5 Nights itinerary & travel pass in Switzerland

Hello,

My family of 4 are planning to visit Switzerland in July 1-6, 2016. My children are 13 yrs & 16 yrs old. We will stay in Lucerne for 4 nights as our base town, and I have been thinking to spend 1 night in Montreux or Zermatt.

Here is my itinerary :

Day 1 : Arrive in Zurich at 11.35am-Rhine Falls-Lucerne

Day 2 : Lucerne-Mt. Pilatus-Lucerne (City Sighseeing)

Day 3 : Lucerne-Interlaken-Jungfraujoch-Lucerne

Day 4 :Lucerne-Zermatt (Mattherhorn)-Bern-Lucerne

Day 5 : Lucerne-Montreux-Lausanne-Montreux

Day 6 : Montreux-Milan (Italy)

What type of travel pass should I buy? Please give me advice on my itinerary and suggestion of other places that my family should visit instead of places that I listed above. I have been thinking to visit St. Moritz instead of Zermatt. Need some advice on what can I do on my 6 days visit in Switzerland.

Thank you.

Danya

Hi Danya, and thanks for joining the discussions here,

Before you pick a pass you first need a more or less fixed itinerary. So let's work on that first. The first thing I noticed is that you stay in Lucerne but don't spend a lot of time there. Day 3, 4 and 5 will involve many hours of traveling. Did you check traveling times in the timetable, and are you ok with that much of traveling?

Be sure to check the "Getting started", "What to do" and "Where to go" sections in the main menu. That will help you pick places/attractions you like. There are hundreds of options and it depends on your interests what will be a good plan for you.

Hi Arno,

I booked 4 nights at Radisson Blu Lucerne to take advantage of their 2 free night promotion.

Here is my itinerary :

Day 1 -July 1 : Arrive in Zurich at 11.35 am, take the train to Rhine Falls, put our luggage at lockers. Take train to Radisson Blu Lucerne. Do you think it is worth it to see Rhine Falls? I only have half day, do you have other suggestions?

Day 2-July 2 : Radisson Blu Lucerne-Interlaken-Jungfraujoch-Radisson Blu Lucerne

Day 3-July 3 : Radisson Blu Lucerne-Mt. Pilatus-Lion Monument, Lucerne City Sightseeing. I want to take train, cable car, gondola & boat. Should I take train first to go to Mt. Pilatus then boat to Lucerne or the other way around? Where can I find the boat time table? What time is the first boat to Mt. Pilatus & last boat from Mt. Pilatus back to Lucerne?

Day 4-July 4 : Bern. Should I visit Bern or other place that I should visit?

Day 5-July 5 : Lucerne-Montreux, Golden Pass Panoramic, stay in Montreux. Do you have suggestion where should I stay, Montreux or Lausanne? Any Hotel recommendation for my family of 4?

Day6-July 6 : Montreux-Milan

I already check the time table & travelling time and I'm ok with it. Most of the activities we are interested in are scenic trips and exploring natural sites so I combine city, mountain & lake excursion on my Swiss trip.

Hi Danya,

Your plan looks fine to me. Just make sure you don't literally stick to your day to day schedule, but rather be flexible. If day has the best weather, it makes sense to do a mountain trip and visit Bern on a more rainy/cloudy day.

Whether you should visit Bern and the Rhine Falls is completely up to you. Both are worth it, but it really depends on your interests if there's anything else you like better. You'll find suggestions on our Lucerne page. The trip to Mount Pilatus is explained here: myswissalps.com/ pilatus.

I would stay in Montreux the last day. It's smaller and also closer to Milan. Please post your requirements (as listed here) in the Accommodation forum.

As for the train pass: I think an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass makes sense. You may want to compare that to a Swiss Half Fare Card as explained here.

Hi Arno,

Thank you for your suggestions. Day 2, 3 & 4 are flexible depending on the weather. After look at Lucerne page, I'm considering to choose between Rhine Falls & exploring Lucerne.

Which one should I choose to explore between Mt. Pilatus, Mt. Titlis & Mt. Rigi? I'm considering to exchange Bern to Mt. Titlis depending on the weather & if we are not too tired with mountain excursion.

Where can I find boat time tables to Mt. Pilatus & Mt. Titlis?

At Day 6, I will travel to Milan, Italy. First, I'm thinking to buy the train ticket from last station in Switzwerland to Milan Centrale. I see there is direct train schedule, 3hr from Montreux to Milan Centrale.How should I buy the direct train ticket from Mountreux to Milan Centrale with Swiss Travel Pass? I'm travelling from United States, please advice if it is not included with Swiss Travel Pass should I buy it online in advance? or if I can get discount with Swiss Travel Pass, can I buy it in advance or I have to buy the ticket at rail station?

I think an 8-day Swiss Travel Pass will be more beneficial for 6 days itinerary.

Thank you very much for your help.

Hi Danya,

There are no boats to Mount Titlis. The boats to Mount Pilatus can be found on the Pilatus page: please see the link in my previous post, click "Route, then find it under "More on other websites". You can best also take a look at the Titlis and Rigi page, and then decide which you like best.

As for the ticket to Milan: please go to www.raileurope.com/ european-trains/trenitalia/how-to-book.html and fill out your trip. Select Yes under "Are you traveling with a rail pass" and select the Swiss Travel Pass. That will get your a ticket for the entire trip while you just pay for the Italian leg. More options are here. They also sell the Swiss Travel Pass, so you can combine these products in one order: www.raileurope.com/rai l-tickets-passes/swiss-pass/index.html.

Hi Danya

Please note you should purchase a Youth |Travel Pass for your 16 year old but you can get a family card free along with your pass so your 13 year old can travel free.

Maggie

Arno,

Thank you for the information.

Maggie,

Thank you for the advice! I will definitely get Swiss Family Card.