Summer 2016 trip plan? 9 days Montreux and Basel.

Hi there,

I am visiting Switzerland next July with my husband and trying to get organised ahead of the game!

There seems to be so many options for travelling by rail.

i think we are going to be best to buy the Swiss Travel Pass as we want to access some of the scenic route trains and visit as many different places as we can. How far in advance should we buy these and book seats for some scenic trains?

Arrive at Geneva late afternoon Sat 23rd July. We are staying in Montreux until Sat 30th July then we move to Basel for one night only (for the Tattoo) then fly home Sunday 31st.

can anybody recommend places or things to do that are a must?

kind regards

Tracy

Hi Tracy,

Thanks for joining MySwissAlps! You can buy a Swiss Travel Pass whenever you like. Even upon arrival, although it's more convenient and usually cheaper to buy it online (see here). Train seats should be booked as soon as possible, usually 3 to 4 months ahead of time. But, that only applies to trains which require pre-booking. 99% of the trains does not require that, so you can just hop on with your pass.

Must do's are hard to recommend without knowing your interests, apart from scenic trains (hiking, sports, museums, towns, boat trips, peak visits, etc). Please have a look in the "What to do" section of the site, and share some thoughts. You will also find all scenic train details there.

Does this get you started?

Hi Arno

Thank yo very much for your reply and yes it does help to get me started.

I would like of course to spend some time in Montreux and Geneva and then branch out on the various scenic trains, Glacier Express, Jungfrau etc but am still doing my homework about where to go.

To be honest I think I need more than a week to see it all!

Hi Tracy,

Seeing all of Switzerland would take months. The country is packed with viewing points, lakes, hiking trails, museums, pretty towns, scenic railways... Just make sure you have a good time for a week, and come back for more if you like it.

When you say "branch out on...", do you mean day trips and coming back to Montreux in the evening? That would limit your options. Jungfraujoch is too far for a day trip, and the Glacier Express too. You can check yourself using the timetable and the pages on our site about these attractions. But, there's plenty to do nearby, so you can certainly have a wonderful week. Have a look at the Montreux and Geneva pages to get started.