Swiss 9 Day Itinerary - Require Inputs

Travel Dates: Third Week of September 2015 (kindly suggest expectedclimate with regards to Lucerne & excursions mentioned in the itinerarybelow)

Travellers: 2 people in their late twenties

Info about us: Base Station Lucerne, Swiss Travel Pass (8 days), Would love toexplore nature and unique things about Switzerland, Have thoroughly researched major portions and forums of MySwissAlps

Day 1: Reach Zurich at 6pm. Activate 8 day Swiss Travel Pass & Movetowards Lucerne as Base Location (can I expect to cover anything near LucerneRail station during Night time (after 9 types))

Day 2: Lucerne to Titlis Excusion (9 am to 1 pm) + Chapel Bridge + LionMonument

Day 3: Lucerne to Mt. Rigi + Lake Lucerne Boat Ride+Kindly Suggest whatmore can be done in and around the Mt Rigi or nearby regions in the second half

Day4: Lucerne to Jungfrau (will there be time to explore lauterbrunnenvalley and trummelbach falls after Jungfrau Excursion

Day 5: Lucerne to Matterhorn ( Is this too much a stretch?)

Day 6: Lucerne to CHOCLATE and CHEESE FACTORY visit in Gruyères and BROC

Day 7: Lucerne to Bern ( is it possible to even cover Basel, need helpin visiting well known places in Bern and Basel)

Day 8: Lucerne to Zurich, explore Zurich , Rhine Falls (Suggest othermust see places in Zurich apart from the ones mentioned on Swiss Alps websiteZurich Section), Overnight Stay in Zurich Airport Hotels

Day 9: Have No Swiss Pass for this Day, Expected to stay in a hotel near ZurichAirport, Can I visit an local places like a park or river front to spend my daysince I have a flight back in the evening..?Kindly suggest modifications to the itinerary above?

Do you think Swiss Travel Pass would not be advisable for the saidItinerary?

We plan to cook during our stay in Switzerland? Can you kindly indicatethe cost of staple veg food like Bread, Milk, fruits, etc in swiss or the costof a single meal at a local veg restaurant?

Planning to buy the tickets for Swiss Travel Pass, Titlis and MatterhornExcursion (since weather is mostly ok at these locations and the tickets are relatively less expensive than Jungfrau) right now...

Jungfrautickets planning to buy it on the spot…Can I face any issues like nonavailability for this trip?

Welcome to MySwissAlps, samyakhd!

I certainly think an 8 day Swiss Travel Pass is a good fit for your plans. Retailers are listed here: www.myswissalps.com/sw isstravelpass/price. Since you're from India, you can best order through www.raileurope-world.com. For your last day in Zurich, consider a ZurichCard: www.myswissalps.com/zu rich/travel.

Mind that some of your day trips involve a lot of traveling. Did you consult the timetable to find details? It will be of great help in determining whether or not a day trip is too long in your opinion: www.myswissalps.com/ti metable. You may want to consider spending day 5 to 7 in the Jungfrau region rather than in Lucerne, as that will shorten traveling distances. Let's take a look at some of your plans:

• day 1: there won't be that much you can do in Lucerne after 9pm. It won't be long before it gets dark. I'd say you'd better get some rest after your inbound trip and enjoy Lucerne in full day light;
• day 4: visiting the Jungfraujoch from Lucerne is a long trip, but it's doable, and combining it with the Lauterbrunnen valley is a good idea if you don't mind returning to Lucerne late. In that case I'd recommend to get up via Grindelwald and down via Wengen (www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/gettingther e): that way your Jungfraujoch trip will end in the Lauterbrunnen valley. You can either take a bus to the Trümmelbach falls or enjoy the easy walk towards Stechelberg and visit the falls on your way: www.myswissalps.com/hi king/lauterbrunnen-stechelberg;
• day 5: personally, I'd say this is too much. It would be a very long day of traveling to visit Zermatt and get up to a viewing point to have a good look at the Matterhorn. It's doable if you really want to though. Alternatively, you can take another trip to the Jungfrau region, as there's a whole lot to discover there: www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfrauregion/activitie s
• day 7: likewise, I wouldn't want to visit both Bern and Basel in one day, but rather focus on one town and explore it a bit more thoroughly. But again, that's a matter of your own preferences, and getting to both towns is certainly be possible. Please find tips at www.myswissalps.com/be rn and www.myswissalps.com/ba sel.

