MySwissAlps.com features ads, commercial and non-commercial Switzerland trip for 6 weeks in Aug-Sept 2020
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My deep gratitude to all of you at MySwissAlps for the information and advice you have for people planning a trip to Switzerland! It has been incredibly helpful in getting started.
We are an early 70s couple from Washington State, US, who like to hike and spend time in the mountains. We’re past climbing mountains but still enjoy what we can do. We are planning a trip in mid-August thru September 2020 to ride trains and all the wonderful transport throughout Switzerland.
We have planned this itinerary based on the train passes – it requires two 15-day Swiss Travel Passes and one 8-day Jungfrau Travel Pass. That leaves us two days short in the Lauterbrunen/Interlaken area for which I would appreciate advice. We will stay 5-6 days in Murren and the rest in Interlaken, unless you have a suggestion for us. We love small villages.
Any suggestions on the itinerary? Are we missing something? Better places to go, etc. Better way to take advantage of the train passes?
Another question: From Montreau we plan to visit Geneva and perhaps Bern, take the chocolate train and a lake tour, and the train to Zweisimmen. BTW our itinerary is in no way set – these are possibilities. Is Montreau the best place to stay?
This is undoubtedly the first of many posts you will find from me. Heartfelt thanks in advance!
Day 1: Fly Seattle to Zurich
Day 2: Arrive Zurich, overnight – buy individual train tickets to Interlaken
Day 3 – 12: Interlaken area
8 day Jungfrau Travel Pass for 10 days
15 day Swiss Travel Pass – purchase in Interlaken
Day 13 – 18: Montreau
Day 19 – 21: Zermatt
Day 22 – 27: St Moritz via Glacier Express then onto Lugano
15 day Swiss Travel Pass
Day 28 – 34: Lucerne/Engleberg
Day 35 – 39: Zurich & Liechtenstein
Day 40: Flight home
Susan Hulbert
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Hi Susan – Welcome to the forum. Thanks for giving us exact dates and composition of your party.
It is really nice that you will have time to dig into details and perhaps explore some of the less touristed areas. Do your intersts include some villages in the countryside?
The latter posts in this thread shows a nice one in the Emmental:
http://www.myswissalps.com/forum/topic/visit-to-switzerland-in-september-trip-report
I interpret your comments about the mountains as meaning you’d like to do some walks up there if they are not too hard. The perennial answer to that objective, if it indeed I understood it correctly, is this easy walk (the local nickname is “The Grannies’ Walk”) with spectacular views:
http://www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg
I’ve attached some relevant images, as well as a picture of the side trip (a climb) up to Männlichen Gipfel from Männlichen itself. Once up there, if you have good weather, you can see the panorama I attached.
Where to stay near the Jungfrau.-
Everyone has a favorite. Not surprisingly, they don’t all like the same place best. 😉
The principle disadvantage of Mürren is that it takes longer to get out of the valley to Interlaken to get to day trips or to visit the nearby Bernese Oberland, compared to the other options. It is the favorite for many people for the charm and spectacular views.
The options for base locations are shown on this page, in summary form:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion
In some ways, Wengen is similar to Mürren, situated on a plateau above the Lauterbrunnen Valley. The views are different. On balance, I personally favor Wengen, but there are quite few opinions on which is “best.” I’d say that it depends on which one fits a particular traveler’s needs best. Wengen may be slightly more centrally located compared to the others, but it is not by very much, from the point of travel around the Jungfrau area.
Here is a little light reading about Wengen, which can also be helpful for the whole region:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim
That’s a start.
Slowpoke
Attachments:“Any suggestions on the itinerary? Are we missing something? Better places to go, etc.”
I am desperately hoping not to sound too churlish with this answer, but these questions made me chuckle, as you are staying on Switzerland for 40 days. Switzerland is not a large country and I know people who have covered all the major tourist sites of Switzerland is 10 days let alone 40.
You are very lucky as you can travel to the ‘famous’ sites, and some much less frequented tourist attractions
Don’t forget you can travel across the whole country in a short time – north to south of Switzerland in as little as 2 hours, and from the western extremity of the Swiss railway network to the easternmost point in under 5 hours
With so much time available, I wouldn’t worry about planning an itinerary as such. I would get a good map of the whole of Switzerland, and the Anthony Lambert book:
http://www.bradtguides.com/sh op/switzerland-without-a-car-3304.html
Although I use online mapping in many ways, there is no substitute for a paper map which shows much more territory in one glance.
