MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Jungfrau-Schilthorn-Rigi-Titlis, 4 days in Dec
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Good Morning,
I am thankful to this forum which gave me curiosity and very good idea to travel to Switzerland and finally we have plan 4 days trip as follows.
Arriving interlaken on Dec 3rd late night from Venice.
Nov.4th (Day 1). From interlaken to Jungfrau early in the morning, then toward Grindelwald or Murren and if it is not too late boat ride of Lake Thun.
Nov 5th (day 2)From Interlaken to Lucerne via Golden pass line,after leaving luggage at hotel, then towards Mount Rigi and town of Lucerne.
Nov.6th (3rd day) Mount Titles and any scenic train ride to St. Moritz or Zermatt depending on time and situation.
Nov.7th (4th day) Lucerne to Schilthorn and then head toward Zurich airport as our flight leaves at 8.45 p.m
We are a family of three and planing to buy 4 days Swiss travel pass along with Jungfrau promotion.
As we are travelling between Dec 3rd to 7th most of the attractions are closed and day light is also short. My concerns are
On dec 4th we are going to Jungfrau.Since we have limited time,is is worth even if the weather is not good or any other option?
My friend who is visiting Switzerland just told me that Jungfrau is closed today due slide or stone and could not go. My question is as if we buy STP with Jungfrau promotion together will we get refund for Jungfrau in situation like this.
Initially we were planing to leave on morning of 7th Dec. but when I saw that schilthorn will re-open on 7th of dec. we decided to take late night flight and to go Schilthorn, but now I am facing difficulty as SBB Timetable in not showing any route for that particular date. We want to go early morning from lucerne to Schilthorn and back to Zurich airport before 6.30pm, any idea how I can go to Schilthorn.
Do we need any special shoes to travel or our regular walking sneakers will be OK.
Your advice and suggestion will be very helpful.
Thank you
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Glad you’re going to Switzerland! We were in that area last month, it’s great. Couple of thoughts:
Dec 6th – Titlis is pretty close to Luzern, just a little over one hour, so that’s an easy morning trip. But, St. Moritz is 4-4.4 hours and Zermatt is 3.25-3.75 hours from Luzern, so trying to do that after visiting Mt. Titlis may be unrealistic, unless you want to travel back in the dark and get back pretty late. You’ll already have seen some pretty scenic areas just getting to and moving around the Jungfrau region, and to/from Mt. Titlis.
Dec 7th – Our trip to the Schilthorn from Luzern went through Stechelberg, and getting to that point took 2.75 hours. That route is Luzern-Interlaken Ost-Lauterbrunnen-Stechelberg (bus). I can’t get the SBB app to show me the final stage up to the Schilthorn but I think the four gondolas from bottom to top probably took about 30 minutes or so. If you leave early, you can probably get back to the Zurich airport in time – if all the connections are on time and there are no travel delays en route. Our trip to the Schilthorn & back took a total of 12 hours, but we did linger a bit on the deck at the top, then took a 3 hour detour to Kleine Scheidegg on our way back.
Rigi, Pilatus, and the Stanserhorn are all close to Luzern and may be options if the Jungfrau is socked in bad weather. Lucerne is not a bad place to stay, with great access for trains & boats. Stoos has access via gondola or funicular, offers scenic views, but is a small area at top. The bottom stations for Stoos both can be reached via bus from Brunnen, which itself can be reached via train or boat from Luzern. Rigi, Stanserhorn, and Stoos are covered under your STP; Pilatus is discounted 50%. No doubt you’ll find snow and great views if the weather cooperates at those locations. For December trips, I recommend hiking boots vs summer style sneakers.
Be sure to check the weather cams for the specific mountaintops you want to visit before heading out.
Have a great trip!
I think the dates you give are for December, not Nov??
If the Jungfrau is cloudy, you’ll see nothing. Don’t commit to going up until the morning or evening before the planned assent. Cost is quite high for a trip into the clouds. (STP only gives you 25% off). Sneakers are fine if you plan to be in trains, buildings, or town streets. Not hiking (in December).
For Day 4:: From Lucerne to Lauterbrunnen is about 2 1/2 hours each way, and Lucerne to Interlaken is 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Lauterbrunnen to Schilthorn is “a bit of time” (I did that two months ago but don’t recall the timing), but the SBB app doesn’t provide any times for this leg of the trip.
Another view at the timing involved: Using Lucerne to Interlaken (say 2 hours+), then from Interlaken it takes about 90 minutes to reach the Schilthorn, depending on the route.
(From Interlaken,Interlaken and Lauterbrunnen can be reached by train and by car. Stechelberg can be reached by bus and car. The rest of the area is only accessible by train or cable car. – But I’m not sure what transports are not available in December.)
At any rate, you’re looking at 7 hours total for just the travel; then there’s time at Schilthorn and eventually train back from Lucerne to Zurich.
You itinerary takes you from Zurich to Interlaken to Jungfrau area on day 1, then back to Lucerne, then back to the Jungfrau area (Schilthorn). I think you need to replan your travels.
