15471 posts
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.
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Please use some punctuation marks in your next posts. It makes it much easier to read. Thanks!
72625 posts
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!!
72625 posts
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