3 Days Lucerne in winter

Hi everyone,

I'm in the early stage of planning a trip to Europe and plan to be in Lucerne, Switzerland from January 29-February 1, 2017. I know a lot of what I'll be able to do depends on weather, but I'd like to spend as much time as possible outdoors. I'm not sure if I actually want to go skiing, but I am interested in snow shoeing or tobogganing. Does anyone have recommendations for activities during these winter months and how to get there? I was thinking maybe Rigi for the snow shoeing, and also maybe Mt. Pilatus. How is it during the winter? (I know we can't do the Golden Round Trip but could still go).

Is it worth it to venture out for one of the days to Interlaken or another nearby city? Should I get a Swiss Half Fare Card or Swiss Travel Pass? We plan on coming in from Zurich airport by train from Barcelona and will be traveling to Florence by train on February 1. I've noticed the Eurail pass doesn't allow Switzerland and Italy as choices for the two country pass. I'm still not sure if I should get passes through their website or buy individual passes as we go. Any information or recommendations are much welcome!

Thanks,

Emily

Hi Emily, thanks for joining us!

There are lots of fun snow activities to choose from if you're staying in Lucerne. I'm not sure if you have any skiing experience. If not, you'd best focus on other activities, as it takes quite a while to learn the basics of skiing. Rigi is an excellent area for (snowshoe) hiking indeed. Sledding is an option too. Pilatus offers the more adventurous activities in the Snow & Fun park at Fräkmüntegg: snow biking, airboarding, etcetera. Similar activities will be available at Titlis. So you surely won't get bored during a 3 day visit to the Lucerne area. Of course you could include a day trip to the Jungfrau region. Similar winter activities can be done there, so the main reason would be to enjoy the different (and, to be honest, stunning) scenery.

As for rail passes: which is best ultimately depends on your plans. Since you also need an outbound trip to the Swiss border, a 3 or 4 day Swiss Travel Pass might be the most convenient solution. Note that Rigi is entirely for free as well. All details, including purchase options and validity information, can be found at www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass. The Swiss Half Fare Card will work too, but requires you to buy discounted tickets for all trips: www.myswissalps.com/swisshalffarecard. And then there's yet another option: the Winter Tell Pass: www.myswissalps.com/tellpasswinter. Last winter a free 2 day Tell Pass was offered to guests booking a hotel in or near Lucerne: www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/stay-in-lucerne-in-winter-and-get-a-free-tell-pass. I don't know if this offer will be repeated next winter, but if so, we'll let you know in our forum. Mind that you need an additional full-fare ticket to the Swiss border when heading for Florence in that case.

Please see here for information on tickets for the Italian leg of your journey to Florence: www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy

If you want to the math to make sure which pass is most economical, please follow the instructions at www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.

Thanks Annika!

Your information will definitely help me get started. The Tell pass would be awesome if they do decide to offer it again.I'll look into it some more and try to finalize my plans in the meantime.

You're welcome Emily! Just let us know in case you have further questions.