Choosing base for 15 nights stay – Alps focused

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    11 April 2017 at 9:49:45 #811363

    Hi there

    We are a group of 5 adults ( age between 20 to 50) , arriving in Zurich for a 15 nights stay in late June

    We would like to spend most of the time enjoying the Swiss alps going for long day walks and with a few days spend in the city.

    1 ) My basic plan is :

    Day 1 : Zurich

    Day 2 to 7 : Berner Oberland : would staying at Wengen be a good base? (6 nights)

    Day 8 to 10 : Zermatt (3 nights)

    Day 11 to 13 : Luzern (3 nights)

    Day 14 to 15: Zurich (2 nights) …..Fly home to Singapore

    Is this route ok ?

    Are there any particular place that you think we should stay other than the above?

    2) We would be probably buying the Swiss pass, on which route should we do a scenic train ride?

    And which scenic train ride would you recommend?

    Regards

    Jeanie

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    dayhikers
    Participant
    22 posts
    11 April 2017 at 12:49:22 #861332

    We did almost the same itinerary a few years ago, although we went to Zermatt first and stayed 5 nights. Wengen was a great base for hiking, and it was easy to get to Interlaken or Thun or other town for a rest day. All train rides were scenic except we happened on a route to Brig that went through a long tunnel. Check routes before choosing your itinerary. There are many choices. From Lucerne you can take trains to start of various hiking trails. Have fun!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    11 April 2017 at 17:10:10 #861333

    Hi Jeanie,

    Yes, that looks like a pretty nice itinerary for you. The 15 day Swiss Travel Pass is a good choice!

    You can read more about Wengen here, it is a good choices for hiking in the Bernese Oberland for sure.
    You may want to add a night in Luzern and remove it from Zurich if you want to focus on the Alps and mountain experiences – Zurich has more museums, high-end restaurants and shopping etc but nothing in the way of mountains really.

    Have a look at the 4 “scenic” panoramic trains in Switzerland – as dayhikers said above, all the trains are scenic – except when traveling through the Gotthard base tunnel (57 km long!). From Zermatt you can take the panoramic Glacier Express to Chur and then find your way back to Luzern if you like – its a very popular train ride!

    You may want to look at staying in Montreux – its a pretty city on Lake Geneva, but may or may not be as focused on hiking as you want.

    Lucas

    Regards,
    Lucas

    AlanPrice
    Participant
    279 posts
    11 April 2017 at 23:51:47 #861334

    Hi!

    Looks like a great trip! One alternative to consider would be (if possible) to extend your trip a few days and rent a holiday apartment for a week in Zermatt and do the same in Wengen or Grindelwald. Holiday apartments are usually rented for 7 days and are a great way to save money and there are hundreds of places in all categories to choose from. My wife and I usually spend a week in Grindelwald and then a week in Zermatt. We have our favourite FeWos (Holiday Apartments) and only use hotels for the day we arrive and the night before we leave.

    Have a quick look at the Zermatt FeWo page to get an Idea of what you can get.

    http://www.zermatt.ch/en/acco mmodations/book-Hotels-Apartments#/

    Cheers

    Alan

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    12 April 2017 at 3:25:21 #861335

    Thanks all for the replies.

    I would love to extend my trip but due to work commitments it is not possible.

    Nevertheless I will add 1 more night to Luzern and reduce my stay in Zurich.

    I would definitely avoid the Gotthard base tunnel ride. Thank you so much for the warning.

    With your excellent advice I can now proceed to book my accommodations.

    Lucas, Alanprice and Dayhikers….your inputs are greatly appreciated.

    So excited, cant wait to get to Switzerland.

    Cheers

    Jeanie

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