Itinerary help for June, 2016: Chur Lugano Zermatt

We will arrive in Zurich at 3:00 pm on June 11, 2016 and leave on June 19. We spent 4 magical days in the Bernese Oberland last summer thanks to all the advice from Arno, Annika and Slowpoke. The Mannlichen to Klein Scheidegg hike was a highlight. On our next trip, we are interested in easy hikes and scenic railways. We plan to buy the 8 consecutive days Swiss Rail Pass. I wanted to take advantage of the 30% discount that Arno posted, but it looks like I can purchase it only 180 days in advance. Is there a possibility for other discount offers in the near future? Also, I will be grateful for your feedback on our tentative itinerary. Thank you for your help,

Day 1 - take train from Zurich airport to Chur

Day 2 - explore area near Chur. What activities would you recommend?

Days 3 - take Bernina Express to Lugano

Day 4 - visit Lake Como area. Spend another night in Lugano

Day 5 - can we take the Glacier Express to Zermatt? Do we need to go back to Chur to take the Glacier Express?

Days 6 and 7 - Hike and sightsee in Zermatt area

Day 8 - take train back to Zurich and stay at a hotel near airport

Day 9 - Zurich back to Los Angeles

Welcome back Travelbug53! Good to see you're coming back to see more of Switzerland.

The Swiss Travel Pass discount is still available to you, but it will expire today or tomorrow at the latest. The 180 days validation limit just applies to paper passes. If you buy the e-pass, the first travel day will be printed on the pass, so it's already validated. Please see www.raileurope.com/rai l-tickets-passes/swiss-pass/index.html for details.

Your plans looks good! Chur is a very old town with an interesting old town center to explore. A day trip by train to Arosa is also very nice. The 360° view from the Weisshorn is amazing.

From Lugano it would not make sense to take the Glacier Express to Zermatt. You could pick it up in Andermatt, but then you've missed the very nice leg from Chur to Andermatt. An alternative to consider is the Centovalli railway from Locarno to Domodossola. It's all covered by the Swiss Travel Pass, apart from reservations/surcharges, if any.

Please see here for airport hotels: myswissalps.com/ zurichairporthotels

Arno,

Thank you for your prompt reply, especially the tip about the Railpass. Does it make sense to spend an extra day in Chur and take the trip on the Glacier Express from Chur to Andermatt and back before we go to Lugano on theBernina Express? Also, what is the best route to reach Zermatt from Lugano?

Arno,

When I went to the link you gave me and tried to book the e pass, I received a message that travel had to be within 60 days. I've attached a screenshot. Thank you.

Hi Travelbug53,

It would make more sense to include that section of the Glacier Express when you travel from Zurich to Chur. Like so: Zurich - Göschenen - Andermatt - Chur. You can check the timetable for schedules. You could stay a night in Zurich and do this early next morning. Or even better: spend your first night in Lucerne. The next day, take a boat to Flüelen, then a train to Göschenen, and finally the route I just mentioned.

The best route to Zermatt is the one Arno mentioned.

Your attachment does not seem to be related to the pass. I just went to that website and got the same message though. That's weird, I don't recall such a limitation. It could be new, but in any case it stops you from buying the pass unfortunately. Please take a look at www.raileurope-world.com/pass/swiss-travel-pass-82 instead. Their prices are pretty low. Passes should normally be validated within 6 months, but under "Fare Details" they claim it's still 11 months now (it was a promo originally). In any case, if you buy after December 11 it would fit your needs even if it's 6 months. I would recommend to buy before Christmas as I expect their prices to go up. I am not 100% sure about that though, nor do I know whether there will be new promotions in 2016. But, you can still take advantage of their low prices now.

Thank you so much Annika. This is great advice. We will spend our first night in Lucerne, travel to Goschenen and take the Glacier Express to Chur from there. MySwissAlps is an amazing source of information.