[Removed user]

4 January 2018 at 15:58:08 #813936

Hi there,

I am planning a trip for me and my partner, first arriving in Zurich on 15 Feb in the morning. We only have 4 days, and would like to ideally do a roundtrip that involves a scenic train ride, perhaps some hot bath/spa, and hiking around the countryside (if any) so that we land back in Zurich on 19 Feb as we continue our journey to Austria for skiing after that.

I’ve heard much about the glacier express but am wondering if there would be anything else to do there if I’m making a trip there and then back to Zurich.

Would you also be so kind to advise what would be the best thing to do in Switzerland (other than skiing) during this time of year? We’re open to ideas in general 🙂

Thank you and look forward to your recommendation.

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[Removed user]

4 January 2018 at 18:00:53 #873579

Hi edmundkhoo and welcome to MySwissAlps!

Hiking in February will mostly be snowshoeing due to snow levels unless you stay around Zurich itself but then you aren’t seeing any Alps. The best thing to do in Switzerland is quite subjective 😉 So I can’t answer that question for you. Skiing would be the most popular thing here in February I think.

Also, have you booked all 4 nights in Zurich? I would not stay there for all 4 days unless you want to just relax, shop, spa and see museums. If you want mountain scenery and hiking/snowshoeing options you have to look elsewhere – like the Jungfrau region or Zermatt.

What about 2 nights in Zurich and 2 nights in Zermatt? Zermatt has the mountains of course as well as lovely hotels with spas and you can take the Glacier Express back to Zurich (via Chur).

In Zurich there are many museums to enjoy and a great Spa (http://www.thermalbad-zuerich.ch/?chglang=en)

[Removed user]

5 January 2018 at 12:39:52 #873580

Thank you Lucas!

Jungfrau does look amazing. We’re more of a scenery and prefer the outdoor type activity. Would there be a nice train route which would take us to Zermatt, stay for 1-2 nights, and then to Jungfrau (or vice versa), and then back to Zurich?

I haven’t booked any of my accommodation yet so it’s still flexible for me.

[Removed user]

5 January 2018 at 14:19:28 #873581

Yes certainly – the trains here can take you virtually anywhere you want. It will just depend on how long a trip you want to make. For example, Zurich airport to Zermatt is about 3.5 hours with 1 or maybe 2 trains changes depending on which train you select.

Use the Swiss railways timetable to plan out your trips for each day – timetable.
Your first 1 or 2 nights in Zermatt, then 1 or 2 nights in the Jungfrau region and then your last night in Zurich could work just fine.

You could then take a part of the Glacier Express route (from Zermatt to Brig or as far as Andermatt for example) on your way to the Jungfrau region.

http://www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress/gettingth ere

[Removed user]

7 January 2018 at 4:34:52 #873582

Thanks once again, Lucas! I have a couple of questions…

May I ask what kind of railway passes should I be looking out for. I was checking out a single trip from Zurich to Zermatt and it cost around 120 Euros which I thought was quite expensive. Is there a cheaper way to go about doing these bookings?

Besides, do you know if the hiking trails recommended by your website at Zermatt can be done during this time of the year?

Also, I wanted to get a sense of overall budget. How much should I be setting aside for this 4-day trip for 2 persons for railway and accommodation?

Thanks!

[rockoyster]

7 January 2018 at 6:20:34 #873583

Hello Edmund,

A 4-day Swiss Travel Pass will cost you CHF270. You then get to travel just about anywhere for free (except on some mountain transport eg Jungfraujoch 25% discount, Gornergrat out of Zermatt 50% discount). It makes sense if you expect to spend more than CHF70/day on average for travel. Let’s say a round trip Zurich to Zermatt costs you CHF 240 (I didn’t check that – just going off the figure you mentioned). That’s maybe two days travel so you only need to spend CHF 15 on the other two days to break even. Anything you spend above that is a bonus plus by and large you don’t need to buy tickets. Just hop on a train and go where you will.

Another alternative is the Swiss Half Fare Card. Costs CHF120 and from then on you only pay 50% of full fare for most transport. You need to buy tickets for every trip spend CHF 240 (based on full fare prices) to break even. Then everything after that is 50% saving.

You just need to work out what trips you will do and do the math. See http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

The Swiss Travel Pass is super convenient. Take a look at the map on this page http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity to see where it is valid.

If you go to Zermatt make sure that at least in one direction between Spiez and Zermatt you go via Kandersteg. You will then travel on the Regio-Express Lötschberger train over the traditional, more than 100 year old mountain route, giving you a wonderful view along the impressive peaks and down into the Rhone Valley.

[Removed user]

7 January 2018 at 9:25:38 #873584

The Swiss Travel Pass is probably a good idea for you – check out the links in Rockoyster’s posts for more details. On the validity link, scroll down to the 2nd page on the PDF and you can see the panorama train routes of Switzerland to visualize them better (Regio-Express Lötschberger and others).

As for hotel details, each town page we have lists several good options that we recommend. You can look up the towns we list here, or use the search box.

For ideas on how to budget in Switzerland (costs add up quickly for hotels, meals etc.) click here.