[Removed user]

28 May 2013 at 8:15:37 #806048

Hi,

Our family of 5 is interested in the following three activities in 3 days: cruise on Lake Lucerne, train ride on Jungfraujoch and cable car on Klein-Matterhorn. We will be coming through Venice and going to Paris after 3 days in Switzerland
1. Should we stay in Interlaken and take a train to Zermatt and Lucerne?
2. Any suggestions on train from Venice, between Interlaken/Zermatt/Lucerne, and to Paris?

thank you!

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[Arno]

29 May 2013 at 6:06:05 #838871

Hi aatul99,

1. Interlaken would indeed be a good base for the Jungfraujoch and Lake Lucerne (both are about 2 hours one way to get there). The Matterhorn is at least 3 hours of traveling (one way), so it’s doable but quite a long day trip. You’ll be passing Brig on your way from Venice to Interlaken, so an alternative to consider would be to stay there for a night and visit the Matterhorn from there (about 2 hours one way). Of course you can stay in Zermatt itself as well. Hotels close to the Interlaken rail station are listed here, and for Zermatt here.

2. All trains can be found in the timetable. Passes can be found here, and point to point tickets here.

[Removed user]

29 May 2013 at 9:47:08 #838872

Hello Arno,

Staying in Brig as opposed to Zermatt is a great idea! We might just stay in Brig to visit both, Zermatt and Interlaken. Or, would we miss out on something by not staying in Interlaken?

Any suggestions for hotels or B&B to stay at in Brig and Lucerne, close rail station?

Thank you!
Atul

[Arno]

29 May 2013 at 10:34:30 #838873

Hi Atul,

The most attractive thing about Interlaken is its surroundings, not the town itself. It’s a nice town but Brig (with its castle), Zermatt and Lucerne are prettier. For Brig you can check out Hotel Europe. It’s across the station, 100 m to the right. For Lucerne, please review the Lucerne page. The Ibis Budget Hotel is quite affordable but it’s a bit out of the town center, about 15 minutes from the rail station.

Whether to cover the Jungfraujoch from Brig is about the same dilemma as whether to cover Klein Matterhorn from Interlaken. It’s a very long trip, 3.5 hours one way. It’s a matter of what you prefer: doing very long day trips without your luggage from one base town, or choosing towns near your preferred attractions and thus change hotels more frequently. A bit of an in between option would be to choose Brig as your first stop as you’re passing by that town anyway, and Interlaken as your second base for the Jungfraujoch and Lake Lucerne. Then you still have the flexibility in Interlaken to choose what trip you’ll make on what day, according to the weather. From a price point all options are equal if you use a rail pass.

One more thought: a boat trip on Lake Thun (or Lake Brienz which is a bit smaller) can be done directly from Interlaken. You can save time by doing that instead of Lake Lucerne. If you want to see Lucerne, you could start your last day early and travel from Interlaken to Lucerne via Meiringen, put your luggage in a locker and explore the town. Then travel to Zurich and take a train to Paris from there.

[Removed user]

29 May 2013 at 10:44:47 #838874

Hi Arno,

Thanks a lot for all the help!

Regards,
Atul

[Removed user]

10 June 2013 at 14:48:36 #838875

Hello Arno,

Should we purchase separate tickets or a rail pass for the following itinerary:
Italy: round trip from Rome to Naples on July 1; Rome to Pisa and Pisa to Venice on July 2
Venice to Zermatt on July 4
Zermatt/Matterhorn to Interlaken on July 5 (is Glacier express a possibility for this ride?)
Jungfraujoch Express to the highest train station on Jungfraujoch on July 6th
Interlaken to Paris on July 8
thank you!
Atul

[Annika]

14 June 2013 at 10:26:53 #838876

Hello Atul. I suggest a 3 day Swiss Saver Flexi Pass for your stay in Switzerland. You’d use free travel days for July 4, 5 and 8 (depending on your plans for that day). You’re entitled to discounted traveling on July 6 and 7.

The Glacier Express is a huge detour if you need to get from Zermatt to Interlaken. You might do part of it, up to Andermatt for example. But there’s an easier solution if you’re looking for a scenic train trip: get the Lötschberg RegioExpress crossing the mountains via Goppenstein and Kandersteg, instead of the tunnel connection between Brig and Spiez. Connections can be found through the timetable Arno mentioned. Enter ‘Goppenstein’ as via-station for details on this route.