Rail holiday – help required for booking

  • Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    6 June 2010 at 4:14:33 #803863

    I am visiting swiss from 20 oct to 28 oct 2010.
    my preffered itenary is ( taken from one of website)

    Day 1
    Arrive Zurich – Onto Interlaken
    Welcome to Switzerland! Upon arrival into Zurich, travel by train to Interlaken, located between the two beautiful lakes of Thun and Brienz. This evening you have the option of enjoying an evening dinner cruise around Lake Brienz. Overnight in Interlaken.

    Day 2
    Jungfraujoch
    Today enjoy a full day optional excursion to Jungfraujoch, the highest railway station in Europe at 11,333 ft. Board the cogwheel train from Interlaken OST station for an unforgettable experience. It guarantees 100% snow and ice. Visit the Ice Palace where you see a beautiful display of sculptures made of ice. From the Sphinx terrace you can view the Jungfrau peak and the awesome Aletsch Glacier. Have a memorable encounter with eternal snow and ice at the plateau. Overnight in Interlaken.

    Day 3
    Glacier 3000
    Today enjoy a full day excursion to Glacier 3000 with Alpine Coaster. Board the Interlaken OST station to Gstaad (Via Spiez & Zweisimmen). From Gstaad take the panaromic cable car takes you from Col du Pillon up to the eternal snow at 3000 meters above sea level. A spectacular view onto the most beautiful alpine peaks like Jungfrau, Matterhorn, Mont Blanc can be enjoyed from the restaurant Botta, designed by the famous Swiss architect Mario Botta. To increase youe adrenaline level, take a ride on the Alpine Coaster, the world’s highest bobsleigh track. Overnight in Interlaken.

    Day 4
    Interlaken – Lucerne
    Travel from Interlaken to Lucerne by train. Lucerne, the city of lights surrounded by alpine lakes and mountains. Explore the city on your own, visit the Chapel Bridge, Lion Monument, Swiss transport museum, old city squares or take a boat trip on Lake Lucerne. Overnight in Lucerne.

    Day 5
    Mt. Pilatus
    Short bus journey to Kriens. You take a ride with the panoramic gondolas and aerial cableway to Mount Pilatus (7000 ft / 2132 m). From here you will enjoy an unforgettable view over the surrounding mountains and lakes. Descend on the world’s steepest cogwheel railway (48% gradient) to Alpnachstad. Overnight in Lucerne.

    Day 6
    Lucerne – Zurich
    This morning enjoy breakfast. Later travel to Zurich by train. In the afternoon, you may opt for Trolley’ Tour to discover the sights of Zurich like Bahnhofstrasse, the Swiss museum and Zurich Art Museum, Fraumunster Church, Grossmunster Church, and historical Limmatquai. Overnight in Zurich.

    Day 7
    Lucerne – Zurich
    Today after breakfast, transfer on your own to Zurich Airport for your flight back home or extend your holiday with us.

    CAN SOMEBODY HELP IN HOTEL BOOKING ,RAILBOOKING, BUS/BOAT BOOKING FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED ITENARY
    ALSO INVITED SUGGESTION FOR OTHER ITENARY
    DR NITIN ZABAK

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    Annika
    Moderator
    7104 posts
    7 June 2010 at 13:20:08 #831394

    Hello Nitin Zabak and welcome to the forum. If you’d like to travel according to the itinerary you mention, you don’t have to book seats for the train journeys. You can just purchase your tickets on the spot (at a desk at the railway station or a ticketing machine, available in English as well) and get on board. Seat reservation is only required for traveling in special panoramic trains. An example is the Golden Pass, which runs between Interlaken and Gstaad. If you’d like to travel in one of these trains (which, for example, have larger windows than regular trains) when getting to Gstaad, you should book your seats in advance. In order to check possible train connections, please use the online timetable. By the way, if you’re travelling from Interlaken to Lucerne, I’d recommend that you select the beautiful route over the Brünig Pass.

    The journey you describe is a wonderful one. It allows you to see some of Switzerland’s highlights, including Jungfraujoch, Mt. Pilatus and Glacier 3000. What appeals to me as well, is that it still isn’t a very tight schedule and that it does leave some room for exploring city centres and their surroundings. There are plenty of alternatives of course, but it’s hardly possible to explore all of Switzerland within one week, so you simply have to select a few highlights and these ones would be just fine. If you travel by yourself (instead of participating in a pre-set tour operator program), this will offer flexibility and allow you to adapt your scheme to several circumstances, such as the weather.

    If you follow this travel scheme, you’ll definitely profit from a Swiss rail pass. In your case, I think the Swiss Half Fare Card would be the most economical option. It allows travelling throughout Switzerland with a 50% reduction and this would save you a lot.

    You can book your hotels in Interlaken, Lucerne and Zurich through our booking system. You might want to make us of a hotel close to Zurich Airport with a (free) shuttle service.

    I hope this gets you started!

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    8 June 2010 at 13:10:13 #831395

    Thnx annika for such a valuable suggestion
    we are thinking about one more additional day in tour. can u suggest itenary for that— ? perhaps mount titlis / zermatt.
    I am thinking of booking hotel zurich –1 day
    interlaken 3 days
    lucerne 2\3 days

    should i book hotel for 3 days at one place — interlaken and lucerne , or at places of excursion– Jungfraujoch,Mt. Pilatus,Mt.titlis each days.
    also suggest me economical hotel near railway station /airport

    Annika
    Moderator
    7104 posts
    8 June 2010 at 15:17:40 #831396

    I would suggest to stay in Lucerne and in or around Interlaken. From Lucerne, you can make day trips to Titlis and Pilatus. From Interlaken, you can visit Jungfraujoch and many other tourist attractions including Glacier 3000 (although that trip is a bit longer). By the way, I would suggest to travel to Glacier 3000 via Gstaad and consider to travel back via Brig and then the local train via Kandersteg to Spiez. That’s a beautiful route as well.

