8 day Swiss iterinary in April

We wish to enjoy Swiss trains, cable/mountain rails and Swiss mountain scenery. We have taken an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass(STP), 2nd Class, and have planned as follows:

Day 1, 5 April, Milan to Zurich via Lugano, using STP, reservations done.

Day 2 visit Rhine Falls proceed to Luzern, using STP upto Schaffaussen and return. Not yet booked.

Day 3 Mt Titlis and proceed to Interlaken, using STP. Not yet booked.

Day 4 visit Jungfraujoch and back to Interlaken, using STP. Not yet booked.

Day 5 Proceed to Zweissimen by Golden Pass and to Montreux by Golden Pass in VIP seat using STP, reaching at 14:13. Reservations done .Ugradation on day of travel. Proceed further to Geneva.

Day 6 Proceed to Zermatt, visit Gornergrat/Glacier Paradise(both possible?), using STP. Bookings not yet done.

Day 7 Proceed to St Moritz by Glacier Exp, reservation and lunch booked.

Day 8 Proceed to Tirano by Bernina, using STP,reservations done.

Day 9 onwards travel in Italy by bus.

Question 1. Is this do-able?

Question 2 Any value add ons possible? Would have loved to add Pilatus and Brienze Rothorn scenic rides but understand that they are closed during that period. So also the Chocolate and Cheese trains.

Expert advice please?

Hello sartajsasson,

This is a full but doable itinerary. The main risk is that you change base nearly every day, so you don't have time to wait for good weather for the mountain trips. If you don't mind that it's all fine and you will certainly see a lot of Switzerland. My personal choice would be to stay in Montreux rather than proceeding to Geneva. Montreux is smaller and near the mountains. I think it's a better experience for the limited time you have available.

Mount Pilatus won't be closed. The cogwheel train won't be operational but you can still get there by cable car.

Thank you for your advice.

Yes it's a full trip and I have my fingers crossed. I planned and then cancelled Pilatus because I was hoping to travel in the "steepest cogwheel train" which is not available at that time. Montreux was also my initial, preferred plan but could not find suitable accommodation and hence had to 'switch ' to Geneva. Even now I am flexible and may make changes to my plans, depending upon weather at Titlis and Jungfraujoch, if the financial penalty is not too much. Can you suggest last minute alternatives for Titlis, Jungfraujoch and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise/Gornergrat? Cannot afford a second trip to Switzerland! Thanks.

I was also hoping to build-in a visit to the Lotscher cuckoo clock factory in Zurich but they haven'responded. Are visits welcome there? And can you suggest a place for the traditional 'Swiss cheese fondue'?

Too many queries I'm afraid!

Incidentally, the website changes I had proposed in my post 'Advance reservations for VIP seats on Golden Pass' have been accepted and they are working on it.

Regards

Sartaj

Hi Sartaj,

Good to hear the Golden Pass-website is taking your advice into account. As for your itinerary: it's not easy to make choices indeed, but during a rather short trip you'll have to. It's good to stay flexible and make back-up plans in case of bad weather. Boat trips (Lake Thun, Lake Brienz, Lake Lucerne) are a good alternative if skies aren't that clear. So are city visits to Zurich, Lucerne, Thun or Bern, and if you like museums do consider the Swiss Museum of Transport in Lucerne and the Ballenberg Open Air museum near Brienz/Meiringen.

I don't know about Lötscher in Zürich. They do have regular stores you can visit, but I'm not sure about the factory. You'd best wait for their answer.

Any larger town has several restaurants offering cheese fondue. You'll find overviews at the tourism websites, such as Zurich tourism or Interlaken tourism. You can also look at the Fondue House in Lucerne.