Problem planning for 6-day budget itinerary

Hi, I am a student who is planning to visit Zurich for 6 days in this coming July. It is my first time travelling to Switzerland and I am rather inexperience in planning a trip. I understand that Switzerland are quite expensive and hope I can have a budget trip.

I am planning to visit Zurich city centre, Jungfraujoch-top of Europe, Rhinefalls and Black forest. If possible, I would also like to stay in holiday resort that is near the alps for 2 nights. I have found out that I can stay in either Wengen or Grindelwald, but I am unsure how to get from here to the top of Europe. My friend recommended Grayline tour, however I would prefer to go on my own as I think it might be cheaper.

Any help? :)

Thank you.

Felicia

Hi Felicia-

Welcome to My Swiss Alps -

You do not have to use an expensive tour company. It is easy to do it yourself.

You might wish to include Luzern (Lucerne) in your itinerary.

Check these links-

www.myswissalps.com/ge ttingstarted

The Black Forest is in Germany. Northern Switzerland has many similarities, see this map .

map.search.ch/

but is it not the same.

And -

www.myswissalps.com/wh eretogo

and -

www.myswissalps.com/ho tels/budget

I much prefer Wengen to Grindelwald, but, Grindelwald has more commercial support and stores, etc.

Wengen is where I stay, and I think it is a lot nicer. Just my opinion. ;-)

This may be interesting reading for you -

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/tips-about-wengen-and-the-jungfrau-region-by-kim

About Luzern -

www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke

Thank you for all the information! I am really happy to find out this forum because it is really helpful ( it certainly helps given the fact is my first time planning :) )

However, I need some additional advice on my itinerary. I will be arriving Zurich airport at 4pm and planning to get the Half-fare ticket. I have managed to draft out a plan as follow and need some advice.

• Day 1-Zurich airport-Wengen (Station: Zürich Flughafen-Wengen)

• Day 2-Wengen-Jungfraujoch-Wengen (Station: Wengen -Jungfraujoch)

• Day 3-Wengen-Zurich(Station: Wengen-Zürich HB)

• Day 4-Rhinefalls

• Day 5 and 6-Zurich

I am managed to find out the online train timetable but I am unsure did I select the correct station name. So, I have also inserted the station names in my plan :)

I have a few questions that I am unsure of.

1. May I know which station will the train stop at Wengen? (knowing the location will help in choosing the accommodation because one of my aim is to minimise walking time, I think Hotel Bernerhof is quite close to the station according to Google map but I am not too sure)
2. I am wondering will the the train from Wengen to Jungfraujoch will stop at a station that is close to the Ice palace, Sphinx observation terrace, Alpine sensation, Swiss Lindt Chocolate shop? Do I need to pay for entrance ticket to the mentioned attractions?
3. I am travelling with 2 other people of which one of them have weak knee problems. Is the trip up to Jungfraujoch very strenuous?
4. I managed to find out Wengen–Männlichen Aerial Cableway in Wengen , however, I am unsure which ticket should I pick. Any advice? :)

• Wengen–Männlichen
• Wengen–Holenstein
• Wengen–Männlichen–Grindelwald-Grund 5
• Wengen–Männlichen–Grindelwald

www.maennlichen.ch/en/ wengenmaennlichen-aerial-cableway.html

5. Being a local in Wengen, do you have any recommendations for budget hotels, food, or places to go?

6. What will the proper footwear and clothing when I am in Jungfraujoch in July?

Thank you for helping! :) (and sorry for the excessive number of questions ._.)

Thanks,

Felicia

Hi Felicia,

1. The station is simply called Wengen.

2. Similarly, it's called Jungfraujoch :-)

3. No, not all. It's all by train and very easy. The indoor walking up there is easy as well. There's a lift up to the observatory. Outdoor walking in the snow is a bit more difficult. And mind the thin air; take it slow.

4. That depends on where you want to go. If you explain your plans to the staff at the ticket office they'll get you the right ticket.

5. Wengen is not a cheap place. You can try to find a relatively cheap accommodation through www.hotelscombined.com /Place/Wengen.htm. Please post to the accommodation forum if you need more help with this.

6. Please see myswissalps.com/ jungfraujoch. If you intend to do snow activities you would need to dress differently: at least water proof and solid shoes with good grip.

Please see myswissalps.com/ swisshalffarecard/ price for where to get Swiss Half Fare Cards. You can buy online and print them at home.

Hi Felicia -

Your questions are not unreasonable nor excessive. Keep them coming. ;-)

They are well thought out. And, I can see you are learning to use the tools for good traveling in Switzerland.

I'll try to give some quick answers, and either i or Arno /Annika can help out later, if I don't have time to finish just now.

In general -

I'd stay in Luzern on the last days instead of Zürich. Zürich is my favorite city in Switzerland, and can be reached in 45 minutes by trains from Luzern, but it does not reward the first time traveler the way that Luzern does. Luzern has excellent and frequent access to Zürich airport.

www.myswissalps.com/lu cerne

I'd also maybe consider a short visit to Bern, using the trams instead of walking if necessary.

www.myswissalps.com/be rn

Use the timetable to check travel times from Luzern and from Interlaken/wengen.

Finally, the choice of going to the Rhine Falls is a matter of personal preference.

