5-day Zurich, Interlaken, Montreux, Zermatt in Nov

Hi KJ909,

In addition to the useful tips and links kindly provided by Slowpoke, here are few more links to help you plan your travel.

Things to see and do:

• Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/activities
• Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/activities
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/activities
• Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/activities
• Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/activities

Accommodation:

• Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/hotels
• Interlaken: http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/hotels
• Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/hotels
• Lauterbrunnen: http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen/hotels

Please take note that November is low season and some attractions may be closed or not available.

Before you start your road trip, be sure to read this practical guide:
Travelling by car in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r

Regards,
Anna

Hi KJ909

Speaking from experience as my husband and I are the same age as your parents we would find your itinerary rather rushed. If you are only in Switzerland for 5 days I think you would be better off staying in two bases ie Lucerne, the Jungfrau area or Zermatt and explore your surroundings rather than spending a large proportion of the day travelling between towns and villages when there is limited daylight hours. We find trains are the easiest and most pleasant way to travel around Switzerland as some places are inaccessible by car. The SBB mobile app is a must when you are in Switzerland as it provides information on platform numbers and all forms of transport timings (trains/cableways/boats/buses etc).

If you look at the links, including the link to the SBB timetable, provided by Anna and Slowpoke it will give you an idea of what is possible each day. The timetable is an important tool to use in planning your itinerary.

Personally we would not enjoy driving through the mountainous areas of Switzerland, especially in November. We find we can both enjoy the scenery from the train and do not have to worry about what is coming around the next hairpin bend.

Hope this is of help.

Jane

Hi Suzanne –

<<“When you are Zurich city, it can be challenging finding parking because space is limited.”>>

as you note.

And, expensive. And, then , you may well want to buy tickets for intra-city buses, trams, suburban trains….

After many years of trying different patterns, I have developed one that is useful for trips listing for several weeks, with one or two travelers. Typically, I spend 4 to 5 weeks per year in Switzerland. For short trips…. say, less than a week, especially to famous destinations and cities, I would strongly prefer to use the simple and convenient Swiss Travel Pass, for the reasons noted by Jane EB.

I come from the USA, and have a noticeable amount of jet lag. So, I spend my first day or two in Zürich and sometimes nearby Luzern, using public transport, making sure to get enough exercise to sleep well at night and going to bed as late as possible to get “on the clock.” I absolutely do not drive for my first two days. I am unsafe, as well as easily confused. Especially so in the cities, even though I drive on the same side of the road as the Swiss, use the navigation system or GPS, and can read the German street names easily in that region. Sometimes, I do not drive for three days, depending on what time of day I arrive on the first day. That is where the Swiss travel pass could let me travel freely without buying tickets and then worrying about paying for local and intercity transport each time.

However, I tend to stay in Switzerland longer than a few days, and visit various regions of the country.. Further, some days have very little travel by car or public transport, especially if I am hiking. That changes my spending patterns and my preference for how to travel.

So, I carry a one year Half Fare Card, instead of an STP, useful for my periodic longer trips, and for a discount on city transport systems. Then I rent a car after my jet-lag has become manageable. I avoid renting at the airport because of jet lag and because of the approximately 10% surcharge for the whole trip for airport rentals. I drive to various various towns and villages that have nice inns, and good access to cities, or to Lauterbrunnen, and park my car. For visits to and in cities, I use public transport, especially to get around in the cities. My knees are sufficiently arthritic that city trams and buses help a lot with speed and comfort, although I certainly walk a lot in the cities, too.

Since parking a car overnight in Luzern costs about 60 CHF (for example) I tend avoid lengthy parking in the cities. And, even after I park, I have to pay for public transport in the city.

Also, Swiss cities, especially Zürich, have a public policy of keeping cars out of the city, and make driving and parking harder than it might otherwise be.

So, I certainly agree with JaneEB that a short trip in Switzerland, especially in Winter months, can be more flexible and relaxed by public transport than by driving.

What would cause me to drive for my whole trip?

A larger group, with each paying there own way + a long stay and/or excessive luggage. Public transport requires a cost per person. A rental spreads the costs over each person.

Excessive or heavy luggage: It is convenient to drive to a country inn, park near the door, and have little problem handling luggage. As long as you have a ticket or a rail pass, you can send luggage by train, but it only works cheaply and well station to station if you are staying a few nights at one location. To get fast service, even door to door on the same day or overnight costs a lot more. If cost is no object, that works well. Of course, it is not convenient to drive to a hotel in a city, deposit luggage and passengers, then find a place to park. Quite few hotels will park your car for you, and some have good rates for that service . They tend to be the more expensive hotels.

My pattern for my trips is not the cheapest mode, but it matches my needs. Every option is a trade off between cost and convenience, and different for different people. It makes the options complex, but offers a range of choices and cost options. I consider that a desirable feature of travel in Switzerland.

Since we do not know where KJ909 is coming from, we do not know about the jet lag issue. From the sentence construction, it might be Germany. If so, no jet-lag. And, no rental car cost.

<<“are both mountains in one day doable?”>>

Slowpoke