57 yr old couple 6 days to Switzerland in Aug/Sep

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 October 2019 at 14:40:27 #824214

    Hi all.

    my wife and I are both 57 years old fit and enjoy walking and beautiful scenery. I would like some suggestions of what you think would be worth seeing in our short stay in your beautiful country.

    Here is my thoughts but I would appreciate your thoughts if this is the best way to go. My plan is to purchase a 1st class Swiss Travel Pass and do the following but nothing is locked in so looking for suggestions.

    Friday 28/8/20 Arrive Zurich airport and stay one night in Zurich close to train station so any suggestion regarding an area close to the train station that will take us to Lucern the next morning.

    saturday 29/8/20 depart Zurich for Lucern to board the Golden Express to Interlaken and spend three nights in Interlaken..

    Sunday 30/8/20 Spend the day exploring. So possibly visit Schilthorn, cable car to summit, explore waterfalls around Lauterbrunnen but I don’t know how much we would see in one full day so any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Monday 31/8/20 HOHO boat around lakes Thun and Breinz getting off at some stops to explore any little villages plus if time to explore something else close by so any suggestions appreciated. We like to explore little villages with traditional buildings, catch cable cars to see scenery etc but not overly interested in museum etc.

    Tuesday 1/9/20 Interlaken to Brig where we would catch the Glaeier Express train and spend the night in Chur.

    Wednesday 2//9/20 Chur we would catch the Bernina Express to Tirano then catch the Express bus from Tirano to Lugano where we would spend the night.

    Thursday 3/9/20 catch a train from Lugano to Venice.

    Please let me know if you think my itinerary is ok or if you would change things. I’m happy for any suggestions as we have never travelled in Europe or Switzerland before. Also your thoughts if the Swiss Travell Pass is the best way to go as I have become very confused trying to calculate all the different fares and feel the Swiss Travel Pass may be the simplest solution. We would be in Switzerland for a total of 6 nights but I would need to purchase the 8 day Swiss Travel Pass and was wondering how far in advance we would need to purchase the pass as I believe it is best to also reserve seats on the scenic trains and possibly also the trip on the lake on the HOHO boats which we would need to do prior to leaving Australia for Switzerland. Do you know how far in advance we are able to reserve first class seats on the trains as there seems to be conflicting reports of how far in advance we can book and reserve our seats.

    Thank you for your thoughts and any advice you can give us.

    Regards Mike and Karen Day.

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    Gunzel
    Participant
    241 posts
    15 October 2019 at 21:14:12 #923732

    My partner and I spent 10 days in Switzerland late August/early September (2019) and the weather was mostly delightful.

    We all have our own travel styles and priorities and it’s good to see you’ve identified yours. We are both in our mid to late sixties and like to use public transport to explore. The present and experiencing everyday life are more important to us than museums and history.

    With a relatively short time and a first visit, my thought would be to consider a focus on a particular area or region. Have a base and do day trips from there.

    You mention Interlaken. It’s VERY popular with international tourists who travel in groups and can be rather noisy. But nearby places (we stayed at Unterseen only a short walk from Interlaken West station) can be better. And you mention smaller towns and villages. Most have lovely little hotels.

    Some of the most visited locations are also popular with international tourists; e.g. we found Mount Titlis had a “Bollywood” flavour and Indian food predominated. Yet, only a short distance away were equally spectacular locations not too often visited by overseas tourists!

    As we discovered when we did our 10 day Tell Pass itinerary recently, there are many lovely and beautiful destinations away from the popular locations and journeys so often mentioned on this forum. Regular trains and other public transport services run at least hourly outside the built up areas (where the services are more frequent).

    Be prepared for everything to be expensive. As a guide, we found prices in CHF were about the same as AUD but because of the conversion factor it’s half as much again. A typical coffee costs about $A7.50. But life is to be enjoyed and we’re all a long time dead.

    Paul in Melbourne

    Mark
    Participant
    794 posts
    16 October 2019 at 1:59:25 #923733

    Hi Mike

    Here are some random thoughts that are common (but not universal) suggestions on this forum by people with lots of experience traveling in Switzerland.

    1. Skip staying in Zurich the first day and go strait to your first destination.

    2. There are much better choices to stay in the Jungfrau area than Interlaken. Wengen is most peoples first choice but Mürren, Lauterbrunnen, and Grindelwald are popular as well.

    3. Schilthorn is popular and very scenic. Consider returning by way of cable car to Gimmelwald and Stechelberg then walking from Stechelberg to Lauterbrunnen. It is easy, beautiful, and passes several waterfalls.

