Help in planning 10-day itinerary Lucerne to Milan

Hi,

My family of 2 adults & 2 teenagers are planning to visit Switzerland in December 2015

Our Itinerary is as follows :

- 10 Dec - Train from Stuttgart to Lucerne

- 11 Dec - Visit Zurich or sightseeing in Lucerne

- 12 Dec - Lucerne (visit Mt Pilatus or Mt. Rigi)

- 13 Dec - Lucerne -> Interlaken -> Montreux (Golden Pass Line)

- 14 Dec - Montreux (sight seeing around Montreux)

- 15 Dec - Montreux (day trip to Laussane or Geneva)

- 16 Dec - Montreux -> Zermatt

- 17 Dec - Zermatt (cog railway to Gornergrat)

- 18 Dec - Zermatt -> Chur (Glacier Express)

- 19 Dec - Chur -> Tirano (Bernina Express) -> Milan

I need advice whether this itinerary is alright. If not, please kindly suggest a better itinerary, we are interested in scenic places. Thank you in advance for your help.

Best Regards, Wilbows

Hi Wilbows, thanks for joining us!

Your itinerary looks fine to me. It involves a lot of train traveling, but making scenic train trips is actually one of the best attractions early December. It's kind of low season then, as ski season hasn't started yet, and some cable cars won't be running. That doesn't apply to the mountain tops you want to visit though, so no worries. Here are a few more tips and links:

• the timetable allows you to plan each trip in detail
• on December 11, I'd personally prefer Lucerne instead of Zurich. It saves traveling time and Lucerne and its region are definitely worth it to spend a couple of days
• for December 12, both Pilatus and Rigi would be fine. If weather is good, you'd even manage to visit them both. Rigi can be combined with a boat trip over Lake Lucerne. Also, mind that the entire Rigi trip is free with a Swiss Travel Pass (Flex);
• for December 15: Lausanne generally isn't the prettiest town for tourists. Another day in the immediate Montreux area may be more interesting;
• for December 18: mind to make your Glacier Express bookings well in advance
• for December 19: if you want to travel by Bernina Express (instead or local trains on the same route), you'll have to book seats in advance too.

You'll be traveling a lot, so a rail pass should be considered. You may look into the Swiss Travel Pass Flexi Combi, allowing a couple of free travel days (to be used for the longer and expensive transfers) and 50% discount on days in between. A 15 day Swiss Travel Pass would be the most comfortable solution, but you'd have to calculate whether it's worth its money. Here's how to pick the right pass: myswissalps.com/train/ ticketspasses/practica l/chooserailpass.

Hi Annika,

Thank you very much for your very prompt reply.

If we do not plan to ski ,do you think it is worth going to Zermatt ?

Hi wilbows,

In my opinion Zermatt is still worth it. Its surroundings are beautiful, and you can visit viewing points like Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn. You can also make winter hikes or enjoy snow activities , like sledging. Please refer to Zermatt tourism for more tips.