Since i live in the USA and have visited Niagara Falls a few times, I did not find the Rhine Falls to be very special. However, your background can be very different from mine, and many people enjoy visiting them. I do recall that some approaches require a bit of walking, but it has been many years since we went there, and other approaches may be available.

www.myswissalps.com/rh inefalls

1.- There is only one station in Wengen. The Bernerhof is less than 20o meters from the station. Slight uphill walk.

2.- I have not actually ever spent the money to go up to Jungfraujoch, even after 80 or 90 trips to Switzerland from my home in the USA. I prefer to visit the places that fewer tourists go to.

www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch

I am sure that there is only one train stop, and all the attractions are easily accessible. I believe that they are included in the price of the train ticket, except for the Snow Fun park. Arno can confirm.

3.- The trip to the Jungfrau involves sitting on a train. That is not very strenuous. ;-)

Once you are there, you walk around for short distances, all indoors. No special gear is needed, but if you step outside, it can be cold if it is not sunny. I would wear layers.

Do not buy your ticket until you are within about one day before travel time. The weather is critical, and if it becomes cloudy up there, you cannot see any of the scenery that you go up to see. Hotels/rail stations/ tourist offices all keep up to the minute information on conditions "up top."

4. If you wish to go up to Männilchen, the route from Wengen in the time table is "Wengen-Wengiboden" to Männlichen LWM" which stands for Lauterbrunnen- Wengen- Männlichen cablecar company.

However, simply "Wengen-Männlichen" will work.

Buy your ticket at the base station just before you ride up.

Once up there, if your companion's knees can manage, walk to Kleine Scheidegg. It an easy walk, slightly down hill, and takes an hour and one half to 2 hours. It is easy enough to be called the "Grannies' Walk."

www.myswissalps.com/hi king/maennlichen-kleinescheidegg

Even without that walk it is a nice place to visit and have lunch.

5- Check the link from Kim that I gave you above.

Slowpoke

Hi Arno and Slowpoke,

Thank you for the suggestions and confirmation about my trip planning. I will have to discuss with my companions before making any bookings.

You guys have been really helpful! Thank you.

And, Lucern seems like a pretty nice place to visit, I am considering fitting it in to my budget and schedule if possible :) :)

Ohhh, and one final question, if I am arriving in the evening in Zurich airport, I will have to buy the Half fare ticket, outward train ticket to Wengen and return ticket to Jungfraujoch (because I will be going Jungfraujoch on Day 2). Am I correct?

Thank you!

Felicia

Hi Felicia,

As Arno mentioned, it's easier to get your Swiss Half Fare Card online in advance and print it at home. Prices are equal to buying at Zurich Airport as there are no shipping or handling fees. All purchase options are here; the company I'd recommend is www.swissrailways.com/ en.

That way you only have to get a 50% discounted ticket to Wengen after arrival. If I were you, I'd get my ticket to the Jungfraujoch right before leaving on day 2, so you can still change your plans in case weather is too bad to get up.

Hi Annika

Thank you for your reply.

Will I be able to buy the train ticket from Wengen to Jungfraujoch at Wengen train station?

Thank you. :)

Felicia

<<"Will I be able to buy the train ticket from Wengen to Jungfraujoch at Wengen train station?">>

Yes- and you can ask them about the cloud conditions up on Juingfraujoch at the station before you buy.

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke

Alrighty! I will ask the station before purchasing the tickets.Thank you again ! :)

Felicia

Hi Felicia-

<<"And, Lucern seems like a pretty nice place to visit, I am considering fitting it in to my budget and schedule if possible :) :)">>

Concerning Luzern vs. Zürich-

Certainly if you have specific reason to stay in Zürich, I am sure that you will enjoy the city.

However, Luzern is 45 minutes away by a nice train ride, and you might consider running down there for the better scenery.

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke

After some discussion, we decided to go for a day trip to Lucern instead of Rhinefalls! :) :)

I have more or less finalised my trip itinerary. Thank you everyone for their useful advices and help ( I wouldn't have manage to plan it without everyone's help :) )

Felicia

<<"After some discussion, we decided to go for a day trip to Lucern instead of Rhinefalls! :) :)">>

I don't think that you will regret that decision.

I have attached a few pictures taken on sunny days. The one of Pilatus above the Jesuitenkirche was taken at dawn on a clear day, from just across the river. (The Hotel Schiff, from which I took it, is now closed.)

This link shows some images of the southern part of the lake.

www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/the-swiss-path-and-southern-lake-lucerne

It might be difficult to fit in the hike that is described in that link, but a boat ride on that part of the lake - say from Flüelen to Brunnen - could be done in half a day. it is very beautiful. I'd take the train to Flüelen, and catch the boat there. Then, at Brunnen, lunch at lakeside is possible, and the train back to Luzern or direct to Zürich can be caught at the station which is 5-10 minutes walk from the boat landing. The screen grabs of maps in that link give you some idea of what part of the lake I am talking about.

www.myswissalps.com/ti metable

www.lakelucerne.ch/en/ timetable-fares/timetable/

However, there are many things in the city itself that deserve a visit, and you don't have to go to the southern end of the lake for nice scenery.

Hammetschwand on Bürgenstock, near Luzern (in some of the photos) is rather hard to get to these days due to construction on Bürgenstock, but the pictures give you an idea of the surroundings. Maybe next trip. ;-)

Slowpoke

Hi Slowpoke

Sorry for the late reply.

Once again, thank you for all the information. It is really helpful :)

Felicia