Help with a 3 Day itinerary - Lucerne / Interlaken

I am Arun travelling from California to Europe for the first time with my wife and 2.5 year old son. I went through the forum and picked up lots of information. Now I need your help to finalize my itinerary. I am planning to Drive from Munich in August. The entire trip will be covered by Car except for places where I cant drive like Jungfrau

Arun

Welcome to MySwissAlps Arun! I'm glad to hear that the website has been useful for you so far.

Let's take a look at your questions. Since you're staying two nights in Lucerne first, I'd spend some time in that region on day 2, instead of traveling to the Jungfrau region and back. Lake Lucerne is beautiful and it would be a shame not to explore it as long as Lucerne is your base town. It will also save traveling time on day 2. Please find tips for activities here. This will of course take some time off from your plans the Jungfrau region, so in that case it will be hard make all trips you had in mind. If you still have some time on the morning of day 4 before heading for Lake Como, you may be able to visit the Trümmelbach falls or the Männlichen then.

Yes, a rail pass definitely makes sense. Mountain transportation in Switzerland is expensive. For example, just the combination of a return trip to the Jungfraujoch plus a return trip to the Männlichen, both from Lauterbrunnen, already justifies bying a Swiss Half Fare Card. Please find purchase options here. Mind that there's a discount when ordering online.

Apart from your accommodation and, if you want, your rail passes, you don't have to book anything in advance. Just buy tickets for boat trips or mountain transportation on the spot, showing your Swiss Half Fare Card.

I hope this helps you finalize your plans!

Dear Annika,

Thanks for putting a lot of information together.

I am travelling from the NL on 11-Aug for 4 days (11 thru 14) with my family and I have booked hotels with certain assumptions..

11-Aug - Rhine falls and back to Interlakken (Hotel booked in Interlakken)

12-Aug Jungfrau and back to Lucerne (hotel booked in Lucerne for 12 and 13)

13-Aug Trips around Lucerne/

14-Aug Trips to be planned .. Train from Zurich in the night.

Not sure if this involves too much of travel but I can still change..I came to know there is a boat trip from Interlakken to Lucerne. How to use it and is it covered in the Swiss Pass?

What would be your recommednations for 13 and 14th!???

Sairam

Welcome to MySwissAlps Sairam!

If I were you, I'd spend August 11 in the Interlaken region too. It's a splendid region with lots to do; please find tips here. You could visit the Rhine Falls on August 14 before heading off from Zurich.You will find further tips for August 13 on the Lucerne activities page. If you still have some time left in Zurich, you can check the Zurich day trips page.

There's no boat trip from Interlaken to Lucerne. You can do part of the trip by boat though, from Interlaken to Brienz. In Brienz you can switch to a train that will take you to Lucerne via the Brünig Pass. You can plan your trips with the aid of the timetable.

As for Swiss Pass coverage: this validity map shows all details. Purchase options can be found here. The promo tab shows whether disounts are available.

By the way, you've indicated that the Netherlands are your country of residence, so you may want to know that there's a Dutch forum too. You've now posted your question in an existing topic, but in general it's better to create a new topic for your specific queries.

Does this help you plan your trip? Have a great stay in Switzerland!

Thanks for your reply. I looked into the below where I saw a boat trip from Interlaken to Lucerne.

http://bls.ch/d/schifffahrt/fahrplan-brienz-sommer-14.pdf

Hi Sairam,

There is no waterway connecting Interlaken with Lucerne. The timetable you are referring to shows connections between the two towns, but the leg from Brienz to Lucerne is by train. Interlaken to Brienz can be done by boat. There's a blue symbol in the first column showing the mode of transport.

Kind regards,

Arno

Thank you so much for your inputs. I went ahead and ordered 2 swiss half fare cards . I have also modified my trip based on your inputs. Let me know your thoughts:

Day 2 - Lucerne to Interlaken OST by train (pref using the golden pass train). Then Trip to Jungrau. On the way back , stop in Grimelwald and take gondola to Mannlichen. Finally take the train back from interlaken ost to lucerne.

Welcome back Arun! Glad to hear that you've reached a decision concerning rail passes. The Swiss Half Fare Card is a good fit indeed.

It seems like you still plan to stay in Lucerne on day 1 and 2 and in Lauterbrunnen on day 3 and 4. If so, you can better change your plans and visit Lake Lucerne on day 2 and the Jungfraujoch on day 3 like I explained in my previous post. Did you use the timetable to check traveling times?

On your way back from the Jungfraujoch, I assume you mean to visit Grindelwald (not Gimmelwald, which is quite off the route)? You may have enough time to visit the Männlichen, but do so only if skies are still clear.

You won't manage to squeeze in a visit to a chocolate factory, but you may be able to visit the daily chocolate show in restaurant Schuh in Interlaken. That would be a nice alternative.