Feedback on a rough 8-day itinerary for August

We've started planing our week-long August trip. Before we begin filling in the details, I wanted to get some feedback on a rough itinerary that includes the places we'd like to visit.

We'll have a rail pass, and after researching the following schedule seems doable, but any comments are much appreciated:

Days 1-2: Lucerne (arriving from Zurich airport early in the morning on Day 1. In addition to exploring the city, we hope to see the Rigi and Pilatus).

Day 3: Locarno (take Wilhelm Tell Express from Lucerne to Locarno, staying in Locarno that night)

Day 4: Zermatt (Take the train in the morning from Locarno, spend the rest of the day and following morning in Zermatt).

Day 5-7: Bernese Oberland (May stay in Wengen or Grindelwald. Would like to see the Jungfraujoch and do some hiking and paragliding. Would travel to Zurich later on Day 7)

Day 8: Zurich (We fly out of Zurich this afternoon, and we'll probably see Rhine Falls or just take in the city before our flight)

Our time in Locarno and Zermatt would be a bit brief (which I suppose leaves it up to chance if we get a nice view of the Matterhorn), but other than that does this seem reasonable?

Thanks!

Josh

Hi Josh -

Nice to see you here. Hope we can help.

Here are some first thoughts.

What you do the first two days or so can be influenced by jet lag.

Where are you coming from?

The itinerary reflects some thoughtful study of Switzerland. Nice to see that.

Day one might be possible, depending on when you arrive at Zürich Flughafen. Not easy. I'd not try to do both excursions.. Take your time.

You might wish to do only one of the two excursions, and take some time to appreciate Luzern.

The rest looks OK. Good idea to leave time near the Jungfrau.. Weather changes rapidly.

Unlike most people, I consider the Rhine Falls a pleasant waste of time. Hope you enjoy them.

Slowpoke

Hello everyone/myswissalps, we are also planning to visit switzerland this comming august for 8 days, i would like to consult your opinion of our itineraries, we staying in grindelwald from 13-20 august. Thank you

Hi achoy, welcome to MySwissAlps!

This is Josh's thread. Please post your questions in a new thread here. Thank you!

Oopppsss sorry☺

Slowpoke,

Many thanks for your comments.

Weather permitting, we hope to see Rigi and/or Pilatus on Day 2, and focus on Lucerne Day 1. We''ll definitely keep our schedule flexible depending on how we feel and the weather.

We'll explore our options for the morning in Zurich on our last day, as Rhine Falls isn't necessarily a must for us.

Thank you again!

Josh

Hi Josh-

I misread your listing for days 1 and 2. What you describe makes excellent sense.

If you like to walk, consider the pleasant walk on the Rigi down from Rigi Kulm to Rigi Kaltbad beside the railroad as far as Rigi Stafelhöhe, then swinging out to the west over the meadows past the picnic fireplace to Känzeli, thence back to Rigi Kaltbad. Nice views of Luzern and the lower part of the lake from that walk.

At Rigi-Kaltbad, you can pick up the cograil down to Vitznau, or take the Luftseilbahn ( cable car) down to just above Weggis. From there, it is about a 15 minute downhill walk to the Schiffstation ( and bus stop).

Don't know if this sort of thing interests you , but the Abbey church and library in St. Gall, dating from the 9th century, are spectacular baroque architecture. Many find the journey to see the library worth a trip just for that. Flip through the images on this web site:

www.myswitzerland.com/ en-us/unesco-world-heritage-abbey-precints-of-stgallen.html

Nearby, on the upper ( first) floor, is a really nice old restaurant:

www.weinstube-baeumli.ch/

Do you have any particular interests...hiking, museums, ???

Slowpoke

Thanks for the tips - indeed, we love to walk and hike and will look at those you suggested.

We actually have slightly less time than I originally anticipated on our last day, so anything we do in or near Zurich will be limited to our last afternoon/evening and very early the next morning. We'll probably stick close to Old Town.

We've now booked most of our hotels. We decided on Wengen for our time near the Jungfrau. Can't wait!

Hi Joshua -

Look at the November 10 post in this thread for some ideas about the old town(s) in Zürich:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/need-help-in-my-planning#cq6cUaDW9mqS6 v8AAFcRTQ

On the boat ride part of the William Tell Express you will see a lot of the scenery described in this link:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

The northern part of the lake is less hemmed in by mountains. See attached pictures. The one including Weggis shows a good part of the Rigi.

<<"We've now booked most of our hotels. We decided on Wengen for our time near the Jungfrau. Can't wait!">>

This short report may interest you:

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

Slowpoke

Hi Joshua:

I guess that you will not have time to explore around Lake Lucerne, but this link will give you a sampling of what you could see around the southern end:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

You'll see that portion of the lake from the William Tell Express on your way to Locarno.

Also, a few shots from nearer Luzern are attached.

You can see a portion of the Rigi above Weggis in one of them.

Well down in this thread on November 10the are some ideas about the old town(s) in Zürich:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/need-help-in-my-planning

Also, Nov 2 in this thread:

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/swiss-itinerary-for-december-2015

Slowpoke