which pass? itinerary?

Hello,

I will be in switzerland August 27th arriving in Basel around 14:00 with my boyfriend. . We will then travel to Interlaken where we are staying for 2 nights. I would like to travel to Wengen/Lauterbrunnen/Kleine Scheidegg during one full day to see the villages. Then on the third day, the 29th we will be travelling to Zurich to attend zurich openair concert for one night- stay the night there then see the city in the morning then leave for Basel in the afternoon. Stay the night in Basel and leave from Basel airport in the morning.

So:

Day 1, august 27th : arrive in basel, travel to lauterbrunnen stay the night

Day 2: visit wengen, mannlichen or murren, hike to lauterbrunnen

Day 3: interlaken- lake cruise on lake thun or brienz, travel to zurich- concert at night

Day 4: walk around zurich in morning, travel to basel in afternoon, stay ngiht

day 5: depart basel airport

How does this itinerary sound? At first, We were only going to stay in Interlaken for 3 nights then Basel one night - but we really want to see the concert in Zurich the 29th- is this feasible? and which pass would be best?

Thanks for any suggestions!!

Teresa

Hi Teresa,

Thank you for posting here! Your plan sounds fine with me. If the concert is a "must" then this is a good way to enjoy the Alps for a few days. A suggestion for day 3 is to take the boat from Interlaken Ost to Brienz, then take a direct train to Lucerne from there (Golden Pass line). Then change to Zurich.

From your description I am not sure if you spend the nights in Interlaken or Lauterbrunnen or both. These are very difference towns. Interlaken is city-like, touristy, with many shops and restaurants. Lauterbrunnen is surrounded by mountains and very small. I would suggest Lauterbrunnen since you will already by staying in a city (Zurich).

A 4-day Swiss Saver Pass fits your plans, and you can get a substantial discount on it (see here). You would use it from day 1 to 4. On day 5, you will get free transportation anyway if you book a hotel in Basel, or an airport hotel. See the links for more information and hotel suggestions.

If you are both 25 years old or younger you can buy the cheaper Swiss Youth Pass, and still get the additional discount I mentioned. Swiss Pass and Swiss Youth Pass information can be found on www.myswissalps.com/swisspass.

Thank you Annika for your reply! I will take your suggestion to go from Interlaken > Brienz > Lucerne > Zurich. We are booked to stay in Lauterbrunnen for the first 2 nights btw.

Thanks for the suggestion for the 4 day swiss pass - we will buy those.