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Hello, many / most subscribers recommend the train pass but due to the $700 week cost (much less) and flexibility, our family of four -including 2 older teenage boys, we are renting a Jeep Compass all wheel drive. We can rent chains. We will be staying in Lucerne for a week between Christmas and New Years and plan on doing day road trips from there as a base. We prefer less touristy destinations / more local experiences and don’t mind rough roads. Does anyone have any suggestions? The boys do want to ski one day so a suggestion as to where to ski is appreciated too. That being said we maybe should take one train trip up the top of a mountain to experience a cog train? Thanks so much. Sandy from USA
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Hi SandyQ and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Do you have some activities in mind to see and do? Lucerne is a great town for many reasons but why did you choose it (and by extension Switzerland)?
I will guess it is for mountain excursions? If so, have a look at our recommended mountain trips for Switzerland here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ac tivities/naturalsites/ mountains
For mountains and other activities around Switzerland have a look here:
2 mountains near Lucerne that can work for skiing are Titlis and Rigi (find details on them on the link above).
Other mountains in the Jungfrau region are good options as well: http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s
It may well just come down to how much driving you want to do per day. Rigi from Luzern is about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Ski areas in the Jungfrau region are 1.5 to 2 hours away (all depending on road conditions).
Be sure to read about our recommendations for driving in Switzerland here: http://www.myswissalps.com/ca r
Some mountains are reached by train and others by funicular or cable car. Virtually none by car, so you will need to park the car at a local village for any mountain trip.
Hi SandyQ –
At that time of year you may not have much snow on the grouind at lower elevations. And, it is certainly true that the rental cost for a car is less than that for 4 SwissTravel Passes. Most people who rent a car with room for luggage also appreciate not having to haul luggage on the trains.
Indeed, I usually rent a small car for myself to go from base to base, but the car sits at my inn, andI use the trains for touring. In my case, with a Half-fare card.
I usually stay on the river at least one night in Luzern. The hotels don’t have parking. Parking overnight at the main train station costs me on the order of $55.00 per night. Luzern does not have the difficult traffic/street layout of Zürich, but, it is still not easy to get around by car. Of course, if you are from Boston, you’ll laugh at what the Swiss consider to be city traffic jams.
However, the main highways, particularly the network around Zürich and the A1 north of Luzern can get very very slow on weekends and rush hours. Same for the Brunig Pass between Luzern and Meiringen/Interlaken.
And, of course, the Jeep (even if only a Compass) is large and a gas hog by Swiss standards (although they may have a model with a smaller engine that what we get in the USA). Gas will cost you about $4.75 per gallon.
If you are staying in a smaller village, as I do for most of my trips, there will be parking available at your inn, free. If you are at one of the rare luxury hotels in Luzern that have their own parking, you usually have to pay for it
On balance, especially since you will indeed want to visit some mountain or mountains and will have to pay full-fare for the cableways or mountain transport, while your car sits in a frequently expensive parking lot at the bottom, you may find that you don’t save as much rentng a car as you might think at first estimate.
Watch the speed limit signs and obey them religiously. There are radar cameras everywhere. Especially on the main road east of Luzern, direction Zürich, there are sudden stretches with rather low speed limits. They are notorious among the Swiss for tickets. You only get a tiny leeway. Same with red -lights. Driving in the cities is discouraged, so there are a lot of lights with short intervals for the different streets, and if you push through just as light is changing, you often get a ticket. Even villages have radar cameras to support their speed limits.
Figure at least $50.00 for red lights and more like $100 for speeding. Think you’ll “forget” to pay? The rental car company will charge you a fee for providing your home mailing address to the police. At least one thing has become user friendly. For the past few years, you have been ableto pay by credit card on the internet.
Finally, traveling on Swiss trains is a very pleasant experience, even though rush hour commuters keep the trains full near the big cities, including Luzern in the early morning and late afternoon. Trains (and buses to villages) run at least once per hour, and much more frequently between the larger cities and towns. No reservations are needed , and generally cannot be made. There are always seats. Similar to how we ride a subway or city bus in the USA.. Buy a ticket and get on, or, show your pass if the conductor asks for it. The scenery is usually worth watching, even on the non-Panoramic trains, and the driver and navigator can watch it go by instead of concentrating on the road.. The quality of the experience is worth some cost.
Experience traveling in the USA is not good preparation for traveling in Switzerland. The automobile has not taken over the country. I’d encourage you to try at least one train journey…not mountain transport, which is in a class of its own, but say, from Luzern to Bern, or the Jungfrau region via the Brunig Pass ( although that one is notably slower than by car, it is a really nice ride).
Oh yes, if you return you car to a different rental location, there is usually no “one way drop off fee.” In my experience, they just charge a higher rate per day. And, if you rent at an airport, you pay about 10% more for the whole trip. So, I always rent at a city location.
Those are my experiences, and my perspective.
I’m sure that you will enjoy your trip, but you are missing one nice part of the Swiss travel experience.
