72625 posts
Hi hgus1 and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Trying to head into the Jungfrau region on the way to Zermatt from Zurich would entail a long day but is an option if you have a full day to do everything (does your flight arrive early in the day? Or is it a late flight out of Zurich?
You won’t be able to see much in just a partial day but you could head to Lauterbrunnen and explore the Lauterbrunnen valley, maybe head up to Murren or Grindelwald as well but you would need a few hours typically if you want to head into the mountains like Jungfraujoch or Schilthorn.
A side trip to Luzern would be quite reasonable on your way to Zermatt (or on the way back). Again it depends on the activities you may want to do which dictates if you have time to do it.
Use the Swiss railways timetable to plan out all your train trips and see how long it will take you.
As for rail passes, yes the Swiss Travel Pass would work quite well for you. It covers most all the train trips you will do and offers discounts on mountain trips as well. You can order, at the same time, the Swiss Family Card which gets your child free travel anywhere in Switzerland.
You can see what routes and mountains are covered by the Swiss Travel Pass here, and how to buy it online here.
794 posts
Hi Hgus
I would think traveling from Zurich to Jungfrau region, sightseeing, and then going to Zermatt in one day after flying on plane, carrying luggage, customs, and with an eight year old would be a very long and tiring day. You will spend 6 or probably more hours on trains with luggage. I would not think it would be very enjoyable.
The Jungfrau region experience to me was quite different from Zermatt especially if you stay in a small town like Murren or Wengen. You could do that for a day then go to Zermatt. Alternatively overnight in Luzern or Interlaken and a day trip to Jungfrau should work as well. Mark
7567 posts
Hi hgus1 –
<<“We were planning to stay there from April 9-15th but now we are thinking we want to take in some other sights before we get there or on the back end of our trip.”>>
Before we comment on options…such as skip Zermatt and go to the Jungfrau region instead (just joking)…. it would be helpful to understand what has attracted you to Zermatt in April, toward the tail end of Winter at that altitude.
It may be that some other location could meet your needs better. If you say that you want to ski, then Zermatt is a great idea, but, if you have other interests, perhaps there might be other options or appropriate places on your way to or from Zermatt. If you had all the time in the world, an idea might be to go through Luzern (where it will be early Spring), then the Jungfrau region ( early Spring at lower altitudes but Winter at higher altitudes). Choosing warmer , eather might cause you to go via Montreux, where the west-facing mountain slopes get a lot of sun.
This map will help you Understand the lay of the land. Zoom in and you can see the train lines.
map.search.ch/?pos=664064,109696&z=2
Combine that with the timetable. linked by Lucas, and you can put times on the journeys.
Slowpoke