A good general map of Switzerland is Michelin’s red national map – number 729 (scale 1:400 000) . This shows (like most Michelin paper maps) railways clearly as black lines. You can purchase online from Michelin themselves or just search for other web retailers using suitable phrases.
Alternatively there is a transport map that makes public transport routes bolder than roads – the opposite to the norm for paper maps:
http://www.blsshop.ch/fr/en-route/carte-suisse-des-transports-publics/
With the flexibility you are going to have I recommend (a) plan as you go and travel around the whole country as the mood takes you, sticking to the normal trains and travelling around like locals. The amount of time you will have available compared to other tourists should see you getting used to the network so much that the way things operate should become second nature.The ‘panoramic’ trains are best suited to those with limited time who feel they ‘must’ do a certain route. They are often filled with groups on organised tours, not stopping at any intermediate points.
With plenty of time available, you won’t need to use a panoramic trains as you can get off and see the view ‘properly’ from off the train!
“From Montreau we plan to visit Geneva and perhaps Bern, take the chocolate train and a lake tour, and the train to Zweisimmen. BTW our itinerary is in no way set – these are possibilities. Is Montreau the best place to stay?”
There is certainly nothing wrong with Montreux (not Montreau) as an accomodation base, although it is quite expensive as it is so famous: https://www.myswissalp s.com/montreux. With your long stay advantage, perhaps look for somewhere more off the beaten tourist track?
Hello Susan,
I wonder if you have considered the Regional Pass Bernese Oberland instead of the Jungfrau Travel Pass.
We stayed for a week in Montreux recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. We did day trips to Gruyéres and Broc Fabrique (the Chocolate Train is over-rated in my view, just use regular public transport) and Glacier 3000 from there. The rest of the time we travelled within the bounds of the free Montreux Riviera Card. Same applied to Lugano on a previous trip where the Ticino Ticket offers a lot of transport coverage.
We had planned to use a combination of the RPBO and a 15-day Swiss Travel Pass Flex (we had some excursions into a France and Germany which ruled out the continuous pass). At the last moment we decided to get the Swiss Half Fare Card instead of the Swiss Travel Pass. Using the SBB mobile app it was super easy to buy tickets on the fly. We also saved money buying Supersaver tickets for the longer journeys when we moved from one base to another.
We are a Washington State couple near 70 who don’t climb mountains and love to hike who spent two weeks in Interlaken/Lauterbrunnen in July/August this year! We purchased an 8 day pass for Bernese Oberland region which covered all trains, boats, busses and most cable cars. We stayed in a home in the middle of a meadow near the cable car to Schilthorn and walked many times from there through Murren. There is a trail that runs the length of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. We specially chose this area because Lauterbrunnen, the largest city in the valley itself, is around 2,500 people. The trains run regularly from Lauterbrunen to Interlaken. We literally hiked every day, if not in the valley, then taking a cable car up and hiking around the trails up near Murren. Don’t know if there is a way we can connect to chat in person, but we are in Seattle area. Posted a pic of Valley we stayed in. Don’t miss paragliding in Lauterbrunnen Valley. Spectacular!
Char
Hi Susan
I’m not sure using both Murren and Interlaken as bases is the best use of you time as they are fairly close to each other. Murren is certainly very scenic but a little hard to get to by cable car and train. Interlaken has much less to offer except it’s train station location. I would definitely consider Slowpoke’s suggestion on staying in Wengen instead. You can easily visit all the attractions in the Jungfrau area from Wengen including Mürren, First, Grindelwald, Lauterbrunnen valley, Schynige Platte, Jungfraujoch, and Interlaken. As a second base instead of Interlaken you could pick a different area in Switzerland.
Mark
“We will stay 5-6 days in Murren and the rest in Interlaken, unless you have a suggestion for us. We love small villages.”
Have a look at Thun. It’s not exactly a small village but has great character and is within easy reach of all the Jungfrau region attractions and Bern if you need a bit of a big city boost.
