Can I get help on my Swiss Itinerary?

I want to add a few details to the above question to enable you to understand my peculiar situation. I am leaving from Paris on 7th Sept, 2015 to Switzerland (place not yet decided). I am leaving back to New Delhi from Zurich on 13th September at 22:35 p.m. (Zurich time).

I have already booked a one day trip to Gruyeres on 11th Sept that includes a full day day trip from Geneva to Gruyeres. This Package includes a trip to the Broc chcolate factory, Cheese factory visit, Visit to the Gruyere castle, & includes Golden Panoramic Express train and back to Geneva at 7:00 p.m. in the evening).

So now I am left with 7th Sept - 10th Sept and 12th and 13th Sept. I want to visit Zermatt particularly the Matterhorm Glaciar Paradise and the Gornegrat train. I also want to travel the Jungfraujoch trip and spend time in Interlaken. Please advice how can I tweak my itinerary considering the above factors. I will need to be in Geneva on 11th early morning so as to catch the coach to Gruyere. I also have a 8 day Swiss Travel Pass.

Your help in this regard will be highly appreciated.

You would do well to plan your trip with a map, and do the 11th trip at the beginning or end of your trip. Actually, beginning, since you leave from Zürich.

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Zoom the map.

Look at :

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

for travel times

Hi Venkat1978!

If you cannot prepone your day trip to chocolate and cheese factory as suggested by Slowpoke, you might think of reaching Interlaken from Paris on 7th. You could visit the Jungfrau on the next day, weather permitting! And Zermatt the day after. If you are thinking of visiting both Gornergrat and Matterhorn Glacier, you would need to stay back in Zermatt, I think and do the second one on the following day. Then, maybe you could leave for Geneva early morning on 11th! I am not sure about the train times and duration. Having said that, I feel Lucerne/Zurich is a more beautiful and lively place to stay than Geneva. This route is a little haphazard since Geneva is southwards and Zurich northwards and Interlaken somewhere in between! Hope this helps.

Thank you for your suggestion. I am happy to inform you that I have cancelled the package trip to Gruyeres and will be getting a complete refund of the same. Now, I have a much clearer schedule. Request you to kindly advise on the following points:

1) I still want to do the Gruyeres trip and visit the Maison Callier chocolate factory and the Cheese factory and the Gruyere castle. I probably will need a whole day to complete this part of the trip.

2) I definitely want to visit Zermatt and spend atleast 2 days there traveling the Gornegrat train and the cable car ride to the Matterhorn glaciar paradise.

3) Lastly, I want to visit Interlaken. More importantly, I want to visit Lauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen and leave a day for the Jungfraujoch journey. Please suggest how many days will I need to enjoy all these places.

4) I will be leaving from Paris on 7th Sept (morning or latest by afternoon) and have my flight to catch to India from Zurich on 13th Sept at 10:35 p.m. Zurich time.

5) So for all practical purpose, I have time from the 7th Sept to 13th Sept. Please suggest the most logical and convenient order to complete all these trips considering I will be leaving from Paris. Like I had earlier mentioned, I also have a Swiss Travel pass. This is my first trip to Switzerland and I want it to be extremely memorable and don't want to miss out on any of the popular attractions. Also, a lot of people have advised to book the Jungfraujoch journey only if the weather is good and the sky is clear. Will I get a ticket if I book at the last moment.

6) If time permits, is it possible for me to go to Lucerne and do the trip to Mt.Titlis and Rigi. Is there something else you would suggest apart from the above already mentioned.

Hi Venkat1978!

Your itinerary seems to be quite similar to ours. We visited Switzerland in the first half of July. You can check out my post on Forum-Switzerland Trip reports- A Report on our 8day Swiss Sojourn.

<<"3) Lastly, I want to visit Interlaken. More importantly, I want to visitLauterbrunnen, Murren, Gimmelwald, Wengen and leave a day for the Jungfraujoch journey. Please suggest how many days will I need to enjoy all these places">>

Approximately 23 days. Here are the reasons why.

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

Just Joking, of course. ;-) But, you could spend weeks in these regions,

I'd suggest that you arrive from Paris to Bern or Montreux as early as possible, unless you have a specific interest in Geneva. I'd commit the arrival day and the breakfast and lunch of the second day to the region. A few hours of train ride will get you to Zermatt. Stay there two nights, the full day in between, and a part of the departure morning. Depart during the second day in Zermatt and go to one hotel to use as a base near the Jungfrau. You will have three more nights including that one. Stay in the Jungfrau region for 3 nights. Explore, sightsee, hope for at least one good day for high altitude sight seeing. Take a train to Zürich Flughafen (airport.) Fly home tired.

I'd not try to add Luzern, unless you wish to wave at it from an introductory bus ride.

You do not have to stay in a major city. Your first night in Switzerland could be at a good inn in the farm country near Fribourg for example. There are many good inns, some with outstanding kitchens all over Switzerland,

Hi venkat1978!

You've already been given very useful tips by mistybabu and Slowpoke. I too think that the Jungfrau region is an excellent base, with either a day trip to Zermatt or one or two nights in Zermatt before getting there. The following links may help you plan your stay:

• www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt
• www.myswissalps.com/go rnergrat
• www.myswissalps.com/kl einmatterhorn
• www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfauregion/activities
• www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch

Only include Lucerne if weather in that region is significantly better than in the Jungfrau region. If not, the Jungfrau region has so much to offer that it's much easier to just spend your days there. The chocolate and cheese factory and the castle indeed will take up a whole day, leaving less time in your other resort(s). I know it's hard to make choices, but you just can't include all Swiss highlights in a one week stay. Cutting down on regions and resorts results in less traveling time, less checking in and out and a more relaxed travel pace.

The Swiss Travel Pass validity overview shows what's covered with your pass: www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity.

Tickets to the Jungfraujoch (www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/tickets) normally don't sell out (it occasionally happens on beautiful days in July and August), and it's best to buy them shortly before leaving, so that you can make sure weather is good enough. I don't expect this to be a problem in September, but you could buy your tickets the day before, or early on the morning of departure. Just make sure skies will be clear when you leave.