Itinerary for 5 days 4 nights in April

Hi Expert, my husband and I will be travelling from Milan to Switzerland on 22-Apr-2016 and will be leaving Switzerland to Paris on 26-Apr-2016. Could you please advise which location is good to stay if we would like to visit:

1. Either Mt. Jungfraujoch (including Grindelwald, Staubbach Falls @ Lauterbrunnen) OR Mt. Titlis,
2. Lake Thun/Lake Brienz,
3. Either Mt. Rigi OR Mt. Pilatus.

Thank you in advance!

Hi ericjuliana, thanks for joining us!

Some of your destinations are close to the Interlaken region (Jungfraujoch, Grindelwald, Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, Lauterbrunnen, the Staubbach fall), others are in the Lucerne region (Titlis, Pilatus, Rigi). So both cities, or smaller nearby towns, would make for good bases. The easiest option may be to book a few nights in or near Interlaken, and a few nights in Lucerne. That will limit traveling times. If you pick one base town only, you'll have to make some long day trips to reach all destinations. The timetable will help you with details on all connections.

Once your itinerary is set, you should to look into rail passes to save on traveling costs.

Hi Annika, thank you for the information. We plan to stay 2 nights at Interlaken and 2 nights at Lucerne.If we go in from Milan, and on departure, our next destination is Paris, which city (Interlaken/Lucerne) should be our first base?

Hi ericjuliana,

In that case you'd best start in Interlaken and then visit Lucerne. Your trip to Paris can start in Zurich or Basel. Please refer to www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy and www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/france for details on the Italian and French legs of your trip.

Hi Annika, we have a rough idea on the schedule, please advise if the following itinerary is doable? And does it worth getting the 4-days Swiss Pass for the following itinerary?

Day 1 - Travelling from Milan-Interlaken (via Spiez). Reached Interlaken at 11am, check-in at hotel and visit Schilthorn / Lake Thun / Lake Brienz.

Day 2 - If weather permits, go up to Jungfraujoch in the morning. And visit Kleine Scheidegg, Grindelwald, Trummelbach, Staubbach Falls @ Lauterbrunnen in the afternoon.

Day 3 - Travelling from Interlaken-Lucerne. Reached Lucerne at 10am, check-in at hotel and visit Mt. Rigi.

Day 4 - If weather permits, go up to Mt. Titlis (Lucerne - Engelberg - Klientitils - Engleberg - Hergiswil - Lucerne)

Day 5 - Travelling from Lucerne-Paris (via Basel).

Many thanks!

Hi ericjuliana,

Most of your itinerary looks fine in my opinion. I do think your plans for day 1 are a bit too ambitious. Depending on your exact time of arrival in Interlaken, it's more realistic do to either Schilthorn or Lake Thun or Lake Brienz. Two out of three could be combined; doing all three would be too much. Your planning for the other days is certainly doable.

Yes, the 4 day Swiss Travel Pass would be a comfortable option for your journey. It will cover regular train, bus and boat trips and provide discounts on mountain rides like Jungfraujoch, Schilthorn and Titlis. The ride to the Rigi is for free. The Swiss leg of your inbound journey from Italy is covered too, up from Domodossola. Purchase options are in our Price section. The easiest option is to get a print at home ticket, without any additional fees, through www.swissrailways.com. You'd need regular additional tickets for day 5.

If you want to calculate which pass is most economical, you can follow the guidelines in our "How to choose" section.

Hi Annika,

If we purchase train ticket from Milan to Domodossola. Upon reaching Domodossola, do we need to change train station in order to continue the train ride to Interlaken (via Spiez)?

Thanks!

Hi ericjuliana,

Assuming you'll take a direct train you can stay seated. Simply buy a ticket Milan - Domodossola in advance. In your case, you can do so through www.raileurope.com.sg/ train/italian-international-trains. (more options here). These tickets are cheap (around € 10) if you buy well in advance.

Hi Arno, thank you for the information. May I know how do we activate the Swiss Travel Pass without getting off the train at Domodossola?

Hi ericjuliana,

Sure, you can validate it on the train. No need to get off in Domodossola unless you want to. Please see myswissalps.com/ swisstravelpass/ howtouse. If you buy your pass through www.swissrailways.com/ en you can select the first travel date and simply print it at home. This is a valid pass and there's nothing left to do on board. Be sure to pick "Online Ticket" when they ask for delivery options.