4 days total 2 days travel 2 days in Lucerne

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    24 June 2016 at 5:18:16 #809517

    We start in Nice July 1-6, July 6 take train to Montarrosa. We will be traveling by train from Montarrosa July 8 and then end in Lucerne for 2 nights. We will fly out of Zurich July 13. We are wanting to do several day hikes on our way up. We like quaint villages and small inexpensive hotels/hostels. We are both in excellent health. Please suggest an itenarary for alpine , mountain and lake hikes. We have never visited Switzerland. We can skip Montarrosa if you think it is too far out of the way. We need lots of suggestion!

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    Annika
    Moderator
    7094 posts
    24 June 2016 at 6:27:13 #853381

    Hi MaryH, welcome to MySwissAlps!

    I haven’t heard of Montarrosa before. Are you sure you spelled it correctly? Where is it located?

    For things to do and hotels in Lucerne, please see http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne.

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    24 June 2016 at 6:59:09 #853382

    Monterrosa, Italy in the cinque terre area.

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    24 June 2016 at 7:04:04 #853383

    Thank you, Annaka, for replying . I am needing suggestions on hiking and where to stay and train routes on our way to Lucerne. We do have hotel reservations in Lucerne.

    Annika
    Moderator
    7094 posts
    24 June 2016 at 7:19:07 #853384

    Hi MaryH,

    I think it’s Monterosso, right? But anyway, that means you’ll only have two nights in Switzerland. Which pass is best depends on your exact travel plans. Please see here once you have an itinerary:

    The Wilhelm Tell route is a scenic way to reach Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/wi lhelmtellexpress.

    The page I referred to before offers lots of tips on what to do (click to the “What to do” tab).

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    24 June 2016 at 9:06:04 #853385

    Hello

    we will have 2 nights traveling to Lucerne and 2 nights in Lucerne

    total of 4 nights in Switzerland

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    24 June 2016 at 15:16:15 #853386

    Hi Mary-

    The timetable and this map can help you with your planning:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

    map.search.ch/

    T he timetable can suggest various routes, and yu can vary them by putting in different way points in the “via’ or “connections” box.

    Common routes from Milano Centrale go through Flüelen or through Brig.

    Do you have in mind specific kinds of day hike on the way to Luzern?

    There are some nice ones very near Luzern:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

    http://www.wanderland.ch/en/h iking-in.html?phrase=Luzern+%28LU%29 &sname=&sid=575

    Slowpoke

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    24 June 2016 at 15:51:23 #853387

    What we would really like to do is leave our luggage at train station hike to an inexpensive hut spend the night and hike back to our luggage. I just couldn’t work out the details if you can help it would be so appreciated

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    24 June 2016 at 20:48:18 #853388

    Hi Mary-

    <<“What we would really like to do is leave our luggage at train station hike to an inexpensive hut spend the night and hike back to our luggage.”>>

    Many medium to large sized stations stations have lockers or left luggage offices. Many small and unmanned stations do not. The list of stations on the SBB web site describe such services and such equipment for each station, after you find the station on the site:

    http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/railway-stations.html

    http://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/am-bahnhof/railway-stations/bahnhof-finden.posid.5213.html

    Lockers are under “Equipment”

    I don’t have any personal experience doing the kind of hikes/accomodation that you describe , so we’ll have to see if others can jump in.

    If I were to try to do that for my self, I’d have to do some serious exploring to figure out ideas. Here is what I would do. There has to be a better way…this is hard work. 😉

    My first step would be to look at different routes into Switzerland and on to Luzern from Italy, to get ideas about timing. I know how to go by the common routes from Milano, as well as through St. Moritz. To go to Luzern, the links provided above can give a start.

    If you are coming from Monterosso in the Cinque Terre, the time table shows default routings ( default is fastest route) . I have attached a screen grab showing the first 8 journey options after approximately 0700. All have changes, a many as 4 changes, as few as 1 change, and take from 7 1/2 hours to 9 hours, approximately.

    My next step would be to click on the “+” sign to the left of each journey to study the routings and gain more details.. I’d then compare them with the map linked above to see how the route. Also, after I open each set of journey details , I find a map available in the footnotes, showing the routing. I also can find intermediate stops.

    When I do that for each of the 8 journeys shown on the screen grab, all go through Milano Centrale.