For your Lucerne trip you could consider to stay 3-5 nights at Mount Rigi and explore lake, Lucerne and Rigi from there. Lucerne is eg from Vitznau a 1h boat trip. In case you prefer to stay outside the city and with a great view. Also lot of hiking options at various levels.
Easy to reach by public transport with a view is Mittlerschwanden and Kaltbad at Rigi. Directly at Rigi Bahn. Mittlerschwanden is approx 5 minutes from Vitznau station, where you also can take a bus or boat to Lucerne. It is about 2h from ZRH airport by train and boat (with an hourly connection direct to Lucerne, so you have not to change until you get to the boat). All covered by Swiss Travel Pass.
Hi Gramels – I’ve noticed in other threads that you really like Mittlerschwanden.
It is nice location, with good views. There are many of those all around the lake, with varying degrees of size and access to the lake.
All suffer from the disadvantage that they are usually more than an hour from Luzernmainsation.
So, if your need is access to the nmain line rails at Luzern, to travel to the west ( Titlis, Interlaken, the Emmental. ..) they all add a couple of hours per day to any day trip. If your needs are for the mainnorth-south rail route to Italy, you are perhaps a bit better located, but you stll have traded off convenience for lower costs (usually) and terrific scenery.
Slowpoke
Hello GandP,
Welcome to MySwissAlps! How wonderful that you’re able to spend 6 weeks in Switzerland.
I hope your planning is coming along with all the helpful advice and tips from the MySwissAlps members and experts.
As a suggestion to an alternative base besides Interlaken and Murren, please look into Lauterbrunnen or Wengen as well:
Murren:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mu rren
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mu rren/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mu rren/pictures
Lauterbrunnen:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/la uterbrunnen
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mu rren/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mu rren/pictures
Wengen:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen
- http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/we ngen/pictures
Interlaken:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken
- http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/rentals
- http://www.myswissalps.com/in terlaken/activities
Jungfrau:
Montreux is beautiful and probably the most famous town on the Lake of Geneva. I think it’s a good choice. Please look at these links:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/mo ntreux/activities
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ro chersdenaye
Geneva:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ge neva/activities
I would suggest going to Bern while you are staying in Interlaken rather than when you are in Montreux. The train time from Montreux to Bern is approximately 2 hours, one way. The train ride from Interlaken to Bern is about 1 hour, one way.
Bern is a great city to explore when the weather is raining, windy, etc. The two main shopping streets (Kramgasse and Gerechtigkeitsgasse) are lined with 4 miles of arcades.
Suggestions of activities:
Lucerne:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne
- http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne/activities
- http://www.myswissalps.com/bo atlakelucerne
Zurich:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich
- http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/rentals
- http://www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/activities
You also mentioned Lugano as part of trip but more as a point journey. I will attach some links about the south of Switzerland. It is a totally different feeling with the blend of Swiss-Mediterranean mix of cultures.
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ti cino
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ti cino/hotels
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ti cino/rentals
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ti cino/activities
Lastly, I have attached links about your Swiss Travel Pass, train timetable, and other relevant practical information for you:
- http://www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
- http://www.myswissalps.com/ab outswitzerland/practic al/websites
- http://www.myswissalps.com/si mcard
I hope this points you in the right directions. Please feel free to keep your questions flowing. We are here to suggest away!
Best regards,
Suzanne
Thanks so much for your reply, Slowpoke. We have visited Murren for a fews days three times in the past 15 years and really enjoy it. We had hoped to stay part of the time in Wengen on this trip but found it to be more expensive. Do you have a suggestion for a more affordable place there? Our only trip to Switzerland was 50 years ago for 2 nights in Lucerne!
Though it doesn’t look like it from our planned stops, we are very interested in small mountain villages, both for day trips and overnights. We prefer spend a minimum of 2 nights in one place instead of racing from place to place, hence the decision to spend 6 weeks and do everything we can. We’re being careful about our trips now – doing the most active while we still can are the top priority.
We have done The Grannies Walk each time we’ve visited the area and will definitely do it again – it’s beautiful!
