Please help me planning my itinerary

Hello everyone

I'm new here..i would just like to ask for some suggestion regarding my impending trip to Switzerland in early June

Here are my plan..Please let me know if I need to minus/add some of them...I'm planning to use the youth swiss pass

1d---arrive in Milan in the afternoon, then a little tour around the town to see the Duomo and San Siro...in the evening, I will leave for Lugano and spend the night there

2d--buy a swiss pass and activate it--use it for the Bernina Express pathway to Chur for a day trip...return to Lugano

3rd->5th---From Lugano to Montreaux via lucarno n Domodossola....stay at Montreaux for 3 days...day trip to Geneva maybe using the lake( need help with this)....is it doable?

5th to 8th day--Lauterbrunnen...I'm planning to explore the surrounding areas like Wengen, Kleine Scheidegg,Murren..ascend Schilthorn maybe...

QUESTION--is it possible to do Bern from Lauterrunnen or do you guys think it will be to crammed?..

8th day--to lucerne...get a cruise around lake lucerne..ascend Mt Pilatus maybe...the depart to Zurich

9th day--Zurich--depart to Prague from Zurich

Btw--i'm on a student budget so please let me know if any of the excursion that that i suggested will be too expensive or doesnt make sense at all(geographically maybe?)

I really need your guys help in this..thank you in advance

Hi Mattt,

Welcome to MySwissAlps! Please find my thoughts below:

Day 2 is very long. Did you check the timetable for this? You'll probably not be back in Lugano until the late evening/midnight. The timetable also shows details on all other trips, like Lauterbrunnen to Bern, which can easily be done in a day.

For boat trips on Lake Geneva, please see this page.

Budget tips:

• Note that if you wait until Lugano with buying your rail pass, you won't travel for free from the border to Lugano on the first day. See here for points of sale. This assumes you won't need the pass on day 9;
• Mount Rigi is free with your Swiss Youth Pass;
• You can consider getting the Swiss Peak Pass and visit the mountains included with that pass. Although choice is limited, the included mountains are great and it's good value for money.
• Perfectly located budget hotels are listed here.

Have a great time in Switzerland!

Hello Annika

Thank you for your reply

1. I guessed i have to leave early in the morning then as i want to take the entire trip from Lugano-Tirano-Chur...I got a hostel near to the train station so i hope that even if i arrive late, it wouldnt be a problem much..

2. I'm having some difficulties in finding affordable accommodation in Montreaux..can you suggest other place where i can stay and still be close to Montreaux..maybe like lausanne or geneve..or the other town around Lake Geneva

3. Regarding Swiss Peak Pass..i think it is not worth it for me because i'm just planning to visits either Jungfraujoch or Schlithorn and some excursion trip to Wengen,Grindelward and Murren

Hello

One more thing..i dont understand your suggestion regarding my trip to Lugano..as i'm travelling from Milan, i think that the Swiss Pass doesnt really cover for that travel so it really doesnt worth it to buy and use it that day because most of the time i'll be in Milan anyway and i will only leave to Lugano around late evening..can you clarify...thank you for your time

Hi Mattt,

I'm not sure what you can spend on hotels, but Hotel Helvetie in Montreux, for example, is available for about CHF 115 per night. It's just 10 minutes on foot from the rail station. Hotel de Chailly is another example in the same price range. Less centrally located, but in the area too. More hotels are on the Montreux page.

If you're looking even cheaper, the local Youth Hostel in Montreux is an option, or Bon Port.

I mentioned the Swiss Peak Pass because you're on a budget. It offers a very cheap way to visit some fabulous mountains, but indeed you'd have to adjust your plans to what's included in the pass. Wengen, Mürren and Grindelwald are no mountain tops; these are included for free in your Swiss Youth Pass anyway.

The Swiss portion of your trip from Milan to Lugano is covered by Swiss rail passes. It's short but you could save a few francs if you would use the pass that day too. If you don't need your 8-day pass on day 9, you might as well use it on day 1. See the map for what's included.

Hello Annika

I've receive some response for my plan trip to Chur from Lugano and it really seems htat asyou suggested, to long of a journey..do you know any other alternatives that i can do instead based on my itinerary?...i really want to do the Bernina Pass so i am willing to alter my itinerary accordingly..

Hi Mattt,

What about taking the Bernina Express to St. Moritz (there's Youth hostel, see here and here), and the next day the Glacier Express to Brig, and then switch to get to Montreux?

Kind regards,

Arno