    4. You mentioned you are active and reasonably fit. I think there is no better was to see and enjoy the Jungfrau area than hiking. Some of my favorite hikes that are scenic but not overly hard are First to Bachalpsee to Waldspitz to Bort then cable car to Grindelwald. Another is the Eiger trail from Eigergletscher to Alpiglen then return by train. Also Mannlichen to Kleine Scheidegg to Eigergletscher or Mannlichen to KS to Wengernalp. All these walks are well marked, maintained, and not at all technical.

    Have a great trip. Mark

    Thereseanne
    Participant
    10 posts
    16 October 2019 at 12:05:01 #923734

    My husband and I are in our 60s. We have enjoyed Switzerland several times, and like to hike. We arrive in Zurich and immediately take the train to our destination. Our favorite hike is from Alpiglen to Grindelwald. It is easy and downhill, but wanders through pastureland with cows and houses scattered about. We take the train from Grindelwald back to our hotel in Lauterbrunnen. The hike from Murren to Gimmelwald is gentle and pleasant, and be sure to pack a lunch to eat by the stream.

    Annika
    Moderator
    7103 posts
    16 October 2019 at 13:22:42 #923735

    Hi Mike and Karen!

    In addition to the helpful answers you’ve already received, here are some more thoughts. I think your itinerary looks good overall. Please use the SBB timetable for detailed planning: https://www.myswissalp s.com/timetable.

    I think an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass makes sense indeed. Although the 2 “extra” days may seem redundant, it’s still by far the easiest and most flexible solution for a travel scheme like yours, in which you travel throughout the country: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass. You can purchase your pass from any of the retailers mentioned at http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price. Most of them allow you to buy your pass 3-4 months in advance, but some already have passes for August 2020 available:

    In addition, you’ll need train tickets to Venice: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr aintickets/italy.

    Only special panoramic trains require seat reservations: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/reservations. When booking, it doesn’t matter whether or not you already have your Swiss Travel Pass. In your itinerary, the only routes for which reservations are necessary are the Glacier Express (http://www.myswissalps.com/gl acierexpress/tickets) and the Bernina Express (http://www.myswissalps.com/be rninaexpress/tickets). Reservations can be made from 3 months in advance through most retailers, but HappyRail quite often allows for earlier booking:

    I’m sorry, but I don’t know what HOHO boat tours are. Please refer to http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakebrienz and https://www.myswissalp s.com/boatlakethun.

    Snowman
    Participant
    825 posts
    16 October 2019 at 16:13:31 #923736

    Annika,

    < I don’t know what HOHO boat tours are >

    Hop on, hop off, I think. You take a round trip, get off and visit the village, board the next boat, etc.

    But I may be wrong, who knows.

    Snowman
    Participant
    825 posts
    16 October 2019 at 16:24:18 #923737

    Hi Mike and Karen,

    < My plan is to purchase a 1st class Swiss Travel Pass >

    If you have no budget constraint whatsoever, do that, the Swiss railways will be happy. Apart from that, you should know that the comfort in 2nd class is fine: http://www.myswissalps.com/tr ain/practical/2nd1stcl ass. The trains that are crowded are commuter trains (towards a large city in the morning, away from it in the evening). In the middle of the day you can safely assume that you will find two seats together in 2nd class.

    < Do you know how far in advance we are able to reserve first class seats on the trains >

    You don’t need to book seats in any class, except on international trains (such as some Geneva to Brig trains that go on to Italy), and some mainly touristic trains such as the Glacier Express. On other trains, booking is so unusual that you may find passengers on your reserved seats, because they did not pay attention, not expecting any seat to be reserved. If you were a large group the reservation issue would be different but that’s not your case.

    Note that the Glacier Express is a train that runs on a standard itinerary also (and mainly) used by normal trains. The GE is specially meant for tourists and has special facilities you won’t find on standard trains (mainly in the area of catering). If the schedule of the GE does not fit in your travewl plan, you can just as well ride a standard train.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    17 October 2019 at 6:20:34 #923738

    Hello M day5051,

    I hope you are having fun planning your trip to Switzerland.

    Please look at the timetable to make your boat ride with ease as you make your way through the sightseeing and transfers as per suggested by Annika.

    Thanks Snowman for the comment of “HOHO” The abbreviation does mean “hop on, hop off.”

    Best regards,

    Suzanne

    Annika
    Moderator
    7103 posts
    17 October 2019 at 15:27:42 #923739

    Thanks Snowman and Suzanne, for explaining the HOHO abbreviation!

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