6 day visit to Switzerland

Hi ,

We are a family of four ( son 22, daughter 13) planning to visit Switzerland in last week of May . We do not intend to have a rushed holiday amnd have planned the foll itenary for which I seek your support . Also if you could guide us whether a Tell Pass would be beneficial or a car rental or simple train fares.

Day 1 Land in Zurich early morning . Travel to Lucerne . Spend the day visiting the city .

Day 2 Visit Mt Pilatus . Stay in Lucerne

Day 3 Visit Mt Titlis . Stay in Lucerne

Day4 Go to Reichenbach im Kandertal ,Local Sight seeing . Engelberg to the Cheese factory . Stay

Day 5 Visit Bern and local sightseeing / relax . Stay in Reichen bach .

Day 6 Rhine Falls and stay in Uitikon

Day 7 Early morning flt from Zurich

WOuld really look forward to your advise regardiung the itenary and whether we should go for a pass ( Tell pass / Swiss pass) or a car rental .

Regards

Sanjdip

Welcome to MySwissAlps, Sanjdip!

I'd say the first part of your itinerary is just fine. Staying in Lucerne and making some local trips is relaxed, and it's a beatiful area. I'm not so sure about day 4 to 7 though. It's doable, but here are some things to consider. Engelberg and Reichenbach are hard to combine in one day. You could visit Engelberg first and then move on to Reichenbach, but it's not ideal. The Reichenbach area is definitely pretty, but Reichenbach itself hasn't that much to offer and your schedule doesn't provide any time to explore its surroundings. You'll have to move back to Uitikon/Zurich already after one or two nights and I doubt whether that's the relaxed travel pace you're looking for. I think you should check travel times using the timetable. These general planning tips may be of help too.

My advice would be to pick only one other base besides Lucerne, instead of two. You could even spend the entire week there and make some (longer) day trips. Bern, Zurich and even the Jungfrau region can be reached from there. The last night can indeed be spent in a hotel close to Zurich airport. If you do like the idea of staying in Reichenbach, then try to spend some time on exploring the Kander valley.

Which pass is best can only be determined once your plans are set. If you stick to the (wider) Lucerne area, a Tell Pass indeed makes sense. It's not valid for the Reichenbach, Zurich and Bern areas though. If you plan to visit these locations too, you're probably better off buying a Swiss Half Fare Card or a Swiss Travel Pass. Here's how to find out which pass suits your needs best.

Thanks Annika ,

The Hotel bookings are already done so not much that can be changed there . I agree to your point of looking around and enjoying the Kander Valley .

Pls advise me whethrr I should opt for a car rental from Lucerne to Reichen bach and back , or is the Rail abetter . Both from an economy and convenience perspective .

Also I plan to get a Tell pass for the 1st 3 days . Will the Bernese Oberland pass also take care of my travelling for 2 days in Reichenbach

Tks

Sanjdip

Hi Sanjdip,

I'd definitely travel by rail. It's convenient and allows you to enjoy the views. And if you buy a Tell Pass anyway, traveling to Interlaken is for free. A Regional-Pass Bernese Oberland would cover the rest of the trip. It's valid in the Kander valley; please check the validity map for details. But please mind that its minimum validity is 4 days, which is more than you need. And none of the passes covers Zurich/Uitikon/the Rhine falls, so it's worth to consider one of the national passes I mentioned.