8 days Swiss trip in September - need feedback

Hello Everyone ,

We are a couple and planning for 8 day trip to this beautiful country .We are budget travelers and thus looking for suggestion on which rail pass to take and find affordable accommodation as well.

Below is our day wise plan .Please let us know if we need to change the below itinerary or swap anything for something that's much more beautiful.

18 sept

Reach Zurich and rest

19th Sept

Zurich to Rhine Falls and then to lucerne (we will be going with luggage here so can we take this to rhine falls and keep it there safely)

20th Sept

Lucerne to stansenhorn day trip return back and explore interlaken area (we will not be staying Interlaken please recommend some stays around )

21st Sept

day trip to gelmerbahn and gelmersee lake ,while returning back trp to aareschulet ( free rest of evening)

22nd Sept

Day trip to Grindelwald trotti bike and return back (recommend an budget stay planning to stay near lauterbrunnen)

23rd Sept

lauterbrunnen to schilthorn, after retuning back do trumbelbach and stay around

24th Sept

ooeschinese lake day trip and return back to zermatt town (recommend a stay here please)

25th

zermatt to matterhorn day trip and return free rest of the day

26th Sept

sunrise trek to lake gelmersee return back and head to geneva ,flight to paris

Few questions that needs to be answered are

Please recommend some budget stay options in the BO area and zermatt area(Airbnb's or homestays) which are beautiful yet where we can easily reach the nearest railway station and then takes less time to reach our planned attractions.

Should i go with the STP or BO +1/2 fare card

Which attractions can i skip/exchange please recommend if you have anything in mind ?

Some of the days we are free after the day tour on mountain excursions and have no plans please recommend us to what can we do .

Hi MohaNTY17588,

Welcome to MySwissAlps.

Thank you for sharing your itinerary. Just a few tips below:

• On 19th Sept - Storing your luggage at the Zurich station might be more practical than taking them along all the way to Rhine Falls. You can pick them up when you come back and before taking the train to Lucerne.
• On 20th Sept - I suggest combining an excursion to Stanserhorn in the morning with boat trips on Lake Lucerne and sightseeing in the old town in the afternoon.
• If you are planning to stay in Lauterbrunnen, planning day trips to Interlaken and Grindelwald from Lautebrunnen would be more convenient than from Lucerne.
• On 24th Sept,I recommend travelling on the Lotschberg mountain railway to Kandersteg and visit Oeschinensee. You can store your luggage at the Kandersteg train station and pick them before continuing to Zermatt on the same day.
• On 26th Sept, do you mean Riffelsee? I am not aware of any Gelmersee near Zermatt. If you have a flight to catch on the same day, I recommend taking an early connection to Geneva just in case.

Here's some useful links to help you secure accommodation:

• Zermatt hotels: www.myswissalps.com/zermatt/hotels (for cheaper alternatives, I recommend staying in nearby towns or villages such as Täsch or Randa)
• Lauterbrunnen accommodation: www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen/hotels or www.myswissalps.com/lauterbrunnen/rentals

Regarding railpass, based on your itinerary, a Swiss Travel Pass seems like the best option as your travel spans multiple regions. A Berner Oberland Pass in combination with a Swiss Half Fare Card could also work. To determine which railpass is ideal, you need to plan your itinerary in detail and do the math as explained here: www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass

Hope this helps in some ways. Let us know if you need more info.

Regards,

Anna

Hi Anna

Thanks for your reply and all the suggestions.

I got confused with the names on 26 th .Its either stelesse or reffelsee .which one would you recommend.

Also as you see that i am doing 4 mountain excursions .Is it advisable to do all 4 or because they might be similar ,or is it ok to swap something in their place.

Hello MohaNTY17588,

I think you may mean Riffelsee and Stellisee?

Both are popular for viewing the Matterhorn reflection. As you need to reach Geneva on the same day for your flight, perhaps go with the more accessible one. This would be Riffelsee, it is an approximate 10 minute walk from Rotenboden.

Stellisee is still doable, you would need to travel to Blauherd, thereon it's a 15/20 minute walk.

Feel free to plan your routes via the SBB timetable: https://www.myswissalps.com/timetable

In regard to your mountain trips, all are special in their own way so best to discuss with your partner to see if there is a preference and then decide?

Kind regards,

Yolanda