ll likely profit from a Swiss Half Fare Card, possibly with a (discounted) Saver Day Pass for your longer excursion to Mürren:
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-half-fare-card/
- https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/
Does this get you started?
Hello Tanya
In addition to Annika’s suggestions, it might even be worth your investing in a three day Swiss Travel Pass. That would give you free travel on the whole of Switzerland’s superlative public transport system. Buses, trams/streetcars, the boats on the lakes, as well as trains,
https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/
Usually lines which simply go up mountains are not free with the Swiss Travel Pass. The STP will give however give you 50% discount on the Kriens to Pilatus cable cars, and on the Murren to Schilthorn cable cars mentioned by Annika. (The cable cars which go up to the village of Murren are free with the STP.)
https://www.myswissalps.com/details/swiss-travel-pass-validity/
Annika also mentions ‘beautiful villages and mountain excursions much closer to Lucerne. Consider Titlis or Rigi, for example:’ The STP will give you a 50% discount on the cable cars up Mount Titlis. But Mount Rigi is FREE with the STP. (The boats from Lucerne to Vitznau are hourly even in winter, and are free with the STP.)
https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-lucerne/
KInd regards
Roger
This is so helpful thank you!
I was looking into Mt Pilatus and the Cogwheel Train will be closed at the time so I decided to instead go to Bern for half the day instead.
Would you still recommend a Swiss Half Fare Card in this case?
Hi Tanya,
For a short trip (less than 3 days) with Lucerne as your base, consider getting the Tell Pass Winter (CHF120 for 2 consecutive days). This is available from November 2025 to March 2026. With the pass, you can travel for free on trains, boats and mountain transportation within the Lake Lucerne region. This includes the scenic train route from Lucerne to Interlaken. You can view the validity map and find further details here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/tell-pass-winter/
For the day trips to Lauterbrunnen and Bern, you just need to purchase additional point to point tickets or get a Saver Day Pass (https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/saver-day-pass/).
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Anna
That’s really helpful, thank you Anna!
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