Zurich to Zermatt by train: route advice
A traveler is planning a trip to Switzerland with their husband for the first half of September. They are looking for advice on the order of their stops, which include Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen, Murren, and Zermatt, and they want to know about possible shopping options and travel routes between these destinations.
- Travel straight from Zurich to Lucerne right upon arrival to save time.
- Ending your trip in Zurich or Lucerne is a good idea for easy access to the airport.
- Consider checking out the Swiss Travel Pass for convenient train travel and discounts.
- Staying longer in one place can reduce the hassle of moving luggage frequently.
- For unique home decor shopping, Zurich has the best options among the cities you plan to visit.
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Hello to you all in the MySwissAlps world! I’m new to posting in forums so pardon any mistakes I make as I learn the ropes. I love this website! I’m in the process of planning a trip to Switzerland with my husband. So far I have figured out when to go and pretty much which city/towns to visit . But I’d like some advice on the order of our stops. First some background. Since we are not young and fit people (quite out of shape actually), we are not going to Switzerland to ski or hike. We’re mainly going for the mountain views. We plan on going the first half of September 2022 (I hope some landscapes will still be green and some mountains still white – from some of my research it seems this will be the case). We’re coming from Minnesota (US). We plan on staying about 3 nights in the following places: Lucerne, Lauterbrunnen, Murren and Zermatt. The plan is to fly into Zurich and stay a night before hopping the train to our various destinations. From a map view the “straight” route would be Zurich, then Lucerne, then Lauterbrunnen and Murren, then Zermatt. In my initial itinerary Lucerne was not one of the stops. I had planned to go to Chamonix (France) from Zermatt and fly home via Geneva. But I decided to forgo Chamonix’s Monc-Blanc and see Lucerne instead because I think I will have had enough mountains from the Jungfrau region and the Matterhorn in Zermatt. Lucerne seems to offer some variety.
So my questions are: Should I travel the “straight” route and then take the train from Zermatt to Zurich and fly back out the way I came in? Would there be any benefit in reversing the route by just heading straight from Zurich to Zermatt and then traveling back to Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Lucerne, then Zurich? Or would there be any benefit of mixing it up? I’m also thinking of maybe adding a stay in Bern or Thun to break up the direct Zurich to Zermatt/Zurich to Zermatt route. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Also, which of my stops would be the best for shopping? And I don’t mean clothes or expensive jewelry. I’m looking more for home decor type items (small furniture pieces, great linens, artwork, vases etc).
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Hi Julianagen,
Welcome to MySwissAlps.
September is definitely one of the best months to visit Switzerland. The weather is pleasant and it’s usually not as crowded as July-August (which is the peak travelling period): https://www.myswissalps.com/besttimetovisit.
The ‘straight’ route you mentioned is a typical itinerary for most travellers. Here are some of my suggestions: Not sure what time your flight arrives in Zurich but I would head straight to Lucerne from Zurich Airport. There are regular trains between the airport and Lucerne that takes about one hour. Lucerne is a good base to explore Central Switzerland and make day trips to other parts of Switzerland. If you’d like to explore the Jungfrau region, you should spend a couple of days in Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken before making your way to Zermatt to see the Matterhorn. Then spend the final day (or two) in Zurich before your return fllight.
For the journey from Zermatt to Zurich, the fastest connection takes about 3.5 hours with one train change in Visp. If you have time and would like to take the scenic route instead, you could travel on the Regio Express Lotscberger via Bern. This will add a couple of hours to your travel time but it’s a great way to experience the Swiss Alps.
Zurich would be the best place to shop for unique home decors and artwork. Lucerne and Bern also provide plenty of choices in terms of shops and prices. More practical tips about shopping here: http://www.myswissalps.com/plantrip/doityourself/savemoney
Hope this gives you more ideas to plan your trip.
Regards,
Anna
Thank you Anna for your advice and tips. Now I know how easy it is to arrive at Zurich airport and hop on the train to Lucerne! So I no longer see a need to stay a night in Zurich when we arrive. I’ve decided on my return to Zurich from Zermatt to stay a night in Thun. This should give us time to stroll around Thun and then catch whatever train we’ll need to go directly to Zurich to catch our flight out. I won’t be booking my airfare until around June 2022. So I won’t know my arrival and departure times until then.
