[Skorky]

20 October 2019 at 1:15:51 #824261

11 Night September Trip After 8 Day Driving Trip Through Austria

Sept 19 – 21 Luzern.

9/19: Train from Innsbruck to Luzern, walked around city in afternoon taking in Chapel Bridge and Lion Monument.

9/20: Trip to Mt Pilatus. Bus to Kriens and gondola up to Pilatus Klum. Walked a very nice trail and then had lunch at outside restaurant. Cogwheel train to Alpnachstad and boat back to Luzern.

9/21: Trip to Mt Titlis. Train to Engelberg, cable car and gondola to Mt Titlis. Did cliff walk and glacier cave and enjoyed a great lunch at the restaurant. On way down stopped at Trubsee and walked around the lake. Cable car and train back to Luzern.

Sept 22-24 Wengen

9/22: Train to Wengen left luggage at our hotel, then rode train back to Wilderswil. Took cogwheel train up to Schynige Platte. Did panorama walk and had a late lunch. Returned to Wengen via cogwheel and regular train.

9/23: Rode train to Lauterbrunne n then walked to Trummelbach Falls. Rode bus from falls to Schilthornbahn and took gondola to Murren. Our intention was to go up to Schilthorn but it was a cloudy and rainy day so we passed on going up. Walked through Murren to get to train station and rode it to Grutschalp, then jumped on gondola back down Lauterbrunnen. Train back to Wengen and had a wonderful dinner at Sina.

9/24: Up to Mannlichen via cable car from Wengen. Took the beautiful walk to Kleine Scheidegg train station and rode train to Grindelwald. Went up to First on gondola. Went on cliff walk as well as walked around admiring the views. Another great lunch at the restaurant.

Sept 25 Zermatt

Left Wengen and rode train to Zermatt. Left luggage at hotel and headed to catch Gornergrat train. By the time we got to the top it was very cloudy and we were not able to see much of anything, including the Matterhorn. Had a late lunch and as we left restaurant the wind was blowing the clouds so we waited about 1/2 hour. Winds pushed most of the clouds out and we were treated to spectacular views before going back down.

Sept 26: St. Moritz

Left Zermatt on the Glacier Express enjoying the magnificent scenery and of course a bottle of wine along with the lunch we bought in Zermatt. Walked around the quaint town of St. Moritz that evening.

Sept 27 Zurich

Headed to Zurich on train in morning. Explored parts of Zurich around our hotel and down by the lake.

Sept 28 – 30: Flew to Paris to celebrate wife’s 64th birthday. Seems like just yesterday I was 64 not 10 years ago! Did all the touristy things while there including a motorcycle sidecar ride, which was definitely an E ticket ride. (Sorry if you are too young to know about E tickets)

Oct 1 Zurich

Flew back to Zurich and explored some more of the town. Had dinner at Papa Joe’s which had good Mexican food and margaritas.

Oct 2 Montreux

Rode train to Montreux in the morning. After dropping off luggage we walked along Lake Geneva to Chateau de Chillon. Had a great time touring the castle and even bought 2 bottles of their wine. Spent more time at castle than we anticipated so we didn’t make it to Vevey.

Oct 3 Train back to Zurich airport for our flight home.

Switzerland is a beautiful country and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. This trip would not have been the success it was without this website and all the help you provide to travelers, THANK YOU ALL!

20-20 hindsight being what it is, there are some things I would have done differently. 1) I would not have stayed in Luzern because it is very busy and has way too many tour groups to navigate through. I would choose a small town in that area to make as my base. 2) I would have stayed longer in Wengen and Montreux.

We purchased a 15 day Swiss Travel Pass after crunching the numbers. Even if the Half Fare pass would have been cheaper I would still have bought the STP because I could get on any train without having to purchase any additional tickets or wait in any lines. Worked great for this old guy. Also now have a new favorite dessert, a Colonel, lemon or lime sorbet with a shot of vodka over it. Yum!

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[Removed user]

20 October 2019 at 6:00:37 #923962

Hello Skorky,

Thanks for taking the time to write, and post a comprehensive report about your Switzerland trip. We appreciate it! The photos are wonderful. Thanks also for the personal hindsights you wrote in your report. Future travellers to Switzerland will like reading those personal tips to help them plan.

Best regards,

Suzanne

[Slowpoke]

20 October 2019 at 22:43:34 #923963

Hi Skorky –

<<“) I would not have stayed in Luzern because it is very busy and has way too many tour groups to navigate through. I would choose a small town in that area to make as my base.”>>

Places in the villages around the lake are nice, with some still pricey, although it is hard to be pricier than Luzern. Not all ar as pricey as Luzern. They require additional time to get to the train station in Luzern, but being on the lake an be quite nice.

Looking for lower cost options, I have tried this one twice and consider it a very good option. And, if you are going on to the Berner Oberland, you have ahead start:

http://www.myswissalps.com/fo rum/topic/review-of-an-inn-in-sachseln-near-luzern

You gat a nice view of the Eiger from near First, too. And, I like the composition of the Staubbach Falls image. Catching the clouds in the LB Valley from Wengen is just right. You can still see a lot of the valley…and the Staubbach anchors one corner of the composition.

Slowpoke