3 week Switzerland itinerary incl.panoramic trains

Asking a question ‘can you improve on that’ is almost impossible given that there are 1000s of different ways to see Switzerland by train in 18 days.

The itinerary as listed is perfectly good. I can’t see how it could be ‘improved’

Hello TMKA,

I think your itinerary is absolutely do-able, if you’re fine changing accommodation so often, as stated by Rockoyster.

I believe figuring out travelling times between your planned bases with the below timetable will help you get an idea of how much travelling you’re planning. Make sure you read how the timetable works, as it’s a fabulous tool for planning:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

You will find helpful input of the cities/villages you’re visiting by typing them into the search bar of this page (careful, it’s Montreux!).
For the panoramic trains please check below links:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/be rninaexpress
– http://www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress
– http://www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass

Please get back to us anytime for further input and maybe also read the following link, it might be supportive for you to get the best rail pass:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

Best and enjoy planning your stay here in Switzerland.
Steph

If you must do all the “scenic” train trips then I don’t think you have much choice but to keep moving.

When are you travelling? Some places may be more or less appealing at some times of year.

If I was to drop anything it would be Montreux and add a day to Zermatt and a day to the Jungfrau Region. But it depends on season.
http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit

That makes it tricky. Montreux is fabulous in September. Follow here (Montreux report to come).

Oh Steph, a Viator tour? *palm hits forehead*

Hello TMKA,

That’s a tricky question to answer. I tend to say that it’s the scenery which is scenic, not the train, so if you travel by train and cover the areas that appeal to you, you will have more than enough “scenic” train rides, even if they’re not labelled as such!

Enjoy planning and feel free to get some guidance by checking below links:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ge ttingstarted
– http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/practical/howtotra vel
– http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo

Best,
Steph

Yes, personally, I think so

Try not to focus too hard on the so called ‘scenic’ trains. Nearly all railways in Switzerland are scenic in some way – if you don’t see high mountains you will see other icons of Switzerland such as lakes, rolling pastures, farmsteads, cows etc. – so you will rarely be disappointed with any Swiss train trip.

Many discussions on this forum are about the ‘classic’ tourist sights of Switzerland and ignore the very many typically Swiss places and regions that are missed by many tourists. With a long trip like yours you have the chance to see some things travellers with less time will miss. I recommend you take advantage of that.

There are some great places to see away from the Alps, to list just a very few of the possibilities:

Jura mountains

The ‘northwestern’ lakes (Bielersee, Lac de Neuchatel) with their vineyards etc

undulating ‘Swiss plateau’ scenery

many regional architecture variations (some very classic huge farmsteads in the ‘lowland’ area for example

Spa towns

Roman towns

Castles in the northwestern Swiss area

etc

Hi TMKA,

I would stick to your original plan. If you run out of things to see in Lucerne after 2 days or just want something different, it’s central enough to make day trips to other Swiss cities/regions without travelling too far.

But it really depends on your itinerary. Would 1 day be enough to cover all the sights you want to see in Montreux? Ditto in Lucerne. If you plan to visit Rigi, Pilatus and Titlis on separate days, 3 days is just about enough to cover them all. Helpful links below!

• Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux

Regards,

Anna