8-day Swiss train trip in April: best route

Hi Goutam,

Since you’ll be coming from Karlsruhe, a sensible option would be to travel to Switzerland via Basel. Based on your plans, I suggest starting your trip in Lucerne, next taking the Golden Pass to Montreux, then continue with train to Zermatt. From Zermatt, you can take a train to Basel via Brig and then take a connecting train Frankfurt. Would this work for you? You can check train schedules on the SBB timetable.

The Swiss Travel Pass is valid throughout Switzerland but you must have valid connecting tickets to cover the portion of your trip in Germany. You can find information about how to purchase train tickets in Germany here: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/germany

Here are some useful links for your trip:

• Lucerne: http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne/activities
• Montreux: http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/activities
• Zermatt: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt/activities

Regards,

Anna

(off topic but may as well mention it as not) Karlsruhe – Paris takes just 2.5 hours by German/French high speed train so that’s a separate trip

Karlsruhe is on the main line railway from northern Germany to Basel, nowhere near Geneva. Therefore for your Swiss trip you should go to Basel. However, you can also go Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Zurich. This route goes via Schaffhausen and Rhine Falls, so you could perhaps stay your first night in Switzerland in Schaffhausen or Neuhausen -am-Rheinfall

Hi Goutam,

Yes, you can easily follow the same route proposed by Anna if you enter from Paris. There are direct train connections between Paris (Gare de Lyon) and Basel. You can read about them here: https://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/france.

You can best make a day trip to the Rhine Falls while you’re based in Lucerne. This is how to reach them: https://www.myswissalps.com/rhinefalls/gettingthere.

If you end your stay in Zermatt and then travel to Karlsruhe, it’s a challenge to fit in a visit to the Rhine Falls on the same day. You’d have to travel via Zurich and Schaffhausen (the route proposed by 1960man for your initial plan to enter via Karlsruhe in reverse). The total train ride would take 7 to 8 hours, which doesn’t leave much time to visit the falls.

If you prefer to not to make a day trip to the falls from Lucerne but want to incorporate it on your way back to Karlsruhe, consider another overall order. Travel from Paris to Geneva (https://www.myswissalps.com/geneva) and spend a few nights in Montreux (https://www.myswissalps.com/montreux). Then go to Zermatt (https://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt). After that, travel to Lucerne (if you like scenic rides, take the RegioExpress Lötschberger and travel via Kandersteg, Spiez and Interlaken: https://www.myswissalps.com/lotschberger). If you end in Lucerne, you’re closer to the Rhine Falls and it will be easier to pay them a visit on your way to Karlsruhe.

You can check all options with the timetable mentioned by Anna. This page explains how to use it: https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable. It’s worth reading the info. If you know how to use the timetable, it’s an amazing tool to plan every detail of your holidays.