5 nights in Switzerland

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Apr 18, 2011 - 1:35 AM

Hi

I am hoping someone could just click there fingers and come up with an itenary for me :-)

This is part of a 7 week european trip that my husband and I (both 43) are doing this July/August. So there is sooooo much research to do and I'm hoping someone could help me with Switzerland.

We will be coming from Lake Como and after Switzerland we are going to Munich etc etc.

I've always wanted to see the Swis Alps and we will be travelling by train. I'm not even going to work out if a pass is economical as yet but just would love some help planning what to do and see. We are happy to move every day or 2 and want to see the snow capped mountains, the lakes and want action and downtime. Am I asking for too much :-)

Any advise would greatly be appreciated

RC

Arno

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Apr 18, 2011 - 4:15 PM

Hi RC,

Well, I can come up with an itinerary. It's a suggestion that you would have to review to see whether it fits your ideas. If you want to see snowcapped mountains in summer, you would have to visit the highest peaks. So therefor I would suggest this route:

- Day 1: Bernina Express: Lugano - Tirano (bus), Tirano - St. Moritz (train)
- Day 2: Glacier Express: St. Moritz - Zermatt
- Day 3: Zermatt
- Day 4: Brig - Kandersteg - Spiez - Interlaken (Jungfrau region)
- Day 5: Jungfrau region
- Day 6: Interlaken - Munich

It's lots of trains and mountains in a few days ;-)

MySwissAlps.com recommends to read this:
Learn how to plan your trip Travel CO2 neutral!

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Apr 18, 2011 - 8:55 PM

Hi Arno
Thank you for your advise.
Although like you I think it's lots of train travel. Considering we will be continuing our train travels from Munich to Salzburg to Prague.
I really want to go to Zermatt but not sure how to fit it in if we are coming from Lake Como. Just seems like the Glacier Express is an long journey and not sure if I will enjoy being on a train for that long.
Also do you know if we focus on the Eastern part of Switzerland what the nicest places are and the easiest (cheapest) way to get to Munich should we decide to stay in the area?

Always grateful for any advise ;-)

Cheers
RC

Annika

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Apr 19, 2011 - 2:11 PM

Hello RC. If you want to spend less time in the train, you may consider to skip either Zermatt or the eastern part of Switzerland/the Glacier Express trip. It's possible to get from Lake Como to Zermatt in a more direct way as well, using the connection via Bellinzona, Göschenen, Andermatt and Brig. This is part of the Glacier Express route too, but you wouldn't have to make the entire trip all the way from St. Moritz. The timetable shows all connections and will help you plan your itinerary.

As for places in the eastern part of Switzerland: the Engadine in the south-east is absolutely beautiful. St. Moritz is a bit touristy and expensive, but nearby towns such as Celerina, Samedan or Bever are wonderful. Further to the north I'd recommend Walenstadt or another town along the Walensee.

When traveling to Munich from the eastern part of Switzerland, you can best get to Zurich first, where direct train connections are available. If you have a Swiss rail pass, it will be valid up to the Swiss border and offer either free travel or discount for the Swiss leg. Additionally, you would have to pay for the German leg of the trip. Prices can be found through the timetable as well (just choose a connection, click Fare/Buy and follow the steps in the process until prices are mentioned).

Last modified on Nov 1, 2018 - 4:17 PM by Arno

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Apr 19, 2011 - 3:19 PM

How lucky you are to have seven weeks to explore Europe! I, too, was asking a lot of questions and felt overwhelmed trying to plan a long trip, until I bought a Rick Steves guide. Rick Steves Europe will be a fantastic resource for you. If you are particularly interested in a certain city there are special guides. I was going to Switzerland and Venice. After getting his guides for these areas I got totally clear on what I wanted to see and how to focus on what I really wanted out of my travels. It is very enjoyable reading and pretty much answers all your questions. He gives you different itineraries depending on how long you'll spend in an area, what to see if you only have one days, etc. Plus budget eating and sleeping options and all your transporation options between places. Reading this guide will give you a lot of confidence about your travel choices and put you at ease.

Colleen

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Apr 30, 2011 - 9:05 AM

Thank you kindly for you your replies.

We have decided on the following:

Travelling from Varenna

2 nights in Murren
2 nights in Luzern
1 night in Zurich

Tavelling to Munich afterwards.

I have tried to use the sbb website and although I don't think its user friendly I have managed to get the following prices:

Varenna - Murren 90CHF pp
Murren - Luzern 48CHF pp
Luzern - Zurich 24CHF pp
Zurich - Munich 95CHF pp

So just to get to our destination without any other transport its will cost approx 455CHF for the both of us.

Could this possibly be correct. I've been reading that Switzerland is expensive but boy I wasn't expecting to spend that much.

Can anyone advise a cheaper alternative please? We are only in Switzerland for 5 days but I'm starting to think I may need to cut it out altogether. I have flights booked out of Prague on 1 Aug.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated please.

Rcorso

Arno

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Apr 30, 2011 - 12:30 PM

Hi RC. Those prices look like they're fine. Have you reviewed the rail passes on our website? The 3-day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass or Swiss Half Fare Card could very well fit your needs.

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