Itinerary suggestion- 4 or 5 days , mid Sep /Oct?

Hello Friends,

First of all I must congratulate on this splendid Forum , which Is amazing in terms of the knowledge imparted and suggestions to help Tourist/First timers, to helpm Explore the beautiful country in the lap of Alps, Switzerland.

I am new to Germany and am planning a trip to Switzerland and have gone through the forum, but it has led to some confusion and need you advice , I have narrowed down my questions so it helps you provide concise answers. I will be visiting with my Wife, my Parents and my son (1 year), so 4 adults and 1 infant.

a) I Can travel between 14-25th of September or 12-18th October but I am not sure about the weather and thus unable to decide , I don't want it to be raining continuously and waste my vacation in the Hotel. so would Sep be better or October (I am panning to go to Italy too , so I can swap that with Swiss either ways)

b) I need suggestions, to decide upon whether its feasible for the following two itineraries as I have only 4,5 days I can spare first Itinerary is

• Day 1 Zurich - Rhine Falls , Zurich Old town , Night stay in ZUrich
• Day 2 Travel to Lucerne, and Trummelbach Falls and Lucerne City centre (night Stay@Lucerne)
• Day 3 - Mt Titlis and .......(can I add something here may be a Boat Cruise in Lucerne)-(night Stay@Lucerne)
• Day 4 - Trip to Jungfrao via Interlaken (can i return same day to Lucerne ... may be late night ! -(night Stay@Lucerne)
• Day 5 Mt Pilatus and Mt Rigi (I have heard I can do this 1 day with a combination of Cable car and Boat to go 1 way and cm back the other to Lucerne)return to Frankfurt late night from Lucerne ! or 1 Zurich +2 Lucerne +2 Interlaken

• Day 1 Zurich - Rhine Falls , Zurich Old town , Night stay in ZUrich
• Day 2 Travel to Lucerne and go to Mt Titlis (night Stay@Lucerne)
• Day 3 - Mt Pilatus and Mt Rigi (I have heard I can do this 1 day with a combination of Cable car and Boat to go 1 way and cm back the other to Lucerne)
• Day 4 - Travel to Interlaken and go to Jungfrao (not sure if i can do this while cmg from Lucerne and return to Interlaken )
• Day 5- Can i go and see some waterfalls or a beautiful Alpine village on the last day , to return by evening to catch a train to Frankfurt ??

c) I Have been warned that Interlaken is more a tourist trap and unless into skiing can be avoided, if Jungfrao can be managed from Lucerne directly, is this true?what about St Moritz or some other place around Lucerne or Interlaken that I can include in the other itinerary!

d) Most importantly , since i want to spend 1 day in Zurich and also want to to one of the Panorama routes, what would you suggest, about the passes to buy will the Swiss pass for 4 days per person serve my purpose??

e) Most importantly, is it important to get the currency converted to Francs , are Euros not easily accepted ? ?

Request you to please suggest, and help me please to plan the trip !

Regards

Saurabh

Hello saurabh! Thanks for joining us, and glad to hear MySwissAlps has been useful so far.

As for your questions:

• a) there are no guarantees whatsoever, but generally chances of dry weather will be a bit better in September. Please refer to www.myswissalps.com/we ather for further tips;

• b) there's not that much difference between both itineraries. You seem to prefer Lucerne as a base town, and that's a good choice. It doesn't really matter in which order you plan your mountain top visits and other locations. Only if weather cooperates you'll be able to do your trips exactly as planned. If not, it's better just to have a list of plans and see what's feasible day by day. The main difference is that you've planned a day in around Lucerne itself in the first itinerary (except for the Trümmelbach Falls) and not in the second one. Lucerne has a romantic old town center (please see www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne for tips) and it's fine to just spend a day in around town. Do note that the Trümmelbach Falls mentioned in your first itinerary aren't easily visited from Lucerne. If you really want to go there, you can better combine it with your Jungfraujoch (not Jungfrao ;-)) visit and spend the entire day in or near Lucerne instead. Please consult the timetable to find out about traveling times.

