13-days Switzerland BFF May trip

Hi,

We are visiting Switzerland for 13 days on 23 May - 4 June 2016. The following is our preliminary plan for the trip. I'm trying my best to keep Jungfrau region to the very end of May or early Jun, hoping that we could done some hiking trail Männlichen - Kleine Scheidegg at the end of May (certainly depends on the weather too). We will be traveled via public transport eg: Train or bus

23/5: Landing at Zurich Airport (around 6AM)

Zurich (spent half a day walking in the town) - Chur (Stay 2 nights)

24/5: Day trip to St Moritz & Davos

Chur - St Moritz - Davos - Chur

25/5: To Brig (stay 2 nights) - Glacier express

Chur - Brig

26/5: To Zermatt

Brig - Zermatt - Matterhorn - Saas Fee - Brig

27/5: Go to Lausanne

Brig - Montreux - Lausanne (stay 1 night)

28/5 - 30/5: Go to interlaken - Golden pass train (Stay at Wengen for 3 nights)

31/5 - 2/6 : Go to Lucerne

Wengen - Bern - Lucern (Stay at Lucerne for 3 nights - will explore around for mountain hiking

2/6 - 3/6 : Go to Basel (Stay 1 night)

4/6: Take direct train from Basel to Zurich airport (flight depart at 1155am)

We have yet to plan out the activities in each city. Will it be too many places to travel in 13 days itinerary? Or maybe there are some cities that worth visiting than which I've listed above? We're open to all kinds of travel advice and very appreciated for your opinions. Thanks so much.

Hi Peksia-

I have not analyzed your trip in detail, but I have glanced twice at your proposal. ;-)

It deserves more study, because I think some of the first days might be rearranged effectively, but I'd have to look at a map and the timetable to do that. Later, I hope.

I think you may have lots of back and forth over the same tracks. Maybe.

map.search.ch/

and,

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

You should definitely, absolutely push the Jungfrau region to your very last days. You are too early.

Here is one example of why...

I am going there about that time, and my hotel opens for the season on June 3.

Another example - If you check the timetable day by day for the ride up from Wengen (Wengiboden) to Männlichen ( Männlichen LWM) you will probably see that it does not open until June. I did not check, but you should. It might open on weekends in late May.

If you wish to visit Basel, you should have specific objectives, in my opinion.

Luzern, in contrast, in y opinion, works fine if you just show up and start exploring.

That's the way it looks to me, anyway.

www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo/towns

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke,

Thanks for your reply and suggestions. I have done further search and below is my final itinerary:

• Lucerne: D1 - D3
• Zermatt: D4 - D5
• Montreux: D6 - D7
• Wengen: D8 - D11
• Zurich: D12
• Depature: D13

D1-D3 (Lucerne):

1. Day 1 - Arrive at Lucerne at about 11am. Mt Pilatus - Railway from Lucerne to Alpnachstad. Change to the cogwheel train to the Pilatus. Then take the cable car down to Fräkmüntegg and change to the gondola to Kriens. Visit Transport Museum and Chapel Bridge (Rosengart collection)
2. Day 2 - Boat trip at lake Lucerne. From Lucerne to Fluelen. Walking trail Bauen to Seelisberg. Boat fr treib to Vitznau. Take cog railway up to Rigi Kulm for stunning views. Return to Rigi Kaltbad (Rigi Kaltbad - Känzeli Viewpoint - Rigi Kaltbad) and then take the cable car to Weggis from where there is a 15 minute walk to the lake steamer back to Lucerne.
3. Day 3 - Exploring if should head south to Engelberg, Mt Titlis. Any other suggestions?

