Jul 29, 2015 - 6:20 PM
Hello SafaSaleem, and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Let's take a look at your questions. No, one day is not enough to really explore the Alps. You could spend weeks there without getting bored. Zurich isn't located close to the Alps and traveling times are quite long; please consult the timetable. All you can do within one day is visit a viewing point. If you're lucky, skies are clear and you'll enjoy fantastic views.
If you like to see snow, that narrows down the options a bit. Generally there is snow on the higher Alps in August. However, this summer has been extremely dry and hot so far, causing much of the snow to melt. So you'll have to look for the really high viewing points. In all, I think the Titlis near Lucerne is your best bet. It's about 1h50 by train from Zurich to Engelberg, where you can get in the cable car.
For one day in Zurich and one day in the Alps, you can consider either:
- a Zurich Card (please find a link at our Zurich travel page) plus regular full fare tickets for your trip to the mountains, or
- a Swiss Half Fare Card, allowing a 50% discount on all trips. This may be cheaper if you plan some more long and expensive trip, or include a long boat trip over Lake Zurich.
Please follow
these guidelines to calculate which option works out best for you.