MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Grand Tour of Switzerland by car in Sept
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We have been planning our Switzerland trip since 2019. Actually, planning started when I purchased our Passion Play tickets and we said lets include a driving trip in Switzerland. A lot of water over the damn since then.
Passion play canceled and covid-19. We have a car and flights booked for September.
Itinerary as planned.
Arrive Zurich September 13 and drive to Brunnen.
Four nights in Brunnen. Side trips to Luzern and local.
Drive to Appenzell for one night. This will really be our starting point for our Grand Tour.
Drive to Zermatt for two nights.
Drive to Lugano for three nights.
Drive to Zermatt for two nights.
Drive to Lausanne for three nights.
Drive to Neuchatel for three nights.
Drive to Lauterbrunnen for two nights.
Drive to Zurich for four nights.
Return to US on the eighth.
Twenty four nights. The Grand Tour has the route laid out…programmed into my GPS. Most driving days are no more than two hours.
I looked at the STP and half price card. The half price travel card seems to be our best option. Reserving a travelers wifi and I think I will get a local SIM card for my wifes phone…local calls…
Thats my plan and I am sticking to it.
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Dear Richard123,
Wonderful that you are planning to come to Switzerland! I can imagine your anticipation…
As to your plans: other members of this forum will probably be more “in the know“, but perhaps you could be somehow more specific as to your plans when you arrive in the locations you stay in: what are your points of interest: art, music, nature, hiking… There is so much to see, to attend to and to experience… I can understand your urge “to see it all“, but I’m sorry to say: at some point your internal hard drive disc will be overloaded…. Please let us know!
By the way I really appreciate your line “A lot of water over the damn since then.”
Best regard from the Netherlands!
Hi Richard 123,
Twenty four days to explore Switzerland! That sounds exciting. I guess you Grand Tour itinerary is all sorted.
As you will be travelling with a car, I think you might find the Swiss Half Fare Card useful to get discounts on boats, mountain trains and cable cars. Have a look at this link too for practical tips about driving in Switzerland: http://www.myswissalps.com/car
You can find information about the travelers wifi’s current promotion here: http://www.myswissalps.com/simcard
Regards,
Anna
If you have seen the Grand Tour of Switzerland, each driving day is well laid out. The different stays are laid out as side trips in the Grand Tour…example Lauterbrunnen…Piz Gloria…James bond lunch..can’t wait.
I will admit that we have taken a very laid back approach and don’t want to cram to much into each day…
Looked as if the Swiss Half Fare Card would be our best bet.
Hi Richard123,
You’re very wise to take a laid back approach – so you can enjoy every moment of your journey! I’m just glad to know that you’ve sorted everything out. So enjoy the preparations and your visit to Switzerland. Perhaps you can let us know about your adventures…!
Two 76 year olds…how much trouble could we possible get into!
Hi Richard123,
Well… I wouldn’t know – haha :). Only a slight hickup: in the area more up north from Arnhem, where I live, there is a saying: “You can just break a finger in a bowl of porridge”…! So you will be enjoying your trip!!
Sounds like a GREAT trip!! Especially with only 2 hours or so per day in the car.
And you do know that there are no cars allowed in Zermatt?
Yes…we are actually staying very close to the arrival train at the Butterfly!
Thanks for the advice.
Hi Richard123. Your plans sound exciting!
I agree with Anna that a Swiss Half Fare Card is a good option, but I’d also like to mention the Swiss Travel Pass Flex. You can use it for the days on which you’ll be making the longest and most expensive trips by train, bus, boat and mountain transportation. Since it’s currently 25% discounted, it might be interesting for your trip. Please see
- http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpassflex
- http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/swiss-travel-pass-25-off-for-trips-in-20212022
If you want to calculate which pass is most economical, you can use these tips: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass.
Thank you. I think the half price card will be my best bet.
Your planning ideas are the best. Thanks
It sound slike a great trip. After having traveled to Switzerland many times,.I found trying to stay in one place three or more nights is best. I say Lauterbrennan was only 2 nights . WE stay in Wengen usually 6 to 7 nights because you can hike by cable car so many places and the mountain cabled car/ train/boat/ pas is a little bit cheaper when you use it for more days. I also found that the driving can be stressful when you are stuck in a trafffic jam oputside of Zurich, trying to stay away from double trailer trucks that do not care if you are in theri passing lane, and the very long tunnels. Also we go to Switzerland to hike and not to drive. I found that mountain experience is much the same with each mountain having a big cable car, a walk on a scarey see through glass bridge, and maybe a thrill ride down. Think about less driving, more staying in one hotel for several days so you do’n’t was te time packing up and settling in. You need to plan for some bad rainy days that will ruin your time in Zermatt or other mountain locations. Spend more time at Wengen. You will love Swtizerland and want to go back so don’t expect to see it all in one trip, I driven a stick shift in Switzerland many times but now opt to pay more for the automatic. I found the shifting down and up on the very scarey switchback passes can be quite stressful. Automatic takes away the grinding of the gears but still has ther same thrill of drving. if you have time consider going to Chamonix, It has the highest chairlaift cable car ride. You can ride for over 45 minuers across the Mont Blanc Glacier. If it is not too late, we often fly into Zurich and leave from Geneva, We spend our last three days Chamonix, hiking and enjoying the great shopping, It is also cheaper than Switzerland but with really great calbe car hiking, year round skiing, and year round thrills.
Thank you for the great suggestions…wife and I are 76…she had hip surgery this past spring….hiking will not be in our cards…however..the cable car ride will be.
thanks again.
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