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Hi,
I previously posted a thread for our 8 Day Family Trip here: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/8-day-family-trip-in-switzerland-in-november and had great tips and suggestions from Slowpoke, Steph, Arno, and some others.
I have a further question on how to maximize our first 3 days based in Lucerne as now we want to visit all 3 mountains: Titlis, Rigi, and Pilatus. On Day 3, we’re leaving Lucerne and want to stop by Lauterbrunnen and possibly do the hike to Stechelberg and continue to Montreux using Golden Pass route. I’m considering 2 options:
Option 1: Day 1 Titlis, Day 2 combined Pilatus and Rigi, Day 3 leave early morning to Lauterbrunnen and do the hiking t0 Stechelberg, then go to Montruex using Golden Pass route.
Option 2: Day 1 Titlis , Day 2 Pilatus OR Rigi , Day 3 Pilatus OR Rigi then go to Lauterbrunnen and do the hiking to Stechelberg (optional if not too late), then go to Montreux using Golden Pass route.
Which option do you suggest? Does it make sense to combine Pilatus and Rigi in 1 day like in Option 1? I checked using the http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable and it seems this is doable, but not sure if it’s advisable? If yes, this is my preferred Option as it gives us more time to explore Lauterbrunnen and do the hiking.
If Option 2, which one should we do at Day 3, Pilatus or Rigi, considering we need to go back to Lucerne to start our journey to Lauterbrunnen (we need to leave our luggage in Lucerne)? Seems to me that Rigi might need shorter time as it’s more of sightseeing mountain and less activity at the top? But the journey back and forth from/to Lucerne might take longer? This option means we can only leave Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen around 1pm, not sure if it’s enough time to explore Lauterbrunnen as it will get dark around 4 plus in late November?
Note that I’m changing my itinerary a little bit from previous post and will only do Grindelwald/First after Zermatt.
Appreciate any suggestion/advise!
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Hi Melzach03
It is not completely clear what your goals are, but they seem to be to see as many different places as possible, even if only for a short time.
If true, do option 1. You have worked the timetable, and studied sunset times, so you know what you are doing.
The benefit is, when you return to Switzerland the next time, you will know better where to focus. 😉
If your goals are not as I posited, then, I don’t know what to suggest.
Slowpoke
Hi Slowpoke,
Thanks for the reply!
Yes, we want to see all 3 places, but at the same time do not want to be too rush. My thinking of Option 1 is since Rigi is more of sightseeing mountain and not much of other activities, we can cover it in shorter time. So we do go Pilatus early morning and spend time until noon. We should reach back Lucerne by 1pm. From Lucerne, take the boat to Vitznau and reach by 2.15. That should give us some time to go up and spend around 1 hr at Rigi Kulm then go down by 4 plus.
Does this make sense? Option 2 means we have enough time but may risk of rushing in Lauterbrunnen and don’t have enough time to do the hiking.
<<“Yes, we want to see all 3 places, but at the same time do not want to be
too rush. My thinking of Option 1 is since Rigi is more of sightseeing
mountain and not much of other activities, we can cover it in shorter
time. So we do go Pilatus early morning and spend time until noon. We
should reach back Lucerne by 1pm. From Lucerne, take the boat to Vitznau
and reach by 2.15. That should give us some time to go up and spend
around 1 hr at Rigi Kulm then go down by 4 plus.”>>
That will work. And, if the weather does not cooperate, you may do only one of the two.
Keep an eye on webcams. Also, this weather service is my preferred one for details of local weather in Switzerland:
http://www.meteocentrale.ch/e n/europe/switzerland/w eather-pilatus/details/S06659 0/
If you go early, you may even be back to Luzern before 1pm. Spend some time with the timetable for the Pilatus part. It may be that the return via the cableway to Kriens offers more frequent services to Luzern compared to going down to Alpnachstad and returning by train along the lake shore….just a guess.
On the Rigi, you might consider the option to go down via the cableway from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis, which requires a 15-20 minute downhill walk from the valley station of the cableway to the ship landing. More than likely, you will then catch the same boat to Luzern that you would have caught if you rode the train all the way to Vitznau.
Here is the boat schedule; watch the dates:
http://www.lakelucerne.ch/en/ timetable-fares/timetable/ and http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakelucerne
This rather detailed topographic map shows the altitudes. The walk down at Weggis is a 55 meter descent from about 490 meters at the cableway to 435 meters elevation at the ship landing, on good surfaces:
I turned on hiking trails in that map.
If you wish to see Rigi-Kaltbad, zoom out.
If you look at a map of Lake Lucerne, it might seem that you could go across the lake from Alpnachstad directly to Vitznau or Weggis, rather than going back through Luzern. When I have tried to figure that out, I have found very few connections. With the Lakeboat time table, you can give it a try. But, my bet is that it is faster to return to Luzern then go to Vitznau across the lake, even if it is possible.
Slowpoke
Thanks again Slowpoke for the useful and detail info!
Yes, we need to go via Kriens from Pilatus. Pilatus cogwheel train from Alpnachstad is actually closed during the period we are there. The cable car is every 15 minutes from Pilatus to Kriens via Fräkmüntegg. Total journey all the way to Luzern is 1 hr 9 min or 1 hr 14 min depending on which departure time. So we have some options there. The boat from Luzern departs 13.12 (every hour) so we’re aiming to reach Luzern before that.
On Rigi, yes, we are planning to go down via cable way to Weggis rather than taking train to Vitznau. Just to confirm on your suggestion, are you saying we can walk from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis rather than taking the cable way? Via cable way it’s 10 min from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis. But 15-20 downhill walk is not too bad either, an option we can consider if we still have the energy 🙂
I’m still trying to study your topographic map, as you said, it’s rather detail. But seems very useful.
Thanks!
<<“Just to confirm on your suggestion, are you saying we can walk from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis rather than taking the cable way? Via cable way it’s 10 min from Rigi Kaltbad to Weggis. But 15-20 downhill walk is not too bad either, an option we can consider if we still have the energy 🙂
I’m still trying to study your topographic map, as you said, it’s rather detail. But seems very useful.
Thanks!
Sorry that I was not clear. The 15 minte walk is from the valley station of the cableway just above Weggis, to the ship landing. The cableway staion shows just at the right of the map I posted, where there is a parking lot.
If you were to walk from Rigi Kaltbad down to the ship landing, you would require an hour or so. And, it is a 1000 meter descent. From 1436 meters to 435 meters altitude change. If you tried it, you would likely have sore knees at the bottom.
Hope that helps.
The bus platforms at Luzern main station are close to the ship landings. The landings do extend for a fair distance along the shore, but my memory is that you board near the buses.
Make sure that you are getting the aerial view on that map.
Slowpoke
Thanks Slowpoke for the clarification. That gives us an idea that we need buffer time of 15-20 mins to walk from the cable way to the ship landing at Weggis. The boat back to Luzern at the end of the day have a few schedules at 17:05, 17:49 and 18:05, so that give us a few options of going back.
Yes, the bus platforms at Luzern main station are close to the ship landings. The SBB site actually has a map that shops this. But your map is a great as it shows the aerial view. Very helpful!
Thanks again, really appreciate the tips and advise!
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