MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Montreux, Interlaken, Zermatt, Geneva in April – itinerary check
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I would love to get feedback on a potential itinerary for an upcoming 7 day visit from April 23rd-30th. I don’t plan to do any hiking or other outdoor activities. This trip is just to see the beauty of the country.
Day 1 (April 23rd): Arrive in Geneva at 10:45am and take a train to Montreux where we’ll spend the night. While in Montreux, plan to visit Chateau de Chillion castle, stroll along promenade, visit Rochers-de-Naye, possible short boat ride.
- When we visit Rochers-de-Naye, will we have to purchase a tick for the cog railway if we have the Swiss Travel Pass?
- Do you know if there are any short boat rides that we can take?
Day 2 (April 24th): Take 9:03am Golden Pass Express train to Interlaken, where we’ll stay for 3 nights (already have the Prestige car seats reserved)
Today, we will visit Harder Kulm, Hohematte…park located in the heart of Interlaken with great views, take the 3:40pm ferry to Brienz, walk to Brunngasse, Brienz (street with gorgeous houses), Walk the Prommenade and take the train back to Interlaken…Anything else you would suggest?
Day 3 (April 25th): Take Lucerne—Interlaken Express to Luzern (9:04am train, arrive 10:56am)…already have first class seats reserved.
Today, we will visit Mt. Pilatus…In Luzern, we will visit Lakeside Promenade, Olde Town & Chapel Bridge. Do you think we’ll have time for a boat ride also? Anything else you would suggest?
Day 4 (April 26th): Is it possible to visit all of the following places in one day (without hiking) and if so, what would be the best route(s) to take: Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen & Grindelwald? Are there better places to visit this day?
Day 5 (April 27th): Travel from Interlaken to Jungfraujoch, back to Interlaken to get luggage and on to Zermatt. When you look at the rest of the itinerary, will I get to experience anything similar enough to Jungfraujoch that I could skip it?
Day 6 (April 28th): Spend the day in Zermatt
9:00am—Visit Matterhorn Glacier Paradise via Klein Matterhorn cable car station
In the afternoon, ride Gornegrat Railway to Gorner Glacier.
Visit Zermatt Town Center and Hinterdorfstrasse—Old Village (like stepping back in time) near town center…behind Mont Cervin Palace hotel
Is this plan too aggressive for one day? We don’t plan to do any outdoor activities at the mountaintops other than walk around a bit and take pictures.
Day 7 (April 29th): Travel to Geneva from Zermatt on an early morning train in order to spend the day in Geneva before our flight leaves at 12:45pm the next day. Are there short boat rides to take in Geneva and what else would you do if you only had a portion of a day?
Day 8 (April 30th): Depart on 12:45pm flight back to the US
Additional questions:
Am I missing out on any other beautiful/unique places to see? Any changes that you would make to this itinerary for someone’s first visit to Switzerland who wants to see as much as possible. I like to hike, but the person I’m traveling with does not. So, I already know that I will return to hike to some of the beautiful places.
I will be arriving on April 23rd and departing on April 30th. I plan to purchase the 6 day Swiss Travel Pass…Based on the above itinerary, does it make sense to get it from April 24th through April 29th and just purchase a ticket from the Geneva airport to Montreux (on the 23rd) and from the hotel to the airport on the 30th. Or should I get the 8 day travel pass?
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Hi JLB,
Thanks for sharing your itinerary.
The excursion to Rochers-de-Naye by cogwheel train is discounted if you have a Swiss Travel Pass. You can check its validity in detail at https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/swiss-travel-pass/. You still need to get a ticket from the ticket counter. More info here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/rochers-de-naye/
You can combine your visit to Chateau Chillon with a short boat ride to or from Montreux (15 mins). I think there are 4 departures daily. You have to check the timetable for possible connections. More info about planning a trip to Chillon Castle here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/chillon-castle
On Day 3, after the excursion to Lucerne and Pilatus, on the way back you can hop off in Brienz and take the boat back to Interlaken. You can find cruise options on Lake Brienz here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-brienz/
On Day 4, if you have the whole day free and not keen on hiking, I recommend this train ride that covers the Jungfrau region in one day but skipping Schynige Platte (opens in July): https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/one-day-jungfrau-region/#intro
The trip to Jungfraujoch is not for everyone (it is pricey!) but if you have the opportunity to go all the way up and you have good weather, I’d say definitely do it. Each mountain is unique in my opinion. Jungfraujoch info here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/jungfraujoch)
Combining excursions to Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn in one day is doable if you’re not doing any hiking.
On Day 7 in Geneva, I recommend the boat cruise to the medieval village of Yvoire on the French side. This trip is free with the Swiss Travel Pass. You can find more boat cruise options on Lake Geneva here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activity/boat-lake-geneva/. For sightseeing options in Geneva, have a look at this link: https://www.myswissalps.com/town/geneva/
Based on your plans, I would get the 6-day Swiss Travel Pass and purchase point-to-point tickets for the rail transfer to/from airport on the 1st and final day. From memory, I think a standard point-to-point ticket from Geneva Airport to Montreux is roughly CHF37 and Geneva Cornavin to Geneva Airport is CHF3.00 in 2nd class. You can find information about point-to-point tickets here: https://www.myswissalps.com/travel-ticket/regular-ticket/
Hope this helps with your trip planning.
Best regards,
Anna
Thank you so much, Anna! That was very helpful!
Thank you so much, Anna! This was very helpful. This group is the BEST!
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