• c) Interlaken isn't the most scenic town, but it certainly has some nice districts and is located very centrally. But as mentioned you can make your trips from Lucerne. This goes for a visit to the Jungfraujoch as well: it will be a long day, but it's doable. St. Moritz is too far away to comfortably include in your list of plans. Just focusing on the Lucerne and Interlaken regions will suffice. Tips for day trips are listed at www.myswissalps.com/la kelucerne/activities and www.myswissalps.com/be rneseoberland/activiti es.

• d) The easiest scenic train route in your case is the Golden Pass leg between Interlaken and Lucerne: www.myswissalps.com/go ldenpass. As for passes, you can look into either a ZurichCARD for day 1 and a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass for the remaining days, or a Swiss Half Fare Card for all days. Discounts for Swiss Travel Passes are available: if you're in Germany right now, you can look into a 20% discounted 4 day Swiss Travel Pass ordered through the SBB UK Webshop. Details are mentioned here.

• e) Euros are accepted at larger tourist destinations, but definitely not everywhere, so it's recommended to have Swiss francs as well. Please find information at www.myswissalps.com/sw issfranc.

Thanks Annika !

I am in the process of going through the links you provided and guess , as they all say:) One trip would certainly not suffice discovering Switzerland , so will certainly keep coming back for more ! I have a couple of questions

a) As mentioned above, can you please help me on how to plan for covering Mt Pilatus and Mt Rigi in One day ? I heard its comfortably doable by combining cogwheel, cable cars and Boats , going up Mt Pilatus one way and returning to Lucerne from Mt Rigi. Can you please guide me the best way to cover both in one day?

b) The main difference between my two itineraries is that I am not staying in Interlaken in the 1st but in the 2nd I am planning to spend a night (2days ) , to be able to go to Trummelbach Falls and Jungfraojoch , so wanted to know what is a better option. since in both itineraries I have half a day at leisure, for e.g. Day 5 in the 2nd itinerary for which I request some suggestions.

c) Are there any other scenic waterfalls or tourist places I can cover around Lucerne as a half day trip ? - To be honest I can skip Jungfraojoch and come back post winters with Interlaken as my base :) and cover it later , in case there is more I can see around Lucerne, or probably, go to Schilthorn instead this time (not sure if it takes the same time from Interlaken or Lucerne? and what would be better?)

d) Finally , as far as the Lake Cruises are concerned ... can you please suggest if it would be better to take on in Zurich or Lucerne or Interlaken .. or is there a Lake near any of these places that would be a better option to opt for one ?

Apologies for a long follow up , but I plan to book my tickets and passes, before this weekend.

Hi saurabh1981!

You're certainly right about coming back for more :-)! As for your first trip:

• a) yes, Pilatus and Rigi can be combined. It doesn't matter that much which one you pick first, as long as you start early and keep an eye on weather forecasts. It's nice to do a round trip to Pilatus, getting up from Alpnachstad and down to Kriens. You could then take a train to Arth-Goldau, visit Rigi, get down to Vitznau and take the boat back to Lucerne. Did you check the Pilatus and Rigi links? The "Route" sections on these pages explains how to get there. You'll also find links to specific timetables.
• b) right, I didn't understand you were planning a night in Interlaken in your 2nd itinerary. Well, you could do so but it's not absolutely necessary for your plans, as the Bernese Oberland can be reached from Lucerne if you don't mind somewhat longer train trips. If you plan to cover more activities in the Bernese Oberland than just the Jungfraujoch and Trümmelbach falls, it's wise to limit traveling times from Lucerne and pick a hotel in or near Interlaken for one or two of nights. Suggestions for day trips in both the Lake Lucerne area and the Interlaken area can be found through the links I gave you. You can best check these and decide what you're most interested in. That will help you determine whether you prefer one or two base towns during your stay;
• c) if like to visit the Schilthorn, you can best do so from Interlaken, not from Lucerne. The timetable I mentioned will help you find out about traveling times and compare options.
• d) Lake Lucerne, Lake Brienz and Lake Thun are better than Lake Zurich if you prefer the mountains. Lake Lucerne fits best with the plans you already have, e.g. combined with a trip to the Rigi.

