Zurich, Lucerne, Grindelwald, Milan in May
A family of four is planning their first trip to Switzerland, arriving in Zurich on May 26 for 6 days. They're looking for advice on their itinerary, which includes visits to Zurich, Lucerne, and Grindelwald, and they want to know about train tickets to Milan and potential weather issues for their planned hikes.
- Consider staying more nights in Lucerne and possibly Grindelwald instead of Zurich for better access to outdoor activities.
- Check the schedules for Mount Pilatus and Mount Titlis as some services may be limited in late May.
- The Swiss Travel Pass is a good option for your train travels; consider buying additional single tickets when necessary.
- Always check the mountain weather and trail conditions before heading out for hikes.
AI-generated summary-
My family of 4 can travel to Switzerland for the first time. We can arrive in Zurich on May 26th for 6 days after visiting family in Italy. It seems that the end of May may still have muddy trails or some mountain trains shut down. We are active & enjoy people, architecture & culture. We are traveling with our 2 adult children on their break from University.
Do you think this is a good itinerary? Hopefully we can return to Switzerland but this may be our one chance!
May 26 & 27 see Zurich
May 28 &29 stay in Lucern for day trips to Mt Pilatus (gondola up & cogwheel down) & Mt Titlis (cliff walk & walk thru glacier)
May 30 & 31 stay in Grindelwald for a day trip to Jungfraujoch (check the weather) & short hikes
June 1 take a train(?) to Milan for early June 2 departure from MXP.
ALSO, since I can only buy a 4 day railpass- Do we just buy additional 1 day train tickets to Milan?
Thank you for any advise.
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Sounds like a good itinerary to me.
Zurich has an interesting Old Town section very near the main train station, with impressive old churches, small streets and little parks, and in close proximity to the more contemporary and expensive Bahnhofstrasse.
Luzern also has an interesting Old Town section along the river and close to the train station and boat docks. Pilatus & Titlis are close via train. If you get the chance in good weather, a boat ride on Lake Luzern is wonderful.
The Jungfrau region is also marvelous. We didn’t hike while we were there in October, but wanted to do the Grannies Walk from Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. Not sure it will be open at the end of May. Regardless, nothing beats an outdoor lunch in sunny weather at the Kleine Schiedegg train station restaurant while looking at the Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau. The Lauterbrunnen valley is equally impressive in a completely different way.
Can’t help you on the tickets to Milan, we never made it to the southern part of Switzerland or to Italy.
Planning is 1/2 the fun. Get the mobile SBB app, the Traveler’s WiFi, and check the mountaintop weather cams before heading out. Have a great trip!
thank you
it is a work in progress!
Hi Julie and and Welcome to MySwissAlps,
I would suggest you go either direct to Grindelwald (or Wengen is you value scenery and an alpine village feel) or direct to Luzern and spend 3 nights in each.
Luzern is only a 1 hour train ride from the airport.
It all depends if cities are your bag. Zurich is a city. So is Luzern but more user-friendly and there is much more to do within easy reach.
Based on your personal itinerary you should read “How to choose the best travel pass” (http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass), download the handy spreadsheet calculator and do the math. The spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes. Be sure to check those pages for each pass you are considering. Study the map AND read all the text on those pages to fully understand what is covered by the respective pass.
For checking timetables see http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/checking-train-timetables.
Hi JulieW,
it is so great that you are coming to Switzerland with your family.
In addition to the previous answers, perhaps you will be lucky with the weather and some lower altitude places will be hikeable. You can find a list of hiking trails at http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking.
Make sure to check the calculation spreadsheet, that Rockoyster suggested, it will help you a lot. If you still need advice on the rail passes do not afraid to ask. Sometimes it can be confusing a bit. 🙂
Ildiko
Rockoyster & Ildiko,
Thank you also for your responses.
I understand that jungfraujoch will be a “weather permitting” day trip. Our concern is could restaurants be closed, could Mt Pilatus & Mt Titlis cogwheel train & cable car be closed for maintenance or weather, is the village of Wengen mostly quiet during late May? We are from the state of Florida so the mountain weather is quite unfamiliar. We have our college students with us & need to be active. Should we just spend 4 nights in Luzern? thank you all for your advise
Hi Julie
Like Rockoyster I would not spend too much time if any in Zurich. For me a half day in Old Town Zurich was ample, but that is of course a personal choice. I too would go straight to Luzern and do 2- 3 nights then Grindelwald or Wengen for 3-4 nights. You might even consider 1 or 2 nights in Lugano or Locarno in southern Switzerland, only 1.5 hrs or so from Milan. Lots to do that is active and you likely wouldn’t have to worry about snow. But i guess that might be too much traveling, but doable.
The high alpine trails in the Jungfrau area will likely not be passable until mid June or later. You can check their status at the local tourist office in Wengen or Grindelwald. With global warming some may be open. The hike from Lauterbrunnen to Stechelberg should be ok and possibly Alpiglen to Grindelwald will be open. Kleine Scheidegg to Wengernalp is another i would check on.
The time you and your family spend walking outdoors on trails will be well spent regarding a Swiss alpine experience. Personally if your short on time I would consider skipping Jungfraujoch. It is expensive, usually very crowded, and very touristy. But again only my personal opinion.
Mark
I was in The Jungfrau Region briefly in the 2nd last week of May 2017. The weather was fabulous and almost all mountain transport was operating. There will be plenty to do in the Jungfrau Region in late May. Don’t miss it. Paragliding anyone?
The college kids may find Grindelwald more to their taste than Wengen. See http://www.jungfrau.ch/en-gb/grindelwaldfirst/adventure-package/.
I would bet the trottibikes at Bort will be available too
If Jungfrau region climbs and hikes are so weather dependant in late may, how better does it get in mid-june? Is june a good time to do the Schynige Platte – First hike?
Most of the high alpine trails are open by mid June but it is weather dependent and if there has been a lot of late snow and or cold weather they may not be open till July. Of course the reverse is also true that if the weather is warm or the snowfall scarce then the trails may be open early June or possibly May.
SP to First passes through Faulhorn and it doesn’t get any higher than that for trails in the Jungfrau region. I’d go as late in June as you can.
mark
Hi JulieW,
You can reach Mount Pilatus all year round, but sometimes only one route is operational. The cogwheel train from Alpnachstad to the top operates from early or mid May to 15 November 2020. The cableway from Kriens to the top does not operate from 19 October to 6 November 2020.
You can reach Trübsee all year round. The cable car to the top of the Titlis and the Icy Flyer chairlift do not operate from 2 to 13 November 2020.
For further information visit http://www.myswissalps.com/titlis/gettingthere and http://www.myswissalps.com/pilatus/gettingthere.
Unfortunately no one can predict the weather, but it needs to be very very windy if they close a cable car. I would not worry about that.
Ildiko
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