7 days trip to Switzerland, arriving from Salzburg

Hi

her is what i have planned. I am travelling with 2 others

Day 1 & 2 Thun (arriving from Salzburg)

Day 3 &4 Grindelwald

Day 5&6 Lucerene

Day 7 Zurich

Day 8 - fly back home

I plan to do the following activities : Cruise on Lake Thun/Fortress at Thun/Visit Brienz - Wood carving museum/visit Wengen/trummelbach falls/Mt Titlus/couple of hours hike /Paragliding /Harder Kulm/Transport museum in Lucerene/Rhine falls

Questions : How should i get to Thun? via Zurich is the only option ?Which swiss pass should i be taking for my stay for 7 days?

Hi SmritiM -

Welcome to the forum.

The climates and weather in the regions of Switzerland that interest you change a lot with the seasons. A nice walk in September my be impassible from snow in October.

What time of year will you visit, and what are the ages of your party? Any small children?

When I started to answer your questions, i realized (based on experience from other recent postings here in the forum) that you might be talking about Fall...where the weather can be changeable.

Depending on the time of year, I might want to spend more time up in the higher altitudes of the Alps than you have allotted.

Unless you are from Nepal or Bhutan.....;-)

Slowpoke

Hi,

Sorry forgot to mention the dates. I am arriving in Switzerland (first city is Thun) on 30th Aug. Post that I will be there for 7 nights ( as per the plan above).

I am traveling with mom who is 60+ but pretty fit. Can easily do easy trails. My sister and me are in our early thirties.

Look forward to your reply.

Regards,

Smriti.

<<" I am arriving in Switzerland (first city is Thun) on 30th Aug.Post that I will be there for 7 nights ( as per the plan above). ">>

I assume that you will be arrriving at Thun by train. If not, say so.

Thun is an attractive town to do some wandering in. Castles around the lake my be open...not sure of hours.

www.myswissalps.com/th un

www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakethun

<<"I am traveling with mom who is 60+ but pretty fit. Can easily do easy trails. My sister and me are in our early thirties. ">>

There are a lot of nice walks around the Jungfrau region. One of the forum members is a fan of Wengen (on your list) so you might find this small report useful for things to do near Wengen:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

My favorite easy walk for first time visitors to Switzerland is above Wengen. Take the gondola lift (die Luftseilbahn) from the center of Wengen. At the top, either walk up to Mänlichen Gipfel (summit) a hundred meters or so higher on the left; or, stop and have lunch and watch the kids at the playground at about 2200-2300 meters elevation; or, walk 4-5 km to Kleine Scheidegg with magnificent scenery on all sides. The trail is easy, overall a bit downhill. Not enough downhill to give your knees trouble. If you have a camera, it will take you longer to make the walk than scheduled. The Eiger looms over you as you get closer and closer. That adds a lot to the walk. If you do it in the other direction, you don't get that effect, and you have to keep turning around. Others have been known to disagree, but I think the trail MUST be done from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg. Just my opinion, of course. At K.S. you can take a cograil train back down to Wengen (or Lauterbrunnen); or, on the other side, to Grindelwald. At Kleine Scheidegg you also catch the expensive excursion train to Jungfraujoch. Possibly not worth the cost if clouds have come in to obscure the view. Can be a grand experience.

Check at the ticket offices/tourist offices before you go up. They have webcams, etc. Lets you know how cloudy it is way up there at the top.

Nice as the lake boats are, the high alpine experience is unique, and I'd want to take those memories back with me. So, I'd make sure to get up to the higher trails.

I do not have the images to illustrate that walk on this computer, but I'll add them later when I am at my desktop.

Hi SmritiM!

You've selected some beautiful day trips. Details on many of the activities you have in mind can be found through www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities. The timetable at www.myswissalps.com/ti metable helps you to plan each trip in detail.

Some nice trails in the Bernese Oberland are listed at www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es. The trail from Männlichen to Kleine Scheidegg (www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg) can certainly be recommended.

@Slowpoke: I don't think there's any disagreement about this hike. We too prefer Männlichen-Kleine Scheidegg for its views, rather than the diverse direction, and that's why we've listed it that way. Occasionally we've recommended do it the other way around if Männlichen-Kleine Scheidegg simply doesn't match with further plans for the day; Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen is still beautiful and better than not doing the hike at all. I don't think there are any 'musts', just preferences.

Thank you SlowPoke & Annika. I will do some research based on your recommendations and come back with queries if i have more.

What would you suggest based on activities and places as per the itinerary ( internal commute between 4-5 places) i am staying at a Swiss travel pass (8 consecutive days) makes sense?

Should i buy a separate ticket from Salzburg to Zurich/Berne or any other hub( Journey from Zurich to Thun can be done on the swiss pass) on 30th Aug ?

<<"Kleine Scheidegg-Männlichen is still beautiful and better than not doingthe hike at all. I don't think there are any 'musts', just preferences.">>

Hi Annika -

Of course you are right. ;-)

We are not in the army where orders are given!

I withdraw the word "MUST" used in a fit of over enthusiasm, and substitute..."should" .

Once again, in my opinion, the recommended route is a substantially better hike. I think that is because the photographic opportunities simply present themselves to you a you walk along.

Hi SmritiM,

Yes, an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass certainly makes sense since you'll be doing quite a lot of traveling. In any case it's the easiest option, as most of your trips are covered, so you can just board without buying extra tickets. Many museums are included too. Please see www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity and www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/details for more information. Retailers are listed at www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price. For Indian customers, the cheapest option is to buy through www.raileurope-world.com.

If you want to check alternatives, you should make calculations as explained here: www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass.

When arriving from Salzburg, you only need a regular ticket up to the Swiss/Austrian border (for most connections, the exact station is Buchs SG) if you have a Swiss Travel Pass. Once you're there, your Swiss Travel Pass takes over and covers the remaining Swiss leg to Thun. This page on tickets from Austria may be helpful: www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/austria/pri ce.