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Hi Folks
We, a family of 4 (a couple and 2 kids ages 8 & 5), plan a Swiss tour for 6 nights from 2nd week of July 2017. Having no previous exposure to Switzerland we don’t have any idea where and how to go. We intend to land in Zurich and prefer to stay at a centralized location where we can take day tours of nearby towns and mountains. Natural scenery and old architecture is the preferred combo. Budget is also a concern as we realize Switzerland is an expensive country.
Please guide.
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Hi AbuAbdullah, welcome to MySwissAlps!
Lucerne is an attractive and centrally located town, allowing you to make quite some day trips to the mountains. It’s pretty close to Zurich and It might be the perfect base town for your requirements. Please find information and sightseeing tips at myswissalps.com/lucern e.
Yes, Switzerland is expensive, but there are ways to save money. Tips are listed at myswissalps.com/plantr ip/doityourself/savemo ney. One of the most important things is to pick the right rail pass once your plans are finalized: myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/chooserailpass. If you indeed decide to explore the Lucerne area, the Tell Pass might be a good option. If you plan to cover multiple areas, the Swiss Travel Pass could be a better choice.
Dear Annika
Thanks for the response. Lucerne becomes our base town. Now please help us plan a 6 days itinerary. I see a lot of choices like Zurich, Lucerne itself, Interlaken, Mt. Titlis, St. Moritz, Murren etc. Keeping our 2 little kids in mind, how best can plan in order to cover most top attractions without being exhausted?
Thanks again.
>> Lucerne becomes our base town. Now please help us plan a 6 days itinerary. I see a lot of choices like Zurich, Lucerne itself, Interlaken, Mt. Titlis, St. Moritz, Murren etc. Keeping our 2 little kids in mind, how best can plan in order to cover most top attractions without being exhausted?
>> 2 kids ages 8 & 5
The key here is to keep travel times within reason. Any plans you make should be checked in the Swiss Timetable so you know how long it will take to get there:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
That rules out St Moritz, which is on the other side of the country, and takes a minimum of 4 to 4.5 hours of travel each way.
Interlaken itself is not worth a visit, but Mürren is. Travelling from Luzern to Mürren will take the best part of three hours each way. You’ll have to consider whether that is too much for your children.
Zürich has a nice old town for walking, and you can go for a cruise on the lake, but Luzern is better for both activities.
Titlis is near Luzern, as are a lot of other attractions, so I would concentrate on those, by using the link to Luzern that Annika has already provided you. Examples of activities and excursions include mountain trips to Titlis, Pilatus and the Rigi, boat trips on the lake, the Swiss Museum of Transport, Lion Monument, walking through the old town and over the Chapel Bridge.
Lots of mountains have playgrounds. Some examples you might want to research for suitability include those at the links below.
http://www.rigi.ch/en/Experie nce-Enjoy/Summer/Families/ Playgrounds
http://www.engelberg.ch/en/so mmer-in-engelberg/summer-activities/children-playgrounds/
http://www.pilatus.ch/en/pila tus-active/summer/families -children/
Alpenrose
Dear Alpenrose
Thanks very much for your response. I got your point.
Staying in and enjoying Lucerne with day trips of surrounding attractions like Titlis, Pilatus, Rigi etc. while skipping Murren, St. Moritz, Interlaken etc. seems the right option for a 6 day trip.
Can you please recommend a good yet not-so-heavy-on-pocket accommodation as well?
AbuAbdullah
Hi AbuAbdullah,
Yes, have a look through our what to do page to help you plan what you would like to see and do when you are in Switzerland – Alpenrose has some great suggestions.
Also look through our pages on Swiss towns and for each town we have a link on what to do in the area to help you decide if that is a good destination for you. Each town page we offer also has a tab on Hotels which list good options at every budget.Unfortunately we don’t build itineraries here but you can get some here with planning options here.
Lucas
Thanks Lucas.
2 more queries please;
1) We will be coming from Paris. What is the most cost effective and direct carrier for the route?
2) We do not intend to travel “extensively” in and around Lucerne. One day trip each to Zurich, Mt Titlis, Mt Pilatus, Rigi and Lucerne itself will make up our 5-6 days. Is Tell Pass still the best choice or point to point tickets are better?
Regards AbuAbdullah
Hello AbuAbdullah,
1) You’d take the high speed TGV Lyria to Basel and switch for Lucerne there. For tickets to Basel, please see myswissalps.com/traint ickets/france.
2) You definitely need some kind of pass. Point to point tickets will be more expensive. Just the 3 mountain trips cost nearly the same as a 5-day Tell Pass. The Swiss Travel Pass is another good option. Basically the Tell-Pass includes everything except (part of) the trip to Zurich and Basel to Lucerne, so you would need additional tickets for that. The Swiss Travel Pass includes everything except Mount Titlis, but you do get a 50% discount on that. You’d better do the math as explained in the link Annika gave you. That’s the way to be 100% sure. Do note that children get their free Swiss Family Card if the parents have a Swiss Travel Pass. In case of the Tell-Pass you have to buy one for the 8-year old too, although it’s only CHF 30.
Hi Arno
On July 23, 2017, the minimum fare for one pax from Paris – Zurich (one way) is € 101 while airfare via SwissAir is €128. Isn’t aerial route better or am I missing anything ??
It is a tougher call when the fares are similar like that.
I still prefer trains as they enter and leave from city centers and not way outside of town (especially true in Paris) and of course less security hassle and line-ups.
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