D4 - D5 (zermatt):

1. Day 4- Long day on the train. Head bck to Zurich and go to Chur in the morning. Walk on the old town for 1.5 hrs, board the Glacier express at 1130am towards Zermatt. Reach Zermatt at 1710. Stroll around Zermatt village in the evening.
2. Day 5: Head to Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn (if weather permit)

D6 - D7 (Montreux):

1. Day 6 - Arrive in Montreux at about noon. Cruise at Lake Geneva. Visit Chateau de Chillon and Vevey lakeshore and old town
2. Day 7 - Walk/cycle trail at Lavaux vineyards. 3 hours from St. Saphorin in a route going uphill and downhill through the vines to Lutry. Would like to have wine tasting at the vineyard. Visit Olympic Museum at Lausanne, walk at the town

Is there any easy cycle path at Montreux, Vevey, Lausanne? I think it will be too rush to go to Gruyeres, visit of the demonstration cheese dairy “La Maison du Gruyère” and chocolate factory?

D8 - D11 (Stay in Wengen):

• Take Golden Pass Route- Montreux/ Zweisimmen/Spiez/ Interlaken/ Wengen. No details planning, activities will based on the weather.
• Boat trips on Lakes Thun and Brienz, visit Interlaken
• Jungfraujoch-top EU. Hiking trail Mannlichen-KLeine Scheidegg. Visit grindelwald, Gstaad, Lauterbrunnen.
• Stechelberg (by bus) -> Mürren (cable car) - Schilthorn (2nd high peak) - Grütschalp (check the cogwheel/cable car timing, it opens on 21st May)
• Day trip to Bern, when weather is not perfect for outdoor activities
• We may do more walking trails if its open end may-early jun

D12:

• Take golden pass train bck to lucerne then Zurich.
• Visit Rhinefall, stroll around zurich town

D13: Departing home

Hi,

In addition, I suppose with the extensive travelling, swiss pass for 15 days with be more time saving and worth the money than the other passes. I have compared it with regional passes. Thank you

<<"Day 2 - Boat trip at lake Lucerne. From Lucerne to Fluelen. Walking trail Bauen to Seelisberg. Boat fr treib to Vitznau. Take cog railway up to Rigi Kulm for stunning views. Return to Rigi Kaltbad (Rigi Kaltbad - Känzeli Viewpoint - Rigi Kaltbad) and then take the cable car to Weggis from where there is a 15 minute walk to the lake steamer back to Lucerne.">>

That is a very full day.

If you walk from Bauen to Seeliberg, you will start with anuphill setion of good trail goinmg up about 400 meters or a bit less. Is that OK for you? The benfeit is frequent downhill service on the funicular at Seelisberg.

However, whichever direction you walk it, you are dependent on boat schedules at the end. There is bus service down from Seelisberg to Beckenried and on via connections to Luzern if you get stuck at Treib (unlikely)

I have not taken the time to work through each step, but you might want to play with the timetable and reduce the time on the boat to Flüelen....possibly take the train to Flüelen. Then boat to Treib or Bauen and proceed from there.

You can also make up time by riding from Rigi-Kulm to Klatbad, instead of walking via Känzeli.

Everything that you have listed is a good to do, but they might not all fit in the time available. Toward the end of the day the boat and rail/cableway services around the lake thin out.

Make sure to start early, and the trrain to Flüelen could be a way to do that.

<<"Jungfraujoch-top EU. Hiking trail Mannlichen-KLeine Scheidegg. Visit grindelwald, Gstaad, Lauterbrunnen.">>

The cableway is open to Männlichen on the days that you are in Wengen. I'd think that Gstaad cannot fit in that day, however. And, it is far better to walk from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg than the opposite direction. Visual aspects of walking toward the Eiger are compelling.

Slowpoke

I should add that the trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg may still be closed due to accumulated snow on the exposed slope near Tschuggen.

Ask at the lift station or your hotel.

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke,

Happy easter Sunday. Thanks for the tips given. I will check with the lift station before heading to Kleine Scheidegg. Are the visiting places planned and the route reasonable? I have reserved hotel/chalet stay in Lucerne and Wengen.