Pvonk makes an excellent point. That’s some unnecessary back & forth. If the weather is good in the Jungfrau, do that first from there, then head to Luzern for Titlis, Rigi, Stanserhorn, or whatever else catches your fancy. Luzern is only 1 hour from the Zurich airport. I understand the Schilthorn doesn’t open until Dec 7, so that is key point, but you’ll have great views of the mountains from other locations too.
Please not that Lake Thun boat departures are quite restricted in December. So even if you did have time (which is unlikely) the timing may not work for you. See http://www.bls.ch/-/media/bls/pdf/fahrpla ene/schiff/fahrplan-schifffahrt-2019.pdf?la=en&vs=1 (be sure to look for 4.11.2019 – 14.12.2019).
The fastest connection from Luzern to Schilthorn will take you 3h 21m according to the SBB app.
Thank you CabinJon, pvonk, rockoyster,
You are right my traveling dates are Dec 3dr to 7th and not Nov.
As Cabinjon advised I am planing to leave early for Titlis like 7.00 am-7.30am
Pvonk I will follow your advise regarding Junfrau and hope I will be lucky enough to make it as
I have heard so much about Jungfrau in this forum that makes it our first priority.
About day 4th (Dec 7th).my situation is that my son is leaving early in the morning from Zurich airport for 7.30am flight and for that reason we will be staying in Lucerne as there no early morning trains from Interlaken. We will checkout early from Lucerne , then we have whole day and that’s why I was thinking that I might be able to go to Schilthorn and from there I can go to airport. But I am open to any other available option.
I thought stanserhorn is also closed.
Thank you.
Stanserhorn is closed from 18 November until the following May.
If you want to Rigi you could combine a lake trip (which you will likely miss out on at Interlaken).
Your son is going to need a very early start from Luzern. Have you checked those connections? International flights usually start boarding 40 – 50 minutes prior to take-off.
If you do go to Schilthorn maybe take your luggage as far as Interlaken and leave it there. Then return from Schilthorn to the airport via Bern for a bit of variety. You get to ride along the shores of Thunersee. I would be guided by the weather situation at the time.
Enjoy.
Is the 7:30 am flight your son is taking an international one?? If so, I strongly suggest the night of Dec 6 be spent in Zurich. Otherwise you’ll need a train at Lucerne at 4:55 am and get to Zurich airport at 6:11 am. For int’l 7:30 am flight, that’s close.
But if you/he stay overnight in Zurich on the 5th-6th, it’s much easier to get your son to the airport from a hotel near the downtown Zurich train station, or even a hotel near the airport (which is outside Zurich proper). Once he’s gone, or before if you like, you have a good long day before your evening flight.
Quite right pvonk, although there is a bus at 3:55am! 😉
Yes you are right .He will either leave by 2.36 am train or 3.55am bus.
I just re checked the 3.55 am bus rocoyster that is better option. Does they have luggage restriction as he is thinking to take 2 suitcases.
Sorry Memon, and thanks Rockoyster. I didn’t realize Stanserhorn would be closed. My apologies.
Seeing it is a bus to the airport I’m pretty sure the bus would be set up to cater for luggage o there should be no problem there.
The bus requires a reservation. See http://www.flugbus.ch.
Hi MEMON,
Referring to your question: On dec 4th we are going to Jungfrau.Since we have limited time,is it worth even if the weather is not good or any other option?
I would suggest you buy the Jungfraujoch tickets on the day and be sure to check the webcam and weather forecast before you go. In the event that the service is temporarily discontinued due to rockfalls or similar accidents, you should present you tickets to the railway personnel who will be able to address the issue directly. I assume you should be able to get a refund either in voucher form or money back.For more information about the 4-day Swiss Travel Pass you were considering to get, please see links below:
- Swiss Travel Pass salespoint: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price
- Swiss Travel Pass promotion: http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/promotio ns
Regards,
Anna
Thank you to all of you for your very helpful advice.
As Jungfrau Promotion is also offering Digital coupon Pass with Swiss Travel Pass Purchase.
1.If we decide to buy that, do we have to select date for jungrafau right away or we can reserve once we are there at train station on the day we want to go Jungfrau after looking at weather.In this way we will have the option to plan trip accordingly.
2.Does Digital Coupon pass will helpful after buying Swiss Travel pass as my son is very interested in Grindelwald first activities, is there any coupon for activities there,or does anyone know more about this Digital Coupon book.
3. We will be staying in Hotel Monopol in Lucerne Is Luzern,Is Bahnhof, Stand F close by?
Hi Memon,
you need to choose the day of visiting Jungfraujoch in advance if you choose the promotion.
You can read about the Swiss Coupon Pass a bit more at https://shop.switzerla ndtravelcentre.com/pro duct/swissCouponPass.
Hotel Monopol Lucerne has a good location, it is right next to the train station.
I think Memon is asking about the bus stand F in front of the Luzern train station. Almost all the Bahnhof bus Stands are next to the station. See this link for a map.
http://www.vbl.ch/fileadmin/c ustomer/Fahrplaene/Bah nhofplatz_2015.JPG
Train station at bottom, boat docks at top, bus Stands in between.
Yes ,
You are right, thank you CabinJon and lldiko.
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