Thanks a lot Annika ! Since I am travelling with an infant (1 year), I would prefer to avoid travel to Jungfaujoch from Lucerne and take my chances staying at Interlaken for a night , so here is the plan below , Please suggest if you think this is doable and covers most tourist places reasonably

Day 1 : Arrive in Zurich from Frankfurt at 10am , visit Rhine falls and Schaffhausen , to be back by evening ( Night stay at Zurich)

Day 2 : Zurich to Lucerne(1 hr approx) , keep luggage and go to mt Titlis and return by evening (Night stay in Lucerne)

Day 3 : Mt Pilaus and /or Mt Rigi /and or Lake Lucerne Cruise(Night Stay in Lucerne)

Day 4 : Lucerne to Interlaken - trip to Trummelbach falls from interlaken and back (Night stay in Interlaken)

Day 5 : Early morning trip to Jungfraujoch from Interlaken and back in the evening to catch train to Frankfurt.

a) For day 4 above since I am arriving from Lucerne, Do you think I can include something in addition to Trummelbach falls (I hope its safe for an Infant to be taken to these falls ) or is there an alternate trip I can do , if properly clothed for winter , I hope Jungfaujoch is ok and safe for an Infant

b) Also since the last day I have only 10 hours , I believe trip to Jungfraujoch should be sufficient, can squeeze in more since the train from Interlaken to frankfurtis at 6 pm) so I need to be back before that !

c) Will the Swiss Travel pass cover for the trips to Mt Pilatus and Rigi cogwheel and Boat rides , I believe its 50% discount on Titlis and jungfraujoch trips. Does it also cover the train trip to Trummelbach and Lake cruice on Lucerne from Zurich to Lucerne and from Lucerne to interlaken , are the trips covered in the Swiss Travel pass??

d) Should a Swiss Travel pass for 4 days starting 2nd day to 5th day suffice for my itinerary ?

Request you to please suggest if you think I can include some thing in this, or if you think tit will be too tiresome already with an infant and my parents along.

Thanks a Lot !

Hello saurabh!

If you're traveling with a 1 year old, it may be better to skip the Jungfraujoch trip anyway. Generally it's not recommend for children under 2 years old to travel up to such altitudes, in order to avoid altitude sickness. Please refer to our Jungfraujoch page for more information. You can best consult your pediatrician to check if you can safely take along your baby or not.

There are lots of pretty alternatives that are safe. Schynige Platte, Männlichen, Kleine Scheidegg, First, Niesen, Brienzer Rothorn and Harder Kulm are all beautiful viewing points at lower altitudes. Now, as for your other questions:

• a) and b) yes, you can certainly do more than just the Trümmelbach falls after arrival. By the way, it may not be that pleasant to take your baby to the Trümmelbach falls, as it's cold, moist and slippery at some points in there. You can choose from one of the mountain tops mentioned above, a stroll through the Lauterbrunnen valley and/or a relaxed boat ride over Lake Thun or Lake Brienz. The timetable I mentioned is the most important tool to determine what's doable and what not.

• c) please check the Swiss Travel Pass validity page. There's a downloadable map showing all details, and a list of attractions mentioning the amount of discount.

• d) yes, a 4 day Swiss Travel Pass will do. The SBB UK webshop I mentioned before is your best purchase option. You can buy regular tickets for your trip to the Rhine Falls. The ZurichCARD would cover part of this trip, but not the entire route.