hi Enjoy your future trip. I have never taken a major train in Switzerland but when we take regional trains they always run on time. If you are going to someplace with many changes like Zurich to Zermatt, you might want to take advantage of the plan where the train will deliver your luggage from the airport to the hotel. We are 68 and usually have two carry-ons and two suitcases which weigh about 40 lbs each. We are always driving. My experience moving these suitcases around in a train station can lead to problems like getting up a stairway with them and moving them into the train car. When we stay in Zermatt we stay at the Hotel Julen because it is knotty pine Swiss rooms, and has a really warm large swimming pool with a great aromatharium healthspa. There are many hotels in Zermatt. If you like to hike they have easy routes but we usually just go up and enjoy the views. We do not stay in Murren which is beautiful we stay across the valley at Wengen at the Hotel Alpenrose. A family three star hotel owned by the same family for over 150 years, very traditional and reasonable. No swimming pool but great food. However we stayed there the last week in September which was their last week open until November. Try to stay in Murren or Wengen earlier in September. The reason we stay in Wengen is because it has great connections to the Jungfrau, aa cable car to a very easy walking route, a quick train to the Eigerglacier cable car . Murren is nice too but you have to ride a train back to a funicular to get to the main train station in Lauterbrunnen which then will have trains to Grindelwald, very touristy , and Interlaken ,very big . One hotel we have never stayed at but it is historical and very romanctic is one at the Geissbach falls. You get there by bus or boat and it is a three step waterfall with a antique historical hotel next to it. A side trip which we always make is to Riquewiher which is a 300 person protected village 10 miles from Colmar, France, in the Alsace Lorraine area. Very beautiful with old houses, lots of flowers, and lots of wine tasting. We have also in the past always flown into Zurich and left from Geneva and spent the last few days in Chamonix. Very beautiful glaciers, many chairlift hiking opportunities, and good shopping. You do not have to be in good shape to enjoy the mountain walks. We often plan all the hikes so they are flat, or down hill and end up at a nice mountain restaurant. If you want really good advice, Read the Rick Steve books, and watch his videos. Also if you can avoid it , do not stay in a airport hotel near Zurich unless you absolutely need to. We have found them to be dismal, sterile, and business oriented. If you have to, think about a cute village called Regensburg or Dielsdorf which have cute hotels, a minicastle, a winery, and good connection to airport. One hint about air travel, I have found that if you have a free Airplane airport lounge like the united lounge or Swiss air, they make the waiting for planes really pleasant with free food, free drinks, and clean bathrooms. Another hint is that we cannot wait in long lines to use the bathroom being elderly so we always use the family or handicapped bathroom. There is no waiting and they are cleaner than the regular bathrooms. Try to get a direct flight to Zurich, we once got stuck in Newark and had to sleep on the floor and the customs agents are really slow in Newark. If you can get a TSA precheck it will safe you dealing with some of the TSA hassles like taking off your belt and shoes. Enjoy your trip, I love Switzerland it is the safest, cleanest, trains on time, and beautiful country in the world. Book directly with the hotels and not websites. For instance, your rate is cheaper and at the Hotel Julen if you book directly with them, you get free use of electric bike. It saves the hotel money on commissions and saves you money. One downside of Switzerland is they do not make good vegetarian meals but great meat meals. We eat meat there but mostly because they do very little in the way of good vegetarian cooking.
Murren and Lauterbrennen right next to each other. lauterbrennen is flat and boring., Murren is right next to mountains. STay there all the nights or better stay in Wengen for 6 days. The cable car pass gets cheaper if you buy it for 6 days . Look at he geography on the map. Also we found that staying in one place longer means less packingup and moving which often wastes a day or two of your vacation. Zermatt is a good three or four day place but remember the first day of traveling will mean a waste, it is 4 hours from the airport. We made the mistake of staying in Wengen and then Grindelwald but they are right next to each other and 30 minutes by train. Fewer stops, fewer hotels, and more time hiking or looking at the mountains.
Hi Rgoppelt,
These are great tips and insights!
Here’s the link to your recent trip report, Julianagen might like to read it:
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/16-days-in-france-and-switzerland-travel-blog
Regards,
Anna
Hi Rgoppelt,
You gave me a lot of food for thought. I just wrote a huge reply and then accidently hit a key and wiped out all my text! Don’t want to rewrite it all. So I’ll keep this post short this time and just say, it was Rick Steve’s Alps tv show that I watched about a month or two ago that got me planning this trip! I already have several of his books from our trips to Italy, France and Norway. I’m waiting for his Switzerland book to arrive in the mail any day now :-). I am trying to limit our stays because lugging luggage is not something we enjoy – but it’s so hard! This is our last international trip. So I want to stay and see many places. After this we have to stick to domestic travels. I’m newly retired and my SS checks are a lot less than my “working” checks were. Need to start living on a much tighter budget. But now have a lot more time to travel! Thank you for all the helpful information and tips!
Hi If you need to save money you might consider a Airbnb or renting a chalet for several days in Wengen, Murren, or Zermatt. We were there in late September and there were a lot of notices for apartments or Chalets to rent. We met a couple who stayed in one and they said the biggest advantage is space, laundry facilities, and the ability to save money by cooking your own meals. The chalet pictures look as nice or better than most hotel rooms plus you get a lot more room. The My Swiss Alps website has really good informaiton on what rail pass , half price card , etc to buy. Another option is to stay in one of the mountain top hotels , There is one in Zermatt on Gornergat, There is one a Kliene Schedigg that is being renovated, and often the restaurants at the top of the cable cars have very nice rooms for rent . The prices are probably less than in town and the views are magnificent. I am sure you will make your own wonderful adventure I just miss traveling there so much I like to talk about it and share my experience of many trips over the years to Switzerland.
Hi Rgoppelt,
Since we plan on packing light in order to just have one carry-on size rolling suitcase and backpack each, I have been thinking about finding a place with laundry facilities. So we just might look into a Airbnb stay at some point. Thanks!
Hello Julianagen,
I have made a couple trips to Switzerland. I am from Houston, Texas and we don’t have mountains nor much snow so I love going for the amazing scenery and love seeing it from the trains.
I fly in and out of Zurich and have not yet stayed in Zurich. I usually plan my trips to where I get on the train from the airport and head out.
A couple years ago, I landed at Zurich and took the train(s) down to Zermatt. After sitting on the airplane it was nice to be able to get up and stretch my legs a little on the train and enjoy the view. By going straight to Zermatt and not staying in Zurich it is one less hotel that you have to travel to and from and unpack and repack. I don’t think you will miss much in Zurich compared to the rest of the country.
My favorite suggestion to people is on the return, end the trip with a stay in Lucerne, it is a great city and the direct trains to Zurich airport make it easy to even catch an early morning flight out of Zurich.
Happy travels!
Steve
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