Switzerland in January- rail pass & best mountains

  • Sukhcharan
    Participant
    6 posts
    20 October 2017 at 4:12:14 #813534

    Hi.

    I’ll be travelling to Switzerland during end of January and was just thinking if I can get some information about things. I’ll be staying for 7 nights. My initial plan is to stay 2 nights in Grindelwald, I’ll arrive at Grinderwald around noon on the 1st day then I have 2 nights in Zermatt and 3 nights in Lucerne. On my last day my flight out from Zurich is at 7pm. So my questions are:

    1. If I have to choose 4 mountains to visit from Mt Titlis, Mt Rigi, Mt Pilatus, Mt Jungfraujoch and Mt. Schilthorn. Which one should I leave out among these 5 or is it possible to cover all 5 of them together. Will it be too much of the same things? I’m looking to do some activities outdoor but not skiing and would like to enjoy lunching with some nice views. Any other things I can do as a day trip.? I’m also looking to visit some chocolate and cheese factory around the area I’ll be staying.

    2. With the activities from the mountains choices above should I stay 2 nights in Grinderwald and 3 in Lucerne or it should be the other way round ? I’ll be staying 2 nights in Zermatt.

    3. With traveling to all these places mentioned above. Will it be better for me to have a Swiss travel pass or a Swiss half price pass? Which among the 2 will be more worth it?

    Any suggestions or changes to anything in my trip is very much welcome.

    Thank you

    Sukhcharan. K

  • Effortlessly learn from the questions and answers in the forum. Receive a daily e-mail with new discussions.

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    20 October 2017 at 4:27:34 #871092

    Hi sukchu and Welcome to the MySwissAlps Forum,

    Just a quick off the top of the head thought. Consider 3 nights Luzern first followed by 2 in Grindelwald or Wengen followed by 2 in Zermatt then make your way back to Zurich via Chur on the Glacier Express. Then you will include one of the great scenic train trips to provide some variety from all those mountain tops.

    Sukhcharan
    Participant
    6 posts
    20 October 2017 at 4:37:55 #871093

    Thank you very much @rockoyster. Will go look into it

    Anything to suggest about the mountains to visit?

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    20 October 2017 at 4:49:45 #871094

    My pick would be Titlis, one of Pilatus or Rigi, and one of Jungfraujoch or Schiltorn. Weather will probably dictate how many you actually get to see. If you do travel the Glacier Express then Swiss Travel Pass is probably worth getting. You can’t be sure until you refine your itinerary and compare the cost of trips you plan to take with the cost of a pass. Note Pilatus is only 50% discount in 2018 compared to Rigi 100% discount with STP. I found Rigi less impressive than Pilatus.

    Sukhcharan
    Participant
    6 posts
    20 October 2017 at 4:57:09 #871095

    Thanks so much for your quick response. Will consider the options

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    20 October 2017 at 7:48:01 #871096

    Hi sukchu,

    Most likely the Swiss Travel Pass is your best option. To be sure about it, we have a web page on how to choose the best rail pass. You will need to plan out your itinerary and all your planned trips and do the math (there is a spreadsheet to help you).

    You can see on the Swiss Travel Pass validity page what mountains are fully or partially covered by the Swiss Travel Pass. It also gets you 50% off the mountain trips in Zermatt – Gornergrat and Klein Matterhorn.

    You could make time to visit all those mountain trips from Grindelwald or another town in the Jungfrau region and Luzern – but it is a lot of time spent traveling. You would be better off taking one or two out I think. I linked the mountain’s in Rockoyster’s last posts so you can read more about each one.

    rockoyster
    Participant
    8889 posts
    20 October 2017 at 10:23:16 #871097

    Now if only I had that linking capability wouldn’t your life be so much easier Lucas? Have a word with Arno.

    Sukhcharan
    Participant
    6 posts
    20 October 2017 at 10:29:33 #871098

    Thank you very much. Will make my itinerary soon and get back

    Removed user
    Participant
    72625 posts
    20 October 2017 at 16:27:23 #871099

    Don’t worry sir – I’m happily employed! 🙂

  • The thread ‘Switzerland in January- rail pass & best mountains’ is closed to new replies.

About MySwissAlps

We’re passionate tourists and locals. We share tips about how to plan a trip to Switzerland. MySwissAlps was founded in 2002.

Get a free account for a worry-free trip

  • Join our 10730 members and ask us questions in the forum
  • Access to member-only promotions
  • Detailed maps and weather forecasts

Planning your first Switzerland adventure?

Get a jump-start with Annika’s 20-minute e-mail course, “Switzerland for beginners”. Subscribe to our newsletter to unlock the course.