    The first journey would get you to the Swiss border at Chiasso somewhere around 11 AM, and to Arth Goldau at 1343. I’d look along that part of the route; the part from Arh Goldau to Luzern is less scenic, although day hikes certainly would be possible, I’m not sure where I would look for hostels. Certainly no SAC huts. Between Chiasso and Arth -Goldau, or more likely between Belinzona and Flüelen would be mountainous regions with some well known hikes in/above the train and road routes through the passes. There are no train stops shown in that region. So, I’d have to look at bus routings, and the narow gauge line that runs back up to the Gotthard from Göschenen toward the Furka Pass. Not a lot of time in that day for any serious kind of hike, even with an early start from Monterosso.

    So, my next step would be to try to find hostels or other accomodations along that portion of the route. I have never tried to do that, but, I would start by looking at the individual towns on the internet, and by checking Switzerland Mobility to see what trails might go through the area, once again searching by town name for a start ….if you find a trail in Switzerland Mobility here, it will list accommodations along the route.

    http://www.wanderland.ch/en/h iking-in.html?phrase=+Gotthardpass+% 28TI%29+-+Airolo&sname=&sid=199 168

    The process that I have described is extremely time consuming.

    But, if you can narrow down your request as much as possible, try posting in the Accommodations section of this Forum.

    Your best bet is to find someone who knows the area(s) who will jump in. Perhaps the forum moderators (Arno and Annika) can help to refine your search. That can reduce the time needed on the search. The way I describe is not very efficient, but it all I can think of, and, it has some chance of working. And, it lets you see the kinds of tools that exist for trip planning.

    There is a section on this website on inexpensive accomodations, also:

    http://www.myswissalps.com/ac commodation

    Good luck.

    Slowpoke

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    25 June 2016 at 10:10:20 #853389

    You can have your luggage shipped to Lucerne and collect it there the next day, so you don’t need to go back to a location for luggage collection. Please see myswissalps.com/train/ practical/luggage for details.

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    26 June 2016 at 22:12:10 #853390

    Hi MaryH –

    Based on the information in my previous post, it might be worthwhile to post a query in the Accommodations section of this forum.

    I’d suggest a title something like “Inexpensive lodging in Canton Uri” or” Inexpensive lodging near the railroad from Bellinzona to Luzern .”

    That might catch the eye of someone who knows the area.

    I’d also re-post in this section with a title that does not suggest Luzern. Maybe “Day hikes along the route from Bellinzona to Arth-Goldau.”

    Those are better focused on your real needs than your original title. No guarantees, but they might catch the eye of someone who knows the territory.

    Good luck.

    Slowpoke

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    27 June 2016 at 1:49:42 #853391

    WOW…thank you very much. I’m ready to narrow down the itenarary and make a plan!

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    27 June 2016 at 16:01:13 #853392

    Hi Mary-

    I put a Swiss friend who is a hiker and loves to explre Switzerland to work on your problem.

    So far, no direct answer, and he is still thinking about it, but he did offer this possibly helpful comment about “huts”

    <<“A « hut », in the Swiss Alps, is an overnight accommodation for hikers and climbers. Owned by the Swiss Alpine Club or a similar organization. Most frequently people sleep in a « Massenlager » (collective mattrass room).

    [Dormitory would be another word for these facilities.]

    Military blankets are available, so hikers do not need to bring a sleeping bag, although a cloth (or silk) bag will bring a plus in terms of hygiene and possibly comfort. There are usually no private rooms in huts. In summer time most huts have a warden who will prepare a dinner and a breakfast. Otherwise a kitchen is available for self cooking. Huts are called Hütte in German, cabane in Swiss French, refuge in French French, and Rifugio or Capanna in Italian. Italian huts are notoriously better, in terms of quality of meals and availability of shower rooms, than Swiss huts.”>>

    More later if he comes up with any ideas for where to try for your side trips.

    Slowpoke

    Slowpoke
    Participant
    7567 posts
    27 June 2016 at 17:53:04 #853393

    Here is a specific suggestion:

    <<“They could do part of Stage 7 of Via Alpina.

    From Flüelen, go to Altdorf, Walk to Attinghausen (a few hundred meters, flat). Take cablecar to Brüsti. Of course they can also hike up (with the appropriate boots, and, if they are our age, hiking poles).

    They can stay overnight at Berggasthaus Z’Graggen in Brüsti. Their website is in German only, but I’m sure you can make it out. Under « Preisliste » you will see that they have private rooms (Doppelzimmer) and dormitories (Massenlager). Under « Kontakt » is their email address. They should use that to arrange their booking. English should be OK. I have never been there, but had booked one night about 5 years ago; we then cancelled because some members of our party feared the bad weather (our intention was to hike to Engelberg).

    That would be my suggestion.”>>

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