Sample itinerary 5 days in Aug Paris-Zurich-Venice
A traveler, jimmyd, is planning a 5-day trip to Switzerland from Paris, arriving in late August. They want to avoid busy cities like Zurich, prefer staying in Lucerne and St. Moritz, and seek a sample itinerary that includes iconic train rides, mountainous sights, and walking tours as they head towards Venice.
- Consider taking the Bernina Express for stunning mountain views, but be aware that seat reservations are required.
- The Swiss Travel Pass can be beneficial for unlimited travel on the Swiss train network, particularly for scenic routes.
- Look into regional trains as a cheaper alternative to panoramic trains while still enjoying the same beautiful landscapes.
- Using the SBB app can help with planning your itinerary and booking tickets efficiently.
AI-generated summary-
Hi All
I have done much research but the more I read, the more I get confused.
The 2 of us are arriving from Paris to Zurich for 5 days in late August this year and we need a sample itinerary.
We do not wish to stay in Zurich as it is too busy/touristy/expensive. I was initially thinking Lucerne for 2 nights. Then a train to Chur to board the bernina express, spend 2 nights in St Morritz, then boarding back on the bernina express to finish off in Tirano
We would like to see mountains, do some of the famous train rides, sight seeing and walking tours. I know we do not have a lot of time there so if someone can help us on where we could be based I would appreciate it.
We will be leaving for Venice via Tirano at the end of our 5 days in Switzerland.
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Hello jimmyd and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
That sounds feasible. The only thing is you will need two sets of seat reservations if you want to join the BEX twice. Or you can cover the exact same route on regular trains.
Use the timetable on the SBB website (bit.ly/2HH1U7B) or the highly-recommended SBB Mobile app (bit.ly/2ICIUHi) to plan your travel and buy tickets if required. If you are not familiar with using the timetable it will pay to first read the instructions on this page – http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable.
Hi Jimmyd and welcome again to MySwisssAlps!
Great time to visit Switzerland! You can view sample itineraries here: http://www.myswissalps.com/pl antrip/doityourself/sa mpleitineraries
Looking at your itinerary, I am not sure why you would need to go to Zurich at all… http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich
What would make more sense to me (if you don’t like cities) would be to go from Paris to Lucerne directly, then to St Moritz and onto Venice. Rockoyster has already given you a useful link in regards to trains to Italy.
You can look at the Panoramic trains here http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/scenictrips/t rain, and Rockoyster has already given you some suggestions. More information on the Bernina Express can be found here: http://www.myswissalps.com/be rninaexpress
For each of your destinations, there are suggested activities you can consider:
Hope this helps and get back to us if you need additional clarification or suggestions!
Maria.
Thank you for your replies.
Would you suggest staying in St Moritz or is there another place similar for cheaper?
Regarding the panoramic trains, I realise I could get on a regional train on the same line to see the same thing at a cheaper cost, would this be adviseable.
Since I am getting a train from Paris and then Tirano to Italy on a Euro pass, will that cover the trains in Switzerland or will I need to purchase a swiss pass for the Swiss trains ?
Would you suggest staying in St Moritz or is there another place similar for cheaper?
Pontresina?
Regarding the panoramic trains, I realise I could get on a regional train on the same line to see the same thing at a cheaper cost, would this be adviseable.
The timing may we’ll be more convenient and you don’t need reservations on regular trains.
Since I am getting a train from Paris and then Tirano to Italy on a Euro pass, will that cover the trains in Switzerland or will I need to purchase a swiss pass for the Swiss trains ?
The Eurail Global Pass will cover your train trips.
Thanks rockoyster
Does the Eurail pass also cover the panoramic trains? (BEX and Glacier Express) ?
Yes, apart from reservations.
Thank you
My itinerary now looks like this:
Train from Paris to Lucerne and stay there for 2 nights
Lucerne to Pontresina for 2 nights
BEX to Tirano on the 5th day where I will board an italian train to get to venice.
Is this an adequete schedule to do Mt Tilus, Lake boats, some scenic train rides through the mountains and cable cars ?
Looks fine. You may want to look at the map and text at http://www.myswissalps.com/eu railglobalpass/validit y to understand which of your planned excursions around Luzern are covered.
Have a look at the route Luzern to Pontresina via Göschenen and Andermatt. You will then cover part of the Glacier Express route including the Oberalp Pass and Rhine Gorge.
I will go through all those links, thank you.
So I can board the GEX to get me from Lucerne to Pontresina via ANdermatt ?When I put into the sbb website, Lucerne to Pontresina via andermatt, it does show the Glacier express at Andermatt but also 5 train changes… is that normal ?
Don’t connect with the Glacier Express at Andermatt unless you want to reserve seats and the timing suits. Five changes sounds about right.
You could even combine with a 3.5 hr paddle steamer cruise Luzern to Flüelen (part of the Gotthard Panorama Express route) instead of taking the train from Luzern to Erstfeld then proceed to Pontresina from Flüelen. But you won’t then reach Pontresina until quite late in the day.
OK so a regional train at Andermatt will still take me through the same track as the GEX … essentially seeing the same but for cheaper?
Correct.
Thanks…now I just need to work out what is better, an Eurail ticket or a swiss pass…
rockoyster…how often are those trains, because if we want to get off at say andermatt for lunch and then to explore will we be able to get on board another train on the same line?
Also, can i book hotels that include passes for transport, such as cable car etc? WIll i find these on hotels.com ? Or will the swiss/eurail pass cover these anyway?
The timetable will tell you how often the trains run. As long as you are not on the Glacier of Bernina Express trains which require reservations you can break your journey any place you like.
Sorry – out of my depth on the second part of your question. Are you talking about Pontresina or Luzern or both? If Luzern then I doubt any hotel is going to provide you with a pass to cover Titlis for example. The Tell Pass may be of interest but quite expensive for 2 days.
Yes both
Sorry – I got nothing on Pontresina. Maybe someone else will come along to help.
No problem – you have been a big help
I am looking into the Mt Rigi tour from lucerne as that seems quite comprehensive (boat, rail and aerial car travel)
You don’t need a Viator tour ticket to do Rigi. You can cover it all with 50% discount using a Eurail Global Pass. In fact you don’t even need to use a travel day if you have a Flexi Pass and you stick to the discounted routes. See http://www.myswissalps.com/ri gi/gettingthere.
It’s free with Swiss Travel Pass.
Wow thank you
Just to confirm, what is the difference between the Eurail Global pass and Swiss Travel pass, do I need one or the other or both ?
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