Thanks for the warning Annika about Jungfraujoch , is it the same with Mt Titlis, Pilatus and Mt Rigi as well ?? will these not be safe for the baby too ?? I read in a post that the noise of the Trummelbach is almost deafening and one of the couples with a 6 month baby were denied entry at the gates after going all the way to the falls due to security risk !

a) This has put me in doubt about my trip , I mean all then I can look forward to with the baby is ... Rhine Falls , and Lake trips with the Lauterbrunnen Valley around Interlaken.

b) Also , I read the following trail in one of the posts , to enter the village of Lauterbrunnen at the train station then cross the road to the cable car station that goes up to Grutschalp and take the small train from Grutschalp over to Muerren - sit on the left side of the train for the best views of the Eiger, Jungfrau and Moench - this trip is very short and the views are spectacular if it is a sunny day. Once in Muerren you can walk across the village with a stroller on paved path and then take the cable car down to Gimmelwald and Stechelberg and then the bus back to Lauterbrunnen. This short trip from Lauterbrunnen to Grutschalp to Muerren to Gimmelwald to Stechelberg and back to Lauterbrunnen is vey easy with a baby and the scenery is fantastic

c) What about Mannlichen - Kleine Scheidegg walk .. is it closer to Interlaken ? will Swiss Travel Pass Apply ?

d) Can I go to Staubbach Falls Instead ? is it reachable through Interlaken and would Swiss pass apply ?

e) I will check Schynige Platte, Männlichen, Kleine Scheidegg, First, Niesen, Brienzer Rothorn and Harder Kulm - but does the Swiss Travel Pass apply here ?? since its local trains I believe

Thanks for your help !!

Hi Saurabh,

We have pages for all the mountains you mentioned, please check there for all information.

a) I would avoid the Trümmelbach falls with a baby. I don't think they even allow young children in there. Of course one of the adults can wait outside with the child and have a drink, but that's up to you. The Staubbach fall is fine (a short walk from Lauterbrunnen station), and so are the lakes and the Rhine Falls (just don't do the boat ride to the middle of the fall).

b) Very easy to do. Please see here:

• myswissalps.com/ hiking/gruetschalp-muerren
• myswissalps.com/ schilthorn/ gettingthere

c) d) e) For what's included: please see the Swiss Travel Pass validity page Annika referred to. Also see myswissalps.com/ hiking/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg.

Are you sure about the suitability of Staubbach Falls with a 1 year old Arno, especially given your advice re Trummelbach Falls? They are definitely only a walk from Lauterbrunnen station, paved for a pushchair/buggy (is that what a 'stroller' is?!), and can be viewed from the roadside, but I recall going through a tunnel and probably up a lot of steps, to come out somewhere at or near the top behind them.

So reaching and viewing from below is fine but going up behind them with a toddler is probably harder than going into the Trummelbach Falls where there is I seem to recall at least a lift. (I am not necessarily saying that you shouldn't take a toddler up behind them - that would be for the parent to decide assuming it's not disallowed: but I think it is free to enter and probably with no admission control).

Saurabh I have done both of your trips b) and c) (from your 26/8 4.01pm post). You can easily reach Lauterbrunnen from Interlaken and somewhere like Lauterbrunnen or Wengen or Murren could perhaps be an alternative night stopover venue for you (if Arno or Annika agree - but they wouldn't have to be!)

Option b) is very easy and pleasant but is only really half a day. You could get off the bus at Staubbach Falls on the way back. On a nice day you could also walk along the Lauterbrunnen valley on the way back instead of taking the bus for part, or perhaps all of the way, alongside the river. This could be easily done with a buggy and is basically flat.

I think you could easily fit in taking the cable car from the further end of Murren up to the top of Schilthorn (I assume it would still be open) and return to Stechelberg (via Murren). This could be a good alternative to Jungfraujoch without the lengthy train travel and possible altitude sickness, and with in my opinion better views (and quite a bit cheaper to get to) if less spectacular. There you could take coffee or lunch in the revolving restaurant.

c) is a very different alternative, but if I remember correctly it is the 'romantic walk' (or is that to Alpinglen?) Anyway the one I remember was very scenic but would probably be described as an easy/moderate hike. I don't think you could take a pushchair so it probably wouldn't work with a toddler unless small enough to be carried. It could be quite tiring if you are not used to walking...poles and decent footwear are recommended I think although I have done it without in August. The train would take you back to Lauterbrunnen from either place and you can easily get to Mannlichen from Interlaken (via Lauterbrunnen I believe) to start the hike.

