5 days in Lucerne/Interlaken

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    7 April 2013 at 20:56:52 #805979

    Hello experts,

    My greetings to all. I am planning to visit Switzerland at the end of May and would like to shape up my itinerary.
    I will be staying 2 days in Lucerne and 3 days in Interlaken. Can you please advise me on places to see/visit.?

    From my limited knowledge I have come across Lake Lucerne (including the boat ride), Mount Rigi, Mount Pilatus and Jungfrau excursion as must to do. Can you please suggest as to which places and when to visit?

    Thanks. 🙂

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Annika
    Moderator
    7124 posts
    8 April 2013 at 13:24:42 #838620

    Welcome globetrotter2528! Well, you pretty much summed up the highlights I’d recommend :-). Some further tips: the traffic musuem and glacier garden in Lucerne, boat trips over the lakes Lucerne, Thun and Brienz and a large amount of stunning viewing points in the Jungfrau region (consider First, Männlichen, Schynige Platte, Brienzer Rothorn, and so on. Most of them will have their seasonal start by end May/beginning of June). This list may provide some more ideas, including bad weather alternatives.

    Depending on your final itinerary, a rail pass will help you save money. Here are some guidelines to start off with.

    In case you’re still looking for hotels: centrally located ones, near the railway stations, are listed here for Lucerne and here for Interlaken.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    9 April 2013 at 11:24:04 #838621

    Thanks so much for your reply. I will look into the links you provided in detail. 🙂

    I am planning to buy the Swiss Half Fare Card as it will cover at least 50% of all rides including Jungfrau as well. I will be going to Paris from Interlaken and was planning to take the TGV train for that. The train which I am looking at is at 6.32am leaving from Interlaken West station (train 1060) to Bern and then from Bern To Paris. The transfer time at Bern is only 6 minutes. Is it advisable to take such a connection? Is the 6 minute time sufficient at Bern to make a transfer. How long does it take?

    6:32AM
    Interlaken West

    7:23AM
    Bern

    0hr51min

    http://www.raileurope. com/img/logo-icons/TIC.png Train 1060

    TRANSFER: 6 min

    7:29AM
    Bern

    12:11PM
    Paris Gare Lyon

    4hr42min

    http://www.raileurope. com/img/logo-icons/TGL.png TGV Lyria 9284

    Thanks.
    – Riddhish.

    Annika
    Moderator
    7124 posts
    10 April 2013 at 14:30:32 #838622

    Hi riddish. The train to Paris leaves from the other side of the platform on which you arrive, so 6 minutes shouldn’t be a problem. If you don’t feel comfortable, you can also choose to leave Interlaken as early as 06:05 am, providing you with 40 minutes to change trains at Basel. But again, that shouldn’t be necessary.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    10 May 2013 at 20:26:13 #838623

    Thanks do much Arno. That was quite helpful. 🙂

    – Globetrotter2528

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    10 May 2013 at 20:29:40 #838624

    I am planning to buy the Swiss Half fare card. For the Jungfrau tour do I need to pay half or the complete fare.
    Also where do I buy the Jungfrau tour tickets from ? Does it require an advance booking (in case it gets too full), or can I buy the tickets after reaching Switzerland and buying my Half fare card from there?

    Thanks.

    – Globetrotter2528

    Arno
    Moderator
    15484 posts
    11 May 2013 at 12:11:57 #838625

    Hi,

    You”ll get a 50% discount on the Jungfrau. Pre-booking is not necessary. You can get the tickets at any local rail station. You can download the map from the Swiss Half Fare Card page. It shows the covered network in detail.

  • The thread ‘5 days in Lucerne/Interlaken’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 11060 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.