MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial 4 days between Zurich/Geneva: itinerary tips
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We are flying into Zurich (Monday 8/8) and flying out of Geneva (Thursday 8/11). And I’m having a hard time figuring out where to stay & what to do. I’m looking for an itinerary that doesn’t involve too much excessive train time but that would allow us to see & do the best things Switzerland has to offer. Any ideas are welcome. Thanks
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Hi Bfox468, welcome to MySwissAlps!
There are endless possibilities for your days in Switzerland. It’s a bit hard to suggest what’s best, as that depends on your personal preferences. But here’s one option:
- Travel from Zurich to Lucerne and spend your nights there. Lucerne is an attractive town with plenty of activities. Please see https://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne and https://www.myswissalps.com/lakelucerne/activities.
- Travel to Geneva for your outbound flight. You can do so via Interlaken, Zweisimmen and Montreux if you’d like to experience one of the famous Swiss panoramic trains: the GoldenPass. You’ll find all details at https://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass.
- If you have an early morning flight, you may prefer a hotel close to the airport for your last night: https://www.myswissalps.com/genevaairporthotels.
If you have time to explore Zurich and Geneva, you can do so with the below tips:
There are many more attractive towns and regions though. I suggest you start exploring with the aid of the below pages. Once you have a tentative itinerary, we’ll be happy to help you finetune it!
It seems that there’s a short ride from Zurich to Lucerne (under 1 hour) would staying in Lucerne the whole time be ok? I’m interested in going to Titlus 1 day but its just me & my 15 yr old son….what other close things could we do? Is there somewhere we can swim in a lake? Then our flight is at 2pm on 8/11 from Geneva which looks to be a 3 hour train ride but im confused how to get there some say 0 transfers some say 3, can you advise which train is easiest or if staying in Lucerne a day or 2 is good but then we move a bit closer towards Geneva(but where) we’re not big huge hikers at all. I believe my son rides free on the train but would the Swiss travel pass be worth it if we are only taking the train from Zurich to Lucerne then Lucerne to Geneva? If we move to Geneva for the last day what can we do there? Also we still have to find hotels…some dont have air conditioning…how is the weather there in August? Will we regret not booking with air conditioning? Thanks in advance! We leave fkr Europe this Thursday so i am hoping to have this figured out before we leave
Hi Bfox468,
That’s right. Lucerne is roughly just one hour away from Zurich Airport so it makes sense to make Lucerne as your main base. Besides the excursion to Titlis, you can also plan a short boat trip on Lake Lucerne combined with an independent city tour. Another option would be to plan day trips to Bern or Zurich if you enjoy exploring old towns and cities. You can find lots of other sightseeing options here: http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/activities
Swimming in the lake is a common summer activity. If you are staying anywhere near the Lucerne main station, the nearest beach is the Lido near the Swiss Museum of Transport. You can take a bus or a boat to get there from the station.
I think spending the last day in Geneva is a sensible option if you have a flight to catch. Alternatively you can stay in Montreux or Lausanne. There are direct trains from these cities that will get you to Geneva in roughly 1 hour.
You can find sightseeing options below:
- Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/activities
- Lausanne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lausanne/activities
Here are some useful links to help you in your accommodation search. By the way, most hotels now provide air-conditioning. This is usually listed under facilities provided so be sure to check this before making your hotel reservation.
- Hotels in Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/hotels
- Geneva hotels: http://www.myswissalps.com/geneva/hotels
- Lausanne hotels: http://www.myswissalps.com/lausanne/hotels
- Montreux hotels: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/hotels
Lastly, getting a Swiss Travel Pass is a good idea if you wish to have a flexible itinerary. You’ll also get a complimentary Swiss Family Card which will allow your son to travel along for free anywhere. So you won’t have to worry about buying tickets or making last minute changes.
Hope this somewhat help you firm up your plans. let us know if you need more info.
Regards,
Anna
Thank you so much. It seems that Geneva isn’t on the top of the list to stay so I guess we could stay in one of those other locations that you mentioned. Is there a scenic train from Lucerne to either of them? Is there a website you prefer for trains? It seems that purchasing the swiss pass will be worth it since it includes Titlus. I was just confused about the ice flyer if we choose not to add that would we still be able to take part in the activities such as the sky walkway and the ice cave? If we choose not to do that (i plan to buy tickets in advance for August 9th) could we change our minds while we are there and add it on? Aside from taking a train from the Zurich airport, using it for Titlus, train to Lausanne or Montreux & then finally Geneva can you recommend ways we can use it to its full potential? Are any of those routes on scenic trains and do i need to prebook our times ahead and where do we actually get the card. Thanks again so much.
Hi Bfox468,
If you would like to include a quick panoramic train ride into your itinerary, I suggest taking the Golden Pass train from Zweisimmen to Montreux. So from Lucerne you can take a regular train to Zweisimmen and switch to the Golden Pass there. Seat reservation is not required and travel is free with the Swiss Travel Pass (no ticket required). It’s a 2 hour journey across scenic landscapes, as explained here: http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass/gettingthere
Just to clarify, the Swiss Travel Pass provides free unlimited travelling on public transport and up to 50% discount on most private mountain transportation. So you will need to to get a discounted cable car ticket to Titlis before your trip, Your son doesn’t need a ticket but you need to arrange to get an access pass for him to get through the cable car gates. further details on this are available here: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/howtouse.
-If you buy the Titlis discounted ticket online (https://www.myswissalps.com/titlis/tickets), e.g. from Switzerland Travel Centre, it includes roundtrip from Engelberg to Titlis and return trip on the Ice Flyer. The Ice Flyer is not normally included in the price of a standard ticket. The lift takes you to the Glacier Park and Glacier Cave. This is the place to go to for guaranteed snow. There is often snow at other places at the top too, but not always as the climate is getting warmer. If you prefer to just get the standard tickets, you can it directly from the cable car valley station on the day of travel.
Hope this gives you more clarity.
Regards,
Anna
Hi Bfox468,
I agree with Anna’s tips. As for Geneva versus Lausanne/Montreux: Geneva is beautiful too. You can use the link I provided in my first answer to find our recommendations for sightseeing and activities. I’ll include it again to make sure: https://www.myswissalps.com/geneva. Lausanne and Montreux are closer to the mountains, so if you’re interested in mountain trips (or other day trips close to Lausanne/Montreux that have your specific interest), staying there can make more sense. It just depends on your preferences.
Concerning Swiss trains:
- All trains can be found in the Swiss timetable. It’s an indispensable tool to plan your trips. It’s included here, along with tips and tricks to use it: https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
- Panoramic train routes are listed here: https://www.myswissalps.com/activities/scenictrips/train.
- Much more practical information about train traveling in Switzerland can be found through https://www.myswissalps.com/train.
If you choose to use a Swiss Travel Pass, remember to order along the free Swiss Family Card (https://www.myswissalps.com/swissfamilycard). Only then your son can travel along for free on all routes. Trusted resellers are listed at https://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price.
You don’t need reservations for Swiss trains, with only a few exceptions: https://www.myswissalps.com/train/reservations. Reservations are optional and not required for the GoldenPass. You can simply board for free if you have a Swiss Travel Pass: see https://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass/tickets.
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