Slowpoke
Hello and thank you for the detailed response! I took another look at the train situation. Our rental car is $700 for the week not including gas tolls tickets etc. Following is an option for the train …”Swiss Travel Pass Unlimited travel for 8 consecutive days on trains, bus, boat and public transport in cities museums freee. Ticket includes: Mountain excursions to Schilthorn and Stanserhorn (valid only in 2018) Ticket includes: Mountain excursion to Rigi. Up to 50% discount on most mountain excursions. Children <16 years travel for free if accompanied by at least one parent.”
Since one of my boys is 15 he is free and the other one is 17. Total for 8 consecutive days is then $1136. Do you think the overall train experience is worth skipping the car and paying the extra upfront? Also we arrive Christmas morning so have to make our way from Zurich Airport to Appenzell as we are staying one night in a hotel before heading to Lucerne for the rest of the trip. Is it easy or pleasant enough on Christmas morning to get from the airport to Appenzell via train vs car? Please let me know your thoughts on switching to this mode for the trip. It is nice that the pass includes the couple of extra mountain trips for free. This train approach would allow us to experience perhaps a more local flavor. Thank you!!!!!! Sandy
Hi Sandy,
Slowpoke has given you some good practical information. Many people don’t travel by car when visiting Switzerland. I usually do as Slowpoke does: we reach Switzerland by car, but then it sits waiting for the return journey as we do all the day trips by public transport. We find that only very few trips are more convenient by car, and the trains are safer, eco-friendlier and often provide the better views. Apart from parking being expensive in places like Lucerne, the parking spaces are often smaller than what you’re used to in the US. The below links will get you more details and consider the pros and cons:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass: Swiss Travel Pass, click to “Where it’s valid to” see what’s included and to “Price” for where/how to buy.
- http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard: the Swiss Half Fare Card that Slowpoke mentioned, often used to combine car and train, to save money on day trips by cable car/train/boat.
- http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ca rversustrain
- http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/practical/howtotra vel
- http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/practical/luggage
Hi Sandy-
<<“tolls”>.
Apart from very rare and esoteric places that might have private roads, the only tolls in Switzerland are for the use of the expressways. Swiss drivers buy an annual sticker for the windshield; all cars rented in Switzerland already have one, included in the rental cost. The only time it matters is if you are stopped by a policeman, but, the law-abiding Swiss all buy one. Maybe $25.00, if I recall correctly.
If yuo rent, you’ll need a GPS or navigation system, especially in the highway network around Bern or Zürich and the airport. Road signs give place names…in German, which is not a problem, but instructions are in German, too. In cities, or in those dense networks, signs come up quickly. If you are jet-lagged, as you will be on your arrival day, life might be a bit complicated. Personally, even though I know my way around after almost 40 years of visiting Switzerland, and speak and read a bit of German, I don’t drive for the first 2 days. I stay in Zürich (sometimes Luzern) and visit friends or take day trips by train.
By the way, I use the German spelling – Luzern, which is what you will see on the signs. Pronounced almost the same as French and English Lucerne or Lucern; note that the “z” in German is pronounced as “ts.”
On Christmas day, public transport runs a pretty much regular schedule. A lot of Switzerland will be shut down, and, if there is snow, the Swiss will be on the higher Alpine slopes. Trains to/from ski areas such as the Jungfrau region may be crowded, but they’ll have seats.
Getting to Appenzell by car us not particularly difficult, once you pick up the proper eastbound highway. About an hour and 10 minutes., mostly on the A1.
if you use the trains, you’ll need the timetable:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
This very helpful introductory page is a must read.
Once you understand the system, the direct link to the SBB (Swiss Rail, German initials) website is:
There is a lot of information there about individual stations, luggage, etc., in addition to the timetable.
Whether you use the train or a car, a good map is important. Google maps will work, especially for travel by car, but I prefer this map for travel planning:
It is particularly useful for train travel, because, when zoomed in far enough, the train lines really stand out.
This thread has a detailed explanation of how to use that map for the fie details of traveling, including all the train, boat and bus station names useful in the timetable:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/5-days-in-switzerland-7
Scroll down to the December 14th post at 7:50 AM.
Rail to Appenzell –
Attached is a screen grab of trains from Zürich airport to Appenzell on Christmas morning (date 25.12.2018) from about 8 AM onward for the first couple of hours. Trains leave the airport station, very close to the arrivals hall, at xx23 and xx53, in the direction to St. Gallen. One 7 minute change off the main line at Gosssau. A 7 minute change is easy. The trains run on time, and it is a small station. Journey time – one hour 37 minutes.
Probably will beat the rental car time, once you allow for picking up the car, but they are similar.
Appenzell is a small town,and generally level. You will probably have to walk a few hundred meters from the train station, if your hotel is on the scenic main square.
A second screen grab shows what you see if you click on the time line in the main display. Sometimes you get details of whether there is a restaurant car ( apparently not on this one) , and other stuff. Often, estimated occupancy will be shown. In this case, it is low, on both trains.
In the actual timetable, if you click on the “+” in the vertical line, it will show you all the intermediate stations.
