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Hello,
I am looking for advice on the best places to visit at the end of April using train travel.
This is my general itinerary so far:
Day 1-fly into Zurich late night
Day 2- Zurich museums, overnight Zurich
Day 3- train Zurich to Lucerne, overnight Lucerne
Day 4- train Lucerne to Interlaken, overnight Interlaken
Day 5- day trips to explore Lauterbrunnen and/or Jungfraujoch, overnight Interlaken
Day 6-golden pass train Interlaken to Montruex, overnight Montruex
Day 7-train Montruex to Zermatt, overnight Zermatt
Day 8- Matterhorn, overnight Zermatt
Day 9-Matterhorn, overnight Zermatt
Day 10-Galcier express Zermatt to St Mortiz, overnight St Mortiz
Day 11-train St Mortiz to Zurich, overnight Zurich
Day 12-fly home in the morning
I am open to any suggestions or ideas. We mainly want to take advantage of the best areas for the time of year and see some mountain views. I have not planned out daily activities for each city yet. I realize we are going in between seasons so it seems like a lot of places will be closed like in St Moritz. Are we spending too many days in Zermatt hoping for good weather? Will Jungfraujoch or Glacier 3000 be better during that time of year? Thank you for any help you can give
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Hello Travel more, and welcome to MySwissAlps!
You will surely enjoy your April stay in the Swiss Alps, your travel plan is quite feasible. Easter is in mid April this year, so most, if not all, facilities will be open at least until then. And there will be skiers in the ski resorts.
I see you want to visit museums, and restrict your visit to the Alps, but I can’t figure out what your tastes are, so I’ll make general remarks only.
Day 5: Lauterbrunnen is on a valley bottom with not much sunshine. Unless you are particularly interested in the water fall once poetized by Goethe, you could skip that, and you may prefer Jungfraujoch.
Days 6 and 7. Montruex does not exist.
Days 8 and 9. You are surely aware that you will see the Matterhorn, but not actually go there. Zermatt is indeed the place to go, and you can get closer by cable car to Klein Matterhorn. It is not possible to predict whether the Matterhorn will be visible, or hidden behind clouds, but Zermatt is nice anyway. In April, hiking opportunities will be limited.
Day 10. That will be a long train ride, giving you not much time in Saint-Moritz, but why not? I think enough places should be opened there. At least all train services should be available.
Enjoy your stay!
Hi Travel more,
in Zurich I recommend this self-guided walking tour: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/zurich. But if you like more the guided ones visit http://www.myswissalps.com/zurich/activities, where you can find some recommended tours. Do not miss the Bahnhofstrasse: http://www.myswissalps.com/bahnhofstrasse.
You can get tips on what to see and do in Lucerne at http://www.myswissalps.com/lucerne. I am not sure what kind of museum do you like, but the Swiss Museum of Transport is a very good one: http://www.myswissalps.com/museumoftransport.
Regarding the Jungfrau region (http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfrauregion/activities) there are so many things to see. Some travelers recommend Schilthorn instead of the Jungfraujoch. But it is up to you what you would like to visit. How to get there information can be found at http://www.myswissalps.com/schilthorn/gettingthere and http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch/gettingthere.
Montreux (http://www.myswissalps.com/montreux/activities) is one of my favorite towns, great that you will see it too. For information concerning the Golden Pass visit http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass. Although seat reservations are not compulsory on the Golden Pass we recommend it on the Zweisimmen to Montreux leg: http://www.myswissalps.com/goldenpass/tickets. (No seat reservation is required for the 99% of the trains in Switzerland.
From Zermatt my favorite mountain top is Gornergrat: http://www.myswissalps.com/gornergrat/gettingthere.
You need to reserve your seat on the Glacier Express in advance, you can do that at http://www.myswissalps.com/glacierexpress/tickets.
Have you thought to get a rail pass? You’ll find a helpful chatbot and a useful guide with a calculation spreadsheet, which helps you to choose your rail pass in 5 steps at http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass. The downloadable spreadsheet also includes links to the “Where it’s valid” page for all available passes, be sure to study it carefully.
Ildiko
Thank you for replying Snowman. We will be there after Easter. I enjoy easy to moderate hikes, scenic views and getting to know the food and culture of different countries. My travel companion is interested in watches and anything with wheels. We both do not ski. I had read that Lauterbrunnen was a pretty town with a nice waterfall and hikes and Jungfrau region was good for snow/mountains. My apologies for looking like an uneducated tourist with my typo of Montreux. Yes I am aware that you don’t actually go there. I meant Matterhorn by hoping the weather would be cooperating in order to see it. I felt like most of the hotels I looked into in St Mortiz were already closed for the season as we wouldn’t be there until May 3.
Ildiko, thank you for the all of the advice. I will check out of all of the links you included. Yes we will be getting the 8 day rail pass.
Do either of you know of any good spas in any of the areas we plan to visit?
For the scenic trains is it better to sit at the ends of the carriages or in the middle? I wasn’t sure if views would be obstructed at the ends while having the perk of not having other people behind your seat.
Hi Travel more,
as you are also interested in gastronomy: http://www.myswissalps.com/aboutswitzerland/culturehistory/food.
If you are looking for snow fun: http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/snow
Have you tried these for hotels in St Moritz at http://www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/hotels and http://www.myswissalps.com/stmoritz/rentals?
My favorite spa is in Leukerbad: http://www.leukerbad-therme.ch/en/index.php. I haven’t been at Ovronnaz Spa yet, but it is on my bucket list: http://www.ovronnaz.ch/en/thermal-bath/. I heard good things about it. You can find many hotels with spa and wellness opportunities in Zermatt too, but unfortunately I have no personal experiences on those. Some of them are open to the public (non-residents) too.
Which rail pass are you getting? The Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass/price)?
Ildiko
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