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Hi SwissAlps team,
This website and forum has been extremely helpful in planning our trip, especially for us who had no idea about Switzerland when we started, I can’t thank you all enough.
My soon to be husband & I are planning our honeymoon in Sep 2018 to Switzerland. We will have 15 nights (Sep 10 – 24, flight tickets already booked) & will be purchasing two 15 days Swiss Travel Pass (seems to be more cost effective). After nearly two months of intense research, we’ve been able to come up with a draft itinerary and we can take some tips from you all on this. I have indicated our questions as ‘Q’ below, please let us know if we are packing in too much or if there is a better way to do this as well.
Sep 10 – overnight Lucerne
– Land in Zurich at 14.10
– Take a train to Lucerne
– Walk on the Chapel Bridge, visit the Hofkirche St. Leodegar & Lion monument
Sep 11 – overnight Lucerne
– Paragliding in the morning via the Earlybird package offered by Freeminds Paragliding Engelberg.
– Engelberg – Mt. Titlis
– On our way back possibly try and do Mt. Stanserhorn.
Q: Possible to do all of this in one day, if not we’d probably drop Stanserhorn.
Sep 12 – overnight Lucerne
– Hammetschwand lift
– Swiss Transport Museum & lake tour
Sep 13 – overnight Wengen
Q: I have read Kim’s extensive report on Wengen(so informative & beautifully drafted) & since we are looking at dedicating two full days for Jungfraujoch and Grindelwald First, considering making Wengen as our base for the next 5 nights. Expert advice on the same?
– Golden Pass line(9am) from Lucerne to Interlaken
-Harder Klum, Lake Thun boat tour, hop on and off to see castle/caves, etc.
Sep 14 – overnight Wengen
– Wengen – Mannlichen-Hike down to Kleine Scheidegg-Jungfraujoch
Sep 15 – overnight Wengen
Based on the moderators suggestions, we’ll do following round To Schilthorn
-Wengen-Lauterbrunnen-Grutschalp-Murren- Schilthorn-Birg(do thrill walk)-Murren-Allmenhubel-Murren-Hike down to Gimmelwald-Stechelberg-See the Trummelbach Falls-Lauterbrunnen-Wengen
Sep 16 – overnight Wengen
– Grindelwald First activities & the Tobaggun run at Pfingsteggbahn
Sep 17 – overnight Wengen
– Brienz Rothbarn + Lake Brienz boat tour
– Go to Bern for the second half of the day
Sep 18 – overnight Montreux
– Golden Pass from Interlaken to Montreux
– Chillon Castle
– Visit a vineyard. Q: We would need help here as not exactly sure which vineyard is worth visiting and how to get there? Advice much appreciated.
Sep 19 – overnight Montreux
– Chocolate express train
– Go to Lausanne and walk around. Q: Safe to take the train back to Montreux by 10 or 11pm and walk back to our accommodation?
Sep 20 – overnight Montreux
– Glacier 3000 and mountain activities
– Walk around old Town
Sep 21 – overnight Zermatt
– Morning Train from Montreux to Zermatt
– Gornegrat/Kleine Matterhorn.
Q: Possible to do both in 1 day assuming we reach Zermatt by around 11? If not, which is better? I’ve read the Matterhorn view from Gornegrat is what we actually see in photos online.
Q: Any recommendations for our stay? We’d like to stay close to the train station for ease of commute & also to catch the Glacier Express at 8 am next day.
Sep 22 – overnight St. Moritz
– Glacier Express from Zermatt to St Moritz
– Possibly stay at Romantik Hotel Muragl (Q: Are there any other suggestions?)
Sep 23 – overnight Lugano
– Bernina Express from St. Moritz to Tirano. Then Bernina Bus to Lugano.
– Walk around the town
Q: Assuming we reach by 5 pm, any suggestions on what could be done in about 3 – 4hrs in Lugano. A dinner cruise maybe?
Sep 24 – overnight Zurich
– Sight seeing in Lugano
– Direct fast train(2hrs15min) from Lugano to Zurich
7.30 am flight on the 25th from Zurich.
BIG QUESTION: Is our itinerary too ambitious?? We really want to see everything that Switzerland has to offer and do some activities during the visit. We are OK if on some days our schedule is little hectic for one day provided we slow down our plan the next day.
Thank you so much.
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Hi Dee87r and welcome to MySwissAlps!
Great to hear you have found the website useful for your planning needs – and congratulations on your honeymoon. 🙂
I’ll attempt to answer as many questions as I can to get you started before other members chime in:
- Sept 11 — I think you’ll find that both mountains & paragliding are too much this day yes. Be sure to use the Swiss railways timetable to help you plan out your trips on all your days. Usually people spend about 2 hours at each mountain top.
- Sept 13 — Yes, I think Wengen would work just fine for you.
- Sept 18 — I don’t have 1st hand knowledge on the vineyards around Montreux. The Lavaux vineyards are quite famous though.
- Sept 19 – I believe most cities in Switzerland are quite safe at night. About as safe as you get in this world typically.
- I wouldn’t think you need to cram in both mountain trips in Zermatt no. Gornergrat is a little more popular I think and the train station is across the street from Zermatt train station – so very simple for people on day trips… but Klein Matterhorn is quite a trip as well! Tough choices. 🙂
We have several hotels we recommend listed here (with notes on how far from the train station they are). I stayed at Mount Cervin Palace and found it very nice.
- Our St. Moritz hotel recommendations are noted here.
- I haven’t been to Lugano but a dinner cruise sounds like a great idea.
Overall I think it works as an itinerary. Most days steady but not overly crazy. Be sure to use the timetable I linked above to get a better idea of how your days will shape up with the trains, buses and boats. The main thing is to be flexible and go with the flow when you are there. Also check weather forecasts the night before (and morning of) mountain trips to ensure your day isn’t wasted looking into clouds. 🙂
Thank u so much Lucas for your prompt response 🙂 Glad to hear our itinerary is doable. We’ll probably reconsider our plans on the 11th and try doing the paragliding in Interlaken. I think we will proceed with looking out for options for our stays and thanks for the links. Will get back if we have any further queries. Cheers!
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