MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial 3 days in Lucerne and the Jungfrau region in April
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Hello. My friends and I will be in Switzerland this April as part of a roadtrip around Europe. Would so appreciate if anyone can help review my 3-days itinerary and see if there’s any improvements that can be made. We very much like to explore the natural beauty that the Jungfrau region has to offer.
April 4 (Saturday)
– Drive from Heidelberg, Germany to Rhinefalls – Southern Bank.
– Lake Lucerne. Take scenic boat tour.
– Check in to Lauterbrunnen
April 5 (Sunday)
– Head to Grindelwald-First. Explore Lake Bachalpsee and Tissot viewing point. Go on Flying Ridge activity.
– Drive to Lake Blausee.
– Return to Lauterbrunnen
April 6 (Monday)
– Head to Schilthorn via Stechelberg. Return to Lauterbrunnen via Grutschalp.
– Drive to Montreux, Lake Geneva.
– Check in to Thonon Les Bains
Questions:
– according to the rail pass calculator, it looks like it’s better for us to pay full price rail tickets to Grindelwald-First and Schilthorn (plus the boat ride in Lake Lucerne), than getting the Swiss Half-Fare card. Is this correct? Are there any cost-saving options that can be used aside from the Half-Fare card?
– is the itinerary ok or too ambitious?
– is early April a good time for hiking activities, particulary to Lake Bachalpsee?
Thanks in advance!
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Hi r3na,
Welcome to MySwissAlps!
Your itinerary looks fairly doable.
Just to let you know, April may be too early for normal hiking to Bachalpsee but the trail is open and will likely be covered in snow. Make sure you are wearing the right gears for hiking in the cold and riding on the First Flyer. http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/preparation
I assume you have used our handy spreadsheet and did your numbers as explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass
If you have followed all the steps correctly, you should be able to decide which railpass works best for you or if you need a railpass at all for your trip.
These links may also be useful for your trip:
- Schilthorn: http://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn
- Grindelwald: http://www.myswissalps.com/grindelwald
- Lake Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/boatlakelucerne
- Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen
- Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux
- Lake Geneva: http://www.myswissalps.com/lakegeneva
Regards,
Anna
Hi r3na! I think you’re close to the break-even point for a Swiss Half Fare Card with those trips. It pretty much depends on how long (and thus how expensive) your boat trip at Lake Lucerne will be. If you plan one or two more trips by public transportation, a Swiss Half Fare Card will probably become more economical. Just to make sure, did you use full-fare rates when comparing the options, rather than the 50% discounted ones displayed by default in the SBB timetalbe (http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable)?
Hi Anna & Annika –
Thanks for your reply and advise! I appreciate it. Noted on ensuring proper winter gear if we are keen to hike.
Annika, I used the SBB app and made sure I clicked on the ‘return’ fare to get the total fare amount. And you’re right about getting close to break-even point so an extra one or more trips may justify getting the Swiss Half Fare Card.
However, I think I might just drive our car from Lauterbrunnen and park at Grindelwald Station. A full-day flat rate parking fee costs only CHF25 versus paying the Lauterbrunnen-Grindelwald train fare for the 6 of us. This might help cut down time and cost, and the Swiss Half Fare card may not be needed after all. I hope I’m right. 🙂
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