First time to Switzerland, include Kandersteg?

i am planning a 6 days 5 nights trip in Switzerland in May. it's my first time to Switzerland.

i have read the posts and most people travel from Zurich down. However i will be traveling from Milan up and flying off from Zurich.

the things i am planning to do are

1. Rheinfall waterfalls

2. taking a cable car up Mt Titlis/ Mt Pilatus

3. Kandersteg

with only 5 nights,

1. should i stay in Lucerne and/or Zurich?

2.i am planning to travel to Jungfraujoch. does it mean i should stay a night in Interlaken?

3. can anyone advise which should i visit Mt Titlis/ Mt Pilatus?

4. i see no one mentioning about Kandersteg though.... is it worth trying?

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good to hear you are able to visit Switzerland.

A few thoughts for you to consider. For a short stay it would probably be best to have just one base to save the time involved in unpacking, packing, checking in and out etc. Perhaps Wilderswil might suit you? It is close enough to Interlaken to allow good travel connections but quieter and prettier than Interlaken. You should check the weather forecast before going up to Jungfraujoch as it is a long and expensive trip if all you see is clouds! It is possible to do a day trip to Lucerne to visit either Titlis or Pilatus travelling the pretty route over the Brunig pass from Interlaken to Lucerne. Mt. Rigi is also a possibility from Lucerne and is free with the Swiss Travel Pass.

I would not go to the Rhine Falls unless you have late flight from Zurich in which case you could go to Zurich early in the morning, leave your luggage in lockers at Zurich and visit the falls before going to the airport.

As for Kandersteg, we like it and it would be possible as a day trip. We have visited Oeschinensee from Kandersteg and it is beautiful.

Do have some ideas in reserve in case the weather is not suitable for mountain top trips. Ballenberg Open Air museum is huge and you can see lots of interesting buildings gathered there from all over Switzerland and see exhibitions and demonstrations of traditional Swiss crafts. Or you could visit the city of Bern. Or do a lake cruise from Interlaken to Thun or on the other lake to Brienz.

You should consider a travel pass of some sort. For convenience we always get the Swiss Travel Pass as it covers all trains, buses and boats on regular routes and gives 50% on cable cars, funiculars etc. (25% on trains from Wengen/Grindelwald to Jungfraujoch) Even though you are only there for 6 days, an 8 day pass will still save you money. It will cover cost from Swiss border to your chosen resort. The other possibility is the Half Fare card which involves showing your pass to purchase tickets. Order online so you can use it straight away. You need to purchase a ticket from Milan to Swiss border and will need reservations for that leg of your journey. Reservations for trains within Switzerland are not necessary.

You can make detailed plans using the online timetable. That and the weather forecast are the most useful tools for a successful stay!

I hope this will help with your planning. Please post again if you have specific questions we can help with.

Have fun.

Maggie

Thanks Maggie! :)

We have decided to stay in Lucerne instead.

Can i check if does the Swiss Travel Pass covers the cost for Bernina Express? I do know for Glacier Express it's covered and i just have to pay for reservations fees.

Also, could you advise if we want to get to Lucerne from Milan via Bernina Express, what should the route be like?

Hi xuefang88,

The Bernina Express is covered too, except for seat reservations:

• myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/validi ty
• myswissalps.com/ berninaexpress/tickets

The route is Milan - Tirano - Chur - Lucerne or Milan - Lugano - Tirano - Chur - Lucerne. The latter includes the scenic bus ride as well. Please see myswissalps.com/ berninaexpress.

Thanks Arno! :))

I guess I'll take the first route without the bus.

In the 6 days in Switzerland, I will most like be making day trips to Grindelwald, Zurich and Interlaken from Lucerne, I guess it makes more sense to buy the half fare card right? As compared to a 8 days pass...

can train and bus tickets be bought from stations or it has to be booked online after getting the half fare pass?

<<"can train and bus tickets be bought from stations or it has to be booked online after getting the half fare pass?">>

Hi Xuefan88 -

Train tickets for any route can be bought from automated machines at every train station in Switzerland.

At manned stations, you can buy them from a real person.

Slowpoke

Thanks Slowpoke! :)

i was trying to book the seats on Bernina Express from Tirano to Lucerne. But i realise i can't do that. i only have the option from Tirano to Chur. Am I not doing it right? Or do i have to change from Bernina Express to normal train from Chur to Lucerne?

Yes, you must change trains in Chur. Bernina Express are trains from RhB (Rhätische Bahn), Chur to Lucerne are trains from SBB (Schweizische Bundes Bahn).

Greeting from the Netherlands, Brahms

The Glacier Express describes a particular set of trains with fixed starting and ending points, running on regular tracks. Other "non-Glacier Express" trains run over the same tracks at different times.

The cars offer somewhat better sightseeing windows if I recall correctly. See the link below.

As Brahms noted, the Glacier Express does not go to Luzern.

www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress

Slowpoke

Thanks Slowpoke and Brahms!

i was going to purchase the swiss travel pass (8 days) only to realise it takes more than a week to receive the pdf link for priniting. Is there any way we can get them to email us the PDF link for printing by Wednesday if we order today (Sunday)?

Hi xuefang88,

No worries, it does not take that long. Please go to www.swissrailways.com/ en, start ordering the pass, and select "Online Ticket" once they present the delivery options (bottom of the list). You will receive the pass through e-mail in 3 business days or less, so you can print it at home, or even in your hotel if needed.

Enjoy your stay!

it's stated on the booking site that it will take 7days though.....

"Online Ticket. Your order will be processed and a PDF link for printing your ticket will be sent to your email address at least 7 workings days prior to departure, unless your order was received less than 7 days before. Please remember to check your Spam Folder, should you not receive our email with the PDF link in the stipulated time."

Hi xuefang88,

Actually that's not what it says. It is indeed a confusing text, but this is what they try to explain: if you order more than a week before you travel, we (Swiss Railways) will e-mail it at least 7 days before you travel. This does not apply if you travel in less than a week from the moment you order. In that case we (Swiss Railways) will send it asap, and it takes 3 working days or less. The text does not mention the 3 working days, but the site does not let you order a pass for a date they can't issue anymore. Currently you can order passes for April 28 (Thursday) or later. I'm not sure what your actual first travel date for the pass is.

As you live in Singapore you can also order it through www.raileurope.com.sg/ pass/swiss-travel-pass-82. They will also e-mail it, in many cases within 1 business day. Today, you can still order through them to get a pass for April 27 (Wednesday). Tomorrow it won't be possible anymore. Note that you can get a discount as discussed here.