6 Day Swiss trip in early December

  • arsuxena
    Participant
    3 posts
    11 July 2017 at 16:29:18 #812591

    Hi,

    We are planning to visit Switzerland for our 10 year wedding Anniversary for 6 days from 30th Nov through 5th Dec of 2017 – below is my first stab at the itinerary. Looking for feedback and suggestions on timing, itinerary and places to stay. Also, should I make Lucerne as my base so as to not haul the luggage (we will at least have 2 check-in bags + 2 carry on) around every day or should I stay overnight in different places, as mentioned below? We have a 5 year old.

    Itinerary:

    • 30-Nov: Fly in to ZRH – Train to Lucerne – Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise – Overnight in Lucerne
    • 1-Dec: Train to Engelberg – Mt. Tiltis – Glacier Cave – Ice Flyer Chairlift – Titlis Cliff Walk – Overnight in Lucerne
    • 2-Dec: GoldenPass Line to Jungfraujoch – Sphinx Terrace, Ice Palace, Alpine Sensation round tour, Plateau with walks in the eternal snow (glacier) – Overnight in Interlaken
    • 3-Dec: Train to Montreux – Chateau d’ Chillon – Freddie Mercury Statue – Overnight in Montreux
    • 4-Dec: Train to Zermatt – Cog Railway to the Gornergrat, Matterhorn – Overnight in Zermatt
    • 5-Dec: Glacier Express + other trains to Zurich – Half day in Zurich
    • 6-Dec: Fly out of ZRH
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    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    12 July 2017 at 2:31:30 #866674

    Hi, and welcome to MySwissAlps!

    >> Also, should I make Lucerne as my base so as to not haul the luggage (we will at least have 2 check-in bags + 2 carry on) around every day or should I stay overnight in different places, as mentioned below? We have a 5 year old.

    Changing hotels so often is usually not a good idea, as checking in and out every day uses up precious sightseeing time, but the places you want to see would make for very long day trips from Luzern, so in your case it’s probably better to move every day. Or you could consider two bases, e.g. Luzern and Interlaken.

    You can use the Swiss Timetable to find out travel times and weigh up the pros and cons of moving versus staying put in Luzern and/or Interlaken:

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

    >> 30-Nov: Fly in to ZRH – Train to Lucerne – Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Lake Lucerne Boat Cruise – Overnight in Lucerne

    The best cruise on the Vierwaldstättersee (Lake Lucerne) in my opinion is from Luzern to Flüelen at the end of the lake (then back to Luzern by train). The cruise takes almost 3 hours; train back takes about an hour. On 30 November, there will only be 2 departures, at 10:12 and 13:12, so if you decide to do this cruise, I would leave the Luzern sightseeing until late afternoon or evening. Sunset will be around 16:39.

    >> 5-Dec: Glacier Express + other trains to Zurich – Half day in Zurich

    The Glacier Express won’t be operating on 5 December, but you can follow the same route on normal trains.

    Alpenrose

    Removed user
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    72625 posts
    12 July 2017 at 9:07:51 #866675

    Hi arsuxena,

    Yes, I would recommend not having more than 2 bases for your 5 day trip either. But it is tricky if those destinations are must visits on your trip. I’d be tempted to eliminate Montreux from your trip and focus on the 3 other destinations only – so you can relax a little more on your anniversary – but its up to your priorities in the end!

    Click on Alpenrose’s links to see what else there is to do in Luzern and Interlaken (perhaps 2 nights at each town). Zermatt can be done in 1 day certainly assuming you can get there in the morning sometime and then leave in the morning the next day following the Glacier Express route to Chur and then on to Zurich.

    Lucas

    arsuxena
    Participant
    3 posts
    13 July 2017 at 15:36:45 #866676

    Alpenrose666 and Lucas,

    Thank you very much for the nice feedback – makes sense not to cram too many things and not be able to enjoy them – I have decided to leave out Montreaux for the next time.

    One follow-up question though, should I just rent-a-car and drive around so dont need to worry about hotel check-in times, etc coming in my way and do what I need to do first – this way I dont need to worry about luggage and can check-in to the hotel at the end of the day.

    Just not sure if driving makes sense.

    Thanks in Advance!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    14 July 2017 at 9:43:09 #866677

    Hi,

    I would avoid using a car in Switzerland – trains go everywhere (including where cars can’t go) and you can enjoy the scenery more! Read more about traveling by train vs. car here.

    If you arrive at a hotel by train before check-in they will all certainly hold your luggage so you can explore the town on your own as well.

    You can read more about Swiss rail passes here – specifically for you the Swiss Travel Pass would probably be best. It will cover almost all trains, boats, buses and cable cars etc during your stay.

    Lucas

    arsuxena
    Participant
    3 posts
    14 July 2017 at 14:41:14 #866678

    Thank you very much Lucas!

    This information is a great help for me to plan out – trains it will be.

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