On any of the screens, once you have displayed the journey from station to station, there are maps of start and finish stations all the way down at the bottom of the page.
At Zürich Airport ( Flughafen; “flight harbor”) after you come out of the arrival hall, you will see signs for the “Bahn” ( train) or car rentals ( Auotovermietung). They are in the same building. There are free luggage carts in the Arrivals Hall. They can go up and down escalators; be careful not to overload, because ytip forward or back at an angle as they ride up or down the escalators. The train station ( and the car rentals) are in a building just across the covered street. On the ground floor, there is a large food court. Useful for a cup of coffee if you are between trains. The train station is 3 or 4 levels down.
ATM:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/atmforex-at-zurich-airport
I avoid Travelex always. Their rates have always been much higher than bank rates.
Slowpoke
Skiing and other destinations –
<<“The boys do want to ski one day so a suggestion as to where to ski is appreciated too. That being said we maybe should take one train trip up the top of a mountain to experience a cog train?”>>
Lucas gave some good suggestions. The Rigi may not have snow. Titlis has snow all year round, maybe not for skiing al year, but a good chance when you are there.
I have found that, in addition to your hotel, a really good place for travel advice and ski conditions…in addition to webcams:
en.swisswebcams.ch/kat egorien
is the tourist info office in Luzern main station. It is next to the lowest numbered track, which for some reason is not track #1, but may be track #2 or #3. Can’t remember. They know a lot about tourist attractions, ski conditions, hikes, etc.
The only time that they failed me is when I wanted to find a source for a funny hat that I saw in a Luzern newspaper article about some local folk-customs in the winter. I wanted to get one for my son, but we drew a blank.
If they don’t know about a particular situation , for example “Is the road open through the construction zone on Bürgenstock? they pick up the phone and get the answer.
Slowpoke
Wow! Thank you so much! Thanks to you And the other posts I’ve decided to get the 8 day train pass. I think it will be a wonderful experience and much more memorable. I’ll look into all of the detailed information above. Please feel free to provide further ideas in terms of any trips from Luzern. We like off the beaten path places and I love cows and farms! Happy holidays! Sandy
Hi Sandy,
It will be a wonderful, and different, experience I’m sure! You can print the pass at home. Prices and promotions (if any, they come and go) can be found here:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price
- http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/promotio ns
There are countless day trips you can make from Luzern. The link in Lucas’ first post is a good start. The transport museum is worth it (http://www.myswissalps.com/mu seumoftransport), as well as the glass museum in nearby Hergiswil. But with your pass you can also go much further. Like a day trip to Lugano, either via the high speed train tunnel or the classic scenic route. Or a visit to Bern, via the Golden Pass route, and back via Schüpfheim for example. One of the nearby mountains already mention should not be missed though.
Thanks you! Great information! One suggestion I could really use now that We will be using the train is how best to go from Appenzell to Luzern on Dec 26 as it appears the typical train route takes us to Luzern back vis Zurich once we came. Perhaps there is a different way to go that would be interesting? Even if a tad longer? Thanks again!!!! All the best, sandy
Try this:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/9-nights-lucerne-grindelwald-zurich-mid-may-1
And, this, as well as the link in it referring to hiking:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/langnau-in-may/page/2
It won’t be so nice in Winter, but the show dairy is fun. The train ride through the Emmental is nice, too. (However, this one is easier by car, but the ride in public transport is a nice one.)
Take a look at this for some ideas:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/best-hike-around-lake-lucerne
And:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/schwyz-and-the-ital-reding-house
Bern is nice to visit in the Winter.
http://www.myswissalps.com/be rn
The arcaded streets are fun to explore. The famous rose garden doesn’t have any roses then, but it has nice views over the city, and, of course, a cafe.
There are two train routes for Bern from/to Luzern. The fast one goes by way of Zofingen and Oftringen, and incorporates some newer high speed track.
The scenic slower route goes through Langnau im Emmental, and has a lot of nice countryside to look at.
Slowpoke
<<“Perhaps there is a different way to go that would be interesting? Even if a tad longer? “>>
There is. It is called the Voralpen Express.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/voralpen-express
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/voralpen-express.html
Use the timetable and the map I suggested to understand the route and get a via station:
map.search.ch/?pos=768832,251072&z=8& poi=zug
There are a couple of things to consider, but they will require you to leave your luggage at a station.
I’d consider St. Gallen, which is the starting point for the Voralpen Express, and not far from Appenzell.
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/st-gall-aka-sankt-gallen-and-good-bratwurst
http://www.atlasobscura.com/p laces/abbey-library-of-saint-gall-2.
I’m sure that you could leave luggage at St. Gall station.
Not so sure about Rapperswil, which might be better in the Summer.
http://www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/rapperswil-jona.html
and
See attached:
Slowpoke
Hi Sandy,
Slowpoke mentioned the Voralpen Express from Luzern to St. Gallen – a nice trip indeed if you can do it.
Here is a brief report I made on a trip from Zurich: http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/st-gallen-voralpen-express-from-zurich
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