All options are best in fine weather especially for scenery but you wouldn't want the long walk/hike in rain or drizzle and Schilthorn would be less attractive in overcast weather. So if you do prefer c), b) could still be an option if the weather doesn't allow c).

Thanks for sharing your insights mikesc60! Regarding the Staubbach Fall: I meant to watch it from the valley floor. You can get as close as you feel is alright. I don't know about a tunnel, but you don't have to go there to see the fall.

Thanks Arno , and Mikesc6o for your valuable inputs - Based on some research I have decided to forego Jungfraujoch (this time , I will come back for it I am sure ) and for TrummelBach I will take Arno's suggestion of taking turns with the baby and visiting the falls. and as far as my Itinerary goes, I would rather have the base as Lauterbrunnen instead of Interlaken for the last two days , I checked out some hotels ,which apparently are right next to the Staubbach falls and look decent. I am just unsure about the Mt Titlis trip from Lucerne , as the Mt Titlis Page mentions precautions for infants , nothing in specific about the age restrictions.

So My itinerary looks like this now

Day 1 : Arrive in Zurich from Frankfurt at 10am , visit Rhine falls and Schaffhausen , to be back by evening ( Night stay at Zurich)

Day 2 : Zurich to Lucerne(1 hr approx) , keep luggage and go to mt Titlis and return by evening (Night stay in Lucerne)

Day 3 : Mt Pilaus and /or Mt Rigi /and or Lake Lucerne Cruise(Night Stay in Lucerne)

Day 4 : Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen- trip to Trummelbach falls and back (Night stay in Lauterbrunnen)

Day 5 : Early morning Hikes b or c and back to Franlkfurt from Interlaken in the evening

Saurabh just for your information you can also visit Trummelbach Falls en route from Stechelberg back to Lauterbrunnen e.g. should you choose to do excursion 'b)' on day 5 (it can't be described as a hike and there is not much walking really, although you could include a longer walk if you chose not to use the bus for all or part of the way from Stechelberg back to Lauterbrunnen). As you are looking at an early morning start on day 5 and you don't leave Interlaken until 6pm you should be able to fit this in quite easily I would have thought.

Just saying...it would give you options for something else on day 4 e.g. a cruise on Lake Brienz or Thun from Interlaken.

Or if you visited Trummelbach Falls on day 4 and did excursion 'b)' on day 5, you could also visit Schilthorn if the weather was fine, by taking the cable car from the further end of Murren, returning to Stechelberg (via Murren but you would just change cable car there). You should easily have time to include this.

Hi Mikesc6o

May be I did a typo there , the Itinerary is as follows

So My itinerary looks like this now

Day 1 (23rd September) : Arrive in Zurich from Frankfurt at 10am , visit Rhine falls and Schaffhausen , to be back by evening ( Night stay at Zurich)

Day 2 (24th Sep) : Zurich to Laterbrunnen (2 hr approx) , excursion (b) and Trip to Trummelbach Falls and back (night stay in Lauterbrunnen)

Day 3 (25th Sep ) : Trip C or Cruise on Lake Brienz or Thun from Lauterbrunnen

Day 4 (26th September ) : Laterbrunnen to Lucerne and Mt Pilaus and /or Mt Rigi /and or Lake Lucerne Cruise(Night Stay in Lucerne)

Day 5 : Mt Titlis and Lucerne City Center and back to Frankfurt in the evening from Lucerne.

Now, I need two suggestions :

a) is there an problem with an infant , going to Mt Titlis , cos if yes, then its ruled out and then I need to know what else I can do on Day 5. , if not then I believe Mt TItlis would be approx. 5-6 hours from Lucerne round trip

b) Also, For Day 2 and Day 3 ,. are there any other suggestions , in addition to the others you mentioned or , does this sound ok

c) Which day can I include Schilthorn ??

