Help on Planning 5D/4N in Switzerland in April

Hello,

Me and my wife will be visiting Switzerland in the month of April for 4N / 5D. The exact dates and our plan is as below. We plan to stay in Lucerne for the duration.

18/04/2016 (Mon) - Travel from Paris to Switzerland by rail or flight (whatever is cheaper).

(a) Whether by rail / flight : Paris to Geneva (border station) and Geneva to Lucerne using Swiss Travel Pass for free. Travel will be in morning so expect to reach Lurcerne by 1:00 pm or so.

(b) Check in at hotel and soon after take a train to Schaffhausen to visit the Rhine Falls.

(c) Evening at leisure to walk around in Lucerne in nearby areas after returning from the falls.

Questions : (1) Hopefully the train from Lucerne to Schaffhausen (via Zurich) will be free due to the Swiss Travel Pass with no reservations needed ?

(2) What is the maximum time we will be able to / alllowed to visit the Rhine Falls (considering in case we get late to reach hotel and move out again). Also, is there any charges to use the boat to reach the rock at the middle of falls?

(3) Any other recommendations for this day ?

19/04/2016 (Tue) - Mt. Titlis

(a) Lucerne to Engelberg (Talstation) for Free using Swiss Pass

(b) Engelberg to Trubsee (Gondola)

(c) Trubsee to Stand (Cableway)

(d) Stand to Kleintitlis (Revolving Cable Car)

(e) Spend time on top, visit the Glacier Park and return via the same path.

Questions : (1) Hopefully the above path to reach Titlis is correct ? Is the Talstation different from the normal Engelberg rail station or its the same ?

(2) I assume only the journey till Talstation will be free using the Swiss Travel Pass ? How much does the tickets from Talstation to the top (Gondola + Cableway + Rotair) cost ? (return fare & including entry to Glacier Park) and will this be discounted due to the Pass ?

(3) When moving from Gondola to the Cableway to Rotair, in case we miss one due to over crowding etc. are we allowed to take the next one without extra cost ?

(4) Starting around 8:00 am from Lucerne, how soon can we complete the Mt. Titlis visit ? Based on this, what other suggestions for the rest of the day ?

20/04/2016 (Wed) - Jungfrau

(a) Lucerne to Interlaken OST (Free with pass)

(b) Interlaken OST to Lauterbrunnen (or Grindelwald) to Kleine Scheidegg

(c) Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfraujoch

Questions : (1) Which is the better path to the Jungfrau - via Lauterbrunnen or Grindelwald ? Any difference in the two paths ?

(2) From Interlaken OST to Jungfrau via Lauterbrunnen / Grindelwald, is that part free as well or discounted ? How much would be the return fare ?

(3) How long would be this trip from Lucerne to Jungfrau and back starting around 8:00 am to 9:00 am. Is there a possibility to include something else on this day ?

(4) If we plan to take the Golden Pass from Interlaken (after returning from Jungfrau) can we make it to Montreaux for Chateau de Chillon and be back to hotel by night / close of day ? or would it be advisable / do-able to visit the Chateau first and then take the Panoramic Golden Pass to Interlaken and hence forth to the Jungfrau ?

(5) Is the Golden Pass Panoramic free using the Swiss Travel Pass ? Is a reservation required beforehand or we can simply board showing the Pass ?

(6) Is there any separate charges at the Jungfrau ?

21/04/2016 (Thu) - Glacier Express

(a) Plan to take the Glacier Express for enjoying the scenic beauty of Switzerland.

Questions (1) The entire route from Zermatt to St. Moritz and back to Lucerne using regular train might not be possible in a single day (or is it ?) so what would be the best stations to board from ? Considering we start in morning from Lucerne. We would like to spend majority of our journey in the scenic Glacier Express so would want to do the max journey possible ?

(2) Are prior reservations necessary for the Glacier Express or is it a free journey using the Swiss Travel Pass ?

(3) Considering we are staying in Lucerne, is the Glacier Express suggested or the Bernina or some other Panoramic Scenic Train / Boat ?

22/04/2016 (Fri) - Depart from Swiss

(a) We will be taking a 4-day Swiss Travel Pass so this day being the 5th, buy a point-to-point ticket for two people from Lucerne to Geneva.

(b) Afternoon flight from Geneva to London.

Questions : (1) Does a point-to-point ticket cost more if bought on the spot (at the station) compared to booking online ? This is coz we might not be able to pre-judge our departure time and might have to miss a train.

Based on the above plan, would you suggest to include anything more / less in the trip ?

What place would be good for some adventure sports like Paragliding / Sky Diving etc. and how much do they cost approx ?

Hi sskundu,

Good to see you're finalizing your travel plans. Let's start off with some general advice that will answer a couple of your questions:

• in order to find travelling times and decide what's doable in one day, you'd best consult the timetable as explained in your previous topic. It allows you to plan each journey in detail. If you're having problems extracting options from the timetabe, please let us know;
• the Swiss Travel Pass validity is explained at this page : www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity. It includes a detailed downloadable coverage map and a list of major attractions and their discounts.

Now, as for your other questions:

• April 18: you don't need seat reservations; please find information at our seat reservation page. Information on the Rhine Falls can be found at our Rhine Falls page. The Swiss Travel Pass doesn't provide discounts on the boat crossing the river. I wouldn't include any other activities this day if I were you;
• April 19: please refer to our Titlis page for information on this trip. It includes a description of the route, a link to the Titlis website showing tickets costs (50% off with the Swiss Travel Pass), etcetera. Cable cars depart frequently and it's no problem to wait and take the next one. As April is low season, it will probably not be crowded. This trip will take pretty much all day. You can do some exploring in Lucerne once you're back;
• April 20: our Jungfraujoch page provides information and links. You'd best make a return trip covering both the Lauterbrunnen/Wengen and the Grindelwald route, as described at www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/gettingther e. It's way too much to travel to Montreux and back on the same day. You can enjoy part of the Golden Pass route when traveling from Lucerne to Interlaken. Details are at the Golden Pass page. You'd better find an additional activity closer to Interlaken for the afternoon, like a boat trip over Lake Thun.
• April 21: you'd better stop in Chur and head back for Lucerne there, as suggested in your previous topic. Please see our Glacier Express page for details. Recommended scenic trips closer to Lucerne are listed at www.myswissalps.com/la kelucerne.
• April 22: you can easily buy your regular ticket Lucerne-Geneva at the rail station before leaving. Alternatively, you can check beforehand whether cheaper supersaver tickets are available (please see the SBB website). They're bound to one specific train though.

I don't think there's time left to include adventure sports. Your itinerary is quite full the way it is now. You can take at look at the Interlaken Tourism page to explore the options though.