Late Jan/early Feb 2017 - good time to travel?

Hello

I'm residing in Delhi, India, and planing a family tour to Switzerland. We are 5- My parents around 65 years of age, Me My wife(30 years) n my daughter (3 years).

We are planing to travel around 14th jan to Lucerne for Mt. Titlis, Interlaken for an excursion by cable car to the Schilthorn with its unique revolving panorama restaurant and excursion to Jungfraujoch and then to Zurich. It will be all in 6 days and then we'll go to Paris (according to the itinerary provided by some travel agent). I'm Attaching the same with this Forum..

Will it be a good time to travel to these places? Are they open at this time in late Jan? Kindly Suggest..

Hallo DrSaras,

Januari and Februari is winter in Switserland. Everywhere there is snow, especially in the mountains, but also lower.

When you have nice wheater, with blue sky, it is wonderful. When you go to the Schilthorn for a nice few of the mountains, it is not necessary to go to Jungfrau in winter. There is everywhere snow.........

For a good few of the white mountains and walk in the snow you can also go to Männlichen (from Wengen or Grindelwald) and it is much cheaper........

greeting from the Netherlands, Brahms

Thanks for ur reply..😊

Welcome to MySwissAlps Dr Saras!

I checked the itinerary provided by your travel agent. On day 4 they suggest to travel via Zurich. That's not an obvious route to reach Lucerne. Normally you would get off the train in Basel, not Zurich, and change for Lucerne there. That saves you 20 to 30 minutes.

Other than that the plan looks fine to me. The only downside is that you have very little time in each town. If the weather does not cooperate going up to the peaks isn't worth it as there will be no views. Staying longer decreases that risk. That's why I would skip Zurich (day 8), which is not in the Alps, and add it to Lucerne or Interlaken.

Hi DrSaras-

The Jungfrau region, likely full of snow, will definitely be open and functioning in late January. If i recall correctly, snow is not common in Delhi. ;-)

That is ski season.

There is plenty of public transport operating....cableways and cograil trains. That is guaranteed. ;-)

And, lots of hotels and restaurants will be open.

As Arno has pointed out, what is not guaranteed is the weather. It changes rapidly in the Alps, and is difficult to predict even 48 hours in advance. If you hope ti have good sightseeing in the Jungfrau region, or, for that matter, in Engelberg and on Titlis, it is wise to allow more than one day in a region. Two days is better, three days become reasonable, and a week almost (but not quite) guarantees one good day.

Or, you may be lucky.

The attached image, taken in the Spring, required 4 or 5 trips to get the clear weather.

If indeed , the weather is clear, it will be spectacular at either place.

Slowpoke

Thanks a lot for ur kind reply😊

Please be prepared for the temperatures you will encounter. I recall a business colleague coming to New England (where I live) in November. I asked if he had a parka. "Yes" he replied. What he had was a nylon shell windbreaker with no lining. Entirely inadequate and that will be the case in January, especially in the mountains. Bring warm clothing for layers and some sort of down or fleece vest that you can wear under protective outside clothing. Previous commentaries on this website indicate that you will be able to find sources for these in India. Also, once in Paris, you can take the family to one of the numerous department stores to buy turtle neck, long-sleeved pullover shirts for the men. There will be good sweaters for women (if sari is the usual garment). This is an opportunity to acquire a muffler (that's our word for a longer and not so wide scarf that you wrap around your neck and tuck under your jacket collar or let it hang over the jacket). Gloves for grown-ups hands are important. A little one would prefer mittens, which come in colorful and sometimes fanciful forms. A knitted cap that folds up into nothing is a must when you go into the higher elevations. Enjoy your stay. Indeed Switzerland in winter is a fairyland.