Advice on trip itinerary from 2nd May to 10th May

Hi Sumeet -

<<"should i interpret that as a caution that probably this scenic train may

not be worthwhile doing or may risk paying extra over and above the

Swiss travel pass and yet not be able to see a thing because of the

clouds, I presume.">

Not quite.

As with the Jungfrau, if it is really cloudy up above, it is not worthwhile to spend the money.

Even on a day with ordinary weather, on a "clear" day, there will be sum haze, but it will be a splendid trip.

I mentioned clarity because, on the day I took those shots, the weather was especially good for photography, because it was so clear. I mentioned it, because if you were planning on photographs, they would not likely be that clear.

Even with ordinary good weather, even with a few clouds, it is a terrific trip. Just don't count on crystal clear air all the way to the furthest mountains.

And, make sure you take warm clothes/layers. Even on a day in midsummer the weather up there can change suddenly.

We went up once expecting to thake the hikke from the Rothorn to Lungern. Sunny and warm in Brienz. Up top, good visibility, but snow flurries and quite chilly. We did not take the walk. Had lunch and came back down.

Slowpoke

Dear Arno,

I have come to now that some of the cog trains for mountain expeditions like Pilatus, schynige platte etc do not open until Mid-may. Is it true?

Please tell me out of the following (jungfrau, Titlis, Pilatus, Rothron, Brienze, schynige platte ) will be open in 2nd to 10th may ?

Thanks

Hi Sumeet,

Please check the timetable for your travel dates. From the top of my mind only Jungfraujoch, Titlis and Pilatus (only via the cable car from Kriens) will be accessible.

Dear Arno,

I did check and yes, the cogs upto Rothron-Brienze, and schynige platte will not be running while I am there (2nd May to 10th May). However, the Rothron-Brienze cog train will go midway upto Planalp station, and I'm hoping it is worth doing this lovely mountain train , provided of course the weather does not play spoilsport.

Other then that only the Mt. Rigi train will be running, so i'll be doing that. Please tell me if I can take the Golden Pass line form Interlaken to Lucerne, since that is the way I have planned my itinerary (Zurich-Gruyeres-Basel-Interlaken-Lucern-Zurich). Is there some other way to fir in the Golden pass line so that I can do a longer leg ?

Thanks

Sumeet

Dear Arno,

Another query, Sorry! I just want to get as many details about the trip to plan it well.

I will arrive in Interlaken from Basel on 5th May noon. Then I will be in Interlaken for 3 nights, till 8th May. During these days I will do Lake Thun and the Brienzer-Rothorn upto Planalp on 5th May itself. Jungfraujoch, is planned for 6th May. what else can I do in Interlaken, say on the 7th May? Schilthorn maybe. I'm not too much into skiing and boarding.

I will then move to Lucerne on 8th early Morning via the Golden Pass line and do the Lake lucern trip with the Mt. Rigi and then the Swiss Transport museum in the evening.

On 9th I plan to do Titlis. How much time will Titlis take ?

That still leaves out Pilatus and the Cabrio to Stanserhorn. Can I do one more attraction (Pilatus or Stanserhorn) on 9th ? Which one would be different, since I would have already done a cable car at Titlis and Pilatus is a cogwheel ride, but the lure of an open cable car at Stanserhorn is irresistible.Please see my immediate early post wherein I plan to travel to Zurich on 9th May night itself.

I'm confused, please advise.

Also, I think I'm spending a night extra at Interlaken. Could I move to Lucerne on 7th early morning via the Goldenpass line since that would give me a day extra in Lucern so I could do Lake Lucern and Brienze-Rothorn on 7th, Titlis on 8th and Pilatus/Stanserhorn on 9th at leisure.

I hope that is not too complicated. Sorry for the long post, but I need your advice in terms of feasibility.

Thanks

Hi sumeet,

Here are some thoughts:

• activities in the Jungfrau region can be found here. Schilthorn would be an option indeed;
• mind opening hours for the Museum of Transport. It closes at 6 pm, so you can't plan this for the evening;
• the trip to Titlis takes about half a day, but that's only if you don't spend too much time at the top. Please consult the timetable that's been mentioned before and our Titlis page. If you keep it short you will manage to include another trip like Pilatus or Stanserhorn. However, it would be easier to combine these two and leave out Titlis;
• I don't quite understand your last remark. You indicate you'll be spending an extra night at Interlaken, but also that you'll be having an extra day in Lucerne. Also, you seem to want to combine Lake Lucerne and Brienzer Rothorn on May 7, but I assume you mean Lake Thun and Brienzer Rothorn? Or Lake Lucerne and Rigi? In any case, many options are possible and it all comes down to your personal preferences.

<<"Please tell me if I can take the Golden Pass line form Interlaken to Lucerne, since that is the way I have planned my itinerary (Zurich-Gruyeres-Basel-Interlaken-Lucern-Zurich). Is there some other way to fit in the Golden pass line so that I can do a longer leg ?>>"

Dear Annika, Please tell me if the above can be done?

Thanks for the tips on titlis and transport museum.

Well I completely mixed up in my last remark. Sorry for that!!

What I meant was that in my original itinerary I'm spending 3 nights at Interlaken (5th. 6th and 7th May) which I personally feel is one night more than I should. I think the following is a better plan:

5th May afternoon - Lake Thun and Brienze-Rothorn upto Planalp

6th May- Jungfraujoch (i'd probably skip Schilthorn)

7th May - early morning travel to Lucern via golden pass line - reach lucern and do the lake lucerne and Rigi

8th May - Titlis, transport museum in the evening

9th May - Pilatus and Stanserhorn - leave for Zurich in evening

Hence, if I move to Lucerne on 7th early morning via the Goldenpass line since that would give me a day extra in Lucern so I could do Lake Lucern and Rigi on 7th, Titlis on 8th and Pilatus/Stanserhorn on 9th at leisure.

That is what I meant. Your Thoughts. I know you said it is always difficult to balance out between Interlaken and Lucerne. But, I don't think there is much to entice me in Interlaken beyond Rothorn, Jubgfraujoch and Lake Thun) - I'm not much into hiking, boarding, skiing and Schilthorn is almost the same as titilis but with too many cable car changes and I think would be compensated by Titlis,pilatus,and stanserhorn. What do you think?

Just one more thing, I could not find any info on the stanserhorn page if I need to pre-book the open/upper deck of the Cabrio ?

Thanks

<<"but with too many cable car changes ">>

The cable car changes are seamless. Off of one and onto the next in one buidiing, coordinated schedules.

Can't get lost.

Slowpoke

You don't need to pre-book Stanserhorn rides. If it's busy when you're there they'll give you a boarding pass with a specific time to go up. You can order these in advance if you're willing to pay for it, but you don't have to.

Dear Arno,

about doing the goldenpass line from interlaken to lucerne - although it is a 2 hour leg, but can I somehow do the more scenic Interlaken to Montreaux route in my itinerary above and then come back to Lucern?? Will it make my itinerary too tight and congested ??

Thanks

Hi Sumeet,

Anything is possible; it's all about your preferences. You can do as suggested and skip something else as it would take all day. It's a matter of checking the timetable and see what fits your plans.