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HI All,
Me and my wife from India are planning a 15 day Europe tour out of which 8 days are in Switzerland. Our priority is to see most scenic places, cute villages, do hiking, take lot of pictures and memories back. We are in early 30s. So, if the trip gets a bit hectic, that’s fine.
Below is our itinerary:
• 25th August – Land in Geneva from Nice, France at 9 AM and then head to Montreux. Stay already booked. Spend time on Geneva/Montreux/Vevey/Lausanne.
• 26th August – Head to Zermatt from Montreux (day long excursion)
• 27th August – Head to Interlaken from Montreux early morning and spend rest of the day in Interlaken/boat tour on both lakes.
• 28th August – Interlaken to Jungfrau and back
• 29th August – Interlaken/outdoor activities/Harder Kulm
• 30th August – Travel to Lucerne
• 31st August – Lucerne to Mt. Titlis or Mt. Rigi or mt. Pilatus (day long excursion)
• 1st Sept. – Lucerne to Zurich (late evening)
• 2nd Sept – Fly back to India
Questions:
1. I am buying 8 days unlimited swiss travel pass as we want to explore lakes by boats, take local transport on some day or take trains for day long excursions or take some panoramic trains. Can I make some changes to above itinerary and go for 4 days swiss travel pass option or I should go ahead with 8 days option?
2. Should I buy swiss travel pass from India or buy it at Geneva Airportonce I land?
3. 26th August – Montreux to Zermatt (day long excursion)
3a. Which train to take for this travel – Is it some scenic train I have to take or general intercity train?
3b. Do I need to reserve seats for this journey? I think Montreux to Zermatt will be covered in swiss pass.
3c. What all options can I cover in one day in Zermatt – Klein Matterhornand Gornegrat/ in one day is possible but how do I commute between Zermatt and Matterhorn and Gornegrat?
3d. I want to experience little bit of Glacier Express as well. Can I do journey from Zermatt to Brig and Brig to Andermatt and then back to Zermatt and then back to Montreux in one day along with Gornegrat and Matterhorn?
3e. Do I need to reserve seats for Glacier Express and if yes, can someone reply with a link? What if I can’t reserve a seat if the train is fully booked? Do they still allow to board the train?
4. 27th August – Montreux to Interlaken
4a. Where ti stay – Interlaken or Murren or Wengen or Grindelwald or Lauterbrunner?
4b. I will have to take GoldenPass line for this journey. So, should I reserve seats? If yes, which is the site for the same?
5. 28th August – Interlaken to Jungfrau (day long excursion)
5a. I know that forum members have said that buy tickets from Kleine Scheidegg to Jungfrau only if the weather is good, which I will check at Interlaken OST. But do I need to reserve seats for the train between kleine Scheidegg to Jungrau? If yes, what is the website?
5b. While taking the train from kleine Scheidegg to Jungfrau, can I stop at Grindelwald/Lauterbrunnen to see these villages? If yes, how much time I should spend in here as I heard it is best to reach top of Jungfrau early as in the afternoon, clouds may disturb the views.
5c. By when can I be back to Interlaken?
6. 30th August – Interlaken to Lucerne
6a. Am I supposed to take GoldenPass train for this journey? If yes, do I need to reserve seats? What is the website for reserving seats?
7. 31st August – Lucerne to Mt Titlis
7a. I think I am supposed to catch the train from Lucerne to Engelbergto Mt. Titlis. If yes, do I need to reserve seats? Website?
7b. We definitely want to cover Mt. Titlis. But can we cover Mt. Ragi or Mt. Pilatus on this day? Which one is recommended apart from Titlis?
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Hi Aditya ghama and welcome to MySwissAlps!
1. I don’t see how you can change your itinerary to work with a 4 day pass. An 8 day Swiss Travel Pass works perfectly for you. See the coverage area of the pass here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass/ validity
2. It would be more convenient to buy the Swiss Travel Pass online (https://www.myswissalp s.com/swisstravelpass/ price). It can be emailed to you and printed at home (saving you time at the airport and giving you a copy to print out again in case you lose your pass).
3a. There is just a regional train From Montreux to Zermatt yes. See the timetable for details: https://www.myswissalp s.com/timetable
3b. No reservations no. Read about reservations in Switzerland here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/train/reservatio ns
3c. You can read about how to get to Klein Matterhorn here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/kleinmatterhorn/ gettingthere and Gornergrat here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/gornergrat/getti ngthere
3d. No, not nearly enough time in one day. You can use the timetable (3a) to plan out the trips and see what you can fit in one day.
3e. Yes you must reserve the Glacier Express train. If it is full you can’t board the train.Reservations can be made here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/glacierexpress/p ackages But you can take a regional train to Brig or Andermatt. It follows the same route and no reservations needed.
4a. All are great. Wengen is the most popular town on this forum: https://www.myswissalp s.com/wengen. You can read more about each town to help you decide here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/jungfrauregion
4b. You can reserve seats on the Golden Pass trains here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/goldenpass/packa ges
5a. No you don’t need to reserve seats on this route. If you want to, you can here: https://www.jungfrau.c h/shop/en/bergbahn/res ervation/
5b. The villages of Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen and Wengen are before you reach Kleine Scheidegg. Read about the route to Jungfraujoch here: https://www.myswissalp s.com/jungfraujoch/get tingthere – better to visit the towns on the way down from Jungfraujoch I suppose.
5c. The timetable from 3a will tell you how long all trips take
6a. No seat reservations are needed here but you can if you want from the same site as my link on 4b (I wouldn’t bother though).
7a. No reservations possble
7b. Yes you can do 2 in one day (from Lucerne) if you want. Have a look at our info pages on the mountains to help you decide which look best to you: https://www.myswissalp s.com/pilatus & https://www.myswissalp s.com/rigi – after Titlis I’d choose Rigi I think.
Hi Aditya ghama,
Were you able to finalize your travel plans and get your rail pass?
Let us know if you need more help.
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