    With one more day to spend, I would extend my stay in Interlaken. Suggestions for that day are hiking or another viewing point such as Schynige Platte or Brienzer Rothorn (both are cog trains, sometimes steam). There are many day trips to choose from.

    I can’t recommend specific hotels, but we have selected multiple good hotels at the pages I mentioned before. Please review those as I’m sure there must be suitable hotels for you amongst those.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    12 June 2010 at 22:17:52 #831397

    Thnx, annika,
    I S THERE ANY RAIL PASS FOR 8 DAYS FOR UNLIMITED TRAVEL IN TRAINS ,BOATS AND GONDOLAS, MOUNTAIN TRAINS -ALL INCLUSIVE

    Annika
    Moderator
    7104 posts
    13 June 2010 at 5:33:52 #831398

    An 8-day Swiss Pass includes free traveling by train, bus, boat and urban transportation in many towns. Most mountain transportation is discounted, so you need to purchase tickets in those cases.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    14 June 2010 at 12:10:56 #831399

    [quote]Annika said: An 8-day Swiss Pass includes free traveling by train, bus, boat and urban transportation in many towns. Most mountain transportation is discounted, so you need to purchase tickets in those cases.[/quote]

    THNX FOR INFORMATION

    I WANT TO KNOW WHAT WOULD BE WEATHER IN OCT 25- 31.WHAT TYPE OF CLOTHING IS REQUIRED.
    IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED ITENARY , WE CAN HIRE A CAR AND ROAM ABOUT
    WHAT WILL BE CHARGES FOR SAME — INCLUDING DRIVER.

    Arno
    Moderator
    15471 posts
    14 June 2010 at 14:19:14 #831400

    The weather varies by region and altitude, but you need warm clothing for the end of October, plus some lighter clothes in case the temperatures in the valleys are still mild. Many trips can be made all year round, but you have to check the timetables of the mountains you want to visit. Mountain transportation can shut down in October, either temporarily for maintenance or for the whole winter. It varies per mountain. The Jungfrau is definitely no problem though.

    Some car rental companies are listed at the bottom of this page. I don’t know companies who rent private drivers, but I’m sure it’s possible. This page might help you.

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    15 June 2010 at 22:31:55 #831401

    thanks annika
    i got this offer from jangfrautours.ch for 6 nights and 7 days for 1499 ch.

    7 days/6 nights
    Day 1 Arrival in Zurich or Lucerne – transfere by first class
    Day 2 Day at leisure in Lucerne
    Optional excursion Mount Pilatus
    Day 3 GoldenPass panoramic train to Interlaken
    Day 4 Excursion Jungfraujoch/Top of Europe
    Day 5 GoldenPass panoramic train to Montreux
    Optional excursion Rochers-de-Naye
    Day 6 Day at leisure in Geneva
    Day 7 Departure to Zurich or any Swiss border station
    1. 4.–31. 10. 2010 1. 11. 2010–31. 3. 2011
    double room single room double room single room
    CHF EUR CHF EUR CHF EUR CHF EUR
    Standard 1449 966 1575 1050 1271 847 1449 966
    First Class 1722 1148 2022 1348 1490 993 1756 1170
    De Luxe 2562 1708 3339 2226 2170 1447 2838 1892

    hotels

    Zurich Lucerne Interlaken Montreux Geneva
    Standard Rex Alpina Carlton-Europe Helvetie Kipling-Manote

    Beausite Eden
    Weisses Kreuz

    6 overnights at selected hotels with Swiss breakfast buffet
    • 1st class railway-tickets from the Swiss border or airport
    • Excursion to the Jungfraujoch/Top of Europe • Options for Mount Pilatus, Rochers-de-Naye and Glacier 3000, 50% reduction
    • Seat reservation on all panoramic trains
    • GoldenPass documentation
    • 50% reduction on all further excursions throughout Switzerland

    is this package suitable for me .
    if i do booking on my own will it be cheaper

    Annika
    Moderator
    7104 posts
    16 June 2010 at 6:45:37 #831402

    Hello again! This trip sounds beautiful as well. The main difference with the former one (in Lucerne, Zurich and Interlaken) is that you get to see Geneva and it surroundings as well, so in all it may be a bit more diverse. Both journeys allow you to visit Switzerland’s highlights, so it doesn’t really matter which one you choose. It’s very hard to tell whether it’s cheaper to book this yourself. You should calculate the regular costs of your trips using the online timetable. An explanation on this can be found in our rail FAQ. Prices for hotels may vary; this depends on the type of room you book, the moment of booking, and so on. Besides the financial aspect, you should consider which type of travelling appeals to you most: a fixed program, which is comfortable of course but doesn’t allow you to adapt your plans or rest if you want to, or a journey on your own in which you’re not dependent on fixed dates and day trips. I personally prefer the freedom of planning my own trip, but I understand the advantages of a package deal as well. In a previous topic the pros and cons of both ways have been discussed; it may help you to make a decision.

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