[Removed user]

19 November 2017 at 15:52:47 #813695

Hi,

I would like to start by thanking this website and the amazing people who contribute to it. It is really a wealth of resources, especially for first time travellers like us. I have gone though many posts and articles on this website but so far have not been able to figure out my itinerary.

Me and my wife have planned a 18 day trip to Europe. We start from Paris next week, on the 23rd and then move on to Switzerland, Amsterdam, Brussels and fly to Mumbai, India from there. Our plan right now is to take a train from Paris on 28th, and reach Zurich by 4 pm. Explore the city, spend the night there, and next morning move to Lucerne, spend a night there (29th) and then move to Interlaken the next day. Stay at Interlaken for 3 nights (30th, 1st, 2nd) and then move to Basel on 3rd. Explore Basel, stay the night there (3rd), and then catch a morning flight to Amsterdam.

We are aware that this is not the best time to visit the country, but it’s not like this is our only trip. This is our first trip where we just want to get the feel of this beautiful country and be back real soon with much more time at hand.

Now the questions we need help on-

1.Does the route make sense ? Or are there better suggestions in the given time. I am totally open to this.

2. Should we drop Lucerne and just make Interlaken our base ? In Interlaken, from what I gather from the forums, the real beauty is in the villages Gimmelwald, Mürren or Lauterbrunnen. How feasible is it to make any of these places our base and travel around ? We want to keep the trip relaxed, feel the place rather run around ticking checkboxes.

3. We think any one of Pillatus, Titlis and Jungfraujoch would be enough for this trip. Which one would you suggest and from where ?

4. From what I have gathered, Glacier Express wont be running in our travel days. That is a real bummer, but what other scenic train routes can we explore ?

5. We have been strongly recommended to visit Gstaad. Will it be possible in this trip ?

6. We will be taking a Eurail Select 3 country pass, and I think that would be enough and I dont need to buy a Swiss Pass on top of that. Hope that is correct ?

7.The only reason to go to Basel is that we are getting cheap flights to Amsterdam. Since we have a Eurail Pass, we don’t mind taking a night train to Amsterdam but there doesn’t seem to be any direct ones. Any suggestions on this ?

8.Any suggestions for apartments or hotels also will help. We ideally wanted to stay in a cottage with a scenic backdrop.

Apologies for the long post, but with last minute planning, this forum is my best bet.

Thanks in advance.

Ajay

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[Removed user]

20 November 2017 at 8:13:09 #872143

Hi Ajay and welcome to MySwissAlps!

1. Yes, I think that route can work for you within Switzerland.
2. I would keep Luzern and use Lauterbrunnen or Wengen as a base rather than Interlaken. You are then much closer to the”action” as it were and can relax in the area.
3. Mt Pilatus and Mt. Titlis are near Luzern whereas you would visit Jungfraujoch from Lauterbrunnen (or nearby town). Have a read through the links to see which mountain looks most interesting to you – can’t go wrong really! Jungfraujoch is by far the most expensive depending on your budget, but also the most popular in general.
4. The Glacier express would be a fair bit out of your way on this trip as well – perhaps focus on this train and Zermatt on your next planned trip. Another option is the Golden Pass route from Luzern to Montreux.
5. The Golden Pass runs through Gstaad on the way to Montreux so certainly it is possible to visit.
6. Yes, I wouldn’t think you would need both rail passes. You can read about the coverage areas on the Eurail Select Pass in Europe and Switzerland here – and how to buy it online here.
7. Yes, there are limited sleeper trains (they are slowly moving away from them unfortunately).
   There are no direct trains no, but you could take a day train connecting through Paris if you want to get the most out of your Eurail Select Pass. Or keep your original idea of flying.
8. You can find hotel suggestions for each town here: Zurich, Luzern, Basel, Interlaken, Lauterbrunnen, Wengen.

Let us know if you have further questions!

[Removed user]

20 November 2017 at 10:24:55 #872144

Hi Lucas,

Thank you so much for the reply and advice. Basis your suggestions, I have a few more queries I would like your help with-

1. If I want to visit Lucerne, Interlaken & Gstaad and then move to Basel to catch my flight to Amsterdam, does it make sense to drop Zurich altogether and come to say Lucerne directly from Paris.

2. Alternatively, if I keep Gstaad for the next trip since I don’t want to waste too much time shifting hotels, should I do Zurich(1N), Lucerne (2N), Lauterbrunnen / Wengen (2N), OR Zurich (1N), Lucerne (1N), Lauterbrunnen/ Wengen (3N)

3. Which one from Lauterbrunnen & Wengen would you suggest more. Which one will be better connected and also considering the weather, which one would be a safer bet.

4. I have purchased a Eurail Select Pass 3 Country, so where all does it help me on my trip ? Will I be able to travel internally on this pass, if not, how do I manage the internal transportation ?

5. Given the time at hand, does it make sense if I want to do both Mt. Titlis and Jungfraujoch ?

Thanks again for all the help.

[Removed user]

20 November 2017 at 16:39:27 #872145

Hi again Ajay,

1. Yes I think so
2. If you keep Zurich I’d go with the 3 nights in Lauterbrunnen/Wengen option
3. I like both – Lauterbrunnen is better connected but Wengen is a bit more scenic as per most members suggestions here (its the favourite). WEather-wise both will be the same roughly…they are very close together.
4. It will cover most travel in Switzerland but not everything – some routes a ticket must be purchased still (at a discount). You can read about what is covered by the Eurail Select Pass on point#6 on my last post.
5. I would look at doing both if the weather is good yes. If the weather is good on Mt Titlis (first stop) go up and enjoy – you’ll regret it if you get to Jungfraujoch and the weather is too poor to bother going up – at least you got to Mt. Titlis! Be sure to check the weather the night before or day of your intended trip to a mountain to be sure it isn’t cloudy/miserable and will ruin your views before buying tickets.