[Anonymous]

14 June 2011 at 6:28:06 #804473

Hi

We are 3 couples with one kid each (all below 10) planning to travel to switzerland in November, I will be really greatful if
you guys help me out with the planning and advise

1. we are landing at zurich airport at 06.15 am , will half a day (till 16.30 hrs) be enough to see rhine falls. Zurich Lake and any other place of interest nearby before we take our train to interlaken or lucerne

2. can places like Mt. Titlis, & Jungfraujoch be visited during November, will the cable cars be closed for maintenence during 1st to 5th November?

3. is it advisable to send our baggage from zurich aiport to the nearest railway station we intend to stay, or is it convinient to travel with the luggage & kids from zurich airport by train to interlaken or lucerne

4. which is the best place to make a base for 4 nights between lucerne & interlaken, where nearby places can be covered( we will be taking a swiss rail pass)

5. is postbus travel from interlaken to lucerne faster than train

best regards
venkat

[Annika]

Reply 1 of 7 • 15 June 2011 at 6:42:23 #833447

Hello venkat, and welcome to the forum!

1) It’s do-able to visit both the Rhine Falls and Lake Zurich that day. Please refer to the timetable and this topic for specifics on how to reach the Rhine Falls.

2) The Jungfraujoch should be open all year round. The Titlis is still open as well; maintenance starts at November 7. If you intend to visit other viewing points, it’s best to check their website and look for operating hours and timetables, as November typically is a month for maintenance.

3) That depends on how much luggage you intend to carry along. Train coaches generally offer enough space for luggage, but it’s up to you to decide whether you want to carry it along. It may be convenient to hand in your luggage early in the morning at Zurich and have it shipped to Interlaken or Lucerne using the Fast Baggage Service. You can pick it up there the same evening. Please note that this service is available at the Zurich main railway station, not the Zurich airport station.

4) That depends on your exact plans. If you want to limit your travelling times, you could choose to spend two nights in or near Lucerne and two nights in or near Interlaken, to cover both regions. But one of both towns will do as well. Both are located wonderfully and you won’t regret spending your days there. If you’re looking for alternatives for Interlaken, this page on accommodation may help.

5) No, you should use a train connection here. The timetable offers all details.

Does this answer your questions? Best regards,

[User]

Reply 2 of 7 • 17 June 2011 at 7:03:29 #833448

Hi Annika
Thank you so very much for your prompt reply, please help me out with further doubts
1. is zurich HB the name of the main railway station where we can transfer our luggage to interlaken, after leaving zurich airport railway station, if not then whats the name of the zurich main railway station?

2.since we will be travelling all five days in swiss rail, is swiss flexi pass the next best option as swiss pass is only for 4 or 8 days, is there any major difference in terms of benefit?

3.if we intend to see all the places on Mt titlis (subject to weather cond) do you suggest we keep the entire day for that visit (leaving interlaken at 8.05 am in the morning & last cable down is 4.30 p.m from titlis) and come back the next day to visit lucerne and near by places

4. apart from Jungfraujoch,, any other places of interest from interlaken you suggest to visit?

thank you and best regards
venkat

[Annika]

Reply 3 of 7 • 18 June 2011 at 12:38:59 #833449

Hello venkat!

1. Yes, Zurich HB is the name of the main railway station.

2. A Swiss Flexi Pass would indeed be a good choice for your itinerary. You could pick the 5 day variant if you want to travel for free on all days of your stay, or a 3 or 4 day variant if there are some shorter trips that don’t require free travel. The difference between the Swiss Pass and the Swiss Flexi Pass is explained at the Swiss Pass and Swiss Flexi Pass pages.

3. It’ll depend on the weather how long you plan to stay up at the Titlis, but I wouldn’t plan any other major trips that day. Just enjoy the ride from Interlaken to Engelberg and back and the views up at the Titlis. If you do have lots of time left in the afternoon, you can always choose to roam around in Lucerne on your way back.

4. Please take a look at the this day trip overview. It lists many places of interest in and near Interlaken.

[User]

Reply 4 of 7 • 19 June 2011 at 1:40:15 #833450

Hi Annika

Thank you so much for your reply. all your inputs will defnitley help us plan a smooth and memorable trip to the Swiss, we really appreicate your kind gesture.

thank you once again

venkat

[Annika]

Reply 5 of 7 • 21 June 2011 at 5:37:03 #833451

Hi venkat. You’re welcome, and have a great stay in Switzerland!

[User]

Reply 6 of 7 • 12 July 2011 at 6:40:33 #833452

“Annika said: Hi venkat. You’re welcome, and have a great stay in Switzerland!”Hi Annika

There is a slight change in our arrival plan, we were supposed to arrive at zurich airport , but we have planned to enter switzerland from paris airport and return back to paris on the 5th of november after our 5 nights swiss stay for our onward journey from paris aiport. We will be arriving at 8.15 am at paris airport, we intend to just do a half a day trip to eiffel tower and take a night train to interlaken. can you please suggest the trains from paris to interlaken , and also advice if there is any discount on the return trip on paris – interlaken – paris trip if we hold a swiss 4/8 day saver pass

best regards
venkat

[Annika]

Reply 7 of 7 • 12 July 2011 at 13:42:45 #833453

Hello Venkat! Train connections from Paris to Interlaken, including night trains, can be reviewed in the Swiss timetable Arno referred to above. The Swiss leg of your trip (border-Interlaken and return) will be for free with a valid Swiss Pass, so you’ll only need regular tickets from Paris to the border station (probably Basel or Geneva) and back.