You can buy tickets for some day trips in advance: please refer to www.myswissalps.com/ti tlis/tickets and either www.myswissalps.com/go rnergrat/tickets or www.myswissalps.com/kl einmatterhorn/tickets (I'm not sure which one you're referring to). But do note that these too are weather dependent, so can just as well wait and get your tickets at the spot before boarding, once you're sure the viewing points aren't covered by clouds. You won't have problems arranging for them: they don't sell out, especially not in September when the peak of tourist high season is over. This only occasionally happens in July or August for the Jungfraujoch: www.myswissalps.com/ju ngfraujoch/tickets.

Thanks Annika for your inputs

I have considered timetables for the proposed journeys...I understand that a few journeys like Zermatt are 8 hours to and fro in train...which I have accounted for....still if I start early it leaves me 2-3 hours at Matterhorn which i think are worth enough considering the good reviews I have has for Matterhorn..

Any comments on the proposed visit to CHOCLATE and CHEESE FACTORY visit in Gruyères and BROC? Is it doable?

Please also share your inputs/experience on weather in Switzerland in the third week of Sep'15? Can we expect rains? Or will the temperatures be extreme (hopefully on the Colder side considering the Heat wave) :P

Out of Basel and Bern...which one is more recommended?

Do you suggest buying tickets to all execursions on the spot in Switzerland based on weather outlook for that location on that day..(considering I have bought 8 day Swiss Travel Pass)?

Is EURO accepted as payment currency especially for all Mountain Excursions, Major Hotels (for Food) and at Stores like Coop or Migros? Or do i need to carry CHF?

Hi Samyakhd!

As rightly pointed by Annika, I think Jungfrau region would be indeed a better base for the trips you have in mind. You would spend more time at those beautiful attractions rather than rushing through them! Switzerland is really a beautiful country and each location that we saw was truly awesome! Lucerne, Titlis, Jungfraujoch, Lauterbrunnen, Zermatt, Broc and Gruyere are all more easily accessible from anywhere near Interlaken.

The Chapel bridge looks really beautiful at nights with its lighting! Transport museum is a great place to see in Lucerne. Euros are accepted in most places in Geneva, and some other places but CHF is the one you need to carry for the migros, coop, etc. Hope this helps.

Thanks Mistybabu...

Please also share your inputs/experience on weather in Switzerland in the third week of Sep'15? Can we expect rains? Or will the temperatures be extreme (hopefully on the Colder side considering the Heat wave) :P

Out of Basel and Bern...which one is more recommended?

Will Euros be accepted for Mountain excursion tickets like Titlis, Jungfrau and Matterhorn?

Is the CHOCLATE and CHEESE FACTORY visit in Gruyères and BROC covered under SWISS TRAVEL PASS (Both travel and entry fee, if applicable)?

The weather in September is very nice in general. But you'll only know for sure one day in advance. It can still vary from rain to clear skies.

Please see here for Basel and Bern to help you decide:

• myswissalps.com/basel
• myswissalps.com/bern

Euros are most probably accepted but it's an expensive way to pay. The only official currency is the Swiss franc, so use that or a debit card whenever you can: myswissalps.com/ swissfranc.

Yes, both factories are free with a Swiss Travel Pass.

Can experts please advise if the activities on the following mountain excursions are covered under the ticket price or payable extra. If payable extra please share the cost details (I have purchased Swiss Travel Pass):

1)Jungfrau:CHF 130.00

• Ice Palace,
• Ski & Snowboard Park,
• the Sphinx observation terrace and the "Top of Europe" Glacier Restaurant
• Snow Disk Run
• Tyrolienne Jungfraujoch

2) Mt. Titlis (CHF 56.00)

• The Fun Lift,
• Ice flyer Chair lift,
• The Cliff Walk - Europe’s highest suspension bridge,
• The Glacier Grotto
• Glacier Park.

3) Mt. Pilatus (CHF 36.00)

• Fraekmuentegg - Toboggan run
• Fraekmuentegg - the Rope park,
• Krienseregg: Pilu Land Adventure kids playground

Hi samyakhd,

Most of this can be found on our Jungfraujoch, Titlis and Pilatus pages, or through the links on there. From the top of my head:

• Jungfraujoch: everything is included except the Snow Fun Park and zip line. Prices are around CHF 15 - 35 depending on the activity.
• Titlis: nearly everything is included, even the Glacier Park, but you can only get there via the Ice Flyer which costs around CHF 12. However the price you quote includes this I think. I don't know what the Fun Lift is.
• Pilatus: the Rope Park is around CHF 30 and the Toboggan Run CHF 8. There are discounts for children. The Pilu Land playground is free.

Food and drinks are not included anywhere.

I hope this helps you out!