With your revised itinerary I note that you will now have a whole day (3) based at Lauterbrunnen. It obviously depends on how far you cruise and whether and for how long you choose to stop off along the way, but it might give you more time for other activities from Lauterbrunnen if you cruised from Interlaken on your way to Lauterbrunnen on day 2 instead. I am sure you could even disembark from the train at Brienz at the eastern end of the lake and cruise to Interlaken from there, although I have not done this myself. Depending on your progress you could still have time in the evening to see Staubbach Falls before dusk (although personally I would not worry about that if it meant rushing the rest of the day).

For your day 2 plan I think you are talking about a round trip from Lauterbrunnen to Murren and back via Stechelberg, stopping at Trummelbach Falls on the way back? If you did this on day 3 instead when you have longer, I think you could fit in a trip to Schilthorn (with its views on a clear day, panoramic revolving restaurant and James Bond exhibition) when you get to Murren as well. You would return, changing cable cars at Murren, to Stechelberg, getting you back onto 'route b)' and on your way back via Trummelbach Falls. I am sure that this is very doable, but wonder whether Arno and Annika agree?

Both of the days should work reasonably well in adverse weather (as much as any holiday day can) although Schilthorn could be omitted if you are going mainly for the views, which, I think, is the main attraction.

One other thought: if you feel one leg of your trip (e.g. Lucerne) is more dependent upon good weather/visibility you could be flexible with your plan in case it is better to do this leg first (unless you have to prebook hotels...but will they be fully booked if not?). However, if you change your Lauterbrunnen plan to include, for example, 'hike c)', and if Schithorn is important to you, that leg of your holiday would become more weather dependent too (although you could always switch back to 'plan A' if necessary!).

Disclaimer: I trust Arno or Annika will correct any wrong assumptions above, if there are any!

Hi mikesc60!

Thanks for your excellent input. There's really no need for any disclaimer ;-). All advice provided by other travelers is very valuable and so is yours. I definitely think your suggestions for day 2 and 3 are good. As for flexibility and hotels: you rightly point out that it's good to be flexible. Personally, I'd still like to pre-book hotels. It might be possible to find a good hotel just on the spot in October as that's low season. Many travelers appreciate the certainty of knowing in advance where they can stay overnight though, but that's all a matter of personal preference.

Hi saurabh,

Did you check our Titlis information through the collection of attraction pages Arno gave in his previous post? It provides information on infants and altitude sickness.

<<"Thanks for the warning Annika about Jungfraujoch , is it the samewith Mt Titlis, Pilatus and Mt Rigi as well ?? will these not be safefor the baby too ?? I read in a post that the noise of the Trummelbachis almost deafening and one of the couples with a 6 month baby weredenied entry at the gates after going all the way to the falls due tosecurity risk ! a) This has put me in doubt about my trip , Imean all then I can look forward to with the baby is ... Rhine Falls ,and Lake trips with the Lauterbrunnen Valley around Interlaken. ">>

Check the altitudes for the various mountains.

Many are lower than Jungfraujoch.

Slowpoke.

Thanks Mikesc60 and Annika ..

I have prebooked the hotels already.. I am staying at Hotel Staubbach right next to the Staubbach falls for the night of Day2 and Day3 ... and for the 4th evening I might stay at Hotel Engel in Engelberg.

A) Now...can you please tell me whats the best suited for Day 2 since i would arrive from Zurich and Day 3 i plan to take ur suggestion of round trip from Lauterbrunnen to Murren and back via Stechelberg ..covering Trummelbach

B) Also I hope I need to catch return train to Frankfurt from Lucerne on the last day5 27th ..should I do Mt Titlis on day 5 and Mt Pilatus & Rigi on day 4?? Or Vice Versa ??

Regarding "b" -

Personally, I like to be near my departure point on my last day. You have some flexibility on how much time to spend on the Rigi, and which route(s) to use to Pilatus, so you could adjust your time a bit if you wished to.

However, the timetable should probably be your guide.

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

Slowpoke