Lugano to Geneva by train in May
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RoddyLee1Participant19 posts20 June 2021 at 0:09:35 #825863
Hello All,
We are coming to Lake Como May 2022 for a wedding. After the wedding we would like to do this train itinerary.
Bernina Express Lugano to Chur- walk around a bit then Zurich
Zurich to Bern
Interlaken
Jungfraujoch
Zermatt
Geneva
(Eurail Global Pass for all travel)
Any ideas how to improve, how long to stay, where to stay etc would be greatly appreciated!
Robin
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AnnikaModerator7104 posts20 June 2021 at 10:16:49 #935261
Hi Robin, welcome to MySwissAlps!
That’s a very nice itinerary, allowing you to see a lot of Switzerland. How long do you have available for the entire trip? Without knowing, it’s hard to advise how long to stay in each base town. I can provide some general tips though:
- Mind to make seat reservations for the Bernina Express: http://www.myswissalps.com/berninaexpress/tickets.
- This Zurich city hike allows you to see some highlights on foot: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/zurich.
- The quickest train journey from Zurich to Bern takes less than an hour. A longer, but more scenic alternative would be to travel via Lucerne and Langnau: you’ll see the beautiful Emmen valley. A stop at the Kambly factory in Trubschachen might be nice (http://www.myswissalps.com/activities/culinary/chocolate). You can plan each trip in detail using the explanation on this page: http://www.myswissalps.com/timetable.
- The journey to Jungfraujoch is explained at http://www.myswissalps.com/jungfraujoch/gettingthere. There’s a wide range of beautiful day trips to made from Interlaken:http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken/activities . So if you can plan a few extra nights there, I’d definitely recommend that.
- A scenic way to travel from Interlaken to Zermatt is to use the RegioExpress Lötschberger: http://www.myswissalps.com/lotschberger.
- Tips for Zermatt and Geneva can be found here: http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt, http://www.myswissalps.com/geneva. You may like this city hike in Geneva: http://www.myswissalps.com/hiking/geneva.
- Hotels can be found through http://www.myswissalps.com/hotels.
Your Eurail Pass will provide free travel on most train transfers, but not all. Especially the region south of Interlaken is worth noticing. You can check validity here: http://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass/validity.
Does this get you started?
RoddyLee1Participant19 posts20 June 2021 at 14:56:00 #935262Good Morning Annika,
Thank you for your prompt reply!
As for the time we can stay, I am hoping that we can do the best of the best in 5 nights, Counting Zurich as the first night.
Should be go directly from Chur to Lucerne and by-pass Zurich?
If you advise Swiss Rail that’s fine. For me Eurail has seemed so much easier to navigate.
Grateful for your help 🙂
Robin
RoddyLee1Participant19 posts20 June 2021 at 15:03:11 #935263Hello again
One more thought.
Instead of Interlaken should we stay in Wengen or?
Thanks!
AnnaModerator6279 posts21 June 2021 at 13:33:51 #935264Hi RoddyLee1,
Wengen would be my choice if you’re planning a trip to the Jungfraujoch.
But Interlaken would be more convenient as a base for day trips to Zermatt and Geneva.
Have you decided on staying in 1 base or more?
Regards,
Anna
RoddyLee1Participant19 posts21 June 2021 at 14:45:04 #935265Good Morning Anna,
Wengen seems magical to us. Yes we are going to the Jungfraujoch. Yet we still want to be efficient. In my earlier reply to Annika i had a question.
“As for the time we can stay, I am hoping that we can do the best of the best in 5 nights, Counting Zurich as the first night.
Should be go directly from Chur to Lucerne and by-pass Zurich?”
Additionally Is Zermatt the Best of the Best?
Geneva is our final stop as we are flying out of there.
As for a base camp- Should be do 2?
Thanks again for your knowledge and Patience!
Robin
AnnaModerator6279 posts21 June 2021 at 20:05:43 #935266Hi Robin,
If you are planning to spend the night in Zurich, it probably makes sense to travel Lugano – Chur – Zurich. This way you’ll have some time to stretch your legs after a long train ride and explore the city a little. Lucerne is about 45 minutes from Zurich and could be done as a side trip enroute to Interlaken the next day. If you choose Interlaken (http://www.myswissalps.com/interlaken) as your base for the rest of your trip, you could easily plan day trips to Wengen (http://www.myswissalps.com/wengen) (Jungfraujoch), Bern (http://www.myswissalps.com/bern) and Zermatt (http://www.myswissalps.com/zermatt). If you have an early flight to catch in Geneva, ideally you should spend the final night in Geneva (http://www.myswissalps.com/geneva) to be safe.
I hope this gives you some ideas how you can plan your trip. Please use the SBB timetable to plan your journeys.
Let us know if you need more information.
Regards,
Anna
RoddyLee1Participant19 posts21 June 2021 at 22:11:31 #935267Dear Anna,
Outstanding!! That is A great Plan!
One final question.
Should I get a Eurail Global Pass or Swiss Pass?
AnnaModerator6279 posts22 June 2021 at 5:50:42 #935268Hi RoddyLee1,
Are you planning to travel to a few countries in Europe or just Switzerland? The Eurail Global Pass is ideal for multiple countries: http://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass. But if you’re just looking at going around in Switzerland, the Swiss Travel Pass offers the best flexibility: http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass
Regards,
Anna
RoddyLee1Participant19 posts22 June 2021 at 20:13:26 #935269Hello Anna,
We fly into Milan train to Como for wedding.
Bus to Lugano for Bernina express
Perhaps i do not need Eurail Global.
Just the Swiss Flex?
Robin
Removed userParticipant72625 posts23 June 2021 at 7:54:56 #935270Hi Robin,
yes, probably you do not need the Eurail Global Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/eurailglobalpass). The Swiss Travel Pass (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpass) or Swiss Travel Pass Flex (http://www.myswissalps.com/swisstravelpassflex) might be better for you.
I recommend using our calculation spreadsheet, you’ll find it here: http://www.myswissalps.com/train/ticketspasses/practical/chooserailpass. It will help you to calculate the costs and you’ll see which pass is the better option for you.
Let me know if you need any help with it.
Ildiko
Ps.: This might also useful for you as you are coming from Italy: http://www.myswissalps.com/traintickets/italy
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