[Removed user]

19 April 2017 at 23:41:59 #811467

Hello, I will be in Switzerland late May for 6 days. Here’s my itinerary so far. First 2 nights staying in Lucerne, then three nights in Grindelwald. Obviously all mountain activities will be dependent on the weather (how’s the weather in late May?)

Day 1: Arrive early morning in Zurich (flight arrives 8 am), travel to Lucerne, visit Pilatus (is there enough time to visit Pilatus??)

Day 2: Stanserhorn and Mount Titlis, can we do both in one day??

Day 3: Mount Rigi in the morning, stop by Interlaken for cruise on Lake Brienz, and then travel to Grindelwald

Day 4: Jungfraujoch, Wengen, Lauterbrunnen

Day 5: Schilthorn, Murren

Day 6: Travel back to Zurich, Lake Brienz if we didn’t do it on day 3.

Rail pass questions. What is the best pass for this itinerary? I tried to break it down and it seems like the half fare card wins (or maybe a Tell Pass for 3 days and the half fare card for the other part of the trip), but I’m not sure if I have the correct prices.

Any inputs appreciated! Thanks!

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[Removed user]

20 April 2017 at 7:34:44 #861836

>> Hello, I will be in Switzerland late May for 6 days. Here’s my itinerary so far. First 2 nights staying in Lucerne, then three nights in Grindelwald. Obviously all mountain activities will be dependent on the weather (how’s the weather in late May?)

Hi tofufa, and welcome to MySwissAlps!

This information might assist you:

http://www.myswissalps.com/we ather

http://www.myswissalps.com/be sttimetovisit

>> Day 1: Arrive early morning in Zurich (flight arrives 8 am), travel to Lucerne, visit Pilatus (is there enough time to visit Pilatus??)

Use the SBB (Swiss Railways) timetable to check travel times, noting that the last descent from Pilatus by cable car is at 17:30, and the last descent by cogwheel train is at 17:45 (but check these times yourself to be sure). I am assuming the cogwheel train will be operating when you are there, as it is scheduled to begin operating by mid-May, but you will need to check on the Pilatus website closer to the day if you plan to use it.

SBB Timetable

http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Pilatus website

http://www.pilatus.ch/en/rail way-cableways/timetable/

http://www.myswissalps.com/ pilatus

>> Day 2: Stanserhorn and Mount Titlis, can we do both in one day??

Have a look at a map of the Swiss Travel System to see where the Stanserhorn and Titlis are in relation to each other and what route you could take between the two. Then use the SBB timetable to see what is feasible for you in terms of travelling times. Take note of what time the last transport leaves the top of the mountains by checking the timetables on their websites.

Map of Swiss Travel System (PDF for download) (This is also the map showing where the Swiss Travel Pass is valid.)

http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/validity

Stanserhorn timetable

http://www.stanserhorn.ch/en/ travel/timetable/

Titlis timetable

http://www.titlis.ch/en/ski-resort/timetable

>> Day 3: Mount Rigi in the morning, stop by Interlaken for cruise on Lake Brienz, and then travel to Grindelwald

Travelling from Luzern to Interlaken Ost, you can alight at Brienz and get the boat from there to Interlaken Ost, from where you can continue to Grindelwald.

>> Rail pass questions. What is the best pass for this itinerary? I tried to break it down and it seems like the half fare card wins (or maybe a Tell Pass for 3 days and the half fare card for the other part of the trip), but I’m not sure if I have the correct prices.

Use the information here to decide which pass is most economical in your case:

http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/ticketspasses/prac tical/chooserailpass

Feel free to come back with more questions as you refine your plans.

Alpenrose

[Annika]

20 April 2017 at 9:28:12 #861837

Hi tofufa!

The last link Alpenrose provided is indeed helpful when calculating which pass is best. I think that a Swiss Half Fare Card will be beneficial indeed. You really can’t go wrong with it. The combination of an additional Tell Pass plus a Swiss Half Fare Card might work too, but you’d have to calculate whether it’s worth the costs. In any case it’s convenient as the mountain trips on the first couple of days will be covered.

[Removed user]

20 April 2017 at 20:53:21 #861838

Thanks for the links! I’m now considering switching Rigi and Pilatus, as it seems like there’s more to do on Pilatus than Rigi.

For all these mountains, are there any “must-do” hikes that give you views that you won’t otherwise get? It seems like the all the cable cars and etc already bring you to the top, so do any of the hikes actually give you a better view than the top? Thanks!

[Removed user]

21 April 2017 at 5:34:04 #861839

The hikes can be useful for getting away from some of the larger crowds and get you different/better views of the area. Have a look at this PDF of Pilatus and some hikes that are available to get an idea.

Lucas