Any site that I could look for leisure cycling path recommended in Montreux?

Thanks so much

Peksia

Thanks for the holiday greetings. Family coming heree today.

Re: Montreux path.

I don't know.

Arno might.

There is a lakeside trail all the way from Lausanne...shows on SwissTopo, at least.

I'll set that up later to show you.

I thought that there were gaps in it......the map says not.

There are cycling maps and marked trails at Switzerland Mobility:

www.schweizmobil.ch/en /schweizmobil.html

Slowpoke

Hi peksia,

I would indeed recommend a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass for your itinerary. You'll be doing intensive traveling nearly each day, so the Swiss Travel Pass is by far the most convenient solution. All details are at our Swiss Travel Pass page. Resellers are listed here. Buying through www.swissrailways.com/ en is the easiest option, as they allow you to print your passes at home without shipping or handling fees.

Thanks Annika. Yea, 15-days Swiss pass fit very-well for our itinerary.

Peksia

Hi,

I have tried to reserve Glacier express from Chur to Zermatt on 26th May 2016 via this website www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/reservations/price that lead me to raileurope.com.

Unfortunately i failed to reserve the ticket and it says potentially the train may be sold out. If that's the case, is it still possible to board the Glacier express without reservation?

Thank you

Peksia

Hi Peksia,

Are you sure that page referred you to raileurope.com? I noticed you're from Singapore so the US website raileurope.com should not be listed there at all. You should have been referred to raileurope.com.sg, which is the site for Singapore.

I checked the Singapore site and they do sell seat reservations for May 26, but apparently for 1st class only. I am not sure if you need that, but if you need 2nd class then please try glacierexpress.ch/EN/s pezial_offers/Pages/de fault.aspx. The Singapore website does sell the Swiss Travel Pass through raileurope.com.sg/pass /swiss-travel-pass-82, or you can use the site Annika referred to.

Hi Arno,

Thanks for pointing it out, I missed out xxx.sg in the previous post.

Great help with the website provided by u, more user friendly as compared to the singapore website. Im looking for 2nd class tickets, apparently they have sold out for May 25 & 26.

If we prefer to stay put with our schedule and take a regional train. Any particular regional train i can look for to enjoy the scenic view? If there is no different in terms of scenic view, we probably will opt for regional train rather than changing our hotel reservation.

Thank you for your kind help.

Peksia

Hi Peksia,

I'm sorry to hear the seats are sold out even through the other website. All local trains are equally good. You can find them in the timetable. You may want to check with the service desk in Chur: there might be last minute seat reservations available. If not, you can take any local train.

Hi Arno,

I have checked with the local train timetable. Seems like I have to change trains three times at Disentis, Andarmatt and Visp before reaching Zermatt. Is there any direct local train to Zermatt or may be lesser change required.

Thank you

Peksia

<<" Disentis, Andermatt and Visp ">>

Those are all small stations, which means the changes are not difficult.

Got a lot of luggage?

Slowpokes

HI Slowpoke,

We only carry one luggage per person. Wish to take glacier express, unfortunately we are too late to reserve the tickets. Thanks

Peksia

Disentis has only two platforms. Likely you will arrive and depart from two sides of the same platform. Same with Andermatt. Visp, on the other hand, is a big station. It has three platforms! ;-)

How long are your connection times?

You could even make 2 minute connections....the official norm in Switzerland is 4 minutes. If it is less than 4 minutes, you'll be on the same platform.

Slowpoke

Hi Peksia,

I don't consider the changes a problem. The majority of the other travelers will make the same change. If you actually miss the train, you can take the next one.

Hi Slowpoke and Arno,

Your detailed info is reassuring.

The transit time are as follow: Disentis (3 mins) ---> Andarmatt (14 mins) --> Visp (18 mins) --> Zermatt

We should have sufficient time as what you have described, 2 platforms and user-friendly to foreigner.

Thanks

Peksia