[Prague_paul]

30 June 2019 at 4:12:01 #822557

Hi All,

Hope all is well.

It will be a long post so please bear with me.

I have planned a 16 Night trip to Switzerland this year with my wife as per the below dates and did some research to come up with a sample itinerary below.

Date of Entry to Switzerland – 27th Sep’19 (Around early morning)

Date of Exit from Switzerland – 13th Oct’19 (Around late afternoon)

Itinerary: Zurich-Bern(3N Stay)-Zermatt(4N Stay)-Wengen(6N Stay)-Lucerne(3N Stay)-Zurich

This means after arriving in Zurich Airport, wife and I will be straight away heading to Bern, similarly while coming back we will be heading to Zurich airport from Lucerne.

I know it might sound foolish to not stay in Zurich, however, we are not interested in Museums much and I am particularly interested in photographing the alpine landscapes and hiking hence the unusual long stays in both Zermatt and Wengen. We both are more or less fit for beginner to moderate hiking and would love to explore some areas on foot.

Appreciate if anyone could help with few of my concerns below:

– Is this **itinerary crazy** by any standards?

– I have looked at historic weather data and found the visit duration quite tourist friendly along those regions, since weather is ever changing, **anybody has any tips or insights** which we should be mindful?

– We will be heavily relying on the public transport, and aware of the fact that Switzerland has unmatched train service, however I am little confused when it comes to travel pass/discount cards. So there are Half fare card, Swiss Travel pass, Jungfrau region travel pass, **any idea which could be the best suited in your opinion** seeing the fact that we will be extensively travelling using cable cars/trains/Funiculars in and around multiple villages and top of mountains/glaciers.

– In my research I have found few hiking trails specially the 5 Lake trail from Zermatt. **Any beginner to moderate level Hiking in your opinion that is a must around Zermatt and Jungfrau region**? Kindly suggest please.

I hope, I sounded sane through out this lengthy post and we thank you for your time and any suggestion you might have.

Many thanks in advance.

Cheers,

Prague

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[Removed user]

30 June 2019 at 10:29:01 #916481

Hello Prague and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

Nice to hear you’re coming along to Switzerland.

Your itinerary is absolutely wonderful and the time you have available will allow you to settle in and really get to know some of the places closer. Well done!

Your decision of NOT staying in Zurich is absolutely valid and not foolish at all, as Switzerland is so small that travelling between cities normally takes no more than a few hours maximum. Use the timetable you find provided below for detailed traveling times and connections. It’s a fabulous tool for planning so read how it works:
–http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Regarding input about the weather in Switzerland, how to keep an eye on the forecast and the best time to visit please read below links:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather
– http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather/forecast
– http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit
You will definitely be fine during your stay.

To figure out which rail pass suits you best you need a quite a detailed itinerary, incl. day trips, and can then use the spreadsheet in the first link below for detailed calculations. Normally the Swiss Travel Pass or the Swiss Half Fare Card are the best choices for longer stays, whereas the Swiss Travel Pass offers slightly more comfort.
– http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass
– http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass
– http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isshalffarecard
The later could be combined with Regional Passes if required/handy.
– http://www.myswissalps.com/re gionalpasses

Last but not least find recommendations for hikes in the regions you’ll visit as well as general information and hiking below:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ze rmatt/activities
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s
– http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/activities
In the last three links you will also find other tabs, like e.g. Hotels, etc.

Hope this provides you with enough input to start setting up a detailed itinerary. We’re here for any further support.

Best,
Steph

Also read:
– http://www.myswissalps.com/ge ttingstarted

[Gblackburne]

30 June 2019 at 12:53:34 #916482

Just a quick note on the stay in Zermatt which by the way us beautiful. Not sure you already have lodging, but a lot of hotels are closed in October in irdrr to prepare for winter season. Have you checked on that?

Gerda

[Slowpoke]

30 June 2019 at 18:18:09 #916483

Hi Prague paul –

Give some thought to the Emmental.

Check this thread…the area is accessible from Bern or Luzern.

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/langnau-in-may

Also,

https://www.myswissalp s.com/forum/topic/a-particularly-nice-small-inn-in-the-emmental

Both threads have a lot of pictures.

Also-

https://www.myswissalp s.com/forum/topic/bls-sudrampe-trail

and,

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

Also–

http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en /wanderland/hiking-in-switzerland.html

and, last but far from least, as Steph noted:

http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king

Probably, you have seen that the cites and regions are detailed here:

http://www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo

Slowpoke