Appenzell, Pontresina, Bellinzona, Luzern in May

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    11 February 2017 at 0:50:56 #810780

    well i think we have decided on an itinerary and i hope someone can give me some feed back. first morning in basel off to zurich train station to drop luggage hope on train to Appenzell stay overnight and spend morning exploring early afternoon get Bernina Expres to st moritz Pontresina area stay overnight in pontresina next late morning take the train to Tirano and then fus to Lugano area stay overnight in Bellinzina since we will be there friday night check out the marker on saturday and later in the morning head to Fluelen and take the boat up to Luzern spend two nights in Luzern do mtn pilatus if weather is good and if weather is nice the following day take the golden pass train to interlocken area or if poor go straight to montreux thanks for any insite.

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    11 February 2017 at 13:09:10 #858893

    Hi misschloe,

    The Bernina Express only operates in the morning, but in the afternoon you can take any train on the same route. Overall your itinerary looks fine to me, provided that you are ok with staying only one night in some of the towns. That leaves very little time for sightseeing. You have included wonderful scenic routes.

    For hotel suggestions, please see here. For train passes, please check our pass section.

    Please use some punctuation marks in your next posts. It makes it much easier to read. Thanks!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    12 February 2017 at 16:50:19 #858894

    hi thanks for tip on the bernina express. and yes I was being lazy writing out my question the other day, sorry thanks for persevering.
    we have decided on the tight schedule thinking we would have time in each town and perhaps there will not be too much snow for us to get a few small hikes in. I understand that the cities like Luzern that are on the lake will be more spring like? hopefully!! but we are prepared for a little taste of winter weather and we really do hope that we can get up into the alpine a little bit.

    We’ve mixed in some of the warmer climate towns, but really not sure if I am correct in my assumptions? we do only have the eight days and we hoped that we could at least get a taste of what seems to be an amazing country. we are from western Canada so we do like the outdoors but love the cities as well.

    this is our first time on such a trip so just want to make it the best possible. considering the time of year we are travelling I was thinking of flexibility in case the weather in say the interlocken/Thun area was poor we could just go straight to Montreux than swing back up the Thun and on to mt Pilatus when/if the weather improved and then onto Luzern. providing we don’t just get the boat from Fluelen.

    oh one more question do the hotels charge more if you just walk in compared to prebooking? we have not booked all our hotels yet trying to have flexibility. we do have Appenzell, pontresina and bellinzona and two nights in Luzern booked though and of course our last night before we fly out from Zurich. we are coming off a river cruise boat in basel and we are leaving our luggage at the train station in Zurich. I understand that there are large lockers. we have not really huge luggage but not carry on size and we are downsizing to back packs for our Switzerland days.

    thanks for everything anyone can suggest. I look forward to getting the notification someone has responded!!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    12 February 2017 at 18:59:37 #858895

    Hi misschloe,

    Towns and areas in lower elevations like Luzern (local German spelling) should be quite pleasant and spring like in May. You will encounter snow when you go up in the higher elevations (above 2000 meters, which is quite easy in Switzerland!)

    I am from Vancouver/Victoria and love the country-side of Switzerland (however the largest town is Zurich and it is the same size of Victoria if you know it. However Zurich is quite cosmopolitan and a huge financial hub so all the major names are here as well as museums and art galleries etc. If you are looking amenities and a place to spend money Zurich is it!

    Staying flexible in Switzerland anytime of the year is key so it is great you are already thinking about that. Weather in the mountains changes rapidly – check the weather forecast at most the night before a planned excursion to the mountains and make changes as needed.

    Often hotels everywhere will charge more for walk-ins yes. Take a look at our page for hotels you can review and book. Even booking a day or two before online may save you money.

    Zurich does have luggage lockers for you to use; check here for prices and locker sizes.

    I hope that helps, let me know if you have more questions!

    Lucas

  • The thread ‘Appenzell, Pontresina, Bellinzona, Luzern in May’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.