Susan
Thanks, 1960Man, for your suggestions. We will definitely get the Brandt guidebook. As my husband is a map lover, we already have the Michelin map! We’re also reconsidering our train selections. Our original idea was to take all of the “special” trains but you and others have made good points on using the local trains, which will save on fees and having to make reservations and stick with a schedule. Susan
Hello again 1960man! Do you have a suggestion for a place other than Montreux that still gives good access to transport in that region? Thanks, Susan
Thanks, rockoyster, for the suggestions about different travel passes. I am not familiar with the area type passes and will research them. Sounds like a good way to save money as well! Susan
Suzanne, Thanks for all the links! It’s nice to have them all in one place. We’re in our gray, rainy season so it’s a good time to check everything out. Susan
Thanks, Mark, we are now looking into other options for our stay in that area. Appreciate your advice. Susan
Hi gamels, Thanks for your suggestions. I’m adding Mittlerschwanden to my possibilities for that area. Kaltbad and Mt. Rigi are already on the list. Susan
Hi Susan-
<<“Do you have a suggestion for a more affordable place there?”>>
You will find suggestions to check out here:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ac commodation
which includes budget hotels.
Also, here:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/hotels
which may be redundant. Also, here, which is still good even though some links are obsolete:
http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim.
Finally, I’ve settled on the Bellevue as my preferred hotel. The package with the evening meal is a very good deal. If you take the package, you do have to be there at the time when Frau Graf-Engi has the meal service. Its worth it. The food is very good.
She runs a very tight ship, which means that the hotel works very well. That in turn means that she can give good value for the money. Kim recommends the Bellevue in her report.
http://www.bellevue-wengen.ch/en/home.html
It is about a 10 minute walk from the station, with a modest climb and descent. Not nearly as much altitude change as many of the hotels, relative to the station. They’ll pick you up with your luggage and return you to the station at the end of your stay.
Slowpoke
Attachments:
Hi Suasan –
<<” As my husband is a map lover, we already have the Michelin map!”>>
Here is a heavy duty topo map, based on the military data set. It can provide many professional cartographers tools:
And, this is the hikers map resource, at Switzerland Mobility, which includes an explanation of the color coding of the trails in the SwissTopo map above:
http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en /wanderland/wanderland .html
http://www.schweizmobil.ch/en /wanderland/more-wl/hiking-trail-network-and-signalization.html
Oddly enough, the Switzerland Mobility map does not use that color coding.
This one is good for transportation, because you can get a named icon for each and every transport stop in Switzerland…including city bus and tram stops. Use the menus linked with star in a circle. Train line become very visible, once you zoom in far enough ( zoom level 32):
map.search.ch/?pos=638364,160448&z=64 &poi=bergbahn,halteste lle,zug
Tha transport stop name is accepted by the SBB timetable, with some instructions, as linked by Suzanne:
http://www.sbb.ch/en/home.htm l.
for which valuable tips are provided here:
http://www.myswissalps.com/ti metable
Have fun!
Slowpoke
Hello GandP,
I am glad you are coming along with your planning.
I like Vevey as an alternative to Montreux. Vevey is beautiful and an elegant town, with the extensive lakefront and Mont Pélerin behind it (Mont Pélerin is a mountain of the Swiss Plateau, overlooking Lake Geneva). Vevey is not particularly a “touristic” town although plenty of tourists visit it.
- http://www.myswissalps.com/so uthwestswitzerland
- http://www.myswissalps.com/so uthwestswitzerland/hot els
- http://www.myswissalps.com/so uthwestswitzerland/ren tals
- http://www.myswissalps.com/so uthwestswitzerland/act ivities
There is a lovely little village half way up called Chardonne. A funciular will get you up there from
Vevey. You can also take the train up to Chexbres and walk down through the Lavaux vineyards to the lake. The views from the vineyards are incredible in combination of the rows of the vines with the mountains and the lake as backdrop.There are some nice little villages to explore in the Lavaux as well: Epesses, St Saphorin, and Rivaz. Some of the best filets de perche around the entire Léman are at, Relais de La Poste, in Bourg-en-Lavaux.
Another reason why I like Vevey is the thermal baths. There is one at Lavey-les-bains. These are natural geothermal baths – the hottest natural spring in Switzerland. The pools outside have jets, and most importantly, mountain views. If you and your husband decide to go, take note that the bus stop for the baths is called Lavey-les-Bains- Et. Thermal. You will have to make one simple change from the train to the bus at St. Maurice.
I wish you happy reading while you are inside away from the Westcoast rain!
Best regards,
Suzanne
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