[Removed user]

9 January 2018 at 16:51:41 #813987

Good Morning,

I am planning a trip around Switzerland for myself and one other adult in mid-April. Our plan so far is thus:

Day 1: Train from Zurichin the morning to Lucerne, Lucerne to Interlaken, spend a few hours in Interlaken (our plan right now is to go to Harder Kulm), then train to Zermatt for the night.

Day 2: Go up to Gornergrat at sunrise to see the Matterhorn, train from Zermatt back to Interlaken, then train to Geneva via Montreux/Lausanne.

Day 3: Explore Geneva, train to Milan.

I am wondering the best way to go about train tickets. I notice there is not a 2 day Swiss Rail pass. Would it still be more economical to purchase the 3 day Swiss Rail pass, or would it be better to purchase individual tickets? We were thinking about doing the Golden Line Scenic Route for the portions between Zurich/Interlaken and Interlaken/Montreax.

Thank you in advance for any assistance/recommendations.

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[Removed user]

9 January 2018 at 21:34:18 #873949

Hi Raerovia, and welcome to MySwissAlps,

It looks like a busy schedule and I have the feeling that there are some overlaps. If you only have three days I would skip Geneva and perhaps change the order. Something like this:

Day 1: Zurich – Lucerne – Interlaken

Day 2: Interlaken via Kandersteg to Zermatt. This is a scenic train trip.

Day 3: Gornergratt – Milan

In any case I would use the Swiss time table to plan your trip. It will also help you to decide whether the 3-day Swiss Travel Pass (not available for two days; or were you referring to another pass?) is the best option for you. We have a page here on how to choose the best rail pass that has a spreadsheet to help you.

[rockoyster]

9 January 2018 at 21:42:36 #873950

Hello Raerovia and Welcome to MySwissAlps,

Your travel plan looks very circuitous. A more efficient route would be Zurich – Lucerne – Interlaken – Montreux – Zermatt – Milan. On such a short trip I would skip Geneva.

Harder Kulm commences operation on 14 April.

You would need to work out full fare cost of all trips once your itinerary is finalised to see if a 3-day Swiss Travel Pass would be of benefit. It is certainly very convenient. Just hop on train and go. On Day 3 it will get you as far as Domodossola.

[Removed user]

10 January 2018 at 0:51:10 #873951

>> I am planning a trip around Switzerland for myself and one other adult in mid-April. Day 2: Go up to Gornergrat at sunrise to see the Matterhorn

Are you sure the sunrise trips are running in mid-April? As far as I know, the special sunrise trips are only for a limited time in the middle of summer.

>> We were thinking about doing the Golden Line Scenic Route for the portions between Zurich/Interlaken and Interlaken/Montreax.

The Golden Pass route starts at Luzern: Luzern-Interlaken Ost-(Spiez)-Zweisimmen-Montreux.

The standard route from Zürich to Luzern is pleasant, but nothing special. The most scenic route between Zürich and Luzern that I have found is to go via Zug and Arth-Goldau, which takes a bit longer. On that route, the train travels high along a hillside on the eastern side of the Zugersee, and you have scenic views down to to the lake, lakeside villages, and the mountains (including the Rigi) on the other side of the lake. Sit on the right.

The Golden Pass route will be operating, but there will be a short section between Château-d’Oex and Montbovon where all train passengers will have to transfer to replacement buses. This is due to construction works between 19 Mar and 1 Jun 2018. You won’t be able to make any reservations between Zweisimmen and Montreux during this construction period. It will still definitely be worth taking the